OUR STORY
HOW WE STARTED.
Learning Space started in 2014 as a charitable organization by conviction. The founder being an engineer, academia and trainer with 20+ years of experience in the IT industry in the US and India and IIIT-H, our journey started as the training cum implementation partner for a 2-year Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) project for 16 Rainbow Homes in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. This project aimed at improving learning abilities of ~1300 children taking shelter in these orphanages using technology aided teaching and learning.
Later, we handled training and implementation of another STEM project for about 12,000 less privileged students studying at 88 government primary, upper-primary and high schools of Nampally and Khairatabad Mandals in Hyderabad. We also worked with some other NGOs such as Move the Wheel Foundation, Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA) and Suma Niketan in the field of education.
During that period, a child sexual abuse crisis came to light which made us wonder why services were only available after a child was abused. Also, there is a lot stigma around this issue which makes the survivors suffer in silence and which makes the perpetrators take advantage of this stigma and silence. Our founder asked herself a question: “what can I do to prevent abuse and keep children safe?” She mobilized a few volunteers to create an initiative around educating children about personal safety.
In Dec 2018, Learning Space Foundation was registered as a public charitable trust.
We then mobilized more like-minded people and started working with students from various schools for one year, until pandemic occurred. There was no access to children due to the lockdowns and schools having online classes etc. The Child helpline in India received many calls from children and it triggered a lot of conversations around safety of children who are trapped at homes along with their abusers. That is when we realized the need to find other ways to stop child sexual abuse. Also, as abuse is a power dynamic where more powerful person forces themselves upon a less powerful person, children being less powerful, educating them to protect themselves is really not enough. As adults are legally and morally responsible for the health and safety of the children, burden of prevention and protection is the responsibility of adults.
So, we refined our mission to include adult education, we started our flagship training, ‘Sreyobhilaashi.’ We aim to empower adults and organizations to bring best practices in child safety in their own communities.
While were working with schools, another incident came to light. Chotu (name changed to protect privacy) is an intelligent youth, but unaware of the child marriage act and POCSO, married a minor girl against elders’ wish and landed in jail. Most of them being first generation learners, they have little knowledge about law and how their actions and decisions can destroy their dignity and future. So, we realized the need to create awareness among adolescents about laws related to them.
We envision a world where child sexual abuse does not exist and children live with dignity. We believe prevention is possible if we all come together. We dream of the day that adults have formed prevention-oriented communities where children’s rights to a safe childhood are protected.
VISION, MISSION, OBJECTIVES
VISION.
We envision and strive to co-create a world wherein children and women feel safe, empowered, and equipped with the education and resources necessary to realize their true potential and become fulfilled members of society.
MISSION.
To prevent sexual abuse of children and women and to promote their education and wellbeing through training and advocacy.
OBJECTIVES.
- To empower individuals to prevent child sexual abuse, combat stigma, and foster safe communities
- To provide holistic learning opportunities and enhance academic success
- To promote menstrual hygiene, sexual & reproductive health and mental health, reduce stigma
- To promote gender-inclusive respect, prevent gender-based violence, and advocate for gender equality
- Reduce risk-taking behaviours among adolescents and youth through value enhanced life skills
TEAM
Kaumudi Nagaraju
Founder & Executive Director
Sridevi Putta
Director - Donor Relations & Administration
Harsha Chawla
Director - Human Capital & Fundraising
Sevitha Malagavelli
Director – Planning & Coordination
Bilu Kavumkal
Director, Support Operations
Ranadheerachary Kokkonda
Web Developer, Graphic Designer
Sampada Kuwar
Editor, Heart to Heart
Sanskriti Bhatia
Designer, Heart to Heart
Padmashri Gangakhedkar
Content Writer
Eshika Kasturi
Graphic Designer
Swapna Gatla
Founder & Director
Person Name
Position
ADVISORY MEMBERS
Kavitha Natarajan
Advisory Member
Shreekar Enugandla
Strategic Advisor & Accountant
Swapna Gatla
Founder & Director
Person Name
Position
Your Donations Make a HUGE Impact
A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER
In India, every second child is being exposed to one or the other form of sexual abuse and every fifth child faces critical forms of it. CSA has far-reaching physical, social, and mental health effects and often the victims suffer in silence because of the shame and stigma associated with the experience. Yet, due to complex interplay of individual, familiar and social factors, parents and families often prefer silence rather than confronting offenders or reporting incidents. This choice of inaction only promotes the ill. It also perpetuates a lack of accountability for the issue, as it underplays the scale of the problem.
We at Learning Space Foundation believe that complete eradication of CSA will only happen with better educational programs. We have been conducting personal safety education programmes for children and awareness sessions for adults. During the Child Safety Week this year, we organized a series of events to break the silence and stigma about this issue. Many people including a few celebrities supported us in our efforts. It is heartening to see our all-time celebrities – our team of Sreyobhilaashis across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh conducted awareness sessions on personal safety for children.
Kaumudi Nagaraju
Kaumudi Nagaraju.
BE, MBA, MA (Edu), PGDEMA, DipTD (ISTD)
Founder & Executive Director
Passionate about co-creating a world that works well for everyone, Kaumudi is a VLSI design engineer turned academician and change maker with 20+ years of IT experience working with MNCs in the US and India, academic and research institutions such as IIIT-Hyderabad and National Academy of Agricultural Research Management.
She is a certified happiness coach, sexual harassment awareness professional, gender equality awareness professional, DISC facilitator and NLP practitioner. She facilitates capacity building programs for teachers, coaches young change makers and volunteers with other NGOs. As a guest faculty at NAARM, she has developed courses for teachers and teaching them.
With an aim to prevent sexual abuse of children and women and having a great team by her side, she has been designing and implementing multiple programs for prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, empowering adolescents & youth, gender sensitization, awareness on sexual and reproductive health, and mental health.
Strategic Advisor & Accountant
Harsha Chawla.
Donor relations manager
Her wealth of experience extends to efficient administration and impactful outreach efforts. Sridevi brings a dynamic blend of strategic planning and hands-on experience to ensure the success of our diverse projects. Her dedication to our mission is a driving force behind the positive impact we make in the communities we serve.
Dr. Sampada Kuwar.
Designer, Heart to Heart
Director, Support Operations
Bilu Kavumkal is and Operations Management professional with 10+ years experience in BPO/ITES, Service Industry.
Bilu is passionate about any activity that helps others. He donates, spends his time and energy on different activities of Learning Space Foundation. He supported LSF during many Covid relief and flood relief activities. He also condcuts gender sensitization programs for children.
Web Developer, Graphic Designer
Kavitha Natarajan.
Advisor
Ms. Kavitha Natarajan is Founder- Yogasthiti, CSR Consultant, International Yoga Trainer. She is a Counseling Psychologist, Member of Telangana Psychologists Association, ‘Margadarshak’- trained by the SCSC and Commissionerate of Police to help women in distress, RKSC (Rachakonda Security Council) member who ideated Psychosocial counseling cell under Rachakonda Police Commissionerate and certified Yoga trainer.
Kavitha’ s Passion for emotional well-being she started working with tribal women & children. Emotional wellbeing, self-awareness, introspection & happiness quotient have been her forte ever since then. She has conducted many workshops around inner well-being and emotional growth.
Padmashri Gangakhedkar.
Content Writer
As our Content Writer, Ms Padmashri plays a pivotal role in shaping our narrative. From insightful articles for newsletters to compelling campaigns and website content, she weaves words that resonate with purpose. Her commitment to meaningful work, coupled with the collaborative spirit of our team, underscores her invaluable contribution to our mission.
Eshika Kasturi.
Graphic Designer
Eshika has been interested in art since young, and it’s eventually led her to enter the world of design. As a socially aware teen, she’s passionate about creating visual content to better impact her audiences, and her avid interest to learn and engage more with the community and people she’s surrounded by, has led her to join our team.
She’s excited to use her skills to support the foundation in any way – from designing captivating campaigns to mesmerizing newsletters!