As a 21st-century organization, we have strived to build a networked organizational model that is interconnected, collaborative, diverse and where the impact of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This design is inspired by the idea of metamorphosis, represented by the butterfly at the centre for our organizational model. This stands for our spirit of being ready for growth and change, through evolving and adapting to the rapidly changing external and internal environments, and future trends. The two wings of the butterfly represent our two key functions of Strategy & Organizational Leadership (SOL) and Institutional Development (ID), manifesting our vision and values.

Throughout the year, our organization has focused on three core themes: [1] Nurturing leadership, [2] Fostering well being, inclusion, and equity, and [3] Maximizing the potential for transparency, recognition, and reflective learning.

To nurture new leaders, we formed 7 working groups to work collaboratively on key focus areas. Team members across levels, geographic locations and tenure in the organization are part of these groups. Each of these draw upon collective insights and solutions, instilling a sense of ownership, improving efficiency and allowing transparency for various change-management processes. We also promote peer learning and skill-building sessions that have helped nurture a thriving learning environment.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a priority, we established a robust approach to ensure the well-being of our team. By actively listening to their needs, we instituted a hybrid policy enabling caretakers to balance work and personal life. This hybrid policy allows the team to work remotely for most of the month and work from the office or a field location for some part of the month.

Empowering high-performing team members to lead and facilitate organizational spaces, such as team meetings and skill shack sessions, has proven fruitful. Leveraging their expertise, these individuals contribute to our success and find fulfillment while creating environments that encourage reflection and continuous learning. To support employee growth journeys, the Reach for the Stars initiative emphasizes each member’s learning ownership.

As the second wave hit in early 2021, we held faith that our learnings from the first year under lockdown would hold us in good stead. Programs continued to leverage virtual spaces initiated under year 1 of the pandemic to engage with stakeholders. Parent engagement became critical in ensuring continued access to learning - especially for girls. Innovations like using IVRS to connect to learners in remote areas, conducting virtual hackathons and role model interactions to inspire STEM mindsets, and providing young people with engaging learning experiences through the Quest App were a key area of focus.

But the severity of loss and suffering experienced by those we work with was extremely difficult. Once again, we decided to pivot our efforts to what was needed most. For children and young people, emotional distress helplines were initiated. Field teams and communication platforms carried information on support groups, medical helplines, volunteers, and city-based support groups for hospital beds and oxygen cylinders. Internally at Quest, well-being was prioritized. Workloads were reduced where possible, and a four-day workweek was introduced to give employees time for themselves, and support family and friends. Initiatives like listening circles, virtual catch-ups, and mental health helplines - all introduced during the first wave - continued. We are extremely grateful to our partners who enabled and supported us in this.