Belakoo Trust Annual Report 2021-22

1. ANNUAL
REPORT
2021-2022
WWW.BELAKOO.IN

2. CONTENTS
05
FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS
Campus 1: Hangrapura, Malavalli 05
Campus 2: 100 Kids 100 Skills 100 Smiles 06
Malavalli & Hebbal 11
11
OUR IMPACT
Jnaana Kone 12
12
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
2022
Adoption of Second Govt. School -
Malavalli
12
Micro Library: Scale & Expansion 12
Learning Expedition 13
Computer Center - Ragi Bommanahalli 13
Belakoo Scholarship 13
Annual Day - Hangrapura 13
Kannada Typing Classes - Both Campuses 14
Wisdom on a Whiteboard 14
English Seekhiye Books & Videos 14
Subhashitani Book 15
CET Bootcamp for 200 Girls 15
Summer Worksheets 15
Phonetics Videos 16
Belakube Methodology 16
Our Dream Project: Belakoo Zero
Campus School
16
17
PHOTO WALL
Avarehalli Campus Adoption 17
Flagship Hangrapura Campus 17
100 Kids 100 Skills 100 Smiles 18
Awards 18
Covid 19 Relief 19
Chimple App 19
Fundraiser: You Raise Me Up 20
Micro Libraries 20
03
FROM THE FOUNDERS
07
VIGNETTES OF THE YEAR
GONE BY
Covid Relief Work 07
You Raise Me Up: Musical Fundraiser Event
Belakoo Micro Libraries 09
English Kaliyiri: Book Publication 10
08
BELAKOO IN THE NEWS:
FEATURE WALL
21
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT 22
CONNECT WITH US 23
ANNUAL REPORT
02

3. FROM THE FOUNDERS
Starting of our second campus at Hebbal, Bengaluru in August 2021, where we launched our
flagship program “100 KIDS 100 SKILLS 100 SMILES” and witnessed a fourfold increase in
student numbers in 3 short months
Conducting our very first live fund-raiser event which served to raise over 4.5 lakhs in the
course of a single evening
Launching the Belakoo Micro Libraries initiative which bagged the India CSR Award, Velga
Memorial Award in December 2021
Launching our first learning expedition in Bengaluru with students from our Hebbal campus,
with a focus on delivering concepts via experiential learning
In 2020-21, the pandemic continued to test our resolve and ability to connect with the student
community; We painstakingly nurtured our core vision and learned to adapt by shifting focus
onto programs and methodologies that could be implemented through the period. The lull of the
first half of the year notwithstanding, the latter half of the year has borne many firsts for us at
Belakoo Trust. With the waning of the pandemic, we are eager to forge ahead from strength to
strength.
Salient highlights of the last year:
We have scaled significantly in the last year –in terms of our programs, volunteer network,
donors, partner base and overall outreach. Organizations, government bodies and individuals
have partnered with Belakoo Trust in our mission to drive equity in education. Our team and
volunteer base have grown manifold to support diverse initiatives across multiple locations. The
connect we have managed to build with our young supporters has been especially heartening.
Our first batch of 10th standard students who are in 12th standard, now volunteer at the Belakoo
Malavalli campus. They are looking to own and drive initiatives at Belakoo Trust, bringing about
change not just among the target communities, but also growing into change agents, inspiring
action and the right attitude among their friends and peers.
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4. Jnaana Kone
Belakube Methodology book
Chimple Program (using technology to gamify English and Mathematics learning for 1-3
class students)
Kannada typing classes in both campuses
Belakoo Scholarship Program
Annual day celebrations at Hangrapura
Learning Nook in Hebbal
Computer Center in Ragibommnahalli Government School in Malavalli
CET 2022 boot camp with 1:1 coaching for underprivileged girl children
Publishing English Seekhiye books to enable the Hindi speaking population to get
conversational in English
Adoption of a second government school in Malavalli
All this has energized us and motivated us to do more than ever before. In the coming year,
our focus will be on strengthening existing programs and delivering on new projects
including launching:
All of these programs will focus on cultivating a genuine curiosity to learn in children across
semi-urban and rural areas.
The progress of the last year would not have been possible without your unflinching
support. On behalf of Team Belakoo, we express our heartfelt gratitude. As we focus on
growing and enabling growth for all segments, we look forward to your continued
involvement, inputs and feedback on how we can better our programs for greater impact.
With best wishes,
Dr. Shivananda Koteshwar
Smitha Hemmigae
FROM THE FOUNDERS
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5. FLAGSHIP
PROGRAMS
Belakoo Trust aims to augment education, not just academically, but also by instilling confidence
and character in children by exposing them to the values of health, hygiene, hard work and
honesty. These ideals are served through the following flagship programs.
Tucked away amidst sprawling farmlands about 120km from Bangalore is Hangrapura village.
Driving down to Hangrapura from Bangalore is a breeze and you will be welcomed by a dozen
spirited ‘good mornings’ from nearly five kilometers away. By the time one reaches the beloved
Belakoo school, first-time visitors/volunteers already feel at home.
This is the hub of Belakoo Trust’s supplemental education program. Over the course of four
years, the Belakoo Trust team has deep-dived into creating a learning model that is engaging,
outcome-oriented, and reinventive.
Belakoo Trust’s flagship program started on July 30, 2017, as Srinivasan Spoken English Class
with 35 students. Today, the center at Hangrapura holds pride in over 170 students having
completed 53 classes.
CAMPUS I
HANGRAPURA, MALAVALLI
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6. FLAGSHIP
PROGRAMS
Belakoo Trust's new flagship skilling program was started on August 15, 2021, as “100 Kids 100
Skills 100 Smiles” at Hebbal, Kempapura with 18 students. Today, the center has completed 21
classes. The program in a short span of 3 months has seen a four-fold increase in student turnout
with a total of 56 students. Held every Sunday, the program brings in subject matter experts who
impart essential life skills or engage on topics that augment learning based on 21st-century
curriculum. The aim is to support well-honed development of young individuals, equipping them
to be successful in today’s world. A wholesome meal is provided to all students participating in
the program at the end of every session.
This is the main engine of Belakoo Trust’s supplemental education program initiatives in
Bengaluru. Unlike traditional schools or learning centers, Belakoo Trust has chosen an approach
that carefully marries traditional methods with disruptive execution based on the 21st Century
curriculum, and Belakoo’s own methodology that involves multi-faceted learning experiences and
outcomes.
While our volunteers do model the learning activities on the state syllabus for the particular age
group at our campuses, the learning often takes place beyond the confines of the four walls with
plenty of hands-on activities and real-life experiences that help drive home the concepts better –
for children who don’t have a focused learning environment at home unlike their peers in the
cities. This is where the disruption lies.
CAMPUS II
100 KIDS 100 SKILLS 100 SMILES, HEBBAL
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7. The second wave of covid saw many daily wage workers suddenly lose employment and
consequently their source of income itself. Belakoo Trust partnered with People for
Progress in India (PPI), a Non-Profit Organization based out of Seattle. Using a sum of
Rs.1,83,750 provided by PPI, Belakoo partnered with local volunteers called Gelathis, who
identified 80 families that had lost their source of income and provided them with
sustenance kits. The food kit which contained rice, ragi, wheat, oil, pulses, vegetables etc.
Belakoo also provided soaps, masks and sanitizers to these 80 families. The original budget
was for 75 families, but Belakoo managed to procure the items at wholesale prices to
provide sustenance kits to five additional families. The families were deeply appreciative of
this gesture and their moist eyes said more than words ever could.
VIGNETTES OF THE YEAR
GONE BY
COVID RELIEF WORK
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8. Through our young volunteer, Ananya Prashanth, we conducted our maiden fund-raiser
event "You Raise Me Up" sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank, on December 11, 2021. The
event was a roaring success and we raised over four and a half lakh rupees from the event
for our initiatives for the next year. We are deeply humbled and grateful for the outpouring
of love and support we received from all quarters for our first fundraiser event.
Belakoo Trust expresses its gratitude to Silicon Valley Bank for partnering with us in this
event and Shri. Ravi Subramanya, MLA, for gracing the occasion.
We also thank all our participants - Ananya Prasanth, Anagha Balakrishna, Santhosh
Chandrashekar, Pavan Rao, Sneha Rao, Suman Shanbhag, Seema Sharat, Siddanath,
Shreyank and Raghav Vijay.
VIGNETTES OF THE YEAR
GONE BY
YOU RAISE ME UP: MUSICAL FUNDRAISER
EVENT
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9. The impact of this program lies in its low-cost implementation which makes it very scalable.
The costs of setting up a regular library involves renting real estate, licensing/franchising
and employing staff to keep track and control access. Belakoo’s model eliminates all of these
overheads straight out, with direct access to the books being given to the ones who need it
the most. This makes the Belakoo Micro Library concept beautifully scalable, and we’ve not
even begun to describe the joy of watching young children pass by, ponder curiously, and
venture to explore and pick up a book. The model eventually expects the book to be
returned, but equally important is the fact that the books must reach the right hands and
nurture young minds. Every book then becomes a touch point for us at the Trust.
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VIGNETTES OF THE YEAR
GONE BY
BELAKOO MICRO LIBRARIES
We partnered with TrashCon to build Belakoo
micro-libraries, created from sustainable
materials. Our free-for-all libraries are being set
up across the city to kindle the love for reading
and sharing books among the underprivileged.
Our very first Belakoo micro library at Hebbal
was inaugurated by Shri. Krishna Byre Gowda,
MLA, Congress Party. Our gratitude goes to Shri.
Krishna Byre Gowda for his support. Belakoo
Trust’s next micro-library was installed and
inaugurated at RMV II Stage in namma
Bengaluru. We thank Shri. Jyothi Ganesh MLA,
BJP, Tumkur City constituency, for gracing the
occasion and supporting us in our endeavor to
spread the joy and love of reading.
In a short span, the Belakoo Micro-library initiative got awarded the India CSR Award, Velga Memorial
Award in December 2021. Esteemed Chief Minister of Karnataka, Shri. Basavaraj Bommai handed over
the award to the trustees.
The award recognized the potential and the far-reaching impact the micro-library project can
create as scale progresses.

10. We launched our very first learning aid, “English Kaliyiri”, a
book to help aid children learn English. This book provides
the English equivalent of 100 words that are used in everyday
conversation in Kannada. Each word is then used in a
sentence, which begins in Kannada, and progressively
replaces one Kannada word in with the English equivalent,
ultimately providing a full English sentence. This helps
students build familiarity with common English words and
understand their meaning, and also the nuances of grammar.
These books have been a huge success. CMO Axis
Outsourcing Services Pvt Ltd. helped with the
conceptualisation and design of the book. These books have
now been distributed across all our campuses.
VIGNETTES OF THE YEAR
GONE BY
ENGLISH KALIYIRI: BOOK PUBLICATION
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11. Over the last four years since inception, our network of over 40+ trained and talented
volunteers has had a proven impact in accelerating student learning across our projects. Our
robust volunteer network has been running classes, designing curriculums, and supporting with
our projects. Most importantly, we are all working together to collectively build a better,
educated, and empowered India.
Belakoo Trust has over 90% coverage with the students in Hangrapura Village in Malavalli
District. Our students at Belakoo Trust classes in Project Hangrapura/Malavalli are convinced of
the value of the strong foundation they receive that makes them life-long learners and happy
individuals.
Belakoo Trust’s “100 Kids 100 Skills 100 Smiles'' project launched last year now boasts 56
students, having witnessed a fourfold increase in student turnout in just three months. The
project targets to reach more than 100 kids in the upcoming months.
More importantly, beyond the numbers, the close interaction of these children with Belakoo
Trust has transformed the lives of students who would’ve found it easy to give up on studies,
given their life’s trappings. Consider the story of Madhu Kumar, a bright student who was given a
laptop and a phone to stay in touch with online classes through the pandemic. He was also
guided to join a diploma course at an institute that partners with Maruti Udyog. He will soon be
gainfully employed after his diploma. Many such stories have to be seen in person to truly
understand the trust that Belakoo has succeeded in earning in the lives of these children and
their families.
Our new programs that are waiting to be launched in the near future are built with an
unwavering focus on fixing the existing gaps in India’s education system. Our ecosystem of
volunteers, students and entrepreneurs are looking to create long-term change in education in
rural and urban India. Through our efforts, and engagement in social media - we have garnered
the support of thousands of donors from a wide range of sectors, all of whom are invested in the
vision of an excellent education for these underprivileged children.
OUR IMPACT
MALAVALLI & HEBBAL
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12. Literally translated as “The Knowledge Corner”, Jnaana Kone comprises a completely self-
sustainable setup powered by renewable energy, consisting of a fully functioning computer
with pre-loaded software and a printer. Our team aims to train one local individual to operate
the system, to teach, and to troubleshoot as required. The core aim of the program is to provide
free access to basic but absolutely fundamental technology in remote areas targeting three key
demographics - kids, young adults and adults, encouraging exploration and learning.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
2022
JNAANA KONE
Belakoo is in talks to adopt their second government school in Avarehalli. The school, situated
in an extremely remote and backward area, had 78 children across grades 1 – 7. Four rooms in
the building had absolutely no electricity, making learning sessions extremely difficult for the
children and the teachers. Belakoo aims to contribute necessary facilities and supplies to help
in the smooth functioning of the school.
ADOPTION OF SECOND GOVERNMENT SCHOOL
AT MALAVALLI
“There are many little ways to enlarge a child’s world. The love of books is the best of all.” —
Jacqueline Kennedy
MICRO LIBRARY: SCALE AND EXPANSION
A project we have been deeply passionate about, our free-for-all micro libraries will now be set
up at prominent hotspots across Bengaluru, with the aim to make books and reading accessible
to children from underprivileged sections of society. These micro libraries have been designed
from completely recyclable material for easy installation and handling. If you wish to sponsor a
Belakoo micro library, help maintain it, or donate storybooks and informative books for
children that can be used to stock our libraries, please get in touch with us at Belakoo Trust.
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13. This is our way of giving back to everyday heroes in our lives. We engage with the children of
police personnel, public health-workers, sanitation workers, pourakarmikas, fire fighters,
postmen, etc on a day-long fun-filled learning trip across the city. The aim is to encourage
experiential learning by seeing and questioning.
A short trip to the Model Village was organized for children at the Hebbal Campus. Needless to
say, the children not only understood concepts of sustainability that are practiced in the
villages, but developed an appreciation for the life of hard work that villagers live through, and
the work they put in to get food to our tables in the cities. The children also had a rollicking
time just being taken out for a picnic – a joy they hadn’t experienced in the preceding two
years.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
2022
LEARNING EXPEDITION
COMPUTER CENTER IN RAGI BOMMANAHALLI
Plans are afoot to set up a computer center in Ragi Bommanahalli, to provide access to computers
for young children to develop their IT competencies. These will be monitored by Belakoo personnel
and children will be given access and training on basic word processing, browsing, internet search
skills and presentation skills.
BELAKOO SCHOLARSHIP
Belakoo has started a scholarship program that will provide financial assistance to meritorious
students, aiding with their studies. An entrance test will be implemented to identify eligible
students and those scoring above 75% will be eligible to apply for this scholarship. This
scholarship will cover school fees, books and uniform expenses for families whose children do
not go to government schools. The scholarship money will be directly credited to the school in
two installments, one for each term of the year.
ANNUAL DAY IN HANGRAPURA
We’ve witnessed firsthand the immense talent that children from these deprived backgrounds
have. There’s certainly no deprivation of talent. Plans are in the offing to conduct an annual day
to showcase the individual talents of these wonderful children to their parents and other well--
wishers of Belakoo.
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14. Essentially, in the rural milieu, most documentation tends to be in the local language rather
than in English. It is prudent to teach the local men and women to type in Kannada to enable
them to get employment in the vicinity through various typing and data entry jobs. Such efforts
are underway and classes are being planned in both campuses.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
2022
KANNADA TYPING CLASSES IN BOTH CAMPUSES
WISDOM ON A WHITEBOARD
This program is a social media series that showcases Belakoo’s strong belief in the wisdom of
our older kith and kin. Each family blessed to have a grandparent or a senior citizen is welcome
to hold a whiteboard with lessons that their beloved grandparent has drawn from their life well
lived. This is especially directed towards the urban, social-media-savvy children who may really
not have seen many struggles in life.
The visual medium was deemed best to showcase that loving gaze and the smiling face that
sparks joy and emanates love for life in spite of the hard times they’ve seen. These snippets of
wisdom culled from deep experience have withstood the test of time, and will aid the younger
generation to find their feet through changing times.
ENGLISH SEEKHIYE BOOKS AND VIDEOS
The success of the English Kaliyiri books have inspired us to expand this to the Hindi-speaking
population and a book along similar lines is already in the works. The content will be
supplemented with videos that will enable the student to correctly pronounce each word and
gradually transition from a Hindi sentence to one completely in English.
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15. Belakoo’s credential is to go beyond text-book learning and help students to truly understand
things deeply. Stemming from this deep respect for our roots and the wisdom they contain,
Belakoo has completed translation for 100 subhashitas in three languages. While the
subhashitas in themselves kindle a love for life, the quality of translations hope to inspire a love
for the beauty of languages. This timeless wisdom is age, caste, creed, religion-agnostic and
applies to humanity at large. We hope that the deep meaning of life encapsulated in these
books will be the anchor through many a storm that this young generation will most certainly
face. Through this book, Belakoo hopes to form an unbroken bond with our glorious past and
restore the missing link in the conventional text book-based learning system.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
2022
SUBHASHITANI BOOK
CET BOOT CAMP FOR 200 GIRLS
Belakoo has partnered with Asmathguru and Dwara Trust to provide month-long access to
preparation material and coaching to 200 girls, at the cost of Rs 6,000 per girl child. We hope to
encourage young, promising girls to pursue their dream through this initiative. This program is
a reflection of our belief that girls can and must secure a good education and gainful
employment to become financially and socially independent. We truly believe the ripple effects
of this initiative will be felt down the years. With everyone’s support, we’ve already raised the
target amount and the co-ordination for the program is already well underway. The program is
slated to begin on 19th May.
“There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to
live.” -John Adams
SUMMER WORKSHEETS
To help the children stay in touch with their academics through the summer holidays, Belakoo
has worked on preparing 30-odd worksheets each for different age groups. These worksheets
contain puzzles, non-verbal reasoning, verbal skills and mathematical skills. These worksheets
are an attempt to keep the young minds active and occupied, building knowledge and analytical
ability that goes beyond the text books.
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16. ANNUAL REPORT
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Belakoo Trust has created videos that teach children how to learn English using the phonic
method, which in recent years has proven to be a method much superior to the traditional way
of repetition and rote learning. The videos showcase each letter of the alphabet and provide all
possible ways of pronouncing the same letter, without getting into the explanation clauses.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
2022
PHONETICS VIDEOS
BELAKUBE METHODOLOGY
This is a methodology currently in the works which is based on the years of experience the
founders have had in the education and corporate scenario. The Belakube Methodology aims to
provide augmented learning that bridges the gaps that one commonly sees in traditional
methods of learning. These include development of rational thinking processes that really teach
a child to question things beyond text books.
OUR DREAM PROJECT
BELAKOO ZERO CAMPUS SCHOOL
Spurred on by these successes, Belakoo has a truly ambitious project that’s taking form as of
this moment. Talks are on to conceptualize and bring to reality a school that symbolizes India’s
greatest contribution to the world: Shunya. This campus aims to provide an immersive
environment for learning where people from various walks of life are invited to live and
interact with the children on campus. This exposure to life itself, the school hopes, will remove
the blinders that stem from traditional education. The school aims to provide ripe grounds for
students to bring their plans to the table and watch its workings in real life. Through this the
school hopes to create leaders who have praxis and social equity built into their DNA.

17. THE PHOTO WALL
AVAREHALLI CAMPUS ADOPTION
FLAGSHIP HANGRAPURA CAMPUS
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18. THE PHOTO WALL
100 KIDS 100 SKILLS 100 SMILES
AWARDS
ANNUAL REPORT
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19. THE PHOTO WALL
COVID 19 RELIEF
CHIMPLE APP
ANNUAL REPORT
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20. ANNUAL REPORT
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THE PHOTO WALL
FUNDRAISER: YOU RAISE ME UP
MICRO LIBRARIES

21. BELAKOO IN THE NEWS
COVID 19 RELIEF WORK
During the second wave, Belakoo Trust volunteers pitched in with disaster relief.
https://ppi-usa.org/disaster-relief/belaku-trust-karnataka-covid-19-relief/
MICRO LIBRARY INITIATIVE
https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/cover-story/the-books-of-
life/articleshow/89532632.cms
https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/metrolife-cityscape/nine-micro-libraries-to-come-up-in-the-
city-1090204.html
CSR MANDATE FEATURED OUR EFFORTS IN
OUR FLAGSHIP PROJECTS
https://www.csrmandate.org/belakoo-trust-raise-funds-to-educate-and-upskill-underprivileged-children-
in-semi-urban-and-rural-areas-in-karnataka/
INDIA CSR WEBSITE - FUNDRAISER CONCERT
https://indiacsr.in/belakoo-trust-conducted-fundraiser-concert-in-aid-of-the-trusts-educational-
initiatives/
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22. ANNUAL REPORT
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our volunteers who have not just committed
their time, class after class, but have been instrumental in realizing our ideas on the ground
while also bringing in their own.
Our volunteer teachers are specialists in their respective fields and work with the single vision
of making learning a joyful experience. They reinvent themselves each class to make the
sessions fun, inclusive and effective by gamifying the curriculum in a manner that inculcates a
true love for learning in the children.

23. CONNECT WITH US
REPORTS
Our audit report is accessible on the website. We’re 80G and 12 A compliant and have also received
a CSR certificate from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Other accreditations are in the works this
year.
DONATE TO US
Old books – text books, puzzle books, story books, colouring books
Educational toys
Rs. 6,000 per girl child for CET boot camp.
Donations to our programs individually or through your company’s CSRs.
Old laptops and mobile phones
We’re currently accepting donations for the following.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
VOLUNTEER WITH US
We’d love to hear from you on how you’d like to use your time with us to help us meet our vision.
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H E L L O B E L A K O O @ G M A I L . C O M F A C E B O O K . C O M / B E L A K O O T R U S T @ B E L A K O O T R U S T