Agents of change- D.P. Prakash

St. Louis volunteers spelling it out at the Boston conference

"No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure." Emma Goldman.

With that spirit, hundreds of people from all over the US and India have joined Asha for education. 1999 was a busy year for Asha's many chapters. There were many fundraising activities undertaken throughout the year in order to support various projects in India. With this being a World Cup year, cricket tournaments were immensely popular, with the Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Kentucky, Stanford and Cornell chapters all jumping on the bandwagon.

Members of a team at the Asha Kentucky Cricket Tournament (Sep. 13^th - Oct. 3^rd)

NYC-NJ volunteers having fun at their Surbahaar concert. It was an immensely popular sold-out show featuring film music

As usual, plenty of shows and concerts were organized, as they have proven to be great fundraisers as well as a lot of fun. Some, like Asha-Arizona's Glimpses of India, celebrated India's rich cultural heritage, and included dance, music, and drama from all over India. Other chapters arranged performances by famous musicians or dancers. NYC/NJ came up with Spiceweek, an innovative idea to raise funds through Indian cuisine.

This being the year when a devastating cyclone hit the state of Orissa, volunteers from Asha-Illinois made an effort to collect funds to help the victims. Another chapter that went beyond the education front was Irvine, which held a toy and clothing drive. The Silicon Valley chapter had the maximum impact on the situation in Orissa; they disbursed a total of $56,000 to Gram Vikas, which is rebuilding schools in the region.

Madison volunteers behind their food table at University of Madison's annual homecoming day

Stanford volunteers at Holi

Plenty of work was done apart from raising and disbursing funds. A very important function of any fundraiser is to spread word about Asha. Volunteers work to raise awareness in the community and reach potential volunteers. Towards that goal, every chapter tries to be present at community events and regularly set up information booths at the local university. Asha-LA came up with the innovative idea of screening a documentary of one of their projects, Helping Hands. Asha chapters also organized talks by activists and social workers like Medha Patkar and Mrs. Nomita Chandy. Volunteers visited project sites, and helped chapters monitor progress and decide how best to use the money collected from fundraising.

As you can see, there are plenty of options for anyone interested in getting involved in Asha's activities. You can have fun while participating in events and, use your computer skills to develop Asha web pages, research and visit projects in India, all while working for a good cause. Please contact your local Asha chapter if you wish to join the effort.

LOCATION OF ASHA PROJECTS

Asha is making a conscious effort to incrase the number of projects in U.P., Bihar, the North Eastern region, and other underrepresented parts of India. VOlunteers at the Asha Center in Lucknow are playing an intrumental role in this effort.

Swarnivar's "Prathamik Vidyalay" at Andharmanik, West Bengal

Swanirvar was founded in 1989 by Dr. Sujit Sinha, a Princeton graduate. It aims to bring about socio-economic development in the region by addressing the problems faced by the villagers that are related to healthcare, sanitation, and agriculture, besides imparting primary education. Asha-Madison funds the three schools run by Swanirvar near Andharmanik village in West Bengal. Every school is attended by around 100 students from classes I through III. The key to Swanirvar's success has been its willingness to adapt the developmental effort to suit local conditions. Swanirvar volunteers discarded prescribed textbooks, and instead exposed the students to the same ideas using local examples, something that the rural students could relate to. Their effort to try to get the parents involved in the teaching process has ensured that the parents take more interest in their child's education.

Swanirvar's efforts are not limited to the classroom. They help the villagers experiment with alternative crops, and are developing organic techniques for growing crops, introducing mushroom cultivation, and spreading the use of Azolla, a green plant that helps atmospheric nitrogen fixation. The health care workers of Swanirvar emphasize the need for prevention, make regular home visits, and conduct immunization programs. Swanirvar takes an integrated approach to rural development and involves the community in the developmental process. Asha-Madison has sent $1500 towards the schools in 1998 and has extended the support by contributing $1000 for the year 1999.

Nalamdana in Tamil means 'Are you well?' By "well", the organization refers to holistic wellbeing - physical, mental, and economic. Their programs try to make people knowledgeable about their condition and develop local leaders within target communities. Established in December 1993 with a seed grant from the Echoing Green Foundation, Nalamdana began as a small group of dedicated, talented, educated youth who carried preventive health messages to the urban slums and rural areas of Tamil Nadu. Nalamdana built its staff from the very communities it targeted. It brought together a group of bright students from very low-income communities who demonstrate leadership and a commitment to social change. These youth used creative techniques such as street theater, popular film and music to communicate their messages.

Nalamdana selects students between the 8th and 12th grades that meet stringent criteria and supports the cost of their education for their entire tenure in school and possibly college. The students are provided with a host of out of school opportunities to broaden their exposure and build on their strengths. The hope is that they will eventually take an active role in the governance of their communities and work towards a more economically prosperous, educated, and healthy society. Asha-Kentucky is currently supporting three children per year and actively following their progress.

Abhiyan is an active Non Governmental Organization (NGO) in Patna led by youths who believe in JP and Gandhian philosophy. The activists work for social change and upliftment in the lives of weak, poor, and exploited sections of society. They have worked on organizing sewing classes for women, educating people and raising awareness on panchayati raj, implementing government programs. They have been able to build a rapport with the community since their local workers are from the same area and can empathize with the target community. Asha Arizona is funding Abhiyan's activities in Bhaiswa village. The school will provide primary education to approximately 80 scheduled class children of extremely poor families living in dire, inhuman conditions. Out of these, 30 children belong to mushar community ('rat eaters') which is an outcaste within the outcaste and their children are even today considered socially unacceptable and do not go to the govt. schools. These children would be the first generation going to school from this community. The objective of the education program is to raise people with right understanding, right behavior, and self-sufficiency in occupation. $5300 has been disbursed this year for the project and an additional $4000 per year will be disbursed over the next 2 years.

A spastic child writing with her toes; an indication of Sweekar's success and achievements

Sweekar is a special school and rehabilitation institute for handicapped children located in Hyderabad. Sweekar was established in 1977 and has grown into a 75-room facility, with 150 staff members serving 750 inmates and additional outpatients. Sweekar caters both to the rich and the poor, and charges for services based on the patient's ability to pay. This project runs a special school for the mentally handicapped that provides educational and vocational training and imparts industrial knowledge of trades like embroidery, tailoring, toy making, candle making, and book binding. The school for the deaf uses special teaching aids to educate the children. In addition, computer training is also provided. The physical medicine and rehabilitation center administers physiotherapy and also develops artificial limbs for handicapped patients. The staff at Sweekar has an excellent rapport with all the children. Asha-MIT is funding the institute with $1500 per year for various rehabilitation programs for the children.