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Makkala Jagriti

Celebrating children & Empowering youth

In 2003, Makkala Jagriti started as a safe and friendly space where children from marginalized communities could visit and engage in meaningful learning activities. Today, our unique ‘holistic development learning model’ empowers thousands of disadvantaged children and youth across Karnataka to maximize their learning and potential to succeed; breaking the chain of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.

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early childhood care and education - Makkala Jagrtit

Our Focus Areas

Helping young lives thrive as one of the best NGOs in Bangalore for education and youth empowerment.

Early Childhood Care
and Education

Programme to enhance preschool learning,
implemented at Anganwadi centres.

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Holistic Development
Learning Centres

Complementing formal education using our
unique ‘S.P.I.C.E.’ Model, implemented at
Government Schools, Children Homes, and
Communities.

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Yuva Jagriti

A platform to enhance life skills and
facilitate access to opportunities for youth,
implemented at our Yuva Cafes and
government institutions.

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anganwadi school near me - makkala jagriti

Our Impact

children & youth
touched

districts in Karnataka

Anganwadis
impacted directly

government schools
transformed

teachers trained

Stories of Change

Nammoora Anganwadi

We have seen great transformation take place when parents and community members are involved in shaping learning spaces for children and understand the importance of preschool education.

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Breaking the language barrier for migrant children

Barnalli, a seventh grade student at Government Primary School, Somasundrapalya, is a child of migrant parents from Assam. Unable to speak the local language, Kannada, she found it difficult to adjust to school and struggled to mingle with other children.

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How the education of one girl can impact generations ahead

Both of Mercy’s parents worked in the unorganised sector, who could not afford her school fees. She joined Makkala Jagriti Learning Centre at the age of 11, and always found the facilitators to be warm, welcoming and encouraging.

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News & Events

Adding more SPICE to our lives

A powerful learning session amidst nature Bangalore’s iconic Cubbon Park may be known world over, but there are many youth in the communities we work with, who have never been there or explored the place. MJ’s Yuva Jagriti team seized the opportunity and created an impactful first time experience by taking nearly 60 youth of the Gopalapuram community for an outbound experiential life skills session to Cubbon Park. It was a surprise for many of [...] [...] Read more...

Featured in Deccan Herald Helping children dream and learn

Helping children dream and learn Children engage with student volunteers at the Makkala Jagriti centres. A graduation ceremony for children who visit the Makkala Jagriti centres. The Sharada Sthree Samaja in Kumara Park, Bengaluru is bright and cheerful with the laughter of children. On a Saturday at 3 pm, about twenty kids have gathered here to do homework or play. Four student volunteers are involved in engaging the children and helping them out. The children [...] [...] Read more...

From Kashmir with love… and more stories

1, 2, 3… 11 Yes! Eleven Makkala Jagriti now has its footprint in 11 districts of Karnataka. In the month of July, we expanded our presence to the districts of Bidar, Vijayapura, Raichur, and Yadgir where we would be working towards transforming Child Care Institutions (CCIs) into spaces of holistic learning for children. We shall be working in 26 CCIs across 10 districts overall. The team, which has now grown to nearly 30 members, spent [...] [...] Read more...

A new beginning in a new space, and much more!

We have a new Yuva Café! The last weekend of June was an exciting one for us… One that culminated in the birth of something new! Presenting our new Yuva Café at Gopalapuram, Bengaluru! A safe space dedicated to empowering youth with programs aimed at helping them discover their true potential - programs in personality development, life skills and vocational training. The Café witnessed a fervent welcome from the youth of the area, all filled [...] [...] Read more...

Introducing ‘Maneyalliye Oota, Maneyalliye Paatha’

Introducing 'Maneyalliye Oota, Maneyalliye Paatha' Makkala Jagriti has partnered with Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka, for a state-wide intervention to support home-based schooling. Aptly called 'Maneyalliye Oota, Maneyalliye Paatha', the program was launched by Hon. Minister Smt. Shashikala Jolle, Department of Women and Child Development. It aims at equipping and encouraging parents to engage children in learning activities during the months when schools and Anganawadis remain closed due to the Covid-19 [...] [...] Read more...

We are SAN Certified!

We are SAN Certified! As an organization keenly aligned to learning and evolving, Makkala Jagriti welcomed Social Audit Network (SAN) India, a chapter of Social Audit Network UK, to conduct an impact study for our school programme. The study, designed for the period of 2016 to 2019, included interviews, discussions and surveys with key stakeholders, team members, donors and volunteers that offered a detailed analysis of the programme and its impact. It gave us an [...] [...] Read more...

Raising funds to support “Learning under Lockdown”

Raising funds to support "Learning under Lockdown" Makkala Jagriti stepped up quickly to support children and families from underserved communities during the Covid pandemic. Ever since the lockdown, with schools continuing to remain closed, we have supported over 18,000 children and youth from marginalized communities across Karnataka through allround support - from essential supplies to thoughtfully designed “Learning Kits” for home schooling. To help us meet these emergency expenses, we have been raising funds on Give India through generous donors [...] [...] Read more...

Our Partners

A massive movement of social change like Makkala Jagriti cannot gain adequate momentum without the active support of our partners and donors. We are grateful for their contribution.

OTHERS

How the education of one girl can impact generations ahead

“We had a lot of freedom to explore our interests and talents. They taught us life skills and values. It was a new world for me.”

– Mercy

Through the Yuva Jagriti career guidance programme, Mercy received the right kind of insight and encouragement that led her to pursue a degree in Commerce, that too through a merit seat. Being the first girl in her family to study that far, she set an example in her community and made choices that allowed her to move beyond the circumstances that she was born into. Mercy now works in a reputed bank and is among our celebrated many who not only made a difference in their own lives but continue to do so in that of others.

Turning a Misguided Youth into a Community Leader

Prabhu was a teenager when the old, dilapidated building in which his family lived collapsed, leaving them without a home. While they were still grappling with the situation, Prabhu lost his father, the sole earning member of the family. Unable to process his difficult circumstances, he found strength in hanging around with his friends, who often indulged in gang wars and all forms of abusive behaviour.

Prabhu was a shy yet playful boy when he joined the Yuva Jagriti centre at the age of 15. He expressed, “I feel I am at crossroads, not sure which road to take”. Following our support and guidance, he decided to pursue an internship at Makkala Jagriti. He was entrusted to work with children from Shelter Homes. Today, Prabhu is a sought-after Creative Facilitator and Coordinator at Makkala Jagriti, managing three Community Centres. A silent yet sound performer, he brings in diverse and highly creative ways to engage children and help them learn and grow.

From a 10th Std. dropout to a World Taekwondo Champion

Murali lived in Bengaluru with his brother, while his parents lived in a village in Tamil Nadu. After his 10th grade, he lost the interest and inclination to study further. When he joined Yuva Jagriti, he started learning Taekwondo at our centre, which helped him become calmer and more focused. He also showed immense capacity to work with children, especially in the areas of sports and creativity, and this landed him an opportunity to work with Makkala Jagriti. Alongside his work, he pursued Taekwondo and competed at the District, State and National levels. He won a number of Gold Medals.

Today, Murali is an accomplished Taekwondo instructor, teaching at many schools in Bengaluru. He brought great accolades to the Nation when he won two bronze medals at the World Taekwondo Championship in Korea in September 2017.

Breaking the language barrier for migrant children

“When you are new to a place and don’t know anyone, it is hard to fit in. She didn’t have any friends in school.”

– Barnalli’s mother

Makkala Jagriti’s language development program came to her rescue.

“Although I was in a higher grade, the HDLC facilitator taught me Kannada right from the basics. The different activities and sessions helped me grasp the language easily and quickly. Over time, Kannada moved from being just a new language to my favorite subject. Learning Kannada helped me enjoy school a lot more. I became a class leader and also started representing the school in inter-school competitions!”

– Barnalli

Equipping parents to become positive influencers

Manoj, a 12-year-old boy, hails from a family of garment workers who had migrated from Andhra Pradesh. On moving to Bengaluru in 2018, he joined the Government Primary School in Ulsoor. The drastic change in his environment and culture left him feeling withdrawn and fearful. He refused to speak or participate in any school activity. Over time, he conﬁded in our HDLC facilitator about feeling neglected by his parents in such diﬃcult circumstances.

Manoj’s mother was invited to participate in Makkala Jagriti’s parents’ workshop. The two-day residential workshop allowed her to reﬂect on her own mindset, biases and relationship with her son. At the end of it, she made a conscious decision to work on rebuilding and restoring her relationship with Manoj. At school, our facilitator noticed that this had a direct impact on his performance. He became more participative and improved in his academics. Manoj later shared with the facilitator that his relationship had become more harmonious and positive with his mother.

Nammoora Anganwadi

We have seen great transformation take place when parents and community members are involved in shaping learning spaces for children and understand the importance of preschool education. The Anganwadi at Katamnallur, Bengaluru, transformed from a dull space to a vibrant and colourful learning centre, where children love to visit every day and parents and community members gather to participate in various activities.

“When we started our intervention, we saw that the environment at the Anganwadi was not safe or conducive for children. Although the community could contribute to the Anganwadi’s development, there was a major gap between the community, local leaders and Anganwadi teachers.”

– Gouri, Coordinator

Through community celebrations and fun events, we involved community members in the Anganwadi activities. As their participation grew, their understanding about the significance of early learning and development also increased and they readily contributed to the centre’s development.

“Community involvement in Anganwadi is so important. Inspired by Makkala Jagriti’s work, we saw the community, parents and Bala Vikas Samithi members come together and show greater ownership towards the Anganwadi.”

– Subramanya Swamy, Doddabanahalli Gram Panchayat Member

A Library with Toys!

In an effort to ensure that every household in the Anganwadi community had access to child-friendly learning materials, we started a novel initiative called ‘Toy Library’, which allowed parents to borrow toys and learning resources for their children.

“The Toy Library has been very useful for children. Whatever we teach at Anganwadi, they can continue learning at home independently. Parents also feel more equipped to engage their children at home. No wonder, within just two months of its launch, over 100 toys were borrowed from our Anganwadi.”

– Bhavya, Anganwadi teacher

The Toy Library concept was welcomed by the community and the time spent on learning at home increased!

“My child always preplans what he’d like to take home from the Toy Library. He has also become very responsible in maintaining the toys because he knows he must return them! In the past 3 months, we have borrowed 20 times already.”

– Shwetha, Parent, Vijayanagara Anganwadi, Doddaballapur

Empowered Teachers Create Better Learners

To ensure children get quality pre-school learning opportunities in the Anganwadi, we empower the teachers and helpers through enhancing their knowledge, skills and attitude towards early learning and development.

“Through Anganwadi trainings, I have changed in a positive way and gained confidence about myself – especially in terms of catering to all domains of early learning. I have even started making learning materials by myself to teach children”.

– Nirmala, Anganwadi teacher, Rojipura

We train teachers and helpers on experiential learning methods that can be practiced at their centres. We also organise Mothers’ Meetings and regular mentoring visits to provide on-the-job support and guidance to teachers. Anganwadi helpers are empowered to become co-teachers and have an important role in the children’s learning process, thereby not confining them to just cooking and cleaning.

“I was used to just cooking and cleaning in the Anganwadi and did not do much else. However, after I attended the ECCE trainings, I realized I had a lot of potential and could engage and teach the children just like a teacher. Now, when the teacher is absent, I engage children in preschool learning activities.”

– Rukmini, Helper, Jyothinagar Anganwadi

From giving little time to learning, to prioritizing pre-school learning and spending more quality time with children, Anganwadi teachers and helpers have come a long way.

Makkala Jagriti

Celebrating children & Empowering youth

Our Focus Areas

Helping young lives thrive as one of the best NGOs in Bangalore for education and youth empowerment.

Early Childhood Care and Education

Holistic Development Learning Centres

Yuva Jagriti

Our Impact

Stories of Change

Join the Movement

News & Events

Our Partners

How the education of one girl can impact generations ahead

Turning a Misguided Youth into a Community Leader

From a 10th Std. dropout to a World Taekwondo Champion

Breaking the language barrier for migrant children

Equipping parents to become positive influencers

Nammoora Anganwadi

A Library with Toys!

Empowered Teachers Create Better Learners

Early Childhood Care
and Education

Holistic Development
Learning Centres