Work an Hour 2009

Thank you for your support

2009-09-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

We want to express our appreciation for your recent donation to Work An Hour (WAH) 2009. Your support means a lot to us, and we are sure the fifteen projects featured in WAH this year will benefit a great deal from your contribution. Your commitment to help educate the underprivileged children is greatly appreciated. Every dollar of your donation will be used in providing education to the poor and underprivileged children in India.

Did you know that your donation could be two times more effective with company matching funds? It is a policy in several companies, where the company matches their employees donation to registered non-profit organizations such as Asha for Education, effectively doubling your donation with no additional cost to you. If you have not yet requested company matching for your contribution, we request you to do so now. Please drop a mail to wah@ashanet.org with your name, Company name and the address the matching check is mailed to for all matching contributions.

Please contact wah@ashanet.org for more information.

Thank you for your generosity,

WAH 2009 team

Last day of the campaign... Can you spare an hour?

2009-09-15T10:36:00.001-07:00

Only 12 more Hours left... Help educate a child.

15 Projects
7000 Children

To learn more about WAH, check us out on YouTube

Greetings!

The clock is ticking down to 15th September, to the official end of Asha for Education's 2009 Work An Hour campaign.

But even as WAH 2009 comes to an end, it marks the beginning of hope to more than 7000 children. Hope of education, of a better future. Give them a lending hand, spare an hour of your time and join us in enusuring that they have a bright and hopeful future.

Work An Hour. Prepare. Educate. Empower.

$200,000 target.
$99,000 raised.

Mail your checks to
"Gators for Asha, 300-9 J Wayne Reitz Union, PO Box 118505, Gainesville, FL - 32611"

Time Flies... last 2 days to go!

2009-09-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

An hour is precious. Donate yours for something equally precious.

Greetings!

Work an Hour (WAH) 2009 is in its last two days of the campaign. Thanks to the support of generous donors, we have raised more than $72,000 so far. But we are still short of our target and need your help.

A worthy cause, a perfect time. Donate Now!

Support
15 Projects
300+ Teachers
7000+ Students

$200,000 Target. $73,000 Raised.

Work An Hour. Prepare. Educate. Empower.

Mail your checks to "Gators for Asha, 300-9 J Wayne Reitz Union, PO Box 1185051, Gainesville, FL - 32611"

Add color to the life of a child.

To learn more about WAH, check us out on YouTube

Forward email

Act now! only five days left for WAH 09!

2009-09-11T07:08:00.001-07:00

An hour of your time helps shape a better future.

Greetings!

Work an Hour (WAH) 2009 is in its last week of the campaign. Thanks to the support of generous donors, we have raised more than $66,000 so far. But we are still short of our target and need your help.

Your support is crucial in supporting 7000+ children shape a better future. Just an hour's worth of your salary guarantees them a year of education. Best of all, it takes a minute of your time to donate.

A worthy cause, a perfect time. Donate Now!

$200,000 Target. $66,000 Raised.

Work An Hour. Prepare. Educate. Empower.

Support
15 Projects
300+ Teachers
7000+ Students

To learn more about WAH, check us out on YouTube

Happy Teachers Day

2009-09-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ever looked at an old class photo taken with a favorite teacher and wondered where you would be without him/her? Ever wondered how desperately lost we would have been without their guidance? These men and women have dedicated their life to learning, paving the way and molding our existence. Our TEACHERS! They have transformed our lives through education and taught us the basics on which our success rests. Former president of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam had this to say in his 2003 Teachers Day speech - 'A student spends 25,000 hours in the campus. The school must have the best of teachers who have the ability to teach, love teaching and build moral qualities.' .

On September 5th, as we celebrate Teacher's Day - the birthday of India's second president Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, let us reflect on those who have influenced our lives. Create the same experience, that we cherished for long, for the less fortunate.

Asha for Education's Work an Hour campaign provides you with the opportunity to pay tribute to your teachers in a unique way. Support more than 300 teachers across 15 projects and change the lives of more than 7000 underprivileged school children.

Donate now, share a Teachers Day Gift, the gift of education!

15 Projects, 300+ Teachers and 7000+ Students.

PS: To learn more about WAH, check us out on YouTube

Education is the best hope!

2009-08-28T07:33:00.001-07:00

Education is the best hope.

Greetings!

In the quest for higher literacy rates and overall development, remote areas of the country are often neglected.

While India overall, has made considerable improvements in education with average literacy rates now above 60%, there are still some parts of the country where the literacy rate is as low as 10% and less than 1 in 5 people have had any exposure to education. These are usually areas with poor access to formal education, where the nearest school is often just too far to reach.

More than anything else, spreading knowledge and opportunities empowers communities. Especially in areas such as these, where the fruits of education are largely unknown, the impact of educating one person goes far beyond helping just one family, it can benefit the entire community.

Work An Hour 2009 showcases three such projects and we need your contribution to continue supporting their commendable work and help them expand.

15 Projects, 7000 Children...

Asha Darshan, Tamulpur, Assam

Located in the remote tribal areas near Indo-Bhutan border, a community that is beset by frequent insurgency activity and lack of adequate opportunities.
Supports 11 schools and 1300 students in various tribal villages.
Free education, study materials and mid-day meals for students.
Supports community through vocational training and support for self-help groups.

To learn more. Click Here.

Tribal Empowerment Project, Ukhrul, Manipur

Located in Leigangching, Ukhrul district of Manipur, a poverty-ridden area largely inhabited by tribal and dalit residents.
Started by Asha volunteers and a champion of tribal education T.H Joy.
The school caters to 500 students from grades K-7 serves tribes of all ethnicities of 13 villages providing quality education, mid-day meals and educational material.
Known for its high quality and the school's achievement in topping the number of students securing admission to the prestigious Navodaya school system in the district.
To learn more, click here.

Vasista Mithila Vidyalayam, Mangamaripeta, Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

Located in a rural hamlet near Mangamaripeta in Vishakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Community of fishermen and day traders with no fixed income.
No government schools in the area.
Classes til sixth standard supporting 150 students with plans to expand to higher classes.
School encourages parent involvement and community participation resulting in current high retention rates.
To learn more, click here.

Work An Hour is in the seventh week of campaign and you can help us reach the target and continue supporting these deserving projects.
$50,000 raised... $150,000 still to go...

Empowerment begins with Education.

2009-08-20T10:34:00.001-07:00

Learn about WAH. Check out the WAH 09 video.

Empowerment begins with Education.

Greetings!

Education is the key to reverse oppression of marginalized groups. Education is a great source of hope and strength. Especially in deprived communities and sections, it can help bring lasting change from within. However, many belong to the first generation of learners. Introducing them to school is just a small hurdle; keeping them there presents unique and daunting challenges.

Work An Hour 2009 showcases four projects that support first-generation learners among different communities and we need your support!

Goal: $200,000. Raised so far: $45,000.

Aasra Sewa Sansthan, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Social worker Ajay Patel decided to start Aasra, for the marginalized communities like the Musahars, when once near Varanasi he saw a Musahar family eat the leftovers from the stret. Empowerment through education has been the Aasra Sewa Sansthan's priority, helping the communities avail their basic rights such as food, land and employment. Children from these communities are prepared to join the mainstream. Aasra supports two non formal education centers, a sewing school, and provides teachers to government schools in the locality. With all these activities it touches the lives of nearly 250 students.

Chennai Balwadi Improvement Project, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

To support the growth and development of pre-school children in underprivileged areas, the Central Government of India supports pre-primary education centers, popularly called "Balwadis". But the lack of proper infrastructure and effective teaching tools, plagued the efficacy of the Balwadis in the urban slums of Chennai. So Asha volunteers started this project in 2000, to improve the quality of Blwadis. Currently, Asha Chennai supports 6 Balwadis around the city, and provides for facilities like electricity, gas, educational aids and salaries and training for teachers.

Sarada Kalyan Bhandar, Medinipur, West Bengal

Twenty years ago, a group of women gave birth to a quiet revolution when they started an after-hours school program to motivate and educate meritorious children in Medinipur, about 150 kilometres from Kolkata. The program has grown to include about 550 children; Sarada Kalyan Bhandar has also expanded its scope of empowerment to reach other marginalized sections of society with women empowerment programs, focusing on awareness of rights and higher education.

Children Project Trust, Kodagu (Coorg) District, Karnataka

In 2003, an American couple living in Puttaparthy, Andhra Pradesh, were deeply affected by the plight of the street children. Keen to make a difference, Michael Galligan and Aleli Brown began placing these children in various private schools. However, upon realizing that a normal school environment couldn't provide the special care and patience required by these exploited children, the determined couple set up a fully residential educational institution. Thus began the Children's Project Trust; after moving to their new facility near Coorg in 2007, the CPT now houses 45 students. The specially designed holistic curriculum and teaching methods are designed to enable these children to become self-sufficient and independent.

These projects aim to make more individuals capable of exercising their choice over their own lives and livelihoods. Help us help them, making bringers of change possible where there were just victims before.

Projects: 15. Students: 7000.

Asha for Education : Work an Hour 2009

2009-08-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

*************************************************

Asha for Education

presents

** Work an Hour 2009 **

An online event to

help educate underprivileged children in India

http://www.workanhour.org

*************************************************

Each year, people from around the world come together in a demonstration of great human spirit, to help educate underprivileged children in India. Work An Hour, or WAH, as it is popularly known, is a summer-long, global, online fundraising campaign based on a simple concept. Participants

are asked to symbolically Work an Hour towards the cause of children's education by donating an hour's worth or more of their salary.

In 2008, WAH raised over $150,000 with a donor base of over 1,250 participants. Work an Hour 2009 aims to raise $200,000 by September 15th, 2009 to help provide for and improve the quality

of education in Asha supported schools. The funds raised will be used to support 15 projects spread across India. Details about all the projects are available on the website: http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/2009/projects-main.html

You can be a part of this event by donating one hour of your time to help educate the underprivileged in India. You can do this symbolically by donating one hour's equivalent of your

salary or any other amount that you may choose, to Asha for Education. You can make your donations online using a credit card (Visa/MC) or by sending a check. If your company matches donations, please include the matching donation form to double your donation.

https://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/2009/donate/us.php

Please join us in this effort to educate the children of India. Forward this note to your family, friends, and colleagues and others who may be interested in making a contribution

and thereby making a difference.

Asha for Education is a federally tax-exempt organization. All contributions to it are tax-deductible. The organization is dedicated to socio-economic change in India through basic

education in the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic change. In keeping with this focus, volunteers get involved with and support projects that have an education-related

component to them. Asha for Education is lauded for being a completely volunteer-driven, very low-overhead organization. 100% of your donations made towards the projects go directly to those projects.

Sincerely,

Asha for Education and the WAH 2009 Team

http://www.workanhour.org

--
Prepare. Educate. Empower.
http://www.workanhour.org

Indian Independence Day - A Tryst with Destiny

2009-08-14T07:33:00.001-07:00

Happy Independence Day!

It was an emotional moment for all Indians when Pandit Nehru heralded the birth of a new nation with these words:

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity".

Check us out on Facebook
Check us out on Orkut
Follow us on Twitter

This year we celebrate India's 63rd Independence Day, and the significant accomplishments of the young nation - a vibrant democracy, cutting-edge science and technology, a growing economy and a free press. At the same time we are reminded that the Tryst with Destiny and true freedom as envisaged by the founding fathers still remain out of reach for many of our children. Millions of bright-eyed children start school with high hopes but end up as drop-outs, due largely to an uninspiring and dysfunctional education system, and, in several cases, the need to work to help make ends meet for their families.

We, the volunteers of Asha for Education, have been working since 1991 with the belief and hope that providing quality education for everyone, irrespective of their social and economic status, is essential for creating equal opportunities for all. This is reinforced by several studies such as the Pew Economic Mobility Project, whose conclusions, though in the context of the US and post-secondary education, can equally well apply to India and to education of any level. We invite you to join us on this mission today through the Work An Hour initiative which seeks to directly address these core issues.

WAH, as it is popularly known, has been running annually since 1998, and has made a difference to tens of thousands of marginalized children. WAH presents you a unique opportunity where your income from an hour or more of work can help 'Prepare' them for the challenges of the adult world by 'Educating' them in a quality environment and 'Empowering' them to take control of their Destiny. The volunteer-driven structure of Asha ensures that 100% of the donations made towards the projects reach the projects.

The 15 projects that are part of WAH 2009 are a reflection of the diversity of India. They focus on innovative ways of strengthening the school systems through better infrastructure, teaching methods, adequate supplies of teaching material and well-trained teachers - all of which are critical prerequisites for ensuring that the enrolled children stay on in school, enjoy the learning experience and get a meaningful education.

These are things that we take for granted and insist on for our own children. Shouldn't they be the Right of every child? So, Go Ahead.

Work An Hour.
Change a Life, Build A Nation!

15 Projects.
7000 Children.

Goal: $200,000.
Raised so far: $35,000.

What's special about WAH this year?

2009-08-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

This year marks the passage of a historic legislation in the Parliament of India – the Right to Education Bill. Seven years after education was made a fundamental right with the 86th Amendment to the Indian Constitution, the politicians found the will to finally pass a legislation that makes this right enforceable and justiciable. While the Bill, in its final form, leaves much to be desired, and in several instances, threatens to undo the good work done by thousands of NGOs in the field of education, we still believe that it is a step in the right direction.

At the same time, it makes it all the more urgent that organizations like Asha, with your continued support, help the existing schools that we support continue to function well, so that they can continue to serve the populations that they have been working with, with a Government licence. For this to happen, like in the past years, we need your support to make this year’s Work An Hour a big success. Please take a moment to read about the wonderful work that the partners who are selected for funding this year are doing and contribute towards supporting their efforts. Many of your companies match the contributions that you make, so we urge you to send us that information as well.

These are exciting times. Unlike last year, we have the Right to Education as a fundamental right now. Combined with the Right to Information, this provides civil society with a powerful tool to ensure that the Government does provide free and quality education to all. Whenever we encounter shortfalls or corrupt practices in the implementation, we can use RTI to ask for details about the budget and other implementation specifics and hold the Government accountable. In addition to your generous support towards this year’s Work An Hour campaign, we hope that you will continue to work with us and be our eyes and ears to ensuring that we get the provisions of the Bill implemented in the best way possible.

We are also in the process of detailing out our objections to the Bill as passed, and suggestions for improvement. Once we have that information on our website, we do hope that we will receive your support in making this heard far and wide.

Thank you and hope that you will help us make this year’s WAH campaign a great success!

-Anand
Asha Silicon Valley

Lets support the Right to Education...

2009-08-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Learn about WAH & Check out the WAH 2009 video.

Greetings!

With WAH 2009 in its third week, we urge you to spread the word about Asha's work to as many of your friends as you can.

Yesterday, the Indian parliament took the historic step of passing into law the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill (2008). Free and compulsory education is finally a fundamental right for children between 6 and 14 years of age, a right that many of us were fortunate to be able to take for granted. It will take a number of years to fully implement the Bill. In the meantime, with an estimated 70 million children out of school, of whom about 10 million are bonded labor, India has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of child laborers in the world.

By supporting Asha, you can make a difference! Every contribution counts, so Please donate...

Below are 2 of our projects which seek to empower the most marginalized communities in India. They serve remote areas and communities working in bondage or in hazardous jobs, where exploitation is rife and literacy rates abysmally low. To be effective catalysts for socio-economic change, these projects have to go much beyond basic education for children. They have to reach out to the communities they serve to unite them, raise awareness and promote alternative livelihoods. Legal/ human rights education, adult literacy programs, health education, vocational training and income-generation schemes are just some of the ways these projects tackle their challenges:

Kamlahan-Khadarawan, Sant Ravidas Nagar District, Uttar Pradesh

A school of 50 students with some far-reaching goals - to eradicate bonded labor from 11 villages in Uttar Pradesh, to fund 11 schools for the children of the villages, and to gradually change local perceptions of debt bondage through legal literacy programs, employment generation activities, and uniting the local community. Besides its strong emphasis on community empowerment, Kamlahan-Khadarawan prepares its students for the official examinations at Grade 5, so that they can enter state schools and escape the cycle of bondage. To learn more click here.

Mallarpur Uthnau, Birbhum District, West Bengal

Mallarpur Uthnau was established in 1996 as an NGO dedicated to the upliftment of the Santhali people. Recruited to work in local stone quarries, the Santhals face exposure to hazardous chemicals, receive below minimum wages, and lack access to healthcare. Mallarpur Uthnau runs pre-primary schools, non-formal education centers and vocational training centers for the Santhals to help with basic literacy (an abysmal 10% in the community), provide alternative livelihoods, and improve healthcare and awareness. It currently runs 6 schools for 200 students.To learn more click here.

To date, WAH has raised $20,000 out of a target of $200,000 for projects such as these, thanks to donors like you. We would like all of India's children to be able to partake in the opportunities blossoming around them. Help us help them, one project at a time.

15 Projects. 7000 children.
Goal: $200,000. Raised so far: $20,000.

Prepare. Educate. Empower. Work an Hour.

******************************************************************************************
Want to know more about WAH 2009?
Watch this video on YouTube
Check us out on Facebook
Check us out on Orkut
Follow us on Twitter
******************************************************************************************

Work An Hour 2009 Video

2009-07-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Give them the gift of Education!

2009-07-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Teachers play a major role in shaping the lives of children, therefore, having well qualified and responsible teachers is an important aspect of quality education, the theme for WAH 2009. Below are three of the projects showcased in WAH 2009, which focus on employing committed and well trained teachers, as a means of maintaining the quality of education.

Project Build - Pasumai Trust, Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu

In Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, are located brick kilns, where hundreds of families work during the months of January through June each year and then travel back to their villages to work in agricultural fields during monsoon seasons. Such migration pattern challenges continuity of education for the children of brick kiln workers. Due to poverty and absence of schools, children are often forced to work in the brick kilns. Project Build realizes the fact that education is imperative in eliminating child labor. The project not only has centers to provide informal education to the kids of brick kiln workers, but is also working with government schools to enroll these kids in two different schools, one near the brick kilns and one in their native village. For this, the project plans to hire 4 new teachers at various government schools. To learn more click here.

Shikshana Gangotri, Kolar, Karnataka

Every morning, somewhere in Kolar District in rural Karnataka, a mother wakes up and gets her seven year-old daughter ready for her school. She knows that the education imparted in the school with trained teachers, gives hope that her daughter can someday grow up to live a life of comfort and respect. Another mother, with a 4 year old son drops him off at the "anganwadi", and goes to work, earnings from which are critical for the family's existence. At the end of a labor intensive day, she heads to the Adult Literacy Program Center to make herself literate and understand the health programs available there to live a better life. Shikshana Gangotri supports 33 such schools, 25 "anganwadis" and numerous Adult Literacy Centers, providing much needed help and hope for the families of 3000+ students in various aspects. To learn more click here.

Gramin Siksha Kendra, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan

For most Indian parents, choosing a school is one of the two choices i) a government school that does not work or ii) a private school that is not affordable. By establishing model schools (Uday Pathshala) in Sawai Madhopur district, close to the Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary, Gramin Shiksha Kendra supports the alternative model of community owned schools. A community that feels ownership of a school will be concerned about the quality of education imparted and eventually demand the same from the existing government school system. Extra-curricular activities and activities performed in small groups are encouraged from primary school level and help in providing a comprehensive approach to child development and learning in these Uday Pathshalas. To learn more click here.

Being located in the rural and poverty-stricken regions of India, all of the above projects face a common challenge of keeping up the enrollment and the retention rates of students. The teachers and the staff members at the above projects play an active role in motivating the residents to send their kids to school. The hour you donate today will pay for the salaries and training of such dedicated group of teachers. The WAH 2009 campaign is in its 3'rd week and so far, has been able to collect $13,861 from generous donors like you. Make a contribution to WAH and help these projects continue the excellent service they are providing.

15 Projects. 7000 children.
Goal: $200,000. Raised so far: $14,000.

Prepare. Educate. Empower. Work an Hour.

************************************************************************************************************************
Want to know more about WAH 2009?
Watch this video on YouTube
Check us out on Facebook
Check us out on Orkut
Follow us on Twitter
*************************************************************************************************************************

Work An Hour 2009 - Update from First Week

2009-07-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Work An Hour 2009
Week One Updates

Welcome to the first update on Work An Hour (WAH) 2009.

Where we are...
Time flies! A week has passed by since the campaign started. Till date, WAH has raised more than $10,000 and it's all because of donors like you. It's a solid start but there is a lot more to do and we need your support all the way.

Know us more...
For the last 12 years, WAH has been successful in raising funds for variety of projects, spread all over India, with a single purpose - to share the gift of education with under-privileged children. WAH 2009 is no different and over the next few weeks we will give an overview of 15 unique projects that stand to benefit from this campaign. This week, we will showcase 3 such projects:

Arogya Seva, Thane, Maharashtra - Arogya Seva has long term goals of making the lives of tribal communities self sufficient and connecting them to the main stream world. Started in 2006, the project has been successful in providing education to children of all ages. In addition, it has played a major role in the overall development of the community by setting up solar lamps, organizing free health camps and providing free guidance in agriculture. True to it's name, Arogya Seva works to promote healthy mind in a healthy body. Proceeds from WAH 2009 will be spent on mid-day meal programs supporting 130 kids for one full year. Also, through WAH 2009, hostel at Mokhada will be renovated (accommodating 30 students) thereby helping students continue their high school education. To learn more click here.

Ashraya, Kollam, Kerala - Ashraya works at providing Formal and Special Education to mentally and physically challenged girl children from distressed socio-economic backgrounds. Started in 2000, the project works for the overall development of the children. Apart from the formal education, students are also encouraged to explore their creativity with activities such as dance, music, yoga, painting. For the students, Ashraya is not just a school but a home. Proceeds from WAH 2009 will be used to build a physiotherapy unit to ease the mobility of physically challenged children, helping them in their efforts in education. To learn more click here.

Olcott Memorial, Besant Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu - Olcott Memorial School was founded in 1894 with a vision of bringing about social change through the education of the underprivileged. The school has a long and rich heritage and was also showcased on CNN's "Impact Your World". It provides quality education to numerous students most of whom come from families with average income way below the national average. Education is free along with food and basic healthcare. Proceeds from WAH 2009 will be used towards improving drinking water supply, electricity supply, toiletries etc, creating a better environment for education. To learn more click here.

An hour's worth of your support will go a long way in empowering these communities. Please join us in our movement.
Thank you!

Prepare. Educate. Empower. Work an Hour.

*************************************************************************************************
Want to know more about WAH 2009?
Watch this video on YouTube
Check us out on Facebook
Check us out on Orkut
Follow us on Twitter
*************************************************************************************************

Contact Information: E-mail: wah@ashanet.org | Website: www.workanhour.org
Mail Checks to : 'Asha for Education', Gators for Asha, 300-9, J Wayne Reitz Union, PO Box 118505, Gainesville, FL 32611-8505.
Please include 'WAH 2009 donation' on the memo
If you cannot see this click here : http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001VGk0DbmM9rfFas5sCSrHYl53tJjF9Hvhtg6rO80CJJrO_WRmlbnZnnijeHU2F5nz0Z-ty5mQg4_lThGDkgf7BZFTNuGxcEqi5TE4ybbLQ5o%3D

Asha for Education Accounces - Work An Hour 2009

2009-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Asha for Education Announces

Work An Hour 2009

Welcome to Work An Hour (WAH) 2009.

A year has passed since WAH 2008 and it is that time of the year when we encourage our donors to contribute an hour of their time's worth to Asha. WAH was recently featured on CNN's "Impact Your World"; see for yourself how your donations go a long way with Asha. In the past, your generosity has transformed the lives of thousands of children. This year over 7000 children from 15 different projects will benefit from your efforts and we hope for your active support.

Last year we witnessed India's continuous march towards development. In order to reap the full benefits of the country's progress, it is imperative to include every section of the society. Aristotle once said, "All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of nations depends on the education of youth". India can realize it's true potential and fulfill the dreams of millions; it starts with educating every child, one child at a time.

We want to catalyze socio-economic change in India through education of underprivileged children. We, at Asha for Education, are committed to ensure that 100% of your donations serves the purpose. Please join us in our efforts!

Prepare. Educate. Empower. Work an Hour.

One hour can aid India's poor

2009-06-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

CNN's Liz Neisloss reports on a school that's trying to help disadvantaged children in India with Asha For Education

Sharing in the Economic Boom

2008-08-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

India is indeed booming. A very visible effect of this is the unprecedented amount of construction going on in the cities – office buildings, shopping complexes, residential complexes, schools, colleges, hotels, restaurants. People are pouring in from rural areas to work at construction sites and take up the thousands of other unskilled jobs that have opened up in the cities. As a friend of mine teaching in a small village observed, every family in that area was connected to the economy of Bangalore city four hours away, often with members migrating there for work.

The conditions the migrants live in when they migrate for work is abysmal. They live in very temporary shelters, typically creating a slum area next to the construction site. The area has no access to schools and if children accompany their parents to the city they often go with their parents to the work-site and play there, among the sharp stones and dust. Sometimes there might be access to a nearby government school, but admission to the school requires a transfer certificate (T.C.) which the parents might not have obtained from the school in the village they had left behind, either because they did not know or because of other reasons. If the child does get admitted the child is put in the age appropriate class. This could be the middle of the school year with the child having lost weeks or months of school already. And the village schools with their various challenges would not really have ensured that the children know what they are expected to know at this class. With students pouring in to city government schools from various villages the city government school has a real challenge teaching classes with students at multiple stages of learning and where the teacher student ratio is 1:40 or 1:50. What would be necessary would really be 10 different classes within the large class, a luxury not possible at the government school.

What is odd with this picture? Almost everything. The striking fact is that the poor, while contributing to the construction boom with their labor, do not appear to be benefiting from the boom. They get wages which are not a living wage. The wages might be a bit more than what they can get in their villages, but it does not provide for anything other than the very basic essentials; it does not even provide for decent shelter, let alone children’s education. That is the other striking fact about all this – neither the construction companies nor the government have done anything to ensure the wages the laborers get is a living wage. The wages are not enough to ensure that their children will have the same opportunities that the children of the users of the new buildings, the office-goers, the shoppers, and the apartment dwellers, will have. The construction companies benefit from the fact that the supply of unskilled labor is large, keeping wages down. The government lawmakers have not made laws to ensure fair wages, just saying that the economic boom will trickle down. Trickle down when? After the current generation of laborers’ children become laborers when they grow up? A living wage today, to take advantage of the economic boom, should include access to quality education for children, enabling them to participate in the new economy. Only then does the portrayed economic growth take one step towards benefiting all. Neither the market nor the government is taking steps towards this, and till they do so, it is up to non-governmental organizations to do what they can.

As education becomes a top-down policy focus, Asha also addresses the problem from the bottom up at the grassroots level.

2008-08-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

A January 17, 2008 New York Times article (link below) largely discusses and criticizes the Indian government's response to the growing gap in education between the have's and the have-not's but the author also notes that attitudes towards education are shifting, as the country shifts from an agrarian-based to industrial and skilled-labor based economy. “'Education is a long-term investment,' said Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and the government’s top policy czar."

This fundamental change in perception is important to Asha's success as a catalyst for socioeconomic progress. For example:

-More children are in school in India than ever before
-The demand for labor to create "new roads, phones and televisions," the desires of an industrializing economy, further fuels a new expectation of schools to achieve these goals
-There is evidence to support the contention that the children of a literate woman will perform better at school
-College-educated individuals receive better pay raises than illiterate individuals
-Public spending on education is about 4% of GDP
-Educational spending includes free lunches

The irony is that as India develops so quickly and offers new opportunities to the growing middle and upper classes, the poor are at an even greater risk of being left behind. They cannot afford to forgo a day's worth of labor or income in order to send their children to school even if, in the long run, an education will help them to earn a better living. This is why the changing economy coupled with a changed attitude towards education is so important--it facilitates a need for new initiatives. India doesn't just want an educated citizenry, she needs an educated citizenry for the welfare of the nation.

And while the government is taking various steps using a top-down approach, Asha addresses the problem from a different angle--grassroots efforts. By supporting local schools and programs that cater to the underprivileged and uneducated, Asha offers a real chance for India's children to partake of the country's new opportunities and increasing national wealth by addressing the issue from the bottom up. Helping to empower children, as well as their local communities also works to ensure that the next generation of youths also seek out education.

India is quite a young country. But with national attitudes on education changing, along with grassroots efforts to make a visible, lasting impact on the education of the underprivileged, all levels of India's society can share in her wealth.

-----
New York Times Article:

Education Push Yields Little for India’s Poor

By SOMINI SENGUPTA

Published: January 17, 2008

India’s schools have sunk to spectacularly low levels.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/world/asia/17india.html?ex=1372996800&en=099510f12b81751f&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Rural India - A journey of discovery

2008-08-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to visit several projects in rural Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala during 2002-2005. My upbringing was typical urban middle class and exposure to rural India prior to that was mostly either theoretical or through the eyes of others (through books, newspaper articles and reports of visits by other volunteers). I used to visit my grand parents' places (which could be classified as semi-rural) as a kid, but over the years those had tapered down and the recollections were not as vivid anymore. So this was a period of discovery for me.

The first thing that struck me during visits to villages were the sheer number of men who were sitting around in groups in the middle of the day - presumably doing nothing. Casual observer could be excused if they assumed that these men were just idling away their time, but if you scratched the surface, you came to know what lay at the heart of this phenomenon. Most of these men were unskilled, agricultural laborers. and the strong seasonal nature of agricultural work meant that they went through long stretches of time without work.

It was not as if the land owners were doing a whole lot better. Over the years, agriculture itself had become more and more unremunerative..The costs of inputs in terms of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides had soared while the price that small and marginal farmers could command for their produce failed to keep pace. The shrinking forest cover, depletion of ground water resources and village tanks, erratic or inadequate irrigation facilities didnt help matters. Some tried alternate avenues like converting their fields to shrimp farms, which promised much to begin with, but left the land fallow and useless once infections started taking a toll on the shrimp. Many were either selling off lands they own or finding themselves unable to provide employment to others. The more desperate among them (and there were many) took the drastic steps of taking their lives.

The influx of manufactured goods from the towns and cities was steadily eroding the demand for locally produced goods and crafts, and with that, dried up the livelihood opportunities that were previously available in those areas.

For all the idle men folk who stayed behind in the villages, there were many more who had migrated to nearby towns and cities where they joined the swelling ranks of construction workers for the building boom that urban India was going through. Sometimes, the women and children also joined them in this migration. For the children, especially, getting uprooted from their homes, and going to an alien place represents a tremendous change which many struggle to cope with. How many of them will have a chance to go to school in the new locales, and how well their learning will their be? How do all the children who are left behind in the villages in the care of their grand parents, as their parents migrated to cities in search of work, cope?

Visiting the schools, another thing that struck me was the sheer difference in physiques between the kids there, and middle class kids in the cities. Most children in class X seemed closer in physique to class VII middle class urban kids. The malnutrition that these kids (and their parents too, for that matter) are subject to is staggering. It has a direct effect on how well they do in their studies. Speaking to them, their marked lack of self-esteem also came through. The crippling poverty on the one hand, and an education system which fails to recognize and value any of the unique aspects of their rural upbringing, contributes to this.

Under the circumstances, schemes like the Mid Day Meal program are an absolute must in ensuring students have a reason to come to school, and also in ensuring that they get at least one meal a day. The effectiveness of this program hasnt been great in many places, unfortunately.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee program, which has been implemented in many districts of the country now, also ensures that the devastating crisis that our rural areas are going through is, atleast, contained to some extent. It guarantees 100 days of manual "unskilled" work to a rural family (the word "unskilled" is an insult in some sense to the dignity of labor. The work is backbreaking and tough enough that most of the educated folks like myself would either run away from after a few days or will not be able to do half as well ad these people).

The Panchayati Raj act, which devolved more financial and implementation power to the grassroots, is another initiative that holds out much promise, though the implementation again falls short often times.

Amidst much despondency, the innocence the children still retained, in the face of such odds, was the silver lining during these visits. When asked, many still talk about their dreams of doing better in life and becoming teachers, doctors or engineers. A democracy is supposed to provide equality of opportunity to each of its citizens to realize their dreams. But many of them get to the starting line of life's race at a severe disadvantage compared to the others, and in the blink of an eye, life passes them by.

Efforts by organizations such as Asha makes sure that atleast some of these kids get their due in life. This recognition is what keeps me going as a volunteer.

United and democratic after 61 years! How?

2008-08-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

No one gave us a chance. No one thought we will preserve democracy all these 61 years, barring a 2-year aberration during the emergency years. Statistically, India's democracy is a major outlier. Given its low levels of income and literacy, and its high levels of social conflict, India was "predicted as [a] dictatorship during the entire period" of a study conducted recently on analyzing the relationship between democracy and development in 135 countries. Statistically countries go through dictatorship and authoritarian regimes through their poverty eras, before becoming democratic, and it was found that "the odds against democracy in India were extremely high". The forces that divide India are many, caste, religion, language, class, to name a few -- with gender a uniform discriminative axis across each divisive force. Enough has been written about these divisive elements. What are the forces that keep India together? What are these elements that have helped us transcend or contain the cleaving forces of caste and culture?

In the general elections of 2004, 400 million voters exercised their right. Back in 1952, in the first general elections 46% of India turned out to vote in what was world-wide termed as the "biggest gamble in history". Over the years this has increased and since the late 1960s, three in five eligible Indians have voted come election day. The corresponding percentages in local assembly elections have been even higher. India is probably the only democracy where the voter turn out of the marginalized classes are higher than that of the privileged groups. So, is the right to choose, freely and fairly, a uniting factor for all Indians? You only have to take a gentle look behind this process, and the picture is less than rosy. Most political parties are family firms. Most politicians are corrupt, and many come from a criminal background. Many institutions central to the functioning of a democracy, including a justiciable code of laws and their fair enforcement, have declined precipitously since their days of inception. The percentage of truly independent minded civil-servants has declined, as has the percentage of completely fair-minded judges.

Typically most nationalist movements (in the western world and otherwise) have been glued by a common language or a common religion. By contrast, the Indian nation does not privilege a single language or faith. There are sufficient examples to see the success of minorities in India through the system. It may not be far fetched to say that the unity of the Indian nation and pluralism of language and religion are inseparable. Yet, once again, the contradictions are not hard to see. From the original Jan Sangh slogans of "Hindi, Hindu, Hindustani", to Delhi in 1984, to Godhra and Gujarat of 2002, the minorities have suffered grievous loss of life and property. And in further keeping with the contradictions, for the most part, the minorities appear to retain faith in the democratic and secular ideals of the Indian constitution.

Was the fact that English survived as a language in India a uniting factor? It is easily arguable that large parts of India dont speak or understand English. Yet, it was English that was chosen as the language of governance at various levels, and is easily the language of the pan-Indian elite. The percentage of folks bound by English is not trivial, and as the historian Sarvepalli Gopal writes, "the knowledge of English is the passport for employment at higher levels in all fields". Javed Akhtar, a noted Hindi and Urdu poet once remarked with great insight -- "Apart from all the geographical states, there is one more state in this country, and that is Hindi cinema". Bollywood has undoubtedly been an enormous contributer to the national unity as well.

The question then to ask is, is India a proper or a sham democracy? Can electoral rights, pluralism of language and religion, a foreign language (English), and Bollywood keep India together? Building democracy in a poor society was always going to be hard. Nurturing and rearing secularism in a just-divided country was even harder. And in these 61 years we have come a long way in fulfilling these dreams. There are many holes that need to be plugged. Holes so large, that they threaten to flood the boat. And yet, India stands afloat today, mostly proud.

Today, outside of the political and economic sphere of India, there are many discussing the true meaning of individual freedoms. Many who are pointing out the chinks in our armour. For a liberal democracy, India treats individual freedoms of its citizens with great disdain. But a new generation of young India is discussing this. In small groups, in small pockets, and making little changes.

For those who wish to see it, the pattern is obvious. A hundred years ago, the idea of political freedom in India was a matter of debate in the parlors of the educated elite. In small groups, in small pockets, and making little changes.

Happy 61!

WAH '07 Updates

2008-07-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

WAH '07 was centered around Child labor. Eleven projects were showcased & over $140,000.00 were raised during the campaign. A list of the projects can be found in the link below.

http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/2007/projects.php

Where are they now?...

The intention of this post is to collate updates from all the eleven projects as they become available during the course of WAH '08.

Statistics and Rural India

2008-07-24T16:42:00.001-07:00

Statistics are to be interpreted with the right eyes to make some meaningful sense. We earlier saw the story of two India's -- the India shining and the tottering India; the India of credit cards and the India of farmer suicides; the thriving business India and the collapsing agrarian India. To really understand the problems of India from a statistical viewpoint, particularly of rural India, one needs to look beyond narrow definitions, and look at holistic pictures.

Human Development is measured by the eponymous index Human Development Index (HDI) and is annually reported by UNDP's Human Development Report. HDI goes beyond GDP and calculates human development as a measure of three chief charactersitics (the last of which is the GDP per capita).

living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy),
being educated (measured by adult literacy and enrollment at the primary, secondary and tertiary level), and
having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income).

According to the UNDP website,

The index is not in any sense a comprehensive measure of human development. It does not, for example, include important indicators such as gender or income inequality and more difficult to measure indicators like respect for human rights and political freedoms. What it does provide is a broadened prism for viewing human progress and the complex relationship between income and well-being.

Under this (slightly more) comprehensive measurement (than just GDP), where does India rank?

India ranks 128 (out of 177) countries in overall HDI, just below Morocco and Equatorial Guinea. Sierra Leone is bottom at 177.
Life expectancy at birth: India ranks 125, just below Pakistan and Comoros.
Adult literacy rate (ages 15+): India ranks 114, just below Rwanda and Malawi.
Combined primary/secondary/tertiary education enrollment: India ranks 122, just below Namibia and Vietnam.
GDP per capita (PPP US$): India ranks 114, just below Syria and Nicaragua.

In all these categories, India seems to be ranked well below sub-Saharan Africa. (This is not to generalize a stereotype of sub-Saharan Africa. India deserves to be ranked at what she has been. And, many sub-Saharan African countries have really been improving over the years. However, due to governmental policies, and gains for the elite of powerful countries, India, in all forms of press, is portrayed as an emerging super-power, whereas, the other countries ranked around us are treated with much disdain on their development curves in the same media.) The much talked about 9% growth rate of GDP is just that, a growth rate, indicating the growth of the elite in India. By absolute numbers per capita, even by GDP count India ranks in the bottom third of all countries in the world, even below war ravaged Nicaragua. None of these countries that are around our rank are "potential super powers", or "software power houses", or "next-gen nuclear power". So who in India is benefited by this 9% growth?

India is 4th in the list of most US$ billionaires in the country (behind US, Germany, Russia).
50 countries on either side (together) of us on the HDI rating put together have lesser US$ billionaires than us.
According to Times of India, in a period of 3 months between July and Oct in 2007, the collective wealth of the top 10 billionaires of India increased by 27% -- which translates to collectively Rs.2 crores per minute.

Now, think about rural india and the farmer. The farmer has not had a Rs 20 increase in wage in that whole period, forget about per minute.

That portrays a rather grim and bleak picture of rural India. Where then is the hope? At this crucial juncture in our political history when every elected people's representative is wondering about what will happen to the Indo-US Nuclear deal, Asha for Education and Work an Hour 2008 have chosen to run a campaign focusing on rural India and are showcasing 15 such hopes. These projects are all over India, and each in their own way are addressing the problems leading to the appalling statistics we just recounted. Do read about them, donate, and discuss means and methods to mitigate these problems here on this post and in the comments section.

P.Sainath said it right after this March's Union Budget:

"As Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel laureate, said, 'Faster growth rate is essential for faster reduction in poverty. There is no other trick to it'." So said P. Chidambaram in his budget speech. Drawing on his words must have seemed a politically correct thing to do. Mr. Chidambaram might want to add another quote to his cupboard. This one from the late Edward Abbey, environmental activist and writer. "Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell."

Few things grow as relentlessly as a cancer cell. Its up to us to demand for change; to demand for justice, equality and fraternity, promised by the preamble of the constitution; and to demand that we stop marginalizing our rural brethren and to stop making self-indulgent and thoroughly meaningless attempts grown out of a guilty conscience to ameliorate the lot of the under-privileged, and instead build an egalitarian future where dignity of the individual is honored above his/her net economic worth.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed." -- MLK.

References:
[1] UNDP's HDR report on Human Development Index, India Fact Sheet. http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_IND.html
[2] Sainath's article in India Together after P.Chidambaram's Union Budget of March 2008. "Growth Idealogy of the Cancer Cell". http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/mar/psa-cancer.htm
[3] Sainath's article based on the HDI fact sheet for India. "India 2007: High growth, low development". http://www.indiatogether.org/2007/dec/psa-i2007.htm
[4] UNDP's Human Development Report's Statistics page. http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/

Sustainability

2008-07-20T11:07:00.001-07:00

When we start getting involved in organizations like Asha, an early question we have is, “Will we have to support this project forever? How can we help more and more children in India if we have to keep supporting this project forever?” This brings us to the question of sustainability, and what we can do to help the project generate their own financial resources – perhaps by developing a handicraft business, by also admitting wealthier students who can pay a fee, by helping them get corpus funds grants from other organizations, and so on.

Financial sustainability is important, but there are many other aspects to sustainability as well. One key aspect is the people. NGOs in rural areas are often run by middle class people from urban areas who sometimes have given up lucrative careers to focus on the development of the community in remote rural areas. The efforts of these people are highly laudable, but the question does arise – what after them? What should be done for a school or educational effort to run after the time of the people who have temporarily moved to the area? SVYM says, “Our goal is to leave the area entirely in the long run, and have the tribals themselves run everything – run the hospitals and the schools and become doctors and nurses and teachers themselves so that they can work at these institutions. Finally SVYM has to be completely run by the tribals themselves.” This is an insight that few NGOs have. Often NGOs do not even have a second line of leadership and they tragically fold after the initiators no longer work in the area. The goal should go beyond having a second line of leadership; it should also focus on building into the community a capacity to run the school on their own.

It is with this philosophy that SVYM created a teacher training institute in the area, got recognition for it for the government of Karnataka, and are working towards ensuring a substantial number of tribal students get trained. Their initial efforts had been focused on getting the tribal youth interested in education careers to Mysore and Bangalore to get training there and then come back to the area. As the number of tribal youth with the interest and eagerness to become educationists themselves grew, they came up with the teacher training institute in the area with a focus on training tribal youth to be teachers (this also meant that the tribals need not go to the nearest big city if they did not want to, which had led to some other challenges). Eventually these youth will be able to take over teaching positions at the Viveka Tribal Center for Learning (the school run by SVYM), and at government schools in the area. Having tribal youth teach tribal children will have an impact at multiple levels – the tribal children will have a role model from their own community, tribal teachers would understand much better the challenges faced by tribal children, tribal teachers will be able to teach very young children in the tribal language or dialect (this has been a problem with non-tribal teachers in government schools – since they do not know the tribal language they have trouble communicating with tribal children in elementary school, contributing to a faulty foundation laid for learning in later years), and the social distance perceived by tribal children between themselves and the teacher becomes non-existent. Best of all, these youth represent a significant step towards the tribals taking control of their own education, a step towards a school by the community for the community. This is true sustainability, and is essential for a permanent impact on education in the area. This is critical for sustained change in rural areas in the long run - they should not have to depend on people from urban areas coming in to bring about change.

Agrarian Crisis of India Shining!

2008-07-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

India is rapidly developing.
Services sector is booming.
Our GDP is increasing at 9%.
We are cutting nuclear deals with USA.
Our youth have the credit to buy German and Japanese cars and motorcycles.

Our farmers do not have the credit to buy seeds.
We are cutting deals with Monsanto and undercutting our farmers.
Over 60% of our economy is reliant on agriculture.
Agriculture sector is in a serious crisis.
India is ready for a massive collapse.

That is the story of two different Indias. If you really think about it, everything about India is pluralistic. Agriculture is fundamentally unsustainable. Like education, the country needs to subsidize and support its agrarian sector. Particularly a country who's excess of 50% economy is agrarian and excess of 70% of the population are farmers. However, as the policies of the past decade unfold, we are seeing a continued spread of farmer suicides across the country.

P.Sainath, the journalist, has written extensively about the agrarian crisis in India. The India Together website chronicles the analysis, essays, reports and interviews.

The suicides of thousands of farmers around the country tell poignant and revealing tales of our country, and the desperation that marks the lives of so many millions. Disastrous policies, woeful access to affordable credit, greedy and corrupt middlemen, and indifferent administrations are among the factors that have pushed farmers to their breaking point.

The problems are numerous. Genetically modified seeds, inorganic fertilizers, mono-culture, PDS selectively favouring some crops like rice and therefore marginalizing other crops like millets, etc. The solutions are not obvious. In the case of solutions like organic farming, multi-cultures etc. how to scale the solution nationwide is not clear.

Please use this blog post and comments to discuss these solutions. Looking forward to your inputs.

WAH 2008 launched: Empowering Rural India- One child at a time.

2008-07-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

So, if you didn't know, WAH 2008 has been launched. If you are here, then you are in the right page for the right reason and for those who don't know much about WAH, here is the short hand note on it.

Work an hour (WAH) is a campaign from Asha for Education that connects donors with children in India. As it stand, work an hour requests donors to donate one hour of your pay towards the cause. The theme changes every year, but always revolves around education, the core mandate of Asha. So whether you are working on minimum wage of (what ever that is in your country) $6.75 an hour or sending satellites into space and making $1000 a hour, your change can make change to these children in India.

So that's the deal on it. If you are already sold on it, go here to donate , but if you are that tough one who needs more info, lets continue our journey....

This year's, theme is Rural India- one child at a time. Very simple, isn't it, but a very powerful dream too and it can not be achieved with out the support of people like you. This year there are 15 projects, 18 schools impacting 3000 children. As a donor you can select which project you want to support or donate in general. Our goal for 2008 is $200,000 and check who has donated so far (so that you can give a dollar more than your friends ;). So far about 113 people have donated $10,462 which is a good start, but we still have a long way to go.

The motivation for me to support the cause is very simple. It is only one hour of pay of my life, it is going towards a great cause of helping our children in rural India who don't need our sympathy, but a little support to stand on their own and most importantly it is through a very reputable organization Asha for Education that has been given the highest four star rating by Charity Navigator, the charity watch dog.

100% fo your donation to Work an Hour go directly towards the selected projects. Keeping with Asha's long-standing policy, Asha volunteers bear all administrative and operational expenses.

So there you go, all the right reasons to spare some change, that will bring change in the lives of children in rural India. Wah, wah kya bath hai, now donate to WAH by credit card online or cheque by mail. Canada residents donate here and UK residents donate here for your convenience.

What else, if you are still not convinced, send me an email and I will personally talk to you and clarify your doubts, no matter which part of the planet you are! hey, that's my commitment to the project.

Cheers!

Vijay Sappani

on behalf of WAH 2008 and

the loving rural kids from India