A world without a written word

I was immensely touched by the work that i-Saksham does, and it is directly linked to my fascination with whether curiosity is born from knowledge, the opposite, or a bit of both.

i-Saksham renders this conundrum irrelevant, in that it teaches young adults to introduce grade 1 to 5 children to Hindi, English & math, which unleashes the potential of both these phenomena. As a younger sister of a brother 2 years my senior, I convinced my dad to teach me to read and write while preparing him for primary school. I have been a compulsive reader since, and cannot imagine a world without the written word. This (up to now) taken for a granted privilege, which didn’t cost a dime other than the investment of time, augments my absolute awe at the compassionate, sophisticated and intentional manner in which i-Saksham addresses the education crisis beyond measure. Especially as they target households where an experience like mine is simply not an option. The stellar team of i-Saksham founders can do anything that they want on the planet, and they choose to focus their energy and time on the resource-stricken Bihar. Individually and collectively, together with their tightly knit, innovative and industrious teams, they inspire in my awe and gratitude, which consequently compels me to do my part in our drastically unequal world.

i-saksham is a part of the social incubation program of NSRCEL. The non- profit creates local human resource in remote, naxalism affected areas, by training and hand-holding local youth in pedagogy techniques, IT and quality learning delivery. These youth teach children in their locality on a minimal fee. A low cost android tablet is used for standardized learning delivery, assessment and as an aid to help the youth prepare for examinations etc.


Vicki van der Westhuizen is a student at the Yale School of Management, Master of Advanced Management (MAM) – Class of 2018. Her experience with i-Saksham was a part of the exchange program which is a part of GNAM

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