Year end Charitable Donation

"Education is a companion which no future can depress, no crime can destroy, no enemy can alienate, and no nepotism can enslave."

As 2011 comes to an end, we at the Asha-Boston/MIT chapter want to wish you Happy Holidays. We also want to tell you the impact our work has made in the lives of the most underprivileged children. None of this life-changing impact would have been possible without your kind and generous support! While we enjoy the festive season with our families and friends, please take the time to note the amazing work that has been done through your support and the relentless efforts of our volunteers.

*Standing tall:*

Asha-Boston provides fund for the day-to-day operations of the Vikas Bharati school located near Hyderabad and administered by Kamalakar Memorial Trust. With the help of 14 teachers, this school provides education from kindergarten to 10th standard to over 200 students who come from slums or are children of migrant laborers. Also, the school endeavors to enrich students' learning through various co-curricular and extra-curricular activities such as painting, essay writing competitions, science fairs, educational excursions and health camps. Recently, the school has experimented with activity based learning to encourage curiosity and critical thinking in the students. In addition, the school plans to shift in a new larger leased building this year.

*Growing strong:*

This year, Asha-Boston supported 3 residential schools that provide education, lodging and food to nearly 400 students. These schools are run by Navsarjan, a grassroots organization dedicated to upliftment of the Dalit people. With the help of Asha-Boston, Navsarjan expects to provide education and shelter to more than 100 girl students. At these residential schools, teachers and staff regularly do "more with less": multi-functional rooms are used as classrooms during the day and as lodging during the night. A student's typical day includes activities such as prayer, sports, exercise, in addition to education. This year  we have expanded our partnership with Navsarjan to include Asha's "Quality in Education" (QED) "National Rural Employment Guarantee Act" (NREGA) initiatives.

*Your support:*

As you know, Asha is truly a grass-roots organization; from fund-raising to project management through thousands of well-wishers, donors and volunteers. A lot has been done in the last few years with this support but a lot still needs to be done. Your continued support and commitment makes all this possible. We encourage you to get involved.
In this festive season, please share the joy of giving. If you wish to make a charitable contribution and know more about Asha please visit:

http://www.ashanet.org/mit/

Please note: Your donation is fully tax-deductible.

*Volunteers:*

Last but certainly not the least, kudos to all the volunteers who have done an amazing job running this institution ensuring minimal overhead so that every dollar you donate can create the maximum possible impact. Also, we want to specially thank Marathon runners who have generously raised money to fund our projects.  Thank you all for your support and best wishes for the New Year!

PS: Please pass this along to your friends, families and colleagues who are interested in participating or donating for a great cause.