Meeting Minutes 08/03/08
Attendees: Ganesh,Gaurav, Prakash,
Vaishali, Murali, Sabri, Itisha,
1) ARC General funds proposal - Ganesh:
We discussed the options that are being proposed.
Main discussion was about whether to have any element of Option 2 or not. We mainly compared various pros and cons of Option 1 and Option 3. The decision was made to put the vote online, collect questions from everyoneand try to get them answered before the vote deadline (Aug 25th).
Ques1: What is the reason behind $600k being disbursed over 3 years instead of1
year?
2) Prakash and Vaishali's
visit to Vasundhara Public Charitable Trust
Different projects of Vasundhara
A. Science on Wheels (SOW)
B. Eureka Hall
C. Sky Gazing
D. NTS and SSC Merit
E. School for sand Lifters Children
F. Misc.-Medical camps, watershed
development program, small cottage industry support.
A and B covered in the visit.
A. SOW
Motivation for SOW:
-Not all schools have equipment to impart practical science knowledge.
-The concept is to make more children use the same set of equipment to understand the basic principles of science in a hands-on way - getting a student to learn by himself.
-Showed a picture of the van with SOW staff and Vasundhara founder, Mr. C.B. Naik.
-They do not leave any equipment in the school.
-The van visits 150 schools. Each school is visited twice a year.
-90 primary schools. 60 secondary schools.
-This service is free of charge to school.
-Teachers on the van are paid full time.
-Spread over 90 villages in Sindhudurga.
-One Problem: Teachers leave after training but theycan contribute to society wherever they go.
-They witnessed a science session
- the teacher explained things in a veryr simple and lucid
manner to children. Every child got to handle the equipment and learn.
Issues:
a. Very limited reach - less number of schools, only twice a year.
b. Teachers leave (low salaries)
c. No books, no computers (in the van)
d. Devgarh region very far to reach by van - don'tget enough time there (need for more than 1 mobile lab)
e. Convincing teachers in schools takes time - this method of learning by exploring is not familiar to them.
- More funding will resolve most issues.
B. Eureka Hall
-Science center and mini planetarium for Schools andGeneral Public - displays exhibits, experiments, models.
-This is the main office for SOW.
-This where they keep the equipment, the van comes here, gets loaded and unloaded here.
-Intensive training for selected studentsin Math and Science.
-Field trips and science camps for students. Studentsstay here for math and science camps - Also serves as lodging.
-Interested and bright students from schools visited come here to learn more andperform experiments etc.
Issues:
-Leased building - one restroom for everyone (boys/girls/staff - veryproblematic
when students come to stay).
-Display space used for lodging also.
-New 6 acres of land in Nerurpar purchased - 50+ lakhs budget for building probably.
-Half has been funded.Need other half. This facility is much bigger.
-Plan is to have boys and girls hostels, Office, Library, Computers etc.
-All of the issues of SOW also apply.
So far - there is just some land, a very small office, a rest room and a tableand chair there. Once this one is ready, the other Eureka Hall will be shut down.
Helpers of the handicapped
-Kacholia jee requested Prakash and Vaishali to visit another project.
-Two centers: Gharonda
(in
-Started by a lady, Ms Naseema (in 50s) who gotdisabled at the age of 16.
-Inspired by a handicapped ex army man (Babu Kaka, who later died of cancer) who wanted to do something for the handicapped, Ms Naseema set up this institution to rehabilitate the disabled.
-We saw a film on this institute.
- Gharonda is a hostel for the disabled. They get education, medical help and physical therapy.
-The children are also taught various skills.
-The children are taught to be self sufficient and to lead their lives with pride.
-Government sanctioned help is made available to them.
-In Swapna
Nagri they alsodo some farming. The farms are
yielding decent amount of crops.
-Most of the children are orphans or abandoned by the parents. In some cases, parents
send their disabled kids here.
-They generate funds by farming, food processing units and donated funds.
-Elder children get employed in
the small industry and get stipends.
-In Swapna Nagri children used
to go out to school across the river - but the risk is too great. So they have
a makeshift school on premises.
-Swapna Nagri land was donated by a family. This land was across the river and government was not building any bridge on it.
-It was thick jungle. The disabled residents themselves cleared it out and setup the agriculture. The transformation was immense.
-Gharonda is well established but Swapna Nagri needs funds.
-A book about Naseema
Naseema: The incredible story.
Translated from Marathi by Aasha Deodhar.
Edited by Rukmini Sekhar. Publisher: The Viveka Foundation
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Action Items:
1) Itisha/Savitha:
Include links to agenda item documents in the weekly reminder email.
2) Itisha to help Vaishali
and Prakash toexplore funding proposals from these
projects.
3) Gaurav/Murali: Upload the videos we saw on the
web.