SCOPE Plus was set up in response to an adult education project which CASP PLAN wanted to implement and required a team to execute. It is an acronym for Society for Creating Opportunities for People’s Empowerment. I had prior experience managing Delhi Schools Literacy Project based in Springdales School (DSLP) which required liaison with several organisations. This common vision of continuing with Adult Education brought CASP PLAN and me together and thus was born SCOPE Plus on 15th July, 1996. It is a Delhi based NGO with most of its projects in Delhi itself. While adult education was an area with which SCOPE Plus began its activities it has worked in other areas too – remedial teaching for school going students, computer literacy, vocational training and more recently extending support wherever required through a committed set of volunteers.

Vision of SCOPE Plus

Scope envisions a society where empowered people come forward to empower the powerless by channelising existing support. The organisation has worked towards realisation of this vision through the following programmes.

Adult education on the pattern of Each One Teach One has been the main plank on which SCOPE Plus started working with communities and organisations. Before SCOPE Plus was formed, I was engaged by CASP PLAN to conduct one training of trainers. This one training extended to 4 more trainings with support from other co-trainers who volunteered to conduct the trainings along with me. My prior experience of working with the Directorate of Adult Education (DAE), under Ministry of HRD) helped in designing the training programme. Soon a team of master trainers were ready to work. It was at this stage that CASP PLAN encouraged me to set up an NGO so that my experience could be put to use at the ground level and the trained individuals could continue to operate under guidance. We coordinated the adult education of CASP plan in Govind Puri, Sangam Vihar and Badarpur, Tajpur Pahar and Sapera Basti. More than 1500 women were covered by the project. All teachers were from the community and so were the supervisors. They were paid only a small honorarium but they were very enthusiastic and made sure that all the classes were held as scheduled. They felt that instead of sitting at home, they were doing something useful and felt empowered. Later the adult education project was replicated in Jharera Village, and Tihar Jail and extended to the families of staff working there

Pre Schools and School Centers

In response to the need of local communities to have a safe place where their children could stay while they came to the classes, we started balwaris or preschools. Off shoots of adult education centres were six balwaris or preschools in Rajouri Garden, Jharera Delhi Cantonment, Tihar Jail Staff Quarters and Brar Square. On demand youth centres were started for soft skills development and remedial centres were set up in these communities. The students are still in touch and several of them are doing very well. Most of them are engaged in computer related jobs as they joined our computer centres too.

Computer Literacy (Nav Uthan)

Another significant initiative by SCOPE Plus was setting up of computer centres in these communities in 1998 with support from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). It may be recalled that in mid 1990s, computer education was not as accessible as it is today. It created a digital divide among students. The centres were set up for school dropouts so that they gained some skills which could be put to use. Having only the computers at these centres was not sufficient. There was a language barrier too because all instructions at that time were in English language which students did not understand. A guidebook was prepared for the students in Hindi language which made it easier for them to understand and they could handle the computers with ease. Nav Uthan project, as it was named, aimed at bringing computers to Hindi speaking students. Scope networked from time to time with cyber media, NIIT, IBM, Rotary mid-west for computers to run two centres in Tihar and one in West Delhi.

Vocational Training

Tihar Employee Welfare Association (TEWA)

Helping the service providers

Since 2014 SCOPE involved community people around Soami Nagar and Panchsheel, where I reside, to support families of hard-working service providers like drivers, labour, gardeners, guards, local vendors and house help and their families. Our volunteers have been working in Soami Nagar Model School and carrying out many activities such as remedial education, cleanliness drive, tree plantation, no honking project, Sunday classes. The volunteers who once link up with SCOPE Plus stay with us. Amit Dwivedi interacted with SCOPE when in class 8th and now a volunteer. There used to be many events like antihonking, Swachh Bharat mission or cleanliness drive. Since then, Amit has been associated with Scope. Scope gives a little honorarium which he enjoyed as a teenager. Now a young man doing a job he still finds time doing computer work with scope. He supervises many events conducted by scope like yoga, self-defence classes in the nearby park. According to him he prefers to do something for the community rather than hang out with friends.

Volunteerism

Over a period of time while working on several initiatives I realised that a number of people are looking for opportunities to extend support to others. What they needed was some guidance and linkages with other organisations/individuals. Our approach in the last decade has been to be a bridge between various organisations and institutions and volunteers and donors. Individual donors (when needed), material support and our products were our funders. All our projects were managed by volunteers who were paid conveyance. Our backbone were the Indian and International students who came for field work and internships. No words can convey the gratitude I feel for each one of them. My family stood by me in all my endeavours. The NGO’s pillars are its volunteers who may belong to different age groups. The youngest volunteer is 6 years and young at heart citizens who are 80+. They give their time, commitment, skills, abilities, and passion to the organisation. The USP of SCOPE Plus has been providing space to any citizen who wishes to engage in extending help to others but does not how to do so. Many senior citizens have been able to support other initiatives through their relationship with SCOPE Plus. SCOPE helps the economically deserving individuals and families by garnering support for them. For example, securing medical or financial assistance for those in need. Today the work has expanded with the participation of student volunteers too. They also do research, plan, and implement projects according to the needs of the community.

Disaster Relief

Scope is committed to reaching out to individuals who are struck by unfortunate circumstances. Many natural calamities struck India and whenever need arose, SCOPE’s youth group members volunteered to give their support. Team from Delhi School of Social work (1999) went with me to Odisha to do relief work after the 1999 cyclone. During Kargil war, many students volunteered in managing telephone calls at the army unit. For the Bhuj earthquake, rations were collected. During the Tsunami, SCOPE networked with other Resident Welfare Associations and collected rations, utensils, old clothes, blankets. SCOPE brought together residents from many areas. Many volunteers joined hands to collect, sort, pack relief material. For Nicobar area SCOPE networked with Government officials and helped them load relief material in goods trains. In 2023, SCOPE mobilised the community to donate sanitary napkins and diapers to support the Syrian Embassy after the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. Due to our small size and nimbleness, we were able to get materials that were needed urgently on one of the earlier flights itself. The Covid-19 pandemic was quite a tough time for each one of us. Most were confined at home. But this calamity did not stop the activities of SCOPE, though the nature of activities changed according to the need of the hour. SCOPE was able to mobilise volunteers, neighbours and even family members to get involved. The support took the form of making donations to organisations they trusted, mobilising relief work, extending support to inmates of Tihar jail and most importantly looking after some very basic needs of people. Some of the activities carried out during this period are as follows:\

• Funds were raised and donated to NHOs - GOONJ, Earth Saviour and SOS. SCOPE joined hands with volunteers of political parties, Delhi Police, Gurudwaras, Rotary Club Faridabad Mid Town – anyone who was involved in relief work.
• A ‘Chapatti Brigade’ was formed with help of neighbourhood women to cook food for those walking on roads.
• Mr. Natrajan, the Matka1 Man of Panchsheel Park, was contacted to make water arrangements for the pedestrians. “We were in dilemma whether to keep water in pots because of Covid, but they decided to give water to the daily wagers walking in the heat. We filled empty bottles donated to SCOPE and handed them over to the migrant laborers. It was humbling to quench their thirst”. A group of inmates of Tihar jail were given off for three months as parole. They all walked to their houses as there was no transport available after the lock down was announced when they were released on the evening of 30th March. SCOPE was able to help 10 inmates to their respective homes.
• SCOPE networked with Rotary Club Midwest, Faridabad mobilised their club members to collect and distribute rations to 25 families of Bharat Nagar, Faridabad
• SCOPE networked with Rotary Club Midwest, Faridabad mobilised their club members to collect and distribute rations to 25 families of Bharat Nagar, Faridabad
• They joined hands with a local volunteer who had taken permission from the police to feed the stray dogs living inside a DDA park. We gave rations and much needed clay pots.
• SCOPE had been instrumental in procuring and distributing 8000 masks. A volunteer designed a mask and gave work to a tailor who had lost his earning because of lock down.
• They gave sanitisers to service providers too. “We take empty shampoo and sanitizer bottles and refill them to give to street vendors and delivery boys”
• Through the support of a well-wisher running EM3, an agri-services company, we were able to distribute 40 Tablets to senior school students to help them with online learning.
• A teacher from Haus Rani and a student volunteer Shabad living in Shahadra helped in identifying the needy families who were daily wagers. Money was sent to neighbouring grocery stores as most of the beneficiaries did not have any digital platform to receive any money
• Counselling - guidance and referrals were provided to patients and their families. Students and parents were given guidance for further studies during Covid time.
• A Corona patient associated with SCOPE Plus was encouraged to donate plasma to a patient in Max Saket. The same family has started the App DHOONH to put Covid patients in touch with plasma donors.

The strength of SCOPE has been that we work on the belief that one can make a difference in society. The infrastructure support from Tihar Jail and the home-based office saw us through. In fact, SCOPE never took grants, except for e did get Remedial coaching support from Life Tree and Seagate Technology, which paid for tuition of senior students for two years. Resources are there, all that needs to be done is a link that brings haves and the have nots together. We believe that each individual and organisation has their own strengths so if all join hands it can make a lot of difference in the world. Our journey has been varied, dynamic and fruitful. At times I have been told, "You have spread yourself too thin." “You have your hand in too many puddings.” Yes. That is possible. But the underlying aim has been consistent. Unwavering. To HELP. And we will continue to do that.

Email: scopeplus@gmail.com

Phone: +91 9818333200