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Apne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) was founded in 1998 to bring empowerment, education and opportunity to a very isolated and under-served section of society: women in brothel-based prostitution and their children. Atma is excited to announce that AAWC has become an Atma Partner.

Atma’s staff are very excited to be working with Apne Aap Women’s Collective and addressing the very complex world which keeps women and their daughters trapped in a cycle of slavery. AAWC runs three unique programs in Mumbai’s red-light districts, all of which support the holistic education and development of women who are prostitutes and their daughters.

Umeed is a program which serves the needs of women working in prostitution in the Grant Road area. Through Umeed, AAWC provides psycho-social counseling, vocational training and literacy workshops, and support in gaining essential documents like ration and pan cards. Umeed also provides financial planning assistance, health support and fun recreational outings to the women, creating a real sense of community and security.

Udaan supports the daughters of women in the red light area through education and opportunities to develop a future outside the brothel. They offer resources to help girls aged 6-18 pursue their education through enrollment support, after school tutorials, assistance towards pursuing higher education, and counseling and mentorship along the way.

Umang is a program that nurtures children from 2.5 – 5 years old, by providing a safe and healthy environment. Umang introduces children to education through preparatory classes and supports their health and nutrition needs to give them the best possible start.

Atma is excited about working with such a detail-oriented organisation because AAWC is also building capacity and creating education at a very personal and individual level: in the lives of women and girls. Their mission of providing education, tools, resources and a supportive platform to women and girls falls directly in line with Atma’s vision of Quality Education.

Through the Atma Partnerships Program, AAWC will be working to further strengthen their organisation. Atma is currently engaging in an audit process of the monitoring and evaluation processes used by AAWC, with plans to build a comprehensive management information system. Later in the year, we will be examining further expansion of AAWC programs.

AAWC have big plans for their programs and for future growth. The Atma Model is designed to support organisation like AAWC to create and implement the systems and programs that will allow their organisation to grow and expand sustainably. Atma looks forward to learning and growing with AAWC through our Atma Partnership.

Aapne Aap Women’s Collective (AAWC) is an NGO that works with one of the most underprivileged and isolated sections of Mumbai’s society – women in brothel-based prostitution and their children.

Yesterday, Atma staff had the privilege of going on a site visit and learning about AAWC’s vision from Manju Vyas, AAWC Director. We thank AAWC for a wonderful site visit and look forward to learning more about their work. 

What is an Atma Partnership?

An Atma Partnership is a three year collaborative process between Atma and a dynamic NGO working in education in Mumbai. For an Atma Partnership to be effective in reaching its goal of creating Quality Education for underprivileged children, it’s imperative for us to identify the right NGOs to partner with.

The Pre-Partnership process is designed to give a snapshot of the potential partner NGO, where it is in its organisational life cycle, and whether they are ready fto bring about change that will help to strengthen their organisation and expand their programs.

Photos by Kainaz Amaria

The Pre-Partnership Process comprises 4 steps.

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Rabiya is 12 years old, and the best English student in her class. Since becoming a student at CHILDReach, an Atma Partner school, Rabiya has been able to excel in subjects that were previously inaccessible to her. This is because CHILDReach offers Rabiya a classroom environment and specialized attention that supports her unique learning style.

Photo by Neha Kumthekar (more…)

Karla Kevin and Ravi Bagaria recently completed a five week Atma Volunteership. This is their Atma experience in their own words.

Ravi: After having given our Final exams for becoming Chartered Accountants, Karla and I started looking for a volunteer opportunity. We had two months in hand and wanted to utilise it to the fullest by helping non-profits with their investments, financial and tax planning.

Karla: The first thing that set Atma apart from other NGOs was the professional manner that volunteer recruitment was done. I received prompt responses to emails and we went for a meeting at the Atma office where our volunteer role were defined from the very beginning. That illustrated how much Atma values their volunteers and their resources, which was refreshing and encouraging! I instantly knew Atma would be the place where Ravi and I could make the most of the time I’d set apart for volunteer work.

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On June 20^th, Atma Partner Masoom hosted a textbook distribution event at Sahakar night school. That evening, 25 Masoom students from standards 8 to 10 received notebooks and textbooks for their studies.

Masoom supports night schools in Mumbai by creating high quality educational environments and providing a variety of supplementary resources to night school students. These resources include mobile science labs, libraries, enriched curriculums, and of course, textbooks.

Photo by a Masoom Volunteer

Masoom has been an Atma Partner since 2009. Over the course of the Atma-Masoom Partnership, Atma has supported Masoom in multiple areas of their organizational development. Atma has helped Masoom to grow in areas of HR by engaging two new dynamic staff members, in branding by developing Masoom’s logo and website, and in marketing by creating a promotional film.

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By Hayley Bolding, Atma Founder

At Atma we believe that any “issue” an organization faces is merely a challenge, and that having a “challenge” rather than “problem” focused outlook encourages innovative solutions towards helping the organization to grow.

Founded to tackle the educational challenges faced by Mumbai’s underprivileged, Atma recognizes that the greatest impact is in building capacity within the key people and organizations creating change in India – the innovative NGOs that are our Atma Partners.

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On Sunday August 7th 2011, Atma was featured in the Midday News as a leader amongst the hundreds of NGOs that participate in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon every year. The Mumbai Marathon provides a fantastic platform for fundraising and cooperation between NGOs across India. Read the complete article, or write to Bronwyn or Lisa at  marathon@atma.org.in to sign up for Mumbai’s largest community event!

Atma Partner Masoom is an NGO that focuses on illuminating Mumbai’s night schools. Night school students attend classes at night after working during the day, and must make do with fewer resources than regular students. Founded by Nikita Ketkar, an Unltd India Investee, Masoom exists to improve the classroom infrastructure and educational offerings in Mumbai night schools, allowing night school students to excel academically.

Click to learn more about Masoom and Atma’s other Partnerships.

The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is Asia’s largest marathon, and one of India’s single platforms for fundraising. [1]

In the past, the Mumbai Marathon has served as an incredible event for awareness and fundraising for NGOs across India, as well as to help showcase the social issues they address. In 2010, 107 NGOs chose to participate in the Mumbai Marathon. In 2011, 179 NGOs were registered in the Marathon, collectively raising Rs 12.16 crore. Based on the growth witnessed over the past few years, NGO involvement is expected to continue to grow exponentially.

The key to a successful Marathon campaign for any NGO is having an extensive planning process and clear goals. Preparing for the Mumbai Marathon encompasses much more than showing up on Race Day: planning requires a large investment of time and energy in marketing your cause, finding participants and corporate teams, and completing the registration processes. However, approaching the Marathon preparations in a strategic way guarantees an incredible outcome for an NGO.

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