As a 21st-century organisation, we have strived to build a networked organisational 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 organisational 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 & Organisational Leadership (SOL) and Institutional Development (ID), manifesting our vision and values.

The sudden passing away of Abhijeet Mehta, our Chief Operating Officer, was a deep a personal loss for the Quest family. As we collectively grieved, we were reminded of energy and wisdom he brought to the organisation, and of the guidance and mentorship he provided to the team. We continue to experience that loss every day, even as we try to rebuild.

In these difficult times, many team members have risen to take on the responsibilities that Abhijeet shouldered. With his passing, we have had to accept the fragility of life, and the realisation that we must keep investing in building resilience, even while staying with our sense of loss.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, digital transformation took centre stage, and from an organisational growth perspective, we recognised the need to build greater synergy between our Technology and Impact teams. A new role - Director of Information & Analytics - was introduced in the leadership team, and Nitin Mathur has joined the organisation to lead this vertical. He brings two decades of experience in marketing analytics and working with start-ups on strategy and analytics. This role also aims to synergise our internal processes across people, finance, grants, marketing and fundraising, as well as improve the way we engage with our learners and educators through the effective use of education technology.

In late February 2020, Quest was ahead of the curve in terms of travel and safety protocols put in place for staff across all locations. In March when we closed our offices, the magnitude of the changes in the world around us was still to unfold. In those uncertain times, our response strategy centered around two key areas: Organisation Resilience and Pivoting On-Ground Interventions.

In order to ensure Organisation Resilience, the entire organisation budget was reviewed - the number of physical office spaces was reduced and money was diverted to critical needs like Covid insurance. All program budgets pivoted from physical training and workshops to enabling virtual content, access and interactions.

While providing digital infrastructure and connectivity to enable employees to work remotely was a first priority, focus later shifted to support for well-being and mental health, with flexible working hours and COVID leave introduced, listening circles created as spaces for expression and sharing, virtual events designed to foster connections, and well-being counselling and coaching helplines being made available to all. The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined what the workforce, workspaces and work culture can look like. As we write this report, we are reimagining the future of a blended workspace – a balance between the need and benefits of working remotely while holding sacred the culture and camaraderie that is a hallmark Quest. We are also accelerating our efforts to build financial resilience for Quest Alliance. 

In terms of Pivoting On-Ground Interventions, Quest Alliance’s decade long belief and investments in the power of technology-enabled us to respond at speed. Digital bite-sized content on Quest App, WhatsApp-based content and voice messages were made available to stakeholders in low-connectivity areas. Users on the QuestApp grew threefold in a few months, as learners and educators shed inhibitions to learn online. However, while the organisation was poised to pivot seamlessly, stark disparities on-ground needed immediate attention. The digital divide, a greater workload being pushed onto women, the increase in domestic violence, the loss of learning, and the mental health and wellbeing of our communities were of grave concern. To address this, digital access - laptops/phones and internet recharges were provided to learners, while parent engagement was increased to support learners at home, and a distress helpline for girls and women was established. All of these critical components have been carried forward into our work for the following year and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a harsh awakening call for the world and we hope through our work, we continue to bridge the inequities it has made so apparent.