Asha, which means "hope", is dedicated to the support of basic education of underprivileged children in India. Asha is a non-profit organization and has more than 40 chapters in US, seven in India, five in Europe, and one each in Singapore and Australia. Asha's primary focus is on education becuase we at Asha believe that education is the most effective means to solve the problems of poverty, population explosion, and to bring about long-term socioeconomic change.

Asha collaborates with non-governmental (non-profit) organizations in India to:

• Raise awareness of social issues related to illiteracy and poverty
• Provide funding and support for educational projects.

In the summer of 1991, a few students at the University of California, Berkeley, got together to think of ways in which they could play a role in the development of India, the country of their origin. These young people shared the belief that education is a critical requisite and an effective catalyst for social and economic change in India. Basic education became the agenda for the action group that emerged from this gathering. The group was named Asha to represent the hope that had brought these individuals together and the hope that they aimed to bring into the lives of children in India. In keeping with this focus, Asha volunteers get involved with and support projects that have an education-related component to them. The objectives of this group are:

• To provide education to underprivileged children in India.
• To encourage the formation of various local groups, both in India and U.S., to reach out to larger sections of the population.
• To support and cooperate with individuals and groups already engaged in similar activities.
• To raise the required human and other resources to achieve the group objectives.