LEAP Part I

Over the past few months, the field researchers as a part of an ethnographic project undertaken by the Centre for New Economics Studies’ visual storyboard team, O.P. Jindal Global University witnessed the work of the Ant, a voluntary organization that is registered as a public charitable trust in Bongaigaon, Assam since October 2000. This video chronicles various challenges that are faced by FLCs and MLCs set up by the Ant in its goal to educate children in this dispute plagued area.

LEAP Part II

This series of videos covers the role of the ant in building Forest Learning Centres that work towards reducing the large educational deficits among children and youth in Bodoland Territorial Region. The Team interviews Rone Narzary and Sanjit Machshary, members of the School Management Committee (SMC) of Gwjwnpuri village centre. The centre is a part of the Learning Ecosystem Augmentation Project (LEAP), launched by the ant (the action northeast trust) in 2016, with the goal of improving access to quality education for more than 1008 children in 12 educational clusters. These clusters are located in forest areas bordering Bhutan, where there is no access to government schools. The video throws light on the functioning of the community run learning centre in Gwjwn Puri village and the role of the SMC in its operations

LEAP Part III

The Bodoland Territorial Region is home to many tribal communities like Bodo, Kachari, Karbi, and Rabha. However, with prevalent disruptions to political order and militarisation of the area, educational deficits have emerged in the region. The Learning Ecosystem Augmentation Project emerged as a response to the educational deficits among children and youth in BTR. the ant (the action northeast trust) launched LEAP in 2019, aiming to improve quality education in lower primary and middle schools in 12 educational clusters. To understand the function of the ant in transforming the social politics of the area, a research team from the Centre for New Economic Studies visited its headquarters in Chirang district over the past month.

LEAP Part IV

These series of videos covers the role of the ant (the action northeast trust) in building Forest Learning Centres that work towards reducing the large educational deficits among children and youth in Bodoland Territorial Region. The centre is a part of the Learning Ecosystem Augmentation Project (LEAP), launched by the ant in 2016, with the goal of improving access to quality education for more than 1008 children in 12 educational clusters. These clusters are located in forest areas bordering Bhutan, where there is no access to government schools.

LEAP Part V

This series of videos covers the role of ‘the ant’ in building Learning Centres that work towards reducing the large educational deficits among children and youth in Bodoland Territorial Region. The Team interviews Kiran Sharma, Sunil Sutradhar and Mathlas Hasda, teachers and education facilitators at the Karaibari Village Model Learning Centre (MLC). The centre is a part of the Learning Ecosystem Augmentation Project (LEAP), launched by ‘the ant’ (the action northeast trust) in 2016, with the goal of improving access to quality education for more than 1008 children in 12 educational clusters. These clusters are located in villages and forest areas bordering Bhutan, where there is no access to government schools. The video throws light on the Karaibari village MLC and the student demography comprising it. The teachers give an insight into the curriculum, the teaching and learning methods involved and the role of ‘the ant’ in facilitating this. They also describe what a typical school day looks like for the children at the centre.

LEAP Part VI

The Bodoland Territorial Region is home to many tribal communities like Bodo, Kachari, Karbi and Rabha. However, with prevalent disruptions to political order and militarisation of the area, educational deficits have emerged in the region. The Learning Ecosystem Augmentation Project emerged as a response to the educational deficits among children and youth in BTR. the ant (the action northeast trust) launched LEAP in 2019, aiming to improve quality education in lower primary and middle schools in 12 educational clusters. To understand the function of the ant in transforming the social politics of the area, a research team from the Centre for New Economic Studies visited its headquarters in Chirang district over the past month. In this video, the team talked to members of the Self Help Groups in the Koraibari Model Learning Centre started by “the ant”. The video sheds light on the role of the Self Help Groups in skill-building and income generation.

Interview with Dr. Sunil Kaul (ant co-founder), PART I

After almost 20 years since its set-up, the ANT has impacted almost 900 villages across Assam, beyond the district of Chirang where it is located. They have verticals working on a holistic health and education model suited to the conflict landscape of the Border region, women’s financial independence and well-being through weaving centre’s and a sustainable skill set-up to cultivate a social work mindset in the region. Of the co-founders behind this effort is Dr. Sunil Kaul, who post his days in the army, he was motivated to change tracks and contribute to development in rural areas after observing the lack thereof.

Interview with Dr. Sunil Kaul (ant co-founder), PART II

After almost 20 years since its set-up, the ANT has impacted almost 900 villages across Assam, beyond the district of Chirang where it is located. They have verticals working on a holistic health and education model suited to the conflict landscape of the Border region, women’s financial independence and well-being through weaving centre’s and a sustainable skill set-up to cultivate a social work mindset in the region. Of the co-founders behind this effort is Dr. Sunil Kaul, who post his days in the army, he was motivated to change tracks and contribute to development in rural areas after observing the lack thereof.

AAGOR PART I

Aagor, a Bodo word that means “motifs,” is associated with the tribe not just through its name but also through its craftspeople and leadership. Aagor, which began as a simple livelihood project, presently employs over 70 village-based women weavers and runs a weaving center where up to 30 homeless women can work full-time at weaving. In this video, we unfold the workings of this weaving organization, the constitution of the working force and the logistics required to run a weaving business which employs local women and uses indigenous fabrics.

AAGOR PART II

Aagor, a Bodo word that means “motifs,” is associated with the tribe not just through its name but also through its craftspeople and leadership. Aagor, which began as a simple livelihood project, presently employs over 70 village-based women weavers and runs a weaving center where up to 30 homeless women can work full-time at weaving. In this video, we interview Anushka Das, a textile graduate from NIFT who has worked with the ANT on the Aagor initiative for many years.

AAGOR PART III

The Aagor Daagra Afad initiative by the ant organization aims to provide a sustainable livelihood for rural weavers through traditional weaving techniques. Aagor, a Bodo word meaning “motifs”, not just has its rural connect in the name, but also in its craftswomen and administration. Registered as a separate trust, aagor involves over a hundred women weavers, largely from the Bodo tribe. The video explores the work delegation structures of the weavers and the impact of the initiative on the weavers’ lives. The women weavers share their stories of how the increased income has influenced their role in households.

CTR PART I

The Ant, headquartered in the Chirang district of Bodoland in Western Assam, has impacted over 900 villages since its inception. Began in April 2019, the Coloring the Rainbow Project works to enhance the physical, mental, emotional and social development of children and youth using a sports and games-based curriculum. The project also creates space for children with disabilities in the larger society.

CTR PART II

The Colouring the Rainbow (CTR) project, one of the ant’s many other development projects, is a cheerful and enthusiastic game-based program for kids and youth development. It is a continuation of the Sports for Development (S4D) project, which was launched in 2015. The goal of the project is to help young people gain confidence and practical life skills. In this video, we interview Noni Bhagat, one of the Project Coordinators of “the ant”, to understand the role of the game in improving social cohesion and the student’s interpersonal skills.