Akshar Foundation’s mission is the Eradication of Poverty, achieved through Education. To this end, we seek to implement the Akshar Education Model – developed at the Akshar Forum Model School – in government schools throughout India and the World. The Akshar Education Model transforms government schools into sustainable communities that teach underprivileged students how to earn a living, start a business, initiate development work in their communities, and heal their environment. The school functions on the belief that all of the basic needs of the individual need to be met in order to achieve self-actualization and escape cyclic, systemic poverty. Since charity can often lead to dependence, rather than empowerment, students are given the opportunity to earn what they need in school. With the principle of “Learning and Earning”, Akshar Forum combines the functions of a school with those of an employment agency, business incubator, and development agency. By addressing education and employment together, blending academics with practical vocational training, we strive to eliminate dropouts and ensure that all students secure gainful livelihoods and contribute to the development of their communities. Akshar’s vision is a world where public schools guide each and every child into a high-skill profession, imparting the skills they need to advance their own communities; a world where every government school contains a plastic recycling center, animal shelter, solar power plant, and more enterprises, to meet the needs of the community.
