Akanksha believes that clear goals and a structured approach will enable us to best deliver results to the Akanksha students. Akanksha tracks individual child performance and attendance across centers. Each center also follows a “model center” process, where monthly meetings encourage team members to define focus areas and implement initiatives that move each center closer to its vision of a “model center.” Every six months there is a formal review of each center and every year we compile a non-financial center audit.

While Akanksha’s impact is most accurately defined by the stories scattered through this website, here are a few trends that we have observed:

1. Reach
2400 Akanksha children come to an Akanksha center everyday.
2000 Akanksha children are part of the Akanksha school project.

2. Attendance and Drop Out
Average attendance at an Akanksha center is 80%.
Around 40% of students between class 1 - 4 drop out of schools in Mumbai. At Akanksha, all our students are in school and stay in formal school at the primary school level.
Drop out from the Akanksha centers is less than 10%.

3. New opportunities
Akanksha has 58 alumni currently.
30 children are currently in college.
31 children are working, 18 of who are employed in Akanksha.
6 Akanksha children are in the Akanksha Teacher Fellowship.
 
4. Changing attitudes and creating a culture of service
Over 1000 people have at some point in their lives volunteered their time with Akanksha and that means spending time directly with the kids.
Akanksha currently employs 150 people, and all of them receive on going training both on aspects of their job but also participate in service projects.
 
5. Self-esteem and values
All Akanksha Didis and Bhaiyas use positive reinforcement and no negative consequences are used at Akanksha.

6. Girl's empowerment
The Akanksha girl marries around 2-3 years later in comparison to their sisters not in Akanksha. This means that they are becoming mothers later and are having healthier children.
 
7. Creating real Role Models
Eleven children who have graduated from Akanksha are now interning in various roles within the organization such as trainee teachers and social workers. They are serving as real role models to the hundreds of small children who now have an Akanksha Bhaiya/Didi as their neighbor.
Akanksha has employed its first alumni employee in the social work department.
 
8. The stage is set
Akanksha has staged 3 successful Musicals. More than 700 kids have had a unique chance to perform in a professional show. 13,000 people have seen an Akanksha show taking home an understanding that with opportunity, potential is limitless.
 
9. Other Events
Hundreds of Akanksha children have participated in special events like the Art for Akanksha Auctions and the Mumbai Marathon. The events have showcased their talent and potential and taught them tremendous self-confidence.

10. Women’s empowerment
Akanksha employs 30 mothers from the community. They are either helpers in the centers or package the Akanksha merchandise. This is a unique way of building community partnership.

 
11. Health
Akanksha does annual health camps for all the children. This year a special TB campaign focuses on eliminating TB. Around 100 children identified are undergoing the DOTS treatment.
Akanksha social workers follow up on all medical problems.

12. Relief
After the tsunami in December 2004, Akanksha mobilized around Rs 1.3 crores and shipped several truckloads of relief materials for the affected families. The money is being used to support two NGOs in the South, Suyam and AID India, who are rebuilding schools and children’s lives.
Akanksha produced “The Giving Sea” Activity book and story/coloring books for teachers and children in the tsunami-affected areas. Over 25,000 children were covered under the Giving Sea program.
After the August 2005 floods in Maharashtra, Akanksha mobilized around Rs. 25 lakhs that was disbursed to flood victims. Thousands of families were fed through NGOs working in the affected areas and over 20,000 children received notebooks as part of the aid.

13. Curriculum and documentation
Akanksha has an extensive range of curriculum manuals, and has documented its entire process of setting up an Akanksha center. Materials have been shared with anyone interested at no cost.