We are happy to bring to you our latest quarterly newsletter - the first issue in our second year of operation. The newsletter provides updates on our current projects. The impact that we have made in the last quarter would not have been possible without the support of generous donors like you.
We would love to hear your feedback on the newsletter and our work. Please contact us and one of our volunteers will personally get in touch with you.
Passing by a slum or a group of poor children in soiled clothes playing on the streets is an everyday sight in almost every city in India. So common, that we tend to ignore it. But for two NRIs who had come to Chennai to study Medicine, this plight could not be overlooked. Just a few months into college, they decided to start Sangam India, a charity organization, with an aim to reach the underprivileged sections of the society. Since its inception in early 2008, they have been working with the Ramavaram slums, around River Adyar in Chennai. They have ameliorated the slum conditions by providing nutritious meals, sponsoring education and medical camps for its residents.
Please click here to find out more about Sangam. Here are excerpts from an interview with Nivedita Gunturi and Sriram Ramgopal, 3rd year medical students at Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Chennai, the founders of Sangam India.
What inspired you to start Sangam India?
It is very easy to turn a blind eye to the injustices and inequalities that we encounter in day-to-day life, but we have a responsibility to those around us. Sangam India started out of a desire that we, as medical students, should do at least something small for the underprivileged. We started out as a small group giving out food and are now growing into a larger organization, taking on health care and education initiatives in addition to our original aims.
How has the journey been since then until now?
It has been a truly inspiring journey all along. However, there have been problems of every sort since we started ranging from mistrust by the community regarding our initiatives, language and cultural barriers to flooding of the slum during the monsoon. Fortunately, we have not had much difficulty finding volunteers or finances for our projects. Every project and event is a wonderful chance to learn, even if it doesn’t work out exactly as expected.
When you approached the slums, how did the local people respond?
At first there was a great deal of mistrust among the adults though the kids have always responded very warmly, and they are the prime reason for us to keep going back. It was hard to win the trust of a people who had been mistreated too often before. Now, the situation is different. After we held a meeting with them, we have been able to garner their support.
What is the biggest lesson you have learnt from this whole experience?
One of the biggest lessons we have learnt is that the most important thing you can give people is hope. Often, we found that problems we faced were not just financial but moral issues. Children go to school but fail to realize that they can succeed in life. There is a sense of hopelessness that we are trying to overcome. Secondly, we should never place our own limitations on where we think we can go. This applies to us as well as to the people we serve. If we think small, we preclude progress.
What are your future plans?
We have plans to further expand our Educational Programs. We hope to be able to build a community center, where we will be able to hold classes for children as well as adults. We would also like to find places where adults can get vocational training if they so desire, and where men who have addiction problems can get help to overcome them. We would also like to help create better sanitation facilities for these people.
How have people (friends/ relatives/ your college) responded to your initiative?
As you can imagine, for some it has been surprising that we have taken on such an initiative. But from most, we have received nothing but the warmest encouragement and support, for which we are thankful.
In your view, what do we (as a society) need to do to bring about a change in the lives of the downtrodden?
I think people need opportunities to succeed and they have to be convinced that it’s worth succeeding at all. The basis for this would be a stronger educational infrastructure in India that would encourage children to think positively and give them the tools they need to succeed – both in terms of knowledge and in terms of leadership skills. But I feel the educational system here doesn’t encourage children to take charge of their own future. The kids in the slum are like kids everywhere else - full of love, incredibly kind, and curious about their world. We just need to foster these values and give them a chance to succeed. If people in India could be a role model for just a few children, we could make a big difference in our country.
How would you like to see Sangam India in the next 10 years?
We would all like to see it grow beyond serving only one community. We want to create a model that can be replicated in other underprivileged communities. We want to make sure that children who grow up in these communities know that there is more to life, that there is a better world that can be theirs.
Your advice for anyone who wants to start an NGO or organization similar to yours.
The only things you need are dedication and a compassionate heart. Everything else – money, volunteers, other technicalities – will all fall into place. If we make a sincere effort, the rest of it is just details.
“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars”
This is the opening quote of a book that I recently read - “Three Cups of Tea”. It is a story of an American mountaineer who goes back to the high mountains of Pakistan with a different objective this time - to build a school. He goes on to build several of them. It is inspiring to note how one man can make a significant contribution to education, no less female education in this rugged terrain, which is splendidly beautiful in some respects and harsh and brutal in others.
» Continue reading “One School at a time..”
As we step into the New Year, we are happy to publish our progress report on the Nanubhai Project. The grant from Anand Charity is aimed at empowering underprivileged students (from Standards 4 through 12) through English and IT enrichment programs. The preliminary benefits of both these programs have been evaluated and are summarized below.
After five weeks of the IT enrichment program, the school recently conducted a survey among 9th standard students on their computer usage and interest. The goal was to assess the benefits of the IT enrichment program. The students were of two groups – those who are part of the IT program, and those who are not part of the program.
The results (shown below) are encouraging and positively support the IT program. We need to probably work on improving the internet usage comfort levels among these students. Based on these preliminary results, the plan is to extend the program to the entire 9th standard class from the next academic year.
|
|
% of students from IT program |
% of students outside the program |
|
Confident on being very good at using computers |
39% |
17% |
|
Interest to use computers outside of school |
100% |
78% |
|
Comfortable writing a letter in English/ using the internet to find an article |
12% |
8% |
|
Interested in learning more about computers in school |
100% |
80% |
Shown below is the comparative data on the effectiveness of the English program covering all six divisions of the 9th standard. The table compares the academic year of 2007 (prior to the English program) and 2008 (after beginning the English program). As is evident, almost all divisions have a reasonably good increase in test scores from 2007 to 2008. The reasons for the plunge in the results of division A are currently being investigated.
| Division | Year 2007 | Year 2008 |
| A | 34% | 26% |
| B | 56% | 78% |
| C | 38% | 57% |
| D | 39% | 45% |
| E | 41% | 87% |
Anand Charity thanks all donors for their contributions. You have played an active part in helping Nanubhai achieve these positive results.
To help us follow through with the project, we request the generosity of more donors. To contribute to Anand Charity, please visit our Donations page here.
We are excited to report the progress made on the Oorani Project – the rain-water harvesting project that Anand Charity is implementing with the help of the Dhan foundation.
We obtained the following information through a recent conversation with the coordinator at Alidabad:
° Villagers have made Rs.10,000 worth of community contribution in terms of labor; This helped the machine work preparation for construction of the Oorani.
° The machinery required for the construction work has been hired and should have reached the village by December 19th.
° Most of the Oorani work is expected to be completed soon.
We will continue to report updates on the project as we complete the major construction work.
We hope to embark on many more projects this New Year with your support and generosity. To donate to Anand Charity, please visit our Donations page here.
Anand Charity wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. It has been a great year for Anand Charity. We have come a long way from incorporation to funding five projects in India. Our work has been lauded by many and we have been a recipient of important grants like the Google AdWords grant. We are proud to have made a significant impact to many lives in multiple places in India.
While this has been a great year for us, we have an exciting 2009 ahead. We expect to expand our work and take on additional projects in different parts of the country. We cannot do this without your help. While you shop during the winter holidays or celebrate the New Year, please consider donating to Anand Charity to help people - Live, Love, and Laugh! Thank you!
To donate to Anand Charity, please visit our Donations page here.
To learn more about us, please visit the Anand Charity website.
We are proud to announce that Project Krishna is almost complete. Tiles have been laid, the walls have been painted and the plumbing work is completed. There are still a couple of things that have to be done before the toilets can be commissioned - fitting doors and some carpentry.
The construction of the toilets was originally scheduled to be completed by November 7th. However, due to some difficulties in transfer of money and procurement of construction materials, it has been delayed. After the construction has been completed, one of Anand Charity’s volunteers will make a site visit to the school.
Help us fund more projects like this one by making a contribution here.
Here is the latest action plan from Dhan for the Oorani construction at Bhorajguda:
In Bhorajguda, a village level meeting was conducted on 17th Nov, 2008. In this meeting, the community discussed the following
Anand Charity has already sent the first installment of funds to Dhan Foundation. A progress report will be sought from Dhan Foundation around December 10th. After review of this report, the second installment of funds will be sent.
Help us fund more projects like this one by making a contribution here.
Anand Charity wishes all its donors a very happy Diwali. Every year, India comes together during the festival of lights and celebrates the dawn of a new year. While one section of the country rejoices, there is another that struggles to make a living. We, at Anand Charity, want to reach out to you and help bring a smile to those who cannot afford to celebrate.
On this joyous occasion, help us spread the joy by making a contribution here.
Sometimes, I wonder what makes a few among us leave a lasting impression on our society? Why is it that some men and women make a healthy contribution to our environment, while some of us are still stuck making sense of our own little worlds?
This is a story that has never failed to impress upon me, the value of a sincere desire coupled with a strong initiative and followed through with consistent efforts.
» Continue reading “Thimmakka - when motherhood beckons!”
Subscribe by RSS