BHUMI (organization)

Bhumi
Founded 2006
Founder Ayyanar E, Hari Sankar, Dr.Prahalathan KK
Type volunteering
Focus Education, Civic engagement, environment, social entrepreneurship
Location
Area served
 Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkatta, Mumbai, Pune, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, India
Slogan Change today... Change tomorrow.
Website www.bhumi.org.in

Bhumi is one of India's largest independent youth volunteer non-profit organisations.[1] Bhumi as a platform enables over 5,000 volunteers in more than 12 cities across India for causes like education, environment, animals, community welfare etc.[2]

Bhumi capitalizes on the volunteering force of Indian youth, playing a catalyst directing India and the youth towards a better tomorrow.[1] Bhumi has established itself as a front-ranking charity organisation that helps poor children to realise their potential, raise their aspirations and recognize their achievements in various fields.[3]

Bhumi is also the winner of the ‘Leader in Volunteer Engagement Award 2013’ at the iVolunteer Awards.[4]

History

Bhumi was started in 2006 by a few students and young professionals in the Indian city of Chennai. With a passion to do something for the nation, a bunch young people got together to volunteer to teach children at an orphanage in Chennai. The experience was an eye-opener about the status of the education system in the country. This motivated the co-founders to start Bhumi on August 15, 2006.[5]

Approach

BHUMI Volunteers are primarily college students and young professional working voluntarily to provide education support in children's homes and community centres.[6][7] The methodology of teaching is mostly informal which incorporates the idea of "learn while you play".

Programmes

Kanini

kanini

Kanini in Tamil means "computer", Started in June 2007, the said purpose of Kanini is "to take the magical world of computers to less privileged children". Under Kanini, volunteers work with children in orphanages to provide them basic and advanced Computer education. Currently, BHUMI's teaching programmes are going on at 8 orphanages, slum and rural communities across Chennai involving over 400 Children.[8] Kanini has a well-structured syllabus with courses that cater to children’s varying requirements, interests and aptitudes. The basic 40-hour course package consists of introduction to the Computer, MS-DOS, basic software and hardware, Microsoft Office tools and the Internet. Advanced packages deal with programming languages like C, C++, Java, HTML, Photoshop etc.

Speak Out

Speak Out is a project which aims at providing quality English and softskills education to underprivileged children so as to bridge the gap between them and those who get educated from public schools. The project aims to build the communication ability and confidence of children so that they can stand at par with the rest of the world.

Lakshaya

Lakshaya is an experiential learning leadership programme which pairs underprivileged children with volunteers who act as their mentors and role models. The programme helps the children realise their potential and transforms the volunteers into more socially aware leaders.DnE is modelled on mentorship programmes like the Big Brothers Big Sisters (USA), Perach (Israel) and Dronacharya & Ekalavya (Hyderabad, India).

Tutors conduct classes for small batches for four hours every week, helping the children build a strong academic foundation and providing an impetus to continued education through improved academic performances.

Mentors meet mentees for two hours every week and assist them with school or home work, listen to their problems and support them in challenges they encounter. In the process, mentors instil self-confidence and the ability to solve one’s own problem in the children.

Mentors undergo a training programme in personal mastery, transformational communication, problem solving, situational leadership, creative entrepreneurship and group learning cycles developed in collaboration with renowned experts from across the country.

Little Einsteins

LE

Little Einsteins is an activity based learning programme that focuses on the conceptual understanding and learning of mathematics and science. The programme exposes them to an array of topics beyond the scope of their text books. To ensure better understanding and retention, multimedia tools and live demonstration of experiments are used. The course structure has an integrated testing system which enables effective assessment and monitoring of a child’s progress.

Nakshatra

Nakshatra means star is an inter-orphanage Art, Cultural and Science talent Fest to bring out the children’s creative talents held across India.[9][10] Nakshatra, a two-day talent fest held every year has an array of competitive activities to ensure that children of all age groups from orphanages participate and gain immensely by competing against their peers. The 50 different arts and cultural competitions- including flower arrangement, pot painting, clay modelling, elocution, solo / group dance and song etc. and athletic and sporting competitions like sprint, high jump, shot put, volley ball, chess etc. are structured for various age groups to facilitate maximum participation. The event is peppered with entertainment, games and a science exhibition to keep the children busy even while they were not competing.

The identified talent will be nurtured through constant support from our initiatives like Joy to the World and specialised individual support for those children.

The second edition of Nakshatra saw the participation of 915 children from 37 orphanages across Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur on 11 July 2010.,[11][12][13]

The third edition of Nakshatra saw the participation of 1,500 children from 40 orphanages across Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur on 11 July 2010.[14][15][16]

Corporate Social Responsibility

Bhumi Supports the Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of companies like Cognizant Technological Solutions, Dassault Sytemes[17] etc.

Awards

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Benefiting Over 10,000 Children Every Year, This Team Shows Us The Power Of Volunteering". The Better India. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Bhumi". India Cares Foundation. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  3. ↑ NXG (2010). "Give them wings". The Hindu.
  4. ↑ "Abhishek Bachchan Lauds Bhumi". The New Indian Express. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "To establish an institution that makes meaningful impact on society requires years of hard work and dedication – Dr. Prahalathan/ Bhumi". Stagephod. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "The league of extraordinary humans". The New Indian Express. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Education Plus (23 August 2010). "Serve to Succeed". Chennai, India: The Hindu.
  8. ↑ Ergo (2008). "A MAD initiative". The Hindu.
  9. ↑ "Earnest show of talent". The Hindu. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  10. ↑ "Children showcase creative side". The Hindu. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  11. ↑ Young World (27 July 2010). "When talent takes wing". Chennai, India: The Hindu.
  12. ↑ "Bhumi’s Siragugal ‘10". Chennai Online. 2010.
  13. ↑ NXG (2010). "THE NEWS AT 8PM--NDTV-HINDU--110710". NDTV Hindu.
  14. ↑ Ramachandran, Swetha (14 July 2011). "Celebrating the creative spirit". The Hindu (Chennai, India).
  15. ↑
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ "NASSCOM Foundation guides Dassault Systemes towards volunteerism". India CSR. 2010.
  18. ↑ "Abhishek Bachchan Lauds Bhumi". The New Indian Express. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  19. ↑ "The league of extraordinary humans". The New Indian Express. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bhumi.