Ongoing Projects

STRATEGIC PLAN OF ROTARY CLUB OF TRIVANDRUM NORTH

We, the Rotarians of the Trivandrum North, are pleased to inform you that Rtn. PHF MSR Dev has conceived a Project proposal for applying for Rotary Foundation's Global Grants under Future Vision Plan. The main objective of the proposed project is to conceptualize, design, develop and operate a web portal – www.rosesglobal.net which is an Open Online Portal which can be accessed by anyone, anytime from anywhere – worldwide, free of cost, for basic education, literacy and vocational training. Project vision is to educate and empower the youth/women and all those who cannot afford class-room education or who wants to augment their knowledge with basic educational skills, literacy and language skill and specialized vocational skills. The project mission is to contribute towards realizing a literate learned educated community for creating a better future. We have already uploaded the project in the Rotary website for international partners. This project is coming under the 6 major focus areas of the rotary.

This project is our future vision project.

Rotary Club of Trivandrum North (District 3211)
Project – ROSES-GLOBAL (Rotary Online Source Education Services –Global)
(A project proposal for applying for Rotary Foundation's Global Grants under Future Vision Plan)
www.rosesglobal.net

1. The following guidelines for the project to qualify for RI Global Grant has been noted
   • Identification of host sponsor club / District (Rotary Club of Trivandrum North), and identification of an international sponsor club / district (action to be pursued and primary contacts for reach).
   • Addressing the community needs with the description of benefiting community and needs identified and explaining of how the needs are currently being addressed and how the proposed activities will further address the needs.
   • Brief discussion of the project describing the summary of proposed activities and list of any cooperating organizations or universities involved and the involvement of benefiting communities in proposed activities. Also prepare the estimated start and completion dates.
   • Identification of an area of focus and describe how the project activities will address the goals of the area of focus.
   • Bring out the sustainability and measurability of the intended outcomes and describe how the involved parties will ensure their sustainability.
   • Prepare an estimated approximated budget for the project.
   • Bring out specific comments or suggestions regarding the general financing of the project such as, DDF contributions (District Designated Fund), Cash contributions, Grant award requested from TRF (Rotary Foundation), etc.
2. In order to develop eligibility for the Future Vision pilot project, the proposed activities visualized for the project to fall within the following 6 areas of focus.
   • Peace and conflict prevention / resolution
   • Disease prevention and treatment
   • Water and sanitation
   • Maternal and child health
   • Basic education and literacy
   • Economic and community development
3. Project ROSES-GLOBAL (Rotary Online Source Education Services-Global)
   • After analyzing the needs and beneficiaries worldwide proposed project, ROSE S-GLOBAL (Rotary Online Source Education Services-Global) is visualized to address the area of focus namely, 'Basic education and literacy'. The host sponsor club is Rotary Club of Trivandrum North (District 3211). The international partner sponsor club is _____________ . The Better World Foundation is identified as the cooperative organization which is vision of the proposed project. A memorandum of understanding between the Host sponsor club, international sponsor club and cooperative organization is arrived at as enclosed ___.
   • The proposed project is conceived with a long vision and expected to sustain year after year. The core activities visualized for realizing the proposed project is to conceptualize, design, develop and operate a web portal – www.rosesglobal.net  which is an Open Online Portal which can be accessed by anyone, anytime from anywhere – worldwide, free of cost, for basic education, literacy and vocational training.
   • We are observing that basic education and literacy is emerging as unaffordable for the common man and under privileged and having a class-room campus education is becoming more and more costly year after year. It is in this context that prompted to prepare the proposed project under the Rotary mission.
   • It is planned to design the educational portal utilizing the latest tools and technologies associated with IT sector and global networks like internet. The portal is expected to incorporate basic educational courses, literacy and language courses and job oriented vocational training.
   • On our survey worldwide we have come across few educational institutions and social enterprises delivering courses free online especially for higher educational domain and specialized skills. The proposed project is an unique effort to provide open online access to basic education and job oriented vocational training.
4. Project vision, mission and objectives
   • Project vision is to educate and empower the youth / women and all those who cannot afford class-room education or who wants to augment their knowledge with basic educational skills, literacy and language skill and specialized vocational skills.
   • Project mission is to contribute towards realizing a literate learned educated community for creating a better future.
   • Project objectives to design and develop an open portal named as ROSE S– Rotary Open Source Education Services, which will have hundreds of diverse courses on basic education and literacy which can be accessed by anyone from anywhere at any time free of cost.
5. Project networking and collaboration
   • It is planned to establish collaborative arrangements with like-minded educational institutions to promote their courses through ROSES portal.
   • It is envisaged to develop creative partnerships with social enterprises and educational institutions which are in the pioneering field of free online education.
6. Promotion and marketing of ROSE portal worldwide
   • It is visualized to promote the proposed project portal to maximize the beneficiaries and bring in measurable outcomes and impacts.
   • Advertise the portal through visual and printed media like Rotary publications,.
   • Communicate with circulars highlighting the portal courses to thousands of Rotary clubs worldwide.
7. Estimated approximated project budget
   • An outline of the budget estimate for the first year of operation is given as below:

     Web portal design - procurement of computer hardware and software and remuneration for expert web designer	$ 1,000
     Portal design and development (contents) – remuneration for academic advisors (2) for 12 months - ($500 x 2 x 12)	$ 12,000
     Portal content generators – educators (5) – remuneration for 12 months ($500 x 5 x12)	$ 30,000
     Web administrators – service attenders (2) remuneration for 12 months ($400 x 2 x12)	$ 9,600
     Envisaged payments to be made for acquiring licensees of already developed chosen educational courses	$ 15,000
     Net promotion and marketing of the web portal (2) – remuneration for 12 months $ 300 x 2 x 12	$ 7,200
     Infrastructure setting up (computers, associated software, net connections and furniture (5 systems - $ 1000 x 5)	$ 5,000
     Minimal office space rental – contacts and communications (GEM Foundation) 1 year expenses - $ 500 x 12	$ 6,000
     Web portal advertisement in visual / print media (limit the budget based on the availability)	$ 5,000
     Operational expenses – travel, communication, networking, seminars, etc. for 1 year. ($ 1,000 x 12)	$ 12,000
     Total project cost	$ 62,800

   • An estimated expense from the start of the project - concept to operational status - expecting within 1 year comes to $ 62,800. 50% of the above fund is proposed from the Rotary Foundation’s Global Grant, namely, $ 31,400.
     • Diverse ways and means to realize the basic fund to be used for implementation of the project need to be probed from the following sources:
     • Rotary Foundation Global Grant
     • DDF – District Designated Fund for the project.
     • CDF – Host club and international partner club designated fund for the project
     • Voluntary contribution from individual Rotarians for the project.
8. Project schedule:
   • It is estimated to complete the project from concept to operationalisation within a span of 1 year.
   • The project is proposed to initiate on 1st January 2015 and complete by 31st December 2015.
9. Project impact and measurable results
   • Once the ROSESGLOBAL portal is operationalised and parallelly the portal is promoted through various media, including social media and Rotary media, it is expected a minimum of 100,000 beneficiaries who could make access to the portal globally for diverse basic education, literacy and vocational training courses.
10. Summary
    • Integrated mission oriented teams are planned to be set up with members of the Rotary club as coordinators and executive staff to manage the portal with the assistance of expert members from community around as educational consultants, content generators, web controllers, net promoters, etc.. The sponsor club also identifies project review boards to review the prospects, the problems and progress periodically and facilitate to complete the project within the estimated budget and schedule.
    • The project ROSESGLOBAL will focus mainly on the community of youth and women as beneficiaries and bring out the most cost effective open portal to provide free educational service.
    • The pilot ROSE project will form as a premier step in bringing out unique integrated open portal linking up the needs of the community around, developing education and skill sets and meeting the demands from employers.

Project Summary outline

Title – ROSESGLOBAL – Rotary Online Source Education (Global)

Host Club / Executing Agency  --  Rotary Club of Trivandrum North (District 3211)

International Partner Club  ---  _______________

Project Cost - $ 62, 800 – Global Grant proposed - $ 31,400

Project period – Phase 1 – 1 year

Project start date – 1st January 2015

Project completion – (design, development and start operationalising) – 31st December 2015

Project sustainability – feasible to continue the operation of the project with minimum operational budget.

Project service – free access to education and employment portal by anyone from anywhere at anytime worldwide.

Project impact and measurability – target beneficiaries of 100,000 within one year.

Future prospects – project can be run as a social enterprise under the Rotary host club and make self sustainable with a revenue to be charged as minimum affordable to the seekers after survey.

Project core team – (3 member) from sponsor host club (PP. PHF. Dr.Madhava Kaimal, PHF. C.K.Mohan Kumar, PP.MPHF. R.Sivaramakrishnan and 3 member contact from the international partner sponsor club.

Project cooperating external organizations  / community --- Better World Foundation

Project originator – Dr.M S R Dev, Charter member, host club.

Project prime contact – Dr.Madhava Kaimal

Project administration – Host sponsor club president and Secretary.

Project support team – PP. A.Retnakumar, PP.K I Koshy, PP. M G Sreekumaran Nair

References

• Rotary Nepal educational report - ----- Rotary Club of Mahmmet, Illinois
• Distance learning project, India (1 to 10th grade) ---- District 3130 Pune ---- Still Water Sunrise Rotary club, Minnesota.
• UNNATI – Bangalore – vocational training and social transformation – Train and employ a million youth by 2020.
• Edx, Coursera, Udacity web sites.

Anticipated Role and Responsibilities

• After studying the project report and making corrections if any, after discussions, prepare the project in the required format for applying Rotary Foundation's Global Grant.
  Action: by Rtn. Dr.Madhava Kaimal
• Coordinate to acquire website and plan and supervise the design of the website and administration of the web after planning the required infrastructure to be established.
  Action: by Rtn. Mr.C. K. Mohan Kumar
• After studying the project report prepare a master plan to identify experts for the preparation of contents generation and coordinate the academic / educational aspects of the portal.
  Action: by Rtn. Mr.Sivaramakrishnan /Rtn. Mr. M.G.Sreekumaran Nair
• Over all coordination of the project with the district and Rotary Foundation and act as the prime contact from the host club and identify the international partner club.
  Action: by Rtn.  Dr.Madhava Kaimal
• Analyse the estimated budget proposal and plan the ways and means to acquire the financial resources from diverse channels.
  Action: by Rtn.A.Retna Kumar / Rtn.K I Koshy.
• Periodical review of the progress of the project and follow up action items.
  Action: by  Rtn. Ashok P. Menon.
• Project guidance and mentoring to translate into reality.
  Action: by Rtn. Dr.M S R Dev.