The meeting began with Dilip discussing his work in Majuli, including training locals for marketing and business. Ankur shared his background in education and nonprofit work, highlighting his connection with Assam Foundation of North America and his motivation to support educational initiatives. Aswathy provided an overview of her work with Sunbird Trust in Manipur and her long-term commitment to Majuli, where she has lived for eight years. Nripen Barua, shared his experiences and insights on sustainable income and livelihood improvements in isolated areas like Lampy. Debojit Bora discussed the importance of education and community support, with plans to explore further collaboration and opportunities for students from the Hummingbird School.
Hummingbird School's Journey in Majuli
The meeting focused on the journey and initiatives of Bipin, who established a school named "Hummingbird" in Majuli, Assam, to support tribal communities and address educational challenges. Bipin shared his inspiration from Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai's story about a hummingbird's efforts to extinguish a forest fire, emphasizing the importance of small actions. We discussed potential collaborations, including writing about the school and its initiatives in a magazine and spreading awareness through online platforms. Participants expressed admiration for Bipin's work and discussed future connections and support for the school.
Aswathy presented on the Hummingbird School, which was established in 2017 with a vision to produce community leaders who are lifelong learners, truth seekers, and have compassionate hearts. The school emphasizes contextual learning, extracurricular activities including sports and theater, and student leadership opportunities. Notable achievements include students organizing a successful Children's Literary Festival, achieving high exam results, and six students receiving scholarships to study at a prestigious academy in Bangalore. The school has a waiting list for its 30 seats, with 15 reserved for orphans and 7 for nearby villages, and partners with other schools to share its educational approach across Northeast India.
Dr. Sashanka shared his professional journey, including his work as a veterinarian and his involvement in animal welfare programs in Majuli. Dr. Daya introduced herself as a medical doctor and serial NGO founder, discussing her work in various countries and her connection to Majuli. They discussed potential collaborations, including a documentary, school engagements, and animal welfare programs. Dr. Daya also mentioned plans for a boot camp and hackathon in Majuli and requested the group to initiate a global grant process with the Rotary Club for a significant project in Majuli.
The meeting focused on discussing the progress and future plans of a bilingual children's magazine, "Milky Way of Stories," which aims to reach more children across Assam. Aswathy highlighted the magazine's success and the need for subscriptions to ensure sustainability, while also exploring the possibility of an online version. The group discussed strategies to secure corporate funding and support, with Aswathy emphasizing the importance of a clear vision and communication to attract donors. Ankur suggested exploring additional languages for the magazine and proposed expanding its reach. The conversation also touched on the potential for entrepreneurship projects in schools, with Dilip sharing ideas about banana fiber and sustainable businesses. The conversation ended with plans for future collaboration and visits to Majuli.
Ashutosh, a faculty member at IIM Kerala and an entrepreneur, shared his academic journey and expressed his commitment to research-oriented solutions for Northeast India's problems. He introduced a research-based think tank based in Guwati, which aims to study and understand regional issues before proposing solutions. Ashutosh emphasized the need for India to shift from a superficial approach to a more research and detail-oriented one, citing his experience with a book on Suzuki Motor Corporation as an eye-opener. He acknowledged the contributions of Bipin and Ashwati to Majuli and expressed hope that his think tank could collaborate with other groups working on Northeast issue
A few Key points
Aswathy: Develop corpus fund/endowment strategy targeting 100 legacy donors to cover 30% of Hummingbird School's operational costs over next 3-4 years
Dr. Sashanka: Initiate Rotary Club global grant process for Majuli projects with minimum grant of 100,000
Aswathy & Uttam: Meet to create a vision and plan for corporate funding opportunities
Dilip & Suresh: Lead the online conversion of Hattipoti magazine and explore translations into Bengali, Marathi, and Hindi
Nripen: Help connect Hummingbird School with ITC for potential CSR funding support
Dilip & Bipin: Discuss and explore potential banana fiber and sanitary pad projects for entrepreneurship initiatives at the school
Dr. Suresh: Write about Hummingbird School in the relaunched online version of Jiban magazine
Aswathy: Share the presentation deck with the group
Bipin: Share the Hummingbird School/Ayan Trust website details in the group
Ankur: Connect Neil Barua with Aswathy, Bipin, and Dr. Daya for potential support