For millions of people in India, learning to speak English is an economic necessity. Spoken English skills are a critical tool that helps people tap into new opportunities, and improves their chances at getting better jobs. And, Vahan, an English language learning platform which works on voice, text and messaging apps like WhatsApp, is geared to do exactly that.
Vahan was founded in October 2015 by Madhav Krishna. The US-based immigration rights activist was visiting his parents in Delhi, and helping to hand out food to people on the street, when a child whom he had served, hugged him in thanks. For Krishna, it was a transformational moment.
Realizing that he wanted to dedicate his life to helping those from low-income communities like the boy he had met, Krishna returned to India and focused on developing a platform that would make education more accessible. Seeing that there was a dearth of English teachers and no effective curriculum in place either, he started Vahan to aid the poor in improving their skills, and thereby increasing their chances at getting a job.
What makes Vahan unique is that it works on both basic feature phones and smartphones. A learning session can be initiated just by calling a number, without the need of any download or data connection. Instructors send feedback via SMS or voice messages.
Vahan’s pilot projects have already been making waves, and the startup is partnering with institutes like EduBridge, Yuva Parivartan, blue-collar job networks such as Babajob and TeamLease and NGOs like Quest Alliance and Digital Empowerment Foundation to widen its reach. Chennai based social business incubator Villgro has also added muscle to the startup with considerable funding.
For more information, browse their site and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Featured image source: Vahan
Written by Anisha Kashwani
