• What is Work An Hour?

Each year volunteers from around the world come together in a show of great human spirit, to help educate underprivileged children and support other social causes in India. Work An Hour, or WAH, as it is popularly known, is a simple concept. We ask you to symbolically contribute one hour of your time towards the cause of children's education and other social causes by donating an hour's worth of your salary or more. The event symbolically begins on July 4, the American Independence Day, reaches an apex on August 15, the Indian Independence Day, and finally culminates on September 5, which is celebrated as Teachers' Day in India.

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• Why is 'Child Labor' this year's theme?

2007 Theme: Better Schools. Better Retention Rates. Decreased Child Labor.

Asha recognizes that Child Labor is a complex issue and there are political, economic, social and cultural factors that contribute to child labor. Similarly, the solution lies in an interconnected approach. Its just not enough to create access to education. Retaining the children in schools involves a multitude of efforts and would contribute towards combating the scourge of child labor.

Learn more at Beyond Donations

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• I want to learn more about the issue of child labor. Where can I find the information?

Please visit the Beyond Donations page.

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• What kind of projects are supported by Work An Hour?

The projects being supported through Work an Hour 2007 truly represent the breadth and depth of the range of projects supported by Asha for education. All the projects have:

1. An Asha chapter that has worked with the NGO/registered organization for at least the past year.
2. A recent (6 month) site-visit report relevant to the proposal.
3. All financial reports on utilization of funds.
4. Deal with major factors contributing to child labor in the local community.
5. Show better retention in schools.

You can learn more about them here.

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• I would like to know more about the projects and go beyond personal donations. What can I do?

Please do contact the project steward listed in the project page or the WAH team (wah@ashanet.org).

1. You can visit the projects if you are interested or explore possibilities of interning there - please contact the Internships team (internship@ashanet.org).
2. You volunteer for Asha and be associated with the project.
3. You can be an Asha Star and fundraise for the project - do contact the project steward for more info.

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Help with Work an Hour

• When can I donate?

Donations by credit card are accepted between July 4 and September 5, 2007. If you have not sent your donation check (cheque) in yet, see below for mailing address information.


USA:	Asha for Education PO Box 424 Dunn Loring, VA 22027-0424
India:	Asha for Education c/o Mr. Pankaj Gupta 602-A, Paradise Raheja Vihar, Powai, Mumbai-400072
UK:	Asha for Education 100 D Breakspears Road Brockley, London SE4 1UD
Netherlands:	Asha for Education C/o Subrahmanya Kumar Kuchibhotla 203-B Boschdijk 5612 HC, Eindhoven The Netherlands
Switzerland:	Asha for Education Asha Zurich c/o Shyam Chikatamarla Ackersteinstrasse 133, 8049 Zurich Switzerland
Germany:	Asha for Education Asha Munich c/o Manas Pandey Balanstr. 97a 81539 Munich Germany

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• How do I make a donation?

Asha prefers credit card donations, but if you can only donate by check (cheque) you may do so.

Donate by credit card here

Donate by check (cheque):
In India, crossed cheque or demand draft to be made to "Asha", and everywhere else, check to be made to "Asha for Education" and mailed to:
USA:	Asha for Education PO Box 424 Dunn Loring, VA 22027-0424
India:	Asha for Education c/o Mr. Pankaj Gupta 602-A, Paradise Raheja Vihar, Powai, Mumbai-400072
UK:	Asha for Education 100 D Breakspears Road Brockley, London SE4 1UD
Netherlands:	Asha for Education C/o Subrahmanya Kumar Kuchibhotla 203-B Boschdijk 5612 HC, Eindhoven The Netherlands
Switzerland:	Asha for Education Asha Zurich c/o Shyam Chikatamarla Ackersteinstrasse 133, 8049 Zurich Switzerland
Germany:	Asha for Education Asha Munich c/o Manas Pandey Balanstr. 97a 81539 Munich Germany


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• How much should I donate?

You can donate any amount. We encourage you to donate an hour's worth or more of your salary.

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• Where does the money go?

100% of all funds collected through Work an Hour go directly towards the selected projects. Keeping with Asha's long-standing policy, Asha volunteers bear all administrative expenses.

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• Are donations tax deductible?

In the United States, donations to Asha for Education are 100% tax deductible under IRS code section 501(c)3. In India, donations are 50% tax deductible under section 80G of the Income Tax Act of India.

What about Europe?
All donations will be acknowledged with a receipt that can be used to claim tax deductions. In the U.S., generally donations below $250 do not require a receipt but we will provide one if you request it. All donations above $250 will be acknowledged with a receipt.

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• Can I donate with a credit card issued outside the U.S.?

Yes. We accept credit cards (Visa/Mastercard) as long as the bank issuing the card allows transactions in U.S. Dollars.

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• Can I donate in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using my credit card?

Yes, it is possible to do so if your credit card allows transactions in USD. However, you will need to convert the amount you are donating to USD and enter it in the amount field. Your credit card company will bill you in your local currency. Is there an interest charged on donations involving currency exchanges?

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• What is the procedure for donation by check (cheque)?

In India, crossed cheque or demand draft to be made to "ASHA", and everywhere else, check to be made to "Asha for Education" and mailed to:
USA:	Asha for Education PO Box 424 Dunn Loring, VA 22027-0424
India:	Asha for Education c/o Mr. Pankaj Gupta 602-A, Paradise Raheja Vihar, Powai, Mumbai-400072
UK:	Asha for Education 100 D Breakspears Road Brockley, London SE4 1UD
Netherlands:	Asha for Education C/o Subrahmanya Kumar Kuchibhotla 203-B Boschdijk 5612 HC, Eindhoven The Netherlands
Switzerland:	Asha for Education Asha Zurich c/o Shyam Chikatamarla Ackersteinstrasse 133, 8049 Zurich Switzerland
Germany:	Asha for Education Asha Munich c/o Manas Pandey Balanstr. 97a 81539 Munich Germany
If you are from any other countries, please contact us.

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• Who do I contact if I encounter problems making a donation?

Please email wah@ashanet.org for assistance.

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• Where can I get more information about WAH and Asha?

Please email wah@ashanet.org for more information.

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• I have made a donation. Can I do more?

Word of mouth publicity has been the primary reason for WAH to be successful year after year. Please do let your friends and family know about this wonderful effort. Here is more publicity information that you can make use of.

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• Will my employer Match my Donation? How does this work?

A lot of companies match donations made by their employees. A list of companies can be found here. If your employer is not on the list, please contact your HR department to find out if your company matches donations and let us know so that we can add your company's name to our list.

Here's how it works:

• When you make your donation, make an entry in the 'Matching' box.
• Obtain a matching donation form from your employer's HR dept.
• Fill it out and mail it to us at
  
  
  Asha for Education
  PO Box 424
  Dunn Loring, VA 22027-0424
  
  
• We will verify your donation, attach our non-profit organization certificate and send it back to your employer
• Your employer will send us a check (cheque) for the amount that is matched


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• I would like to help Asha on a more regular basis. What is the best way of doing this?

You can contact you local chapter of Asha if you would like to join Asha as a volunteer. You can find the contact details on this website.

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Questions relevant to European residents

Miscellaneous

• My questions were not answered by this FAQ. Who do I contact?

You can visit our Contact Us page if you have specific inquiries. For general inquiries please send an email to wah@ashanet.org

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