ekNazar - Asha
 
Asha for Education Announces Work an Hour 2003



Just an hour of your time; a world of hope for a child

Desiderius Erasmus, the famous Dutch philosopher once said, "The main hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth." Asha for Education was born out of the desire to bring hope to the lives of underprivileged children. It also represents the collective hope of volunteers working together to bring about a change in the lives of these children. Deprived of access to education in their childhood, a whole generation of Indians is growing up unprepared to face the economic and political challenges of the twenty-first century. In July 2002, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics estimated that around 45% of the total Indian population is illiterate. We believe that addressing the problem of education is pivotal in breaking the 'vicious cycle' of poverty.

Asha was founded in 1991 at the University of California, Berkeley. It has grown tremendously since then and today has nearly 75 chapters (in US, Europe, Australia, and India) and over 1,000 dedicated volunteers worldwide from various walks of life. In the past 11 years, Asha has supported more than 600 different project partners in India. Each chapter identifies, researches and raises funds for the project partners. More importantly, the chapter develops a long-term personal relationship with the project and the local community through multiple site visits and regular interaction with their activities.

"Work an Hour", popularly known as "WAH", is our annual worldwide fundraising event to help educate underprivileged children in India. This year, Asha for Education presents the sixth consecutive WAH. The event symbolically begins on July 4th, American Independence Day, reaches a peak on August 15th, Indian Independence Day, and finally culminates on September 5th, which is celebrated as Teacher's Day in India. The theme for WAH 2003 is "children at risk" (includes orphans, street children, children of sex workers and convicts) and disabled children. The project partners chosen for WAH support require larger sums of money to facilitate fixed expenditure on items such as infrastructure, construction and other one-time costs.

After a stringent review process, the project partners selected this year are:

  • Odanadi Seva Samsthe: Based in Mysore (Karnataka), Odanadi runs a relentless campaign to expose and curb the flesh trade. The organization is a leading and powerful voice advocating the cause of women sex workers in India: They have rescued many girls, most of them minors, from the clutches of the flesh traffickers in various parts of Karnataka. As many as 350 women have been rehabilitated into society with an alternative livelihood. Their immediate goal is to build a new rehabilitation center to accommodate young girls rescued from the flesh trade. http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/projects/oss.html

  • National Association for Blind (NAB): Based in Valsad (Gujarat), NAB aims to help visually impaired kids lead regular lives. They provide their students with education; training in Braille and computers, vocational training and medical assistance. NAB also helps students find jobs in the community. Presently, NAB is in dire need of a girls' hostel. http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/projects/nab.html

  • Street to School: Tomorrow's Foundation based in Kalighat, (West Bengal) works with local street children and children of commercial sex workers. In addition to formal schooling, the Foundation seeks to provide a caring and supportive environment to these children and reintegrate them into mainstream schooling. They plan to build a "Half-Way-Home" as a temporary shelter for these vulnerable children. The home will provide the kids with education, cultural and vocational training, recreation and health care in a healthy environment. http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/projects/sts.html

  • VOICE (Voluntary Organization In Community Enterprise): Based in Mumbai (Maharashtra), VOICE works towards the overall development of street children. Funds generated through WAH 2003 will be used to construct a residential center for female street children. This will be a place that will provide an academically stimulating environment while giving the girls the benefits of education and vocational training. http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/projects/voc.html

    WAH 2003 seeks to bring together people from all over the world to help ensure that every child receives the care and education required to live a healthy and successful life. This year our target is to raise over $125,000 across the globe.

    All you need to do is donate one hour of your annual salary to Asha for Education. It does not cost too much to educate a child in India: $10-$20 can support a child's education and living expenses for one whole month! You can make a big difference!!

    Asha for Education is a zero-overhead non-profit organization. All donations are tax-exempt, to the fullest extent of the law, under section 501(c)3 in the United States. Participation in WAH 2003 is just a click away. Asha for Education has a simplified and secure online donation process for credit card payments. The WAH website provides a user-friendly interface for online donations and access to project information. Please send an email to: wah@ashanet.org if your company participates in matching donations.

    You can also make donations through checks (made out to "Asha for Education" in the US/U.K. and to "Asha" in India) by mailing them to:

    In the United States Asha for Education,
    Box 1136,
    Washington University in St.Louis
    1 Brookings Drive
    St.Louis MO 63130


    In India Asha-Bangalore,
    C/O Mr. N.P.Mathur,
    D.No. 18/1, 12th Main, Laxmiah Block
    Ganganagar,
    Bangalore-560024
    Tel: 91-80-3330443
    Email: srik_v@hotmail.com
    *Donations made in India are 50% tax-deductible.


    In the United Kingdom
    Asha for Education,
    100 D Breakspears Road
    London SE4 1UD
    U.K.
    *In the U.K., Asha for Education is a 'registered charity' (charity number: 1088168) and donations are tax-exempt.

    For more information:

  • General information: wah@ashanet.org
  • Media kit: http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/publicize.html
  • Press Contact: Netika Raval: netika@hotmail.com
  • Websites: www.workanhour.com, www.ashanet.org
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    Street to school

  • Today Bina (name changed for privacy), a confident sixteen year old is ecstatic. So are her family and all her teachers. Her recent success in the School Final Examinations has made everyone proud. However, fate has not always been in her favor. Bina lives in a slum on Sarat Bose Road in Kolkata with her two younger siblings and parents. She grew up in an environment maligned by poverty, corruption and disease. Her father, who is the sole breadwinner of the family, works as a driver today. But years ago, when Bina was a toddler, he had a serious drinking problem.

    Bina's potential may have never been realized if not for the helping hand extended by Tomorrow's Foundation (TF). TF is a 10-year-old NGO based in Kalighat, Kolkata that works with the local municipal corporation school to address educational, physical and emotional needs of about 200 street and slum children/children of sex workers living in a high-risk social and physical environment. TF helped reunite Bina's family and opened their doors to Bina and her siblings. Today they are considered a model family in the community. Bina's achievements have motivated her neighbors to send their children to TF with the hope that they too will follow her footsteps.

    The Street to School (STS) (http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/projects/sts.html) project is a joint venture between Tomorrow's Foundation and "Asha for Education" (www.ashanet.org). The activities of the Foundation range from basic tutoring services and schooling, to health care, psychological and career counseling, as well as vocational training. All these services are offered to the children completely free of cost. The novel aspects of the approach adopted by Tomorrow's Foundation is close cooperation with the local and school authorities to utilize available resources, as well as the holistic nature of the education offered. The Foundation is widely recognized in the community and by the government. They achieved a major milestone when UNESCO accepted Tomorrow's Foundation as a model project worth replicating elsewhere in the country and across the world.

    Tomorrow's Foundation is providing Bina with all the necessary support to continue her higher studies and also for her overall development. Bina's example has truly inspired her siblings and many of the kids in her locality to follow their dreams and aspirations with renewed energy and confidence.

    More information about "Street to School" is available at: http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/projects/sts.html


    • Odanadi Walk with us towards hope..

  • As a child, Nanjunda would sit for hours on the pavement and draw pictures. His mother Radha, also a pavement- dweller, dreamt that her son would join the Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) and become an artist one day. Today, 21-year-old Nanjunda has temporarily stalled his childhood dream and is studying to be a lawyer instead. "We should (first) understand the legal system", he says. The grit behind these words is uncommon for a youngster of his age. A traumatized childhood is not the only memory he hides behind a beaming smile. The memory of his late mother, powers his resolve.

    Nanjunda is one of the seventy residents of Odanadi Seva Samsthe (OSS). OSS, a close project partner of "Asha for Education", is an organization that stood up for Nanjunda's mother and other women and children like her, who have been sexually exploited by our society. Nanjunda's mother, Radha, was enrolled in school until the 10th grade. She could converse in many languages, including English. Tragedy struck when her husband, an alcoholic, quit his job, leaving her to be the sole breadwinner for the family. While looking for work as a coolie, Radha soon realized that sexual favors were almost a precondition to a daily wage. The thin line demarcating her job profile, from coolie to sex worker was soon erased.

    In the Kannada language, 'Odanadi' refers to "someone who walks hand-in-hand with you through life's long journey: a mate or a friend for all seasons". 'Odanadi' rescued Radha in 1995 and provided shelter to her and her son, Nanjunda. Although, Radha managed to escape the horrors of the flesh trade, she did not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of her newfound freedom; her tiny frame had been ravaged by a cruel society and she prematurely succumbed to tuberculosis. But when she died, she died in peace, knowing that her son was in safe hands. Nanjunda is a role model to other children whom Odanadi shelters today.

    OSS, based in Mysore, India, runs a relentless campaign to expose and curb the flesh trade and has emerged as a leading and powerful voice advocating the cause of sexually exploited women in India. They work towards rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration and empowerment of trafficked women and children. Since its inception in 1984, the organization has rescued over 400 young women, mostly minors, from traffickers. As many as 350 women have been rehabilitated with an alternative livelihood and integrated in to the mainstream society. 22 women have since been married off to progressive-minded people.

    Social stigma is one of the main obstacles these rescued children have to face. It is indeed ironic that a society that is responsible for their condition, shuns them so totally! In 1995, OSS, in partnership with CRY (Child Relief and You), established a successful permanent residential school and rehabilitation center, Prayoga Patha for the children of the exploited women. Prayoga Patha provides shelter, education and vocational training to more than 70 children of rehabilitated women. OSS also operates a counseling and trauma care center for women afflicted by marital discord and other social problems. They also aim to establish small-scale entrepreneurial units for providing employment to the residents, and utilizing the income generated to sustain Odanadi's activities.

    A visit to the residential school is a revelation in itself. Given a chance, Manjula, currently in 9th grade, shows all the promise of becoming a playback singer. Ganesha, a 5th grader, sings and acts out G.P. Rajarathnam's famed lyrics. Raja, an enthusiastic dancer, could be the next Prabhudeva. There are potential dress-designers, painters, mechanics, cricketers and more.

    More information about Odanadi is available at: http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/projects/oss.html