About Asha for Education
Past •
Objectives •
Volunteers •
Present •
Future •
Contact us
This page gives an overview of Asha for Education. You can find a lot
more information about Asha on its website.
Asha : The beginning
In the summer of 1991, a few students including V.J.P.Srivatsavoy@,
D. Gupta#, and S. Pandey* got together to think
of ways in which they could play a role in the development of India, the
country of their origin. These young people shared
the belief that education is a critical requisite and an effective catalyst
for social and economic change in India. Basic education became the agenda
for the action group that emerged from this gathering. The group was named
Asha to represent the hope that had brought these individuals
together and the hope that they aimed to bring into the lives of children
in India as well as the hope felt by our volunteers, in being able to create
an equal and just society. In that summer of 1991, Asha was born at the University
of California in Berkeley.
The Beginnings by V.J.P.Srivatsavoy: Writeup about Asha's history
@
V.J.P.Srivatsavoy was working in India with Unilever, Mumbai. He passed away
in May 2000. Please read the article about our late founder -
Remembering Sri.
#
Deepak Gupta is currently a Professor at IIT, Kanpur and continues to be
involved with Asha in shaping its vision.
*
Sandeep Pandey is currently in India and is devoted to grass roots work full time.
He was the recipient of the 2002 Ramon
Magsaysay award for emergent leadership
Asha : Mission and Objectives
Asha for Education's mission is to catalyze socioeconomic change in India through
the education of underprivileged children. In pursuit of this goal, Asha primarily
focuses on education in the belief that education is a critical requisite for
socio-economic change. We collaborate with several non-governmental and governmental
organizations in India to empower individuals and provide them with access to education,
health care, equal opportunity, social justice etc. Asha for Education's interventions
fall within the broad categories of community based interventions, disabilities,
formal schools, non-formal education, supplemental education, fellowships, orphanages,
residential schools, resource centers, and curriculum development to name a few.
The objectives of this group are:
- To provide education to underprivileged children in India.
- To encourage the formation of various local groups across the world
to reach out to larger sections of the population.
- To support and cooperate with persons and groups already engaged in
similar activities.
- To raise the required human and other resources to achieve the
group objectives.
- To provide opportunities to individuals living outside India who wish to
participate in Asha activities in India.
- To address, whenever possible, other issues affecting human life such
as health care, environment, socio-economic aspects and women's issues.
Asha : The volunteers
Asha for Education is a unique organization in that it is 100% volunteer-driven,
has no hierarchy and has zero overhead costs. As a zero-overhead organization,
all operational costs are borne by volunteers enabling 100% of all donations to
be sent to our project partners in India. All donations made to Asha for Education
in the United States are tax-exempt under IRS code Section 501(c)3 to the fullest
extent permitted by the law. Our volunteers come from all walks of life - students,
scientists, professionals, artists, the young and the aged; all possessing a
common spirit of service. Structurally, Asha functions through chapters as well
as various focus groups, which are dedicated to the different aspects of the
organization such as projects, publicity, fundraising, coordination, etc.
As part of the Asha charter, all Asha chapters have a high degree of freedom
in their activities including the identification, research, support and
ownership of projects. However, there is also a good deal of co-operation
among chapters and volunteers across chapters. This co-operation is evident
in the joint ownership of projects
across chapters, formation of focus groups across chapters, cross-chapter
discussion on issues of interest, worldwide events like the
Asha-Wide Conference,
Work-An-Hour, and the
Asha India Conference.
Asha : Where we are today
Asha for Education has come a long way since its inception in 1991. Asha had
15 chapters in 1995, 27 chapters in 1997, 31 chapters in 1999, 34 chapters in
2001, and over 60 chapters in 2003. Asha for Education now consists of international
chapters in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Asha has grown to include
over 1,000 dedicated volunteers from all walks of life across the world, and several
thousand supporters. Over the past 13 years, Asha has collaborated with more than
385 project partners in India to disburse approximately $4,000,000. In 2003 alone,
Asha worked with over 220 project groups disbursing over $1,000,000. Most of the
Asha chapters in India work closely with our projectpartners and have a strong
understanding of grass-root level issues. Some Asha India chapters located in the
metro cities have also started fundraising activities. Each chapter works individually
toward the collective goal, by partnering with groups in India that work to
improve the lives of people through education and empowerment. The chapters have
a high degree of freedom in their activities including the identification,
research, support, and ownership of various projects. However, there is also a
great level of cooperation within Asha, as is evident by multiple partnerships on
projects across chapters and international events like Work An Hour.
Perhaps more important than these numbers is the personal leadership that the
volunteers take in carrying out Asha's activities. Further, Asha is more than a
mere funding agency. Involvement with Asha for Education has produced awareness
about developmental issues in India and has inspired a range of volunteers to get
involved in other social causes. Thus, Asha for Education, while making a difference
in the lives of underprivileged children of India, is also preparing a group of
more socially aware and responsible individuals.
Asha : The future
In the future, Asha for Education hopes to continue playing an important role
in bringing about socio-economic development in India. We realize that there
is still a lot to be achieved since there are millions of children in India who
do not have access to education. Debates and discussions are constantly underway
among the volunteers about how we can make a greater impact on the situation. As
part of this learning process, we are working closely with our projects to evaluate
our efforts over the past decade. In the end, we hope to be able to better
understand the impact we have had, and where the focus of our efforts should lie.
All said and done, the future holds even more significant challenges for
all of us as a people. It is more important than ever that every concerned
person pool in his efforts and start working towards addressing these
challenges. We, the volunteers of Asha, believe that we are upto these
challenges that the future holds for us.
Asha : Contact Us
If you would like to find out more about us, our activities, and/or, if you would
like to participate and contribute to our efforts in any way, please contact
members of the
chapter nearest you. We want you
to be part of the movement!
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