Track The Impact Of Your NGO With The Help Of Prerna Mukharya

After completing her Masters in Economics from Boston University, Prerna Mukharya was working in the US as a research assistant at Harvard and MIT. In 2012, when she came back to India, she realised that there was a quantum of money coming into India, but it was not being utilised properly.

'There was a dearth of good quality data and this was a limitation that could potentially hinder our development as a nation. Being a number-person all my life, I decided to start my own organisation in 2012. Outline India was established to ensure that the needs of those who remain unrepresented are addressed and acted upon,' Mukharya told Her Zindagi. 

What is the goal of Outline India and how is it impacting the society?

The goal of Outline India is to create social impact through data. Our work with data has been recognised internationally by institutions such as Fortune and Forbes. Having worked for 6 years in the development sector, we have come to realise the importance of having a reliable system for tracking the work done by various organisations. 

There are more than 32 lakh NGOS in the country and more than half of them do not track their metrics. These organisations are doing good work but have no idea how to track their progress and impact. For this purpose, we have developed, ‘Track Your Metrics’- a web based platform and data collection app that will enable small NGOS and big funders to automate social audits. 

Moreover, Outline India has impacted the lives of over 4.5 million people and has created jobs for over 1000 individuals. During our field visits, people asked us if things will change for the better, if their kids will receive better education or if they will receive their overdue subsidies. People depend on us for answers to questions that matter on a massive scale. We are talking about improvements in health and education in India.

I consider all these tiny efforts made by Outline India as a step in the right direction. It is important that the needs and opinions of individuals from across the country, irrespective of their limitations of geography, language and reach make it to the ears and eyes of the policymakers and funders.

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What work has Outline India done so far?

In our quest to catalyse the work of policy makers, think tanks, not for profits and the government, we have completed over 70 projects and worked across 24 states and union territories of India. In the past 6 years, our work has impacted the lives of over 4.5 million people. Whether it is a project that seeks to understand the ground level impact of the government’s scheme on sanitation or one that evaluates the success of Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s initiative against child labour – our work is representative of the ground realities.

A majority of our work is cross-sectoral. Our research spans the sectors of livelihood, child rights, water and sanitation, education, gender, health, capacity building as well as governance. From the initial stages of tool designing to data collection, analysis, monitoring and evaluation, Outline India is intricately involved in each step along the way to ensure reliable outcomes.

Mukharya's Message To All

In a society that relies heavily on the female workforce, we get very little credit for our contribution. About 80% of our team at Outline India comprises of women who head out to the field in far flung locations across the length and breadth of India. From working in conflict areas with little or no internet connectivity to presenting our research papers at international conferences – the work we do is dynamic to say the least.

 Breaking the glass ceiling may seem like a monumental task but I believe that gender should definitely not be a determinant of one’s success. When I started out, I had a vision in mind and I have worked consistently to achieve it, tackling multiple challenges in a male dominated world. My message to women entrepreneurs is that we do not need to cower anymore. We’re here to take on the world and I believe we can do it standing tall and with our heads held high.