2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

In Dubai, learning English will help its many poor, uneducated labourers get better jobs and salaries. But with average monthly salaries of $220 and 12-hours of labour everyday, they neither have money nor time to educate themselves. With SmartLife, an NGO for Dubai's labourers, we created the innovative, Project Akshar (Alphabets), to help improve their status and quality of life. First, we launched free English classes. Then, to encourage labourers to enroll, we showed them how easy it is to learn English. Using innovative visual learning techniques, we took words useful to them, wrote their English phonetic pronunciations in the Hindi script, combined them with their visual representation integrated into the Hindi alphabet. And created redesigned alphabets and words that teach them English through their own language. Designed on what looked liked school notepads, we placed hundreds of these words, across their daily journey. We printed a phone number, which they’d give a missed call to. We called them to enrol them. Labour camps became Educational camps. Transport buses became School buses. Construction sites became Learning sites. We extended their learning across innovative learning mediums: flashcards, karaoke songs, print ads and bus shelters. 5000+ labourers graduated from blue-collar to white-collar.* From the 5000+ graduates: (1) 28% have cleared job interviews for white-collar jobs in private firms.* (2) 23% got promoted to white-collar jobs from blue-collar jobs in the same firms.* (3) 12% have launched small businesses back home.* (4) 37% got higher salaries increasing +300% & more, above their lower salaries.* *(Source: SmartLife Get Smart Program, CDA Dubai, Islamic Affairs Authority)