English Learning Buddy Program

OneProsper International

English Learning Buddy Program

Prosocial activity where girls in the United States, Canada give time to tutor girls from low income families in India to speak English

San Francisco, CA, USA

United States

Nonprofit

In India, English language skills are a prerequiste for professional employment and advancement. However, because of India's two tier education system, only students from high income families develop fluency in English. Students from low income families attend government schools which taught primarily in the vernacular language. In addition, students from low income families don't have anyone within their social networks with whom to pratice speaking English. According to a recent report, 2.9% of Indian engineering graduates are able to speak English at the required level. https://monitor.icef.com/2015/08/indian-engineering-graduates-held-back-by-limited-english/ Girls from low income families have limited agency because of the absence of role models. As a result, girls from low income families typically marry and raise children after completing high school. Students from low income families have very limited access to online resources. Low income families typically have one mobile device which is used primarily for income generation.

In January 2020, OneProsper launched a 10 week prosocial activity branded as the English Learning Buddy Program. The program is aimed at teen girls living in the United States and India. In the United States, OneProsper has built partnerships with 20 independent schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. In India, OneProsper has partnered with Delhi Government and charter schools including: Muni International School, Lotus Petal Foundation, Teach for India, and St. Mary's School. Teen girls in the United States give time to tutor girls in India to speak English. How it Works: 1. Teen girls in the United States sign up to be a Buddy 2. Buddies are paired with Learners (girls from low income families in India). 3. OneProsper provides Buddies with Orientation, Lesson Plan and Digital Book 4. Buddies and Learners meet one-on-one via WhatsApp for 30 minutes per week for 10 weeks (on Sundays). 5. Learners practice reading aloud while Buddies provide constructive feedback and answer reading comprehension questions 6. Buddies and Learners report weekly feedback + community service hours 7. OneProsper provides Buddies with community service hours and certificate Over 5,000 girls have participated in OneProsper's English Learning Buddy Program (2,500 Buddies + 2,500 Learners)

OneProsper's English Learning Buddy Program is serving girls from low income families in India. The target population is facing two key challenges to realizing greater agency. First, girls from low income families typically have poor English skills. As a result, they have limited employment and advancement opportunities. India has a two tier education system. Students from high income families attend private schools where the medium of instruction is English. Students from low income families attend government or charter schools where the medium of instruction is a blend of the vernacular and English. These schools have low paid and less qualified teachers. Students do not receive personalized learning because of large class sizes. In addition, girls from low income families do not have anyone within their social networks with whom to practice speaking English. Low income families typically have one mobile device; which is used for income generation. And, because data is prohibitively expensive, girls from low income families have limited access to online learning resources. Second, girls from low income families have limited aspirations as a result of the lack of role models. Because of deeply ingrained gender stereotypes, girls from low income families typically marry in their late teens.