Projects
Research
APCL undertakes fundamental research in the field of core issues related to education, livelihood and development; and has promulgated innovative intervention frameworks including Creative Learning, Broadstreaming, Education for Democracy, Education for Underprivileged, Social Science Laboratories and Rat Farming, among others.
Material Development
APCL has developed several educational tools and aids, including books, games, toys and activities related to promoting creativity, literacy, concentration development, right to education, social sciences, mathematics and nature exploration, among others.
Training
APCL organises skill enhancement and training programmes for teachers, project officers, surveyors, children and volunteers.
Field Work
Working extensively at the grassroots, APCL works directly with the beneficiaries under the numerous social and educational projects that it runs.
Advocacy
APCL is engaged in policy intervention and advocacy related works, particularly related to the causes of women, children and excluded communities.
Partner Communities
The organisation has been working extensively with economically and socially excluded communities, particularly in rural areas.
- The organisation has worked with members of the Scheduled Castes (SCs consisting of Chamar, Dhobi, Pasi, Paswan among others), and Muslims.
- Even among SCs, it has worked extensively with Musahars – an extremely deprived community having the most landless, houseless and illiterate people.
- It also works with Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs), as EBCs are educationally deprived. Some of them like Beldars are landless and agricultural labourers, their educational status being comparable to SCs. EBCs are mainly professionals or communities involved in the profession of earthwork, and have a nomadic lifestyle. They go through large scale migration periodically, which makes their children, especially girls, vulnerable who have to keep themselves engaged in household chores and baby-sitting resulting in poor education.
- APCL works with the communities to enhance their participation in education processes. Its main focus is on school and out-of-school children, and also works extensively with the parents and community of these children.
- APCL also works with children who are not performing well in examinations and undertakes home counselling.
- The organisation is also working with old women, urban street children and destitutes.
APCL has developed vulnerability indicator for assessing vulnerability of a community and has identified vulnerable groups in the community. Research at APCL has shown that the community rich in traditions of folk paintings have better literacy and educational achievements. As the tradition of folk painting practically does not exist in dalits especially Musahars, APCL has undertaken popularization of folk painting among dalits and the Musahar community.
Geographic Focus
APCL works extensively in the rural and urban areas of Bihar and Jharkhand, states in the Eastern part of India. Despite being the third most populous state in the country, Bihar faces enormous challenges in terms of poverty alleviation, education, nutrition and other human development indicators.
- Third most populous state in India; Also having the highest density with 1,106 persons per sq km
- 63.82% literacy rate (73.39% male, 53.33% female as of 2011)
- Predominantly rural, with 88.7% of the population living in rural areas
- UNDP Human Development Index Rank - 21 out of 23
- Gender Related Development Indicators Rank - 35 out of 35
- Gender Empowerment Measure Rank - 31 out of 35
- Global Hunger Index Rank - 15 out of 17
- 53.5% of the population or 54.35 millions are poor
References
- Census of India 2011 - Bihar Profile - http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/stock/profiles/en/IND010_Bihar.pdf
- UNDP - Bihar Economic and Human Development Indicators - http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/bihar_factsheet.pdf
