• To use the knowledge and expertise of the University, Field institutes of Azim Premji Foundation, and the Philanthropy arm of the Foundation to contribute to improving human conditions and sustainability in the villages around the campus.

• To provide opportunities for students, the University and the rest of the foundation members to contribute and learn from the community engagements.

• To build a harmonious relationship between the University and the villages around the campus.

The University is located in the Burugunte village of Billapura Panchayat, Anekal taluk, Bengaluru. Currently, we engage with 9 Gram Panchayats around campus: Billapura, Handenahalli, Sarjapura, Mugaluru, Yamare, Dommasandra, Muthanallur, Neriga and Bidaraguppe.

These Gram Panchayats consist of 40 villages and 23 wards, with a population of 1.9 lakh, constituting a substantial portion of migrant labourers, farming communities, and petty businesses that are dependent on surrounding industries and residential apartments.

There are 2 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 8 Health sub-centres in the neighbourhood of the campus.

Further, 46 government schools, 7 panchayat libraries, and 2 veterinary hospitals are also present in this geography.

Furthermore, there are around 50 lakes in these Gram Panchayats ranging from 10 acres to 200 acres in size.

Community Learning Centre (CLC)

We provide academic support to more than 20 children of our support staff and a few community children on our campus during the weekends. Along with activity-based learning sessions, the children also have exposure to the university resources. The sessions are primarily facilitated by our student volunteers with support from our University members.

Creating a stable market for local farmers

We have launched a weekly ​“Vaarada Santhe” at the University. In collaboration with the Sarjapura Farmer Producer Organisation, we are working in transforming our consumer producer collective into a vibrant open market. Every week, a farmer producer group from Mugaluru Panchayat brings their fresh produce to our stalls, offering a wide range of vegetables, fruits, organic leafy greens, millets, jaggery, wood-pressed oils. This initiative also invites local Self Help Groups (SHG) to sell delicious ready-to-eat products and offers a live food counter for the university community. Through this initiative, over ₹2 lakh has been raised to directly support farmers, reinforcing our commitment to sustainable livelihoods and community engagement.

Empowering panchayat libraries

CEI has been engaging with the 28 libraries of Anekal taluk in activities such as monthly reflection and planning meetings, workshops and training, events like Kannada Rajyothsava, Children’s Day, and other national/​state important days. CEI also organised computer literacy programmes, community awareness programmes, setting-up of children’s corner, on-site support, books arrangement, enhancing aesthetics in the neighbouring panchayat libraries as part of the overall engagement to activate these spaces for local children, youth and other community members. The objective is to revitalise and re-energise the rural public library spaces. 

Empowering sustainability through culinary collaboration: A new frontier with local SHGs

The Sustainability Committee, in collaboration with the Community Engagement Initiative, has disseminated comprehensive guidelines for organising sustainable events on campus. A standout recommendation from these guidelines was to foster collaboration with local SHGs, particularly in the realm of catering. This approach not only advances the University’s sustainability objectives — such as reducing environmental impact and encouraging local sourcing — but also contributes meaningfully to the economic empowerment of women in nearby communities.

Contributing to University events

Taking an active role in University events, we partnered with SHG members to cater food for various university functions. More than 100 SHG members enthusiastically participated in a range of events organised by the University (Idea Challenge Event, World Education Forum, Unmukt, Social Enterprise Mela, and so on) showcasing our commitment to community involvement. To date, SHGs have successfully catered to 187 events on campus, collectively generating an income of around INR 24 lakhs.

Capacity Development and Involvement of SHG members in Community activities

Our engagement extends beyond individual initiatives as SHG members actively participate in community development activities. These include cleanliness drives, celebrations of important days, and drives to enhance school enrolment within the community. Over 250 SHG women from the neighbourhood Panchayat participated in workshops focused on improving financial literacy, entrepreneurial skills, leadership skills. Thirteen women entrepreneurs working in sectors such as food production, paper bag making, floriculture, agriculture, and tailoring have received targeted support to expand their ventures, including linkages facilitated through the Smile Foundation. In response to local demand, tailoring courses were organised in Bidaraguppe and Mugaluru, where 60 SHG women successfully completed a five-month training programme. Furthermore, 12 women entrepreneurs — both individuals and groups — have actively participated in initiatives such as the National Social Enterprise Idea Challenge, weekly markets, and university fairs, showcasing their business ideas and gaining valuable exposure and networking opportunities.

Engagement with youth

The youth empowerment efforts in Dommasandra and surrounding areas have made a positive impact through various programmes. These include the Mountains of Life, which engaged 30 youths, enhancing their learning and participation, and Spoken English Classes at the local library, improving language skills for 14 participants. With the linkage of SAN-IT Centre, we worked with over 15 youth to develop computer, communication and leadership abilities. The National Social Enterprise Idea Challenge exposure visits inspired 22 youths with leadership skills. Collaborations with local youth groups, such as the Vijaya Sarathi Youth Group and others in Dommasandra, Mugaluru, and Handenahalli, promoted cultural, educational, and skill-building activities. The SVP College Youth Group fostered creativity through arts, music, and theatre, encouraging future development.

Empowering women and youth through language, skills, and fitness

Sustainability Committee in collaboration with the Community Engagement initiative, has recently disseminated comprehensive guidelines for organising sustainable events on campus. A standout recommendation from these guidelines was to foster collaboration with local SHGs, particularly in the realm of catering. This strategic decision not only aligns with our sustainability goals but also plays a crucial role in supporting the livelihoods of local women.

Launch of community disability intervention

University’s disability team along with the Community Engagement Initiative and in collaboration with the Sarjapura Primary Health Centre (PHC) has crafted interventions to support members with disabilities in the community. We aim to bring about an inclusive system in the community and institutions we work with. Following screening, interventions will commence to provide rehabilitation services and referrals.

Launch of mental health services at Dommasandra PHC

Our University’s Centre for Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing (Conversations) team is now offering mental wellbeing sessions at Sarjapura PHC to the community service providers in collaboration with the local health team since January 2024. We have initiated the patient screening, prioritising patients with chronic stress and vulnerable community groups suffering from diseases like tuberculosis and cancer. The team launched 8 sessions on activity-based experiential approach to work with Accredited Social Health Activitists (ASHAs) using expressive art therapy and narrative practices. We will soon move to group sessions for community members to expand the support. We will also empower the frontline workers with training to identify mental health concerns in the community.

Promoting responsible waste management practices

We are collaborating with a partner organisation (Hasiru Dala) at Billapura Gram Panchayat to create a zero waste Panchayat in the Anekal Taluk. Waste collection centre has been established at Billapura and it is functional as of January 2025. Gram Panchayat functionaries along with representatives are trained on their respective roles and responsibilities of the intervention, on a regular basis. We also take them on various site visits for exposure and understanding. We aim to create a sustainable model by involving the Gram Panchayat Level Federation (GPLF) to run the initiative in order to create livelihood opportunities.
 

Social security and entitlement drives

We work closely with the marginalised communities in and around the University. With the aim to build a safety net for informal workers on campus and vulnerable communities in the neighbourhood, we are trying to create an enabling environment by providing awareness about various government programmes and schemes.

CEI has organised several outreach drives in the villages around the University. Further, we have facilitated drives to enrol 1600 community members for schemes such as e‑Shram, Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana. CEI has also enrolled 70 support staff of the University in ESI, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMBSY).

Strengthening local democracy

We have completed the pilot phase of our initiative aimed at strengthening local democracy in Billapura Panchayat. We worked to fortify sub-committees within the Panchayat, fostering a more robust and efficient organisational structure. Identifying and empowering 60 second-line leaders has been a pivotal step in enhancing the Panchayat’s leadership network. Through targeted capacity training, we expect these leaders to be better equipped to address the challenges faced by the community.

We facilitated training of Panchayat representatives, ensuring they are well-versed in their roles and responsibilities. This initiative is instrumental in fostering a more informed and proactive local governance. We also facilitated in organising for a Gram Sabha in October 2024. This event witnessed the active participation of over 100 key stakeholders who voiced their concerns and challenges. Since July 2024, Community Resource Persons (CRPs) have mapped more than 100 common ecological resources in 4 gram panchayats to establish asset registers. 
 

Bridge programme around our neighbourhood

We have initiated a Grade X support programme at Sarjapura High School with the help of the District Institute team and the concerned school authorities. Our university members have volunteered to take up classes in subjects such as Social Science and English on a weekly basis. The purpose of this program is to provide additional academic support to the class 10 students for their upcoming board exams.

Along with this, we conducted craft & art, clay and constitutional education sessions at Attibele government school. The plan is to have more such sessions in other government schools in our neighbourhood with the help of our DI team and volunteers.

Research in community and service learning courses

Our research strategy is a methodological approach in which knowledge is generated for practical intervention purposes as well as academic discussions and community ​‘ownership’ is encouraged. Current projects are:

• “Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Anekal Taluk: An exploratory research project”, to pilot a few micro-enterprises in our neighborhood.
• “Testing the Feasibility of a Community Centred Model of Waste Management”, to create a model for community based and citizen centric waste management.
• We offer ​“service learning” courses to our UG students, a combination of classroom learning and working in the neighbourhood under faculty supervision. Current courses are Library as a Site for Holistic Learning and Sustainable Waste Management in the Community Context.

Weekend at Azim Premji University

‘Weekend at Azim Premji University’ is a platform for public engagement, knowledge sharing, and exchange of ideas through a wide range of interactions. Some of the events conducted are:

• Storytelling for Children
• Melodies in Motion
• Water Management and Sustainability in Households and Communities
• This SUNDAY, Don’t talk Rubbish — Recycle it
• Vhay, I am Savitribai Phule
• The Sound of Music Concert
• Sarjapur Strides — A Community Run
• Weekend Event for our Support Staff Members

• Blood donation Camp: On 4 October 2024, the National Service Scheme (NSS) Unit and the Health & Wellness Committee of Azim Premji University, in collaboration with the Red Cross Society and Rotary Attibele, Sarjapura, organised a Blood Donation Camp on campus. The initiative aimed to promote the spirit of community service and encourage voluntary blood donation among students and staff.
• Plantation: As part of the Plant4Mother campaign, the NSS Unit of Azim Premji University, in partnership with the Directorate of Census Operations, Karnataka, conducted a plantation drive on campus on 24 January 2025. The event reflected the University’s commitment to environmental sustainability and civic engagement.
• Resilience Run: On 22 February 2025, the NSS Unit, in association with the Substance Use Awareness Forum and the Road Runner Club, organised a mini-marathon titled Resilience Run. The event was held to raise awareness about substance use and to promote physical well-being and mental resilience among members of the university community.