our story
Mission & Vision
DEVI Sansthan (Dignity Education Vision International) is a non-profit organisation founded in 1992 and based in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state. Collaborating with governments, NGOs, schools, and corporations worldwide, DEVI Sansthan is accelerating FLN for children and adults.
Our Mission
To provide quality education for underprivileged communities by creating scalable, swift and effective pedagogies; and implementing them across broad geographies through partnerships with governments, schools & colleges, corporates and other NGOs.
Our Vision
A world in which every child gets a quality education, that goes beyond basic literacy to address key 21st century challenges, including climate change. A world in which every adult has the dignity of being able to read and write.
1992-2013
- DEVI Sansthan is founded by the educationist Dr Sunita Gandhi while working as an Economist at the World Bank in Washington DC.
- Early years are spent experimenting with grassroots community development in villages around Lucknow, including running health camps.
- Later efforts included advocating with government officials for educational reform and prioritising literacy.
2014-2019
- Experimental Hindi literacy work begins in the slums of Lucknow, leading to creation of a set of literacy materials.
- Kurauni village is made literate through the work of 22 women volunteers.
- Literacy survey testing the reading levels of 1.5 million people in Lucknow district.
- DEVI Sansthan replicates literacy materials in 13 Indian languages, with the help of its partners.
- Each One Teach One campaign mobilizes some 500,000 student volunteers nationwide to make at least one person literate.
2020-2021
- Developed EdTech literacy solutions in response to Covid crisis.
- DEVI Sansthan expanded community development work in vulnerable communities impacted by lockdown.
- Replicated our literacy program into 30 Indian and International languages, paving the way for large-scale expansion.
2022-2023
- Launched Accelerating Learning for All (ALfA) program for use in schools.
- Started large-scale ALfA Programs in two low-performing districts of India.
- MOU signed to expand DEVI Sansthan’s ALfA to 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh.
- International partnerships forged with Ministry of Education, Maldives; Literacy Chicago, USA, and more.
- Published Disruptive Literacy: A Roadmap for Urgent Global Action (Bloomsbury).
- Hosted Massive Open Online Trainings; starting with the first on March 9 & 10, 2023.
1992-2013
- DEVI Sansthan is founded by the educationist Dr Sunita Gandhi while working as an Economist at the World Bank in Washington DC.
- Early years are spent experimenting with grassroots community development in villages around Lucknow, including running health camps.
- Later efforts included advocating with government officials for educational reform and prioritising literacy.
WHY LITERACY?
Can you read this sentence? If so, you are literate.
Sometimes we take literacy for granted, but can you imagine what it would be like to not be able to read and write? To struggle to find your way in a new place because you can't use the road signs? To not be able to send a text message on your mobile? To need to ask someone else to fill in a form for you?
Literacy is vital for people's social, emotional, and economic wellbeing. It is key to a nation’s development. Yet there are still hundreds of millions of people around the world - especially in Low and Middle Income Countries, including India - who lack the key skills of reading, writing and doing basic arithmetic. DEVI Sansthan is working to help children and adults develop these crucial literacy skills.
Our Values
Inclusion
We strive to provide quality education for children and adults, with a special focus on the most disadvantaged.
Integrity
We work with strong personal conviction and commitment to the cause of literacy for all.
Innovation
We experiment with new pedagogies and programs, to enable people to learn key skills easily and enjoyably.
Become a Volunteer Now
You can make a big difference by giving someone the lifelong gift of literacy. Join the Each One Teach One campaign today, using the groundbreaking ALfA toolkits and Literacy Now app.
