Annual
Report
2024

KarmaCorps presents its annual report for 2024. Our mission is unchanged: to empower children through quality education, digital learning and steady, monitored support.

This year the work reached 115 beneficiaries — 80 RTE children at Chetpet, 18 at Ayanavaram and Anna Nagar East, 11 new RTE students entering class 9, and six deserving students from outside the RTE category.

Each of 98 children received ₹2,000 a month directly into their own bank account for tuition and extracurricular coaching, and our monitors visited the tuition centres twice a month to confirm attendance and take feedback from teachers.

All planned initiatives were completed within budget, with vouchers, bills and monthly signed acknowledgements behind every rupee. The programme total for the year was ₹85,80,117 — higher than 2023 because the new school-fee programmes began.

Regular attendance and extra coaching showed up in the mark sheets, which improved on last year at both centres. Of 80 students assessed at Chetpet, 10 scored 71–100, 25 scored 51–70, 24 scored 35–50, 15 scored 20–34 and 6 below 20. At Ayanavaram, 9 of 18 scored 60–100 and 6 scored 40–59 — proportionally the stronger top tier of the two.

Class 9 was looked at on its own, since those children sit public examinations next year. The 11 new RTE students are clustered in the 61–70 band; the 11 continuing Chetpet students sit lower, and are the group we are giving the most attention to.

Ninety-eight children received ₹2,000 every month into their own bank account towards tuition fees and extracurricular coaching. Every month, beneficiaries signed to confirm they had received it.

Monitors were assigned to centres by name and visited twice a month — checking that children were present, asking teachers for feedback, and looking at whether the room was a safe and supportive place to be. Continuous absence was noted and raised with parents.

Bank accounts were opened at the State Bank of India's ICF branch for the Ayanavaram students this year, so they receive their support the same way the Chetpet children do.

Annual scholarships. ₹9,57,000 was awarded across 98 students for the 2023–24 academic year, allocated on attendance and participation, and paid towards tuition, books and other academic costs.

Sicgil India sponsorship. Five students were selected on academic performance and economic need for sponsored scholarships totalling ₹57,750. A thank-you letter was sent to the sponsor.

Family financial assistance. Where a family at the centre faced sudden hardship, KarmaCorps provided direct monthly support of ₹5,000 — ₹60,000 over the year.

Educational needs. ₹75,000 was donated towards school needs for 120 students through a partner initiative, alongside ₹30,000 in medical support.

Eighteen students hold a laptop under the rental programme. Usage is logged against the 8,784 hours available in the year, and the logs are read, not filed: where a device sat unused it was reassigned. Four laptops that had gone unused this year were reassigned to other students, and two more were replaced with netbooks, their previous machines passed on as well.

Five review meetings were held through the year on device usage and technical faults. Attendance at them was satisfactory; usage remains the thing to improve, and we say so plainly.

On IXL, 38 of 104 accounts are active — the rest were deactivated for minimal use — and those children practise mathematics, language arts, science and social studies with instant feedback. Others work on Asha Kanini and Khan Academy. Of the 38, a few work above their school grade; many sit below it, which is the gap we are working on.

Registers. Ten registers were maintained through the year, covering staff attendance, IXL, documentation, birthdays, the library and device inventory, with the children's database updated alongside.

Documentary screenings. Weekly, with films chosen across history, science and discovery. About 60% of the children came each week — on average 45, up to 65 — and the sessions ended in discussion, which is where the thinking happens.

Library hour. Between 23 and 25 children used the library each Saturday. A book list chart lets them find the right title; they sign the register when they return it.

Holiday programme. Through the summer holidays 30–35 children came in to practise on IXL, read, draw, paint and learn embroidery. Their paintings were hung in the hall.

Birthdays. All 98 children received a birthday gift this year — fancy bags for the girls, travel bags for the boys, chosen with their ages in mind.

Picnic to Queensland, 27 July. 98 students and 15 staff — 113 people — spent the day at the amusement park: rides, a lunch of chicken biryani, cake and ice cream, then hours on the water rides. Total cost ₹97,800.

Children's Day and Independence Day. Children's Day was celebrated on 16 November at Chetpet hall with dances and speeches by the children about what they want to become; Independence Day was marked at the Anna Nagar centre.

All assignments were completed on schedule and within budget, with the paperwork to show it.

The support reached further this year: beyond our own 98 children to 11 new RTE students entering class 9 and six deserving students outside the RTE category, with school fees paid outright where fees were the barrier.

Attendance held up — 85% of Chetpet students above 80% — and mark sheets improved on last year. Two areas remain honestly short: laptop usage, and IXL grade levels against school grade. Both are on next year's list.

Our thanks to our founder and co-founder, to the small team who carry the work, and to the parents and children whose cooperation kept everything on time.