LUYM

Issue- The real challenge in the upliftment of the Base of the Pyramid population is to help them in a long-term, sustainable way that brings out their innate potential.

Reading is a basic life skill in the 21st century. Yet, according to NGO Pratham's study, 45% of the children between the age group of 7- 10 from government schools and 24% in private schools can't read words, leave alone sentences, with ease. The NGO’s ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) 2014 (Rural) states that, the overall enrollment of children in schools in the age group 6-14 years is 96%, the unschooled are only 3.3%. However, the basic reading skills of these children is abysmally low. In Std II ADD AGE INTERNATIONALS WON’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS, only a fourth of all children can read a Std II text fluently. This number rises to just under half in Std V. Even in Std VIII, close to 25% children cannot read Std II level text. Further, the percentage of children who cannot recognize numbers up to 9 has increased over time from 11.3% in 2009 to 19.5% in 2014.
Dharmalife recognizes the fact that better quality teaching, quality time spent in self-study and innovative learning methods could help these rural children pick up this basic life skill. Creating opportunities in arts, music and sports have the potential to be life changers in these communities. ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), an educational leadership organization with 160,000 members in 148 countries, said in a report, that ‘studies also show that participating in the arts can actually boost student achievement in other academic areas’. 
Rural India abounds in creativity, rhythm and stamina. With the vision of creating lasting change, Dharmalife invested in developing the inborn potential of the rural population in arts, sports and music.

Arts
A 2002 report by the Arts Education Partnership revealed that schoolchildren exposed to drama, music and dance are often more proficient at reading, writing, and math.
Performing Arts stimulates a child’s creativity, it helps them make sense of their emotions, develops their ability to understand, allows them to face their fears in a safe environment and develops their aesthetic sense, language and communication skills. It challenges their preconceptions about the world in which they live, introduces new ideas and allows them to express opinions.
Further, a 2005 report by the Rand Corporation called “A Portrait of the Visual Arts” argues that art education does more than just give students a creative outlet. It helps connect them to the larger world, ultimately improving community cohesion by helping them close the gap between socioeconomic groups.
Fine Arts through Handicrafts have acquired the status of a major livelihood opportunity especially for women in India. The number of handicraft and handloom artisans in India producing a variety of items including basketry, mat-weaving and cane articles, earthenware, folk paintings, glass, horn and bone, leather, jewelry, metal ware, musical instruments, pottery, sea shell crafts, woodwork, etc. is estimated to be about 6,800,000 (2011-12) and 4,400,000 respectively (2009-10, Ministry of Textiles). This huge skill base has the potential to develop as a vibrant cultural sector providing steady employment in rural areas. The folk art of India has a great potential in the international market because of its traditional aesthetic sensibility and authenticity.

Music
In rural India, every occasion such as Weddings, births, coronations, entering a new house or town, welcoming a guest, religious processions and harvest time are occasions for song and dance. 
Music and dance are probably the most elemental art forms, spontaneously expressing the entire garment of human emotions and experiences. The rural people of India are deeply involved in music since childhood. They learn folk songs and traditional music. Music is not just a source of entertainment, it is the key to creativity. It improves the mind and makes it more creative and innovative. Music also makes learning more enjoyable.
Growing research in the area has shown the importance of music in children’s lives. Music develops the linguistic skills of children - songs and poems develop language skills in children at a very early stage. Music develops listening skills in children - by listening to music, children can differentiate between the different tones, voices or melodies. It develops the understanding and meaning of a soft, hard or loud voice. Music induces movement in children -When children listen to music, they respond to it by shaking their head or tapping their feet etc. When children perform movements while listening to the music, it develops their coordination skills.

Sports All over the world, it is acknowledged that sports have the power to bring about meaningful change in children and youth. This is particularly true for those at risk for what ? due to poverty and gender inequality. In rural Jharkhand, children from tribal backgrounds rarely finish school. Girls’ fare especially worse - 6 out of 10 drop out before the age of 12 and become child brides. (2015, Source: Business Standard). There is growing evidence that if used in the right manner, sports can contribute towards gender empowerment, promote health, improve academic outcomes and even conflict resolution. 
Apart from health benefits, rural India can be benefitted through sports in the following ways:
1. Sports keeps people connected with the bigger units as they get to see the world outside their villages by way of playing at the district, state and also national and international levels.
2. Active participation in sports can get them into government jobs through the sports quota.
3. The basic learning one acquires from sports is sportsmanship, this not only helps in personal grooming and development but also builds team spirit in the community.

Dharmalife Solution
Light dispels darkness, it frees the mind. Thus, it soars above the realm of ordinary affairs and seeks to create the extraordinary. Through our Light Up Young Minds (LUYM) campaign Dharmalife seeks to engage the children of the community through interactive collective storytelling sessions to promote reading as a sustained activity. Dharmalife also aims at exploring and developing the children’s potential beyond books in arts, sports and music so that children can imagine the possibilities that exist outside their immediate environment. The focus of the activities is to engage children on theme based activities and help them improve their skills in their fields of interest, be it sports, performing arts or art & craft. Dharmalife has partnered with various organizations to provide the students with maximum exposure and help them pursue their talents with determination.
Moreover, even in the 21st century, 240 million people in 50 million rural homes in India are without electricity IN ELECTRICITY SECTION INT SAYS 45 MILLION. (January 2017. Source: Bloomberg). Children read in the feeble light of a kerosene lamp. Poor light from a kerosene lamp impedes night time study and independent reading while also contributing to indoor pollution. Recognizing the problem of lack of quality and safe lighting in villages, Dharmalife promotes the use of solar lamps, which give adequate light and are easily rechargeable. Advancing the global vision on literacy, we have been implementing our flagship campaign “Lighting Up Young Minds” in rural India since 2015 on International Literacy Day
This year, Dharmalife’s ‘Lighting Up Young Minds’ (LUYM) campaign, aiming at inspiring children, seeks to engage them in extracurricular activities and empower them to fulfill their aspirations was sparked on International Literacy Day (September 8). The light was kept illuminated till Children’s Day (November 14). On the first day of the campaign: 8th of September 2017, the entrepreneurs reached out to more than 350,000 children in 12 states with the message to support the cause of ‘Saving our Rivers’. The students were also informed about Isha Foundation’s Rally for Rivers initiative to save our dying rivers. The students participated enthusiastically and pledged their support to Rally for Rivers
Further, these students were engaged in a digital reading activity on World Reader App. The objective of this activity was to generate interest and promote a habit of reading amongst them. With its Digital reading activity, Dharmalife reached out to 153,036 children spanning across the country.
The “Lighting Up Young Minds” project has metamorphed into a national level campaign “Beti Padhao Roshni Badhao” Dharmalife organized a National level event – ‘Beti Padhao Roshni Badhaao’ in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Adityanath Yogi and Hon’ble Women and Child Development & Family Welfare Minister Smt. Rita Bahuguna Joshi attended the event and appreciated our work in the state. The theme for the event was built on the government of India’s social initiative – ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ centered on ‘gender equality and clean energy’.
The event brought together more than 100 Dharmalife rural women entrepreneurs, students, teachers, community leaders, development experts, practitioners, and funding agencies that are committed to drive a positive change in rural India.  The event was attended by 500-1000 persons including senior dignitaries and bureaucrats from the government of Uttar Pradesh.

Project Partner
Phillips Lighting
Greenlight Panel


Impact
2015 – 1 day, 5 States, 17,000 Children
2016 - 1 Day, 11 States, 1,363 Villages, 191,980 Children
2017 - 1 Day - 12 States - 367,997 Children
127,321 Solar lighting solutions sold
Carbon emission from kerosene lamps lowered
Enhanced Income opportunity for DLE’s