Bring opportunities to remote and rural India

Having trouble viewing this? Click here

20 Projects    4,415 Students    70 schools Funds required: $248,000    Raised so far: $21,621    Dear Asha Patron,  India is currently home to 1.21 billion people, out of which 833 million live in rural areas, as per the provisional data from 2011 Census. Education is a fundamental right of any child, whether the child resides in a high profile society or in a remote village. Work an Hour 2011 showcases six projects engaged in providing quality education and providing a safe haven for rural children. We need your contribution to continue supporting their commendable work and to help them expand. Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha (BTS) Pradip is in the 2nd year of his Mathematics-Honors program in the University of Calcutta. That is an extraordinary accomplishment, given that he comes from extreme poverty in West Bengal with no access to education. The BTS Patha Bhavan was formed in 1983 and has afforded Pradip - and other children like him - an education, along with nutritional and healthcare support.  Read More. Donate to this project. Forword Sudha, the first higher-secondary student from her entire village was branded mentally-challenged but now with the help of FORWORD is teaching and inspiring several children from her village. She and many others studied at the Forword's evening learning centers which aim to reduce dropout rates and helps kids cope with their studies. Since 2003, this project has benefited children belonging to 'lower' castes in 50 remote villages.  Read More. Donate to this project.  Rural Education Welfare and Resource Development (REWARD) Trust REWARD is a zero-overhead volunteer run organization of teachers, scientists and primary education specialists. 52 teachers have taught 7500 students in 20 government schools in 25 rural villages since 2005. Given that 85% of India's children study at government schools, your donation can help REWARD in ensuring a future where every child is able to receive quality education.  Read More. Donate to this project.  Samata Gram Vikas Saradhi   Educating children who live in remote villages with a 100% illiteracy rate is difficult enough; this organization encourages kids to teach their parents what they have learned. Parents feel excited to be able to read and write; feel proud that it's their children who have taught them and feel indebted to SGVS for this opportunity. 130 children have earned their primary education through SGVS so far, with more students joining every year.      Read More. Donate to this project.  The Tribal Empowerment Public (TEP) School Vareching(name changed) comes from a physically abusive home, plagued with mental illness and extreme poverty. Against all these odds, he is studying at the TEP School - along with 500 other children - in a remote and impoverished region of Manipur. This education has given him a legitimate chance at life, and helped many other children in similar positions find jobs in the Army, police, and offices in major cities. Read More. Donate to this project.  Timbaktu Collective- Children Resource Center (CRC) A global company like DELL has employed Mabu as a software engineer. This was made possible by the English, Computer and mathematics education Mabu received at CRC. Students, who are more interested in crafts work, tailoring and stitching, are taught just that to help them become self-dependent.  Read More. Donate to this project.          Contact Information: E-mail | Website

Protect and educate girls

Having trouble viewing ? Click here

Take a Minute.  Donate an Hour.  Change a Life. Dear Asha Patron, Education is the most valuable asset that any human being can have and everyone, whether male or female, has a right to be educated. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, 'educate one man, you educate one person, but educate a woman and you educate a whole civilisation'. Poverty, illiteracy and gender disparity are engrained in the Indian society. Key indicators of social development such as health and education are below average. On the education front the figures are even more discouraging. This is even more alarming in case of girls! Work an Hour 2011 features many projects that work towards protecting and educating girls in India.  Please join us in supporting these important efforts.   Aadarana Girls Orphanage Aadarana has provided a safe harbor for children aged 5 to 15. One of these children recently passed her 10th grade exams with flying colors and is now on a scholarship to study further. Aadarana wants to accommodate an additional 100 children and provide them with food, clothes, books, medicine, access to tutors, and a stable home.  Read more.  All Bengal Women's Union ABWU serves the most vulnerable section of society - girls who have been sexually abused and abandoned. They rehabilitate these young women and provide them with a safe home, education, vocational training and counseling services. This organization also runs a primary school and shelter for children from weak socioeconomic backgrounds.  Read more.   Nishtha As children of sex workers, Alo and Akanksha never imagined that they would complete their secondary education and go on to college. They owe it all to the night shelter run by Nishtha, which sheltered them while their mothers worked nights in a red light district in West Bengal. The organization ensured that these girls were educated in the same school meant for children from privileged families and gave them a chance to be accepted into mainstream society. Nishtha is working to provide more girls with an opportunity to live a dignified life.  Read more.  Mahila Vikas  Over the past 4 years close to 900 children have passed through Mahila Vikas's bridge schools and close to 60% of them were mainstreamed. These children live in remote villages, miles away from traditional schools. Volunteers from this organization conduct bridge courses for the children, run a library, organize cultural and sports meets, provide healthcare and primary education for girls.  Read more.   With every penny you donate, you can change a little angel's fate.  Educate Girls. Empower Girls. Empower India! With Warm Regards, Asha for education Donate Here  Visit our website                                         Contact Information: E-mail: wah@ashanet.org | Website: www.workanhour.org     Mail Checks to: 'Asha for Education', PO Box 1287, Princeton, NJ  08542. Please mention 'WAH 2011donation' on the memo

Educate the neediest children of India

Having trouble viewing email? Click here

Dear Asha Patron,  Education is the movement from darkness to light  ~ Allan Bloom (Philosopher and Academic) Don't we often find ourselves engaged in stimulating conversations with our friends about the woes of India, and how we wish things were better? Haven't we all dreamed that we had the power to alleviate poverty and illiteracy, eradicate child labor, and create a reality where everyone can reap the benefits of India's enormous growth? Well, here's our opportunity to make that happen. Work An Hour! Donate an hour's worth or more of your earnings towards these grassroots efforts in India that conscientiously tackle those very issues that directly impact the underprivileged among us. Today we bring to you 6 projects which are dedicated to the cause of helping and educating the neediest children of India.   20 Projects 4,415 Students Funds required: $248,000 Raised so far: $8,453  Donate Now   Shoshit Seva Sangh 14 year old Pappu and his parents live in a Mushar (rat eaters) ghetto in Bihar. His father, a landless laborer, earns a meager wage. Pappu joined Shoshit Samadhan Kendra 4 years ago, exuded remarkable aptitude and has shown excellent academic performance ever since. Help other Mushar children get similar opportunities.  Read More   Donate to this project Sukrupa Since Sukrupa's (a project educating children in Bangalore's slums) inception in 2002, the literacy rate in the local community has risen more than 20%. Two first generation learners are undergoing graduation in Accountancy and Animation respectively, while two others are exchange students in Salt Lake City, USA. With your donations, Sukrupa can serve more needy children.    Read More   Donate to this project Prerana Children in the red light areas of Mumbai have no escape from a life of constant sexual exploitation, economic deprivation and ostracism. Prerana provides a safe haven to such children. This organization runs a shelter home for girls, helps facilitate recovery and social reintegration for the victims of sex trafficking, and supports their education and vocational training. Read More   Donate to this project Society for Women in Rural Development (SWIRD) Since Asha's involvement, the annual enrollment at SWIRD pre-primary schools has increased from 340 to 411 students. SWIRD counsels parents living in impoverished communities to educate their children (especially girls), prepares children for admission in primary schools, and also provides them medical care.   Read More Donate to this project Aralu Belaku Remote Karnataka has hundreds of orphans and destitute children, many forced into child labor to feed themselves. Aralu Belaku, an orphanage, provides these children a home as well as pre- primary education with emphasis on IT. The organization needs your support to give these children a chance in the world. Read More Donate to this project Siragu Montessori School Murugan was unaware of a life beyond begging in Chennai's streets, until Siragu happened in 2003. He is now a science whiz eloquent in 3 languages, with dreams of becoming a doctor. With WAH's support, Siragu can cater to over 400 Murugans by constructing stable classrooms and functional science labs.    Read More Donate to this project Join the cause! Visit our website to know how! Watch our youtube videos          Friend us on Facebook         Follow us on Twitter    Contact Information: E-mail: wah@ashanet.org | Website: www.workanhour.org  Mail Checks to: 'Asha for Education', PO Box 1287, Princeton, NJ  08542. Please mention 'WAH 2011donation' on the memo

The Story of Bottled Water

More info : http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/

WorkAnHour is Live- helps us raise more than $250k

 Work An Hour (WAH) 2011 campaign is now live. We have started well with $3239 on day 1.

This year, we have 20 very deserving projects. There are so many truly inspiring stories - of both the children and the organizations that serve them. I'll mention a few of them here:-

1. Aadarana orphanage - 1 child got admitted to IIT, 3 others are in 4th year of B-Tech Engineering and 2 completed their MBA. (We're supporting the girls' orphanage)

2. Asha Deepa - The founder's own brother and sister are blind. His first-hand experience of the difficulties that his siblings faced inspired him to start this school.

3. Asha Trust- Tribal Empowerment - This school in a remote village in Manipur brings education to 500+ children. This region suffers from poor agriculture prospects, tribal rivalries and other social issues. Corruption blocks the benefits of Central government schemes from reaching these children.

4. Samta Gram Vikas Saradhi - The children of this school held a month long literacy campaign (to teach their illiterate parents) and a rally in 5 neighboring villages before the start of school season to highlight the importance of education.

There are many more amazing stories here. All these stories need to be told! More importantly, these projects desperately need the funds to continue functioning.

 More projects to follow in future emails.

Remember - we need to raise $250,000 (more than $4000 per day). We need to create a massive ripple effect and for that we need all Asha volunteers spend a few minutes to donate and tell everyone else about it. We're confident that once viewers sees our project pages and videos, they'll feel compelled to donate. But we need to get the word out.

Here's HOW YOU CAN HELP:

1. Donate for your favorite project(s) at www.workanhour.org

2. "Like" the WAH Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/workanhour) and Asha For Education Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ashaforeducation)

3. "Like" our posts and comment on them on our Facebook pages (so your Facebook friends will see them and take notice of the campaign)

4. Post WAH youtube videos on Facebook & Twitter (these videos have been painstakingly created with detailed descriptions and links to the project/donation pages. See an example here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQ7KQvaRLs)

If you need any information on Workanhour, please visit www.workanhour.org or email us at wah@ashanet.org.

Thanks & Regards,

WAH 2011 team

www.workanhour.org

Asha for Education presents Work An Hour 2011

Having trouble viewing this ? Click here

Dear Asha Patron,   Most of us look for real meaning in our jobs. We aspire that our daily work product makes a lasting and positive impact on the world. The Work an Hour program (popularly known as WAH) from Asha for Education provides us with exactly that opportunity. Given the pressures of navigating through our hectic lives, it is often difficult to volunteer our time for charity. The WAH program allows us to symbolically volunteer an hour of our time by donating an hour's worth (or more) of our salary. These donations directly empower underprivileged Indians by providing a much needed education and vocational training, and give them a fair chance at changing their lives for the better.   Following 13 successful campaigns, Asha for Education is proud to present the 14th Work An Hour (WAH) campaign. Last year WAH received terrific support from patrons like you. We raised over $135,000 to support 13 projects that aided children's education all over India. For a recap of WAH 2010's fund utilization, please, click here.  This year, we have carefully evaluated and selected 20 projects for funding through the WAH campaign. These projects require a total funding of about $250,000 and will support 4415 students spread across 70 schools. These projects serve the most vulnerable sections of India including orphaned girls, tribal women, disabled children, and children of landless laborers, sex-workers, and slum dwellers. Please keep in mind that such projects rely heavily on funding from patrons like you. The campaign will run from July 15th to September 15th 2011.   For more information on these projects, please, click here.   Asha for Education has been rated as a 4-star charity per Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator. Asha for Education has a zero overhead policy, where the less than 2% administrative expenses are covered with bank interest. As such, any inhibitions about your money being used inefficiently or wastefully can be laid to rest. Every last cent you donate will count, and be used directly towards the project(s) you support. Please see Charity Navigator.   Warm regards, Asha for Education  Donate Now   Empower Underprivileged India.      Work An Hour (WAH 2011) Mail Checks to: 'Asha for Education', PO Box 1287, Princeton, NJ  08542. Please mention 'WAH 2011 donation' on the memo    WAH Facebook  Asha Twitter - @WorkAnHour Contact Info: Website: www.workanhour.org Email: wah@ashanet.org

TeamAIDAsha marathon fundraising program

TeamAIDAsha marathon fundraising program had another great season in 2010. We raised a record $77K (total for AID + Asha, Boston chapters). Since the beginning of the program we have raised a total of more than $440K for AID + Asha and trained about 175 runners finish their marathon or half-marathons.

We are starting another season shortly and we can use your help in various ways. Initially the main volunteer requirements are in publicity (starting asap) and water support (starting in May). We also have other needs like project updates so that runners know where the money they raise is allocated and so on.

Also, by helping the TAA program and the runners, you will be able to spread the word about the hard work you and fellow volunteers have been doing and keep the runners motivated during their own personal challenge. More ideas welcome!

We try to spread the load around a large number of volunteers. So, you may need to help only for a short while (1-2 hours per week for publicity for emailing etc, 2-3 hours per month for water support). We have listed approximate estimates for each volunteering area.

If you can help (even if it is for a short while), please sign up at the link below so that we can contact you for follow-ups.

http://goo.gl/fjRGX

If you plan to run this year, please attend our TAA information session on Sunday, April 10th at MIT (stay tuned for more details). There will be a separate signup for runners.

You can get a summary of the TAA program at the link below:

http://www.teamaidasha.org/FileShare/Info/TAA2010_Season_Summary.pdf

Please feel free to forward to friends/family/anyone you think might want to join the cause as well !

Thoughts from the Dalai Lama...

There is a saying in Tibetan that “at the door of the miserable rich man sleeps the contented beggar.” The point of this saying is not that poverty is a virtue, but that happiness does not come from wealth, but from setting limits to one’s desires, and living within those limits with satisfaction.

Vermont Summer Trip

Things to do

1. Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS)
   Amazing Raptor. Shows at 10am and 2pm
2. Quechee Gorge
3. Balloons of Vermont
4. Church Street Marketplace
5. Lake Champlain and the Waterfront
6. Spirit of Ethen Allan Cruise
7. Drive around University of Vermont, Burlington
8. Wildflower Farm
9. Teddy Bear factory

Places to eat

1. Firestone, Quechee, VT
   Excellent pizza place http://www.firestonesrestaurant.net/Lunch%20Menu.pdf

Places to live

1. Burlington, VT
2. Shelbourne, VT
3. Cholcester, VT

Acadia National Park and Bar Habor Maine

 

Things to do

1. Horse Carriage Ride: http://www.carriagesofacadia.com/
Please make prior reservations. We tried the “Day Mountain Summit” tour at 4pm and loved it. Make sure you carry sweaters and go on a clear day!

2. Acadia Bus Tours: http://www.acadiatours.com/ 
Worth it! They have just 2 tours 10am and 2pm. Our driver George was the best! Loved the history and Wild Blueberries…not to mention the popovers!

3. Cruise

4. Park Loop Road
About 3 hours loop including stopovers

• Visitor Center (includes park tickets and 15 min Acadia movie)
• Cadillac Mountain
• Sand Beach
• Thunder Hole
• Otter Point
• Wild Gardens of Acadia
• Jordan Pond House
  • Try the “Chai with Popovers” and “Blueberry Crisp a-la-mode”

5. Ranger-led programs

7.Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

8. Bar Harbor downtown

8. Hiking and Trails

9. Camping

Place to stay

Belle Isle Motel

They usually have the best rates in Bar Habor. 2 queen beds for 4 people and very short drive (5 min) from Acadia National Park. Add to it Continental Breakfast Great guests in Camille & Darren. You can reach them at http://www.belleislemotel.net/

Things to carry

• Sweaters (You cannot be over-dressed in Bar Harbor)
• Caps and Sun glasses
• Sun screen
• Lots of Water

More info

http://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/things2do.htm