School to Livelihood
Hikmat’s first chapter gave girls in Meghwal Mathia access to education. Two schools, more than 1,000 girls educated, and hundreds enrolled today.
Now we are building what comes next.
This three-year program will help girls who complete Class 10 build practical skills in English, computer applications, and AI tools, then connect those skills to paid project work. The goal is simple: help a Hikmat girl turn the education she has earned into a livelihood she can sustain.
A girl who completes Class 10 here has crossed one of the hardest barriers in her village. But too often, there is no clear next step.
She is literate, holds a board certificate, and has spent years in a school her family chose to trust. The honest answer to what happens next, today, is: not enough. College is far. Distance education is unstructured and rarely completed. Local work beyond agriculture is scarce.
The computer centre at her school — 25 desktops and laptops, internet, projectors in classrooms — is open to her, but only informally. There is no structured curriculum that takes her from Class 10, or Matric, to the level needed for entry-level digital work. She picks up fragments, and in too many cases waits at home until marriage. Her schooling stops paying off.
This program closes that gap. It is built on top of Hikmat's existing infrastructure and trust — no new buildings, no new computers — and pairs a structured course with a route into paid work.
The skills required for entry-level digital work have changed quickly.
Basic typing and data entry are no longer enough. Today’s entry-level digital work increasingly requires clear written English, comfort with documents and spreadsheets, and the ability to use AI tools responsibly.
What we commit to, over three years.
A progressive course: foundational competence in Year 1, applied use and real project work Year 2 onward.
Functional English
Students will learn to read instructions, write professional emails and applications, speak with confidence, and communicate clearly in work settings.
Computer Applications
Students will build working fluency in documents, spreadsheets, presentations, file management, email, and online collaboration.
Practical AI Tools
Students will learn to use AI tools for writing, research, summarizing, editing, and basic automation, with an emphasis on judgment and responsible use.
A Program That Lasts
The curriculum, materials, and processes will be documented so the program can run reliably year after year.
A Path Into Work
The program is designed to prepare graduates for entry-level, digitally enabled work and connect them to paid project opportunities.
Built carefully before it grows
Year 1 is held deliberately small, so the curriculum, the teaching rhythm, and the program tooling are properly tested before the cohort grows.
Establish the curriculum, teaching rhythm, and program tooling. Demonstrate completion and learning outcomes with a small, well-supported cohort.
Scale the cohort once the system is repeatable. Cohort 1 graduates begin paid project work. The introductory module extends to younger students.
Full operating scale, with an independent third-party review of outcomes. Across three cohorts, 145 girls will have completed the program.
Functional English
- Reading — instructions and articles
- Writing — emails, applications, short reports
- Speaking — introductions, presentations, group discussion
Computer & AI
- Docs, Sheets, Presentations, email, collaboration
- File management and the open web
- AI tools for writing, research, and basic automation
They graduate into work, not uncertainty.
Training only matters if it leads somewhere. Beginning in Year 2, the program will create a pathway into paid project work through an IT-services model. Graduates from Cohort 1 will complete real client work under the supervision of the Program Lead, building both income and experience.
Paid work will be managed through a separate operating entity established by Hikmat, so client contracts, employment, payments, and statutory compliance remain clearly separated from the Foundation’s charitable program activity.
Year 2 — building quality discipline
Low-complexity, forgiving tasks: basic AI data work, spreadsheet cleanup, document digitisation and OCR review, and content support — product listings, tagging, and simple AI-aided copy-editing.
Year 3 — higher-skill work
Once quality is proven over a year, AI data-labelling for vetted vendors and chat-based customer support for small Indian e-commerce sellers.
Where the work comes from
- Hikmat's existing partners and donor network, who can route suitable work into the program.
- NGO and social-sector peers who need digitisation and back-office support from a mission-aligned partner.
- Supporters in India and globally who run businesses and can introduce small, well-fit projects.
Stewardship with deep roots.
Hikmat is led and guided by people with decades of experience across public service, development, finance, education, and open-source community building.
A 1977-batch IAS officer who spent more than twenty years at the World Bank Group and the IFC, with his final role directing infrastructure and natural resources across Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. He returned to India in 2013, served on the Bihar State Planning Board, and lives in his ancestral village of Lauriya Nandangarh in West Champaran.
Over twenty years in strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, and organizational growth across consulting, multinationals, and the nonprofit sector. Founder of the communications firm 12:Fourteen, she focuses on strengthening Hikmat's narrative, partnerships, and long-term sustainability.
The first employee at FOSS United, where he spent around six years as Program Director leading the build of what is today India's largest open-source community, and where he now sits on the board. Born in Champaran and educated there through Class 10, Vishal returns home to lead this three-year commitment to the girls of West Champaran.
Former Chairman of the Board of Federal Bank and a former IAS officer. He founded Penpol, a pioneer in biomedical devices in India that grew — in partnership with Japan's Terumo — into one of the world's largest blood-bag makers. Today he mentors entrepreneurs and runs a trust supporting social initiatives.
Managing Director of ERU Consultants, an interdisciplinary consultancy focused on women's and girls' empowerment, education, and child development across India, South Asia, and Africa. She formerly served as State Programme Director of the Mahila Samakhya Programme in Uttar Pradesh.
A 1977 IAS officer who served as Secretary to two Vice Presidents of India and Joint Secretary to the President, and from 2012 to 2017 as Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha. He studied at St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, and institutions in Geneva, Harvard, and France.
Turn a classroom into a career.
Your support helps girls in rural West Champaran continue beyond Class 10, build practical digital skills, and access paid work that can change the course of their lives. Donations are welcome from supporters in India and abroad. Eligible donations may be tax-deductible, depending on the giving entity and the donor’s country of residence.