Overview
YUG LAB, an initiative launched in January 2025 by 17‑year‑old UK student Esanika Chauhan in association with KCS Foundation India, operates a digital learning centre in Samastipur district, Bihar. Within eighteen months the lab has served more than 2,200 students, women and girls across the three districts of Samastipur, Darbhanga and Sitamarhi, providing them with hands‑on computer access and a curriculum tailored to rural learners.
Curriculum and Impact
The curriculum, authored by Chauhan, covers four core modules: (i) creation of flyers and posters for self‑help groups, tuition classes or small shops; (ii) navigation of central and state government digital schemes to obtain entitlement reference numbers; (iii) safe social‑media practices, including privacy settings and fraud avoidance; and (iv) everyday office skills such as typing, file management, email, and professional document preparation. A newer strand teaches basic financial concepts—maintaining spreadsheet ledgers, pricing products by cost, understanding interest on borrowed rupees, and recording digital payment transactions—so that learners can present verifiable books to bank officers.
Training Model
YUG LAB employs a train‑the‑trainer approach. Over the past year roughly 50 local trainers have been certified; each trainer completes the full curriculum and then practices teaching nervous or older participants before delivering sessions under observation. Trainers receive periodic refreshers as new modules are added and share standardized lesson plans, enabling rapid replication of the programme across districts without the founder’s direct presence.
Operational Details
The lab is equipped with 20 computers that operate every weekend, including term‑time weeks. Chauhan conducts the teaching remotely from England each weekend, travelling 7,000 km to the site. On 12 August she flew to Bihar, observed sessions, met trainers and learners, and incorporated their feedback into the course. She is currently fundraising to establish additional laboratories in other Bihar districts to extend digital‑literacy and economics modules to learners living farther from Samastipur.
Testimonials
Sunita Kumari, one of the first women enrolled, described her transformation from fearing to touch a mouse to managing her shop accounts on a spreadsheet and independently applying for a government scheme, receiving a receipt number in her own handwriting. Dr. Pankaj Jha, Founder of KCS Foundation, praised Chauhan’s systemic approach, noting that she built an institution rather than merely donating hardware, and highlighted the dignity delivered through skill acquisition.
Future Outlook
The model’s scalability rests on the certified trainer network; a trainer certified in Samastipur began teaching in Darbhanga a month later, and the curriculum continues to travel without the author’s constant involvement. Additional funding is sought to replicate the lab infrastructure in further districts, thereby expanding digital inclusion and financial literacy across rural Bihar.