Minutes from Meeting on Tuesday, May 20th

- Meeting attended by Manoj, Sanjay and Anjali

GIRD DISCUSSION
- Discussed the status with GIRD and how Asha-Madison should proceed.
- Reviewed timeline of our involvement with the group.
- Considered Alka's recommendation that we remain involved with GIRD.
- Discussed the visit reports sent by Mahesh, Arundhati, Shanmuga and 
Ajay.
- All reports were fairly negative in terms of GIRD's organizational 
capacity, planning and ability to carry out a focused program.
- However, based on conversations and correspondence with Sandeep and 
Ragini Devi, Asha-Madison passed $2,750 for one year.
- We received a feedback report and pictures of the project on time. 
- However, it has been very difficult to establish a means of 
communication with GIRD and BC Sharma.  Several Asha volunteers in 
Madison and India have tried email, phone and snail mail. Both 
inaccessibility to BC Sharma and several changes in the volunteer 
base in Asha-Madison contributed to most of 2002 being spent in 
attempting to contact GIRD. 
- Ajay, a volunteer from Delhi, managed to visit in early 2003.
- His report was not positive.  He was also unable to visit the 
actual school sites as it was during Holi. 
- From all reports and given the gaps in communication, it seems as 
though the group does have some monetary resources and are able to 
generate enough money to carry out their basic work and livelihood.

Based on the information we have, we decided to pursue the following 
course of action. Alka, who was in Madison, is willing to continue as 
the coordinator of the project.  It would be useful to have someone 
in Madison coordinating as well.
- We contact the new Asha-Northeast group and provide them with the 
details of the project. We ask them to visit the project and see what 
they have to say. We would like to make sure that the person who 
visits is sufficiently knowledgeable in Asha projects to make a sound 
judgement. At the same hand, we would like to make sure the person is 
not necessarily overly critical and will be able to judge if this 
project has potential.
- Ask Asha-Northeast group if there are some groups in the area that 
may be contacts for us to pass on to GIRD.
- Contact Sandeep and ask if he can talk with Ragini to persuade BC 
Sharma to visit Swanirvar or some of our other groups to learn how to 
get better organized, focused and see what needs to be actually done 
apart from good work.
- Try to get back in touch with BC Sharma and see what stage the 
project is in right now.
- At this stage, we will probably not provide financial assistance 
for a while, until we get some positive feedback and establish better 
means of communication.  We will probably provide organizational 
assistance and try to see what the focus of the group is, what they 
can actually do or do better. 


TRIP BY SWATI DESAI
- Swati Desai, a development activist from Mozda, Gujarat is visiting 
the US.
- She will be coming to Madison from June 11 - 13. 
- We will be organizing her talk and visit here.