Ayang Trust

Within its Education initiatives, Ayang Trust's School Transformation Programme grew from the positive impact witnessed by teachers in their initial mobile library project school. Recognizing the transformative effects of child-centric teaching and learning methods, it expanded its involvement to encompass additional subjects at the request of these teachers. The organisation collaborated with Government schools through its Manthan fellowship programme, which provides a two-year immersive journey for young adults. Designed to foster skills, social awareness, and a commitment to rural education, this fellowship addresses the lack of skilled and motivated rural youth who can act as catalysts for social change, especially in the context of Majuli. Unlike many existing fellowships that often have stringent skill requirements favouring candidates from privileged urban institutions, Ayang Trust's Manthan fellowship aimed to be more inclusive and accessible.

Currently, under the SEED Project, Ayang has established 38 community libraries across different villages of Majuli. The SEED Project foster a reading culture in Majuli's villages by establishing community-owned libraries.

Ayang Trust's Community Resilience initiative included the MITA (Mental Illness Treatment and Awareness) Project in collaboration with The Ant, Chirang District. MITA provided mental healthcare in 2019 to underserved communities and 200 registered patients, focusing on affordable, protocol-based treatment.

Ayang Trust also develops and implements programs to enhance community resilience to natural disasters. The Disaster Risk Reduction project is focused on promoting resilience amongst the flood affected communities by promoting access to safe spaces , water, sanitation and hygiene during floods and building the capacity of village communities in tackling floods thereby reducing the risk of disaster. We have been implementing this project since 2022 in Majuli. The project has been implemented in 10 flood- affected villages of Majuli. The intervention has a multidimensional approach in promoting resilience. The affected communities are engaged for a longer duration and a decentralized flood control mechanism is developed through this intervention.

Ayang Trust's programme, The Hummingbird School, emerged from the aspirations of Kulamua village in Majuli. Isolated and lacking basic amenities, the villagers believed education was pivotal to overcoming poverty. With the support of 19 neighboring villages, founder Bipin Dhane collaborated with the community to establish the school, named after its shared vision. Commencing in January 2017 with 70 students, the school extended its scope, providing education to 300+ children and hosting around 100 in its facilities in the year 2024. Diverging from conventional education models, The Hummingbird School aims to be a beacon of high-quality, pertinent education for disadvantaged children in Northeast India. Focusing on scientific curiosity, humanism, and critical inquiry – values mandated by the country's constitution – the school's approach contrasts with the rote learning prevalent in traditional education.

In its Livelihood efforts, Ayang Trust engages in skill-building initiatives that enrich local traditions in Majuli. Through training and technology integration, it enhances traditional livelihoods such as weaving, bamboo crafts, and food processing. The organisation conducts needs assessments and provides training for less prevalent market interventions, like bakery skills. Following the training, women receive tools or assistance in acquiring loans from SHGs and government entities for procuring machinery. The Trust facilitates connections to both local and external markets, including its shop Lekope, a bamboo crafts shop, and collaborations with various markets and exhibitions across the country. Adaptation to the pandemic led to online ventures like the Instagram page Lekope and partnerships with external platforms such as Little Local and Japi, extending market reach.

Ayang Trust also works with farmers to promote sustainable agricultural and forestry practices to enhance livelihoods and environmental health. The programme involves developing food farms and multilayer farming through natural methods. This approach increases crop diversity, improves food security, and boosts agricultural productivity. Key initiatives include restoring barren land affected by monocropping and soil erosion, providing modern irrigation systems to optimize water use, and enhancing resilience to climate variability. Additionally, capacity-building programs are conducted to train farmers in soil management, pest control, crop rotation, and organic farming techniques, empowering them to adopt sustainable practices.