Knowledge
Crowdfunding powers digital classrooms in rural India
Think Sharp Foundations StudyMalls are quietly creating a digital learning revolution in villages. It is a library setup meant to increase student engagement and spark an interest in learning. This social venture is increasingly relying on crowdfunding for expansion rather than conventional investme
What happens when an unassuming man from rural India escapes the inertia of poverty and returns to his roots to give back and pay his debts? The answer is he works wonders, sparks a learning revolution and creates waves as a social entrepreneur.
Santosh Digambarrao Phad, founder of Think Sharp Foundation is bringing spunk to learning in rural Maharashtra with this brainchild StudyMall since 2011. A business management graduate, Santosh hails from Mandwa in Beed district of Maharashtra. He was fortunate to acquire a decent education and a job with a finance company. On a visit to his village, he observed that while metro cities had moved beyond learning from books, education in rural areas remained largely sub-standard. “While schools in metro cities had become technologically advanced, schools in villages did not even have a roof. There was increased absenteeism due to low interest in learning,” he said.
He wanted to reignite the spark in learning which would ultimately bring back the students to school. He conceived the idea of StudyMall in rural areas which would bridge the gap between rural and urban learning in schools. It is basically setting up of a library in schools in rural areas. It is equipped with better educational infrastructure including an attractive sitting place, books, educational games, toys, computer learning, and digital/multimedia learning along with workshops conducted by volunteers on various topics.
As with most social ventures, this social entrepreneur also faced numerous challenges at the outset. Funding was one among them. “It took us 2 years to raise Rs 70,000 to start our first centre in Surangali village in Jalna. It was difficult as there were no crowdfunding platforms at the time,” he said.
Today, Santosh increasingly relies on a crowdfunding platform to raise funds for his projects. “It is easier to reach people who wish to donate. I believe that crowdfunding is a platform where people can believe in your ideas, even if they don’t donate at least our work is reaching them,” he said.
The first StudyMall took off in 2013 in a rented space in Surangali village. They hired a computer-literate volunteer from the area to assist children in interactive learning through digital means. Soon, the social entrepreneur opened 2 more centres within school premises in Varangaon village in Jalgaon and Vangani (W) village in Thane. These interactive study libraries have impacted about 1,500 children in 3 villages. Most of them belong to farming families.
“At times there would be no electricity in the village. We have even installed solar lamps in the centres so that they continue to play and learn,” he said.
Currently, Santosh plans to raise money through crowdfunding to start a new centre in Chikatgaon in Aurangabad. Santosh’s dream is to open StudyMalls in all villages in India. For this, they are looking at contributions from the corporate and Small and medium enterprises through CSR activities. In the next 5 years, he hopes to achieve a healthy pace of expansion where he opens 3-4 StudyMalls a year and create comprehensive digital learning classrooms for the existing centres.
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