Organization Name: Gyanganga
Establishment Date/Location: Initial projects summary 2001/ Pilani, Jhunjhunun District 333031 Rajasthan/Birla Institute of Technology and Science
Religious Affiliation/target client group: None / Focused on underdeveloped villages of Jheri, Raila and Garinda. Note: Virtually 100% unemployment.
Lodging and transportation information: After arrival in Delhi go to Kashmir gate bus terminal hourly buses to Pilani. Auto rickshaw to Birla Institute of Technology. Both Pilani Hotels and Institute guesthouse are possible.
Report date/authors/contact information: August 21st-25th /Report written by James minter 3300 Wyndale court Woodbridge, Virginia 221912 Ph. 703.590-0289 Email: jamesminter@comcast.net, mintersadhna@hotmail.com.
Assigned India Contact: Dr. Motilal Dash (dash@bits-pilani.ac.in) currently assigned ASHA contact: Ph. 01596-245073 Ext. 263 and Professor Dr. Vinda Singh (Rajasthan native)
US ASHA Chapter contact Information: Ajay Dalmia Yale ASHA chapter ajaymona@yahoo.com Additional ASHA contacts; gauri.shah@yale.edu. And nareshdevnani@netscape.net.
Organizational Head: A committee of seven faculty three student and nine village members take joint decisions.
Note: Academic schedules and committee management often leads to long project execution times. Dr. Motilal Dash is working to prevent this.
Operational Structure: All committee members are unpaid volunteers who take joint decision. Dr. Motilal Dash does primary implementation and financial oversight.
Management Structure:
The committee structure takes responsibilities for project selection and implementation. Currently not a single female student or village committee member exists. This creates vulnerability of project selection. It is strongly recommended that a total of at least three village members and one student be selected who are female. If this can not be implemented this should be reported directly to the ASHA contact person.
Title: School Infrastructure
Description: Due to Government refusal, NGO funding has been used to provide drinking water, separate boy/girl toilet facilities and school building repair. Government action’s reduced 10th standard girls to either leaving school premises or urinating on the open ground.
Capital out lay: Approx. 220,000 Rs.
Annual expenditure: All expenses of ongoing maintenance are expected to be minimal.
Title: Single Day Health Camps
Description: Government doctors have been collected for in village health camps at Garinda and Jherli villages. Raila village completion is expected before year-end 2003.
Capital Outlay: Minimal
Annual Expenditure: 70,000 Rs. including medicines, transportation, and small equipment.
Title: Vocational Education:
Description: The approx. 100% rate of unemployment creates a desperate need for sustainable jobs. It is strongly recommended that only activities with female management be financially supported.
Proposed Projects:
Non Active Activities: University
faculties have proposed elegant descriptions of projects, which have had little
or no effective field implementation.
Future proposed activities:
Visitation Conclusion:
Site visit analysis:
The Gyanganga in highly leveraged with low administrative cost, which is functionally paid by the Birla Institute. The composition of faculty, students, village members is critical to sustainability. The percentage of female participation must be bought to a reasonable level. Student committee members must increase facilitation of savings; micro banking, writing and government access by direct facilitation with villagers. NSS (student volunteers) members currently have the opinion that Birla Institute wants to prevent direct relationships with villagers. This issue must be brought out, discussed and resolved. Facilitation by educated students is the single greatest tool to implement integration of villagers with business and government structures.
The single greatest vulnerability of Gyanganga is due to its committee structure. Focus needs to be narrowed to defined physical activities that can be implemented. The inclusion of a broad agendas of social change lead to reduced impact on the life of villagers and a support for statements at photographed conferences that can not be implemented.
Because of the Birla Institute support, program destruction by political, government, or criminal activity is greatly reduced. This is a major advantage of the Gyanganga project. In addition the excellent communication, finances and budget record keeping allow a high level of transparency.
Funding recommendation:
Assuming the continue communications and project focusing by the Yale ASHA Project Steward, this project has my highest recommendation for project funding. Additional funding scheduling should not allow funds to exceed 5000 USD in Gyanganga account.