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Learning and Migration Program (LAMP)

place India + 1 more

Ensuring migrant children stay in school with quality education to end intergenerational poverty.

One in five children in India is a migrant. Each year, over 140 million Indians migrate seasonally for work, disrupting children's education and pushing many into labor. LAMP addresses this by providing quality education, collaborating with communities and the government to ensure uninterrupted learning for migrant children, and thus breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
Shortlisted
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Overview

HundrED shortlisted this innovation

HundrED has shortlisted this innovation to one of its innovation collections. The information on this page has been checked by HundrED.

Updated May 2025
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LAMP offers a tested, evidence-backed, and scalable model to ensure education continuity for migrant children, so no child is left behind due to their socio-economic realities. Our vision is for every migrant child to learn, thrive in school, and build a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Distress seasonal migration affects over 140 million people annually in India, including nearly 90 million children who face severe disruptions in their education. These children often fall through the cracks of the formal schooling system, enrolled on paper but frequently absent, leading to significant learning loss and eventual dropout. A study from Gujarat’s Saurashtra region found that 63% of children aged 6–14 from migrant families do not attend school, and 94% of children under six are not engaged in any form of early learning. LAMP addresses this largely invisible crisis by working in high-migration geographies to build a holistic, community-centered education ecosystem. The model supports migrant children through a continuum of care—ensuring access to foundational learning, remedial education, and grade-level competencies. It also works closely with families, communities, and local governments to unlock government benefits and entitlements, provide safe lodging where needed, and create long-term support structures that help children stay in school, learn meaningfully, and thrive despite the challenges of migration.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

LAMP is a community-centered initiative by the American India Foundation (AIF) that ensures uninterrupted education for children affected by migration. Recognizing seasonal migration as a survival strategy for vulnerable families, LAMP mitigates its impact on children by strengthening access to quality education.
The first step in the process is a joint migration mapping exercise done in partnership with the government which identifies at-risk children. These children are then enrolled in grade-appropriate classes or Learning Resource Centres (LRCs) through the Learning Enrichment Program (LEP), focused on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN). A hub-and-spoke model supports students in Grades 1–8 via trained Education Facilitators and Shiksha Mitras (Friends of Education), who provide individualized academic support and connect schools with the community.
At the community level, AIF forms Convergence Groups comprising frontline workers, parents and panchayat leaders. These groups identify migrant children, promote retention, and build awareness about education. Each village is supported by an AIF-trained Community Mobilizer. Progress is tracked using a Community Report Card.
In cases where parents need to migrate for livelihood opportunities, LAMP arranges for children to stay in government hostels or with local caregivers, and helps families access welfare schemes, reducing their economic burden to enable continued learning and access to schools.

How has it been spreading?

Since its inception in 2004, LAMP has evolved and scaled through the country focusing on education continuity of children impacted by distress seasonal migration. It began in Gujarat and Maharashtra to prevent school dropouts among migrant children. Initially, LAMP supported continuity in education through seasonal hostels in source geographies and worksite schools in destination geographies. In 2008, it piloted the LEP and expanded scope to include all children in migration-affected areas,not just those affected by migration. In 2010, LRCs were introduced in Gujarat, using a hub-and-spoke model to strengthen classroom learning, continuity of education and community engagement. By 2019, LAMP moved from directly running seasonal hostels to providing technical support to state governments on their functioning and execution.From 2021-23, LAMP built in components on socio-emotional learning, local language Teacher Language Materials(TLMs) and integrated key program elements in 2 education departments-Odisha and Jharkhand, from a systems strengthening perspective.
Now active in 17 states and 5,432 villages, LAMP has impacted 1.59 million children and trained 1,826 teachers. LAMP has won national recognition, including Best CSR Program in Education (2024), 1st Prize at ICC Social Impact Summit (2025), and state awards from Bengal and Assam. LAMP has also inspired a film on migrant children's education, featured at the UN's Migration Youth & Children Platform.

How have you modified or added to your innovation?

LAMP has regularly evolved to respond to the shifting realities of distress seasonal migration and its impact on children’s education. From managing seasonal hostels in its formative years to now providing technical support to state-run hostels, the program has moved towards system strengthening and sustainability. A major enhancement was the introduction of a migration survey, enabling data-driven planning, tailored to each region’s unique migration patterns. In the past five years, innovations like Makers’ Spaces and Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) tools have been integrated into Learning Resource Centres to build 21st-century skills and enable experiential STEM learning. Recently the program has also expanded its scope from only working in source villages to also covering destination geographies where children migrate with families.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

LAMP’s five-step model ensures continuity in education for children impacted by distress seasonal migration. It begins with migration mapping, identifying migrant-origin villages through surveys conducted with local officials, workers, and leaders. Community mobilizers and 'shiksha mitras' are recruited locally to ensure local ownership and culturally relevant delivery. Next is the identification of hub and spoke schools and the formation of a 10-member village-level Convergence Group, composed of local community workers and village elders. An experienced Education Facilitator, supported by shiksha mitras, oversees learning interventions across the schools. LRCs are then established in government schools and equipped with locally sourced materials in the vernacular language. Grades 1–2 focus on FLN through after-school remediation; Grades 3–5 combine FLN with activity-based, grade-appropriate learning; and Grades 6–8 emphasize STEM, problem-solving, and English. In parallel, LAMP also focuses on building an inclusive and supportive ecosystem by engaging families and communities through awareness on importance of education, seasonal government hostels, government entitlements, and pre-migration planning. This approach builds long-term sustainability and local ownership.

If you want to know more, please reach out to AIF and our team would be happy to share our learnings.

Implementation steps

Identification of geographies and children: Migration Mapping
Migration surveys are conducted to map migrant-origin villages and identify affected children, in partnership with district and block officials, community leaders, local workers, and village elders. Typically, five villages (around 5,000 population) form one cluster for planning and resourcing. Once identified, local shiksha mitras and community mobilisers are recruited to ensure community ownership and delivery in the local language.
Identification and partnership with hub and spoke schools and formation of the Convergence group
Identify hub schools (Grades 1–8) and 2–3 feeder schools (Grades 1–5) where 60% of students transition to the hub. Secure government permissions and MOUs. Form a 10-member convergence group per village (frontline workers, parents, village elders). Recruit a qualified education facilitator to oversee learning across hub and spoke schools, supported by local shiksha mitras to ensure contextualized delivery.
Conduct a learning assessment and establish LRCs
The education facilitator and shiksha mitra conduct baseline assessments to identify learning levels and group children for remediation. Simultaneously, they set up LRCs in schools with four corners - Math/Logic, Language/Library, Science, and Sports—offering remedial and self-directed learning. Materials are locally sourced and provided in the vernacular to ensure accessibility and relevance.
Learning Continuity through LRCs and grade appropriate programs
For Grades 1–2, the focus is on building FLN through the Learning Enhancement Program (LEP), held after school. Grades 3–5 combine FLN with grade-appropriate, hands-on, contextual learning; children are grouped by learning level, not age, reducing stigma. For Grades 5–8, LRCs emphasize STEM and language, using project-based learning, problem-solving, and English exposure to help bridge critical gaps.
Building an Inclusive and Supportive Education Ecosystem
Alongside education, community mobilisers and convergence groups engage families through awareness sessions on hostels, scholarships, and pre-migration planning. They help shift social norms, improve access to government entitlements, and foster local ownership—ensuring long-term sustainability of the program.

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