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EDITORIAL

Aditi

Aakanksha

Zulaikha

Vikramjeet

Varun

Tanvi

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

FOOD FOR

THOUGHT…..………………..1

WILLFUL WASTE BRINGS

WOEFUL WANT……………..5

CAMPAIGN

UPDATES……………………...6

AID NCR-OPERATIONAL

REVIEW

MEET……………………........7

SQUASHING HIS WAY

THROUGH……………………..8

AID JEEVANSAATHI:

MR.BALAJI SAMPATH........9

ENVIRONMENTAL

UPDATES……………………..10

BLUE HAZE…………………..10

VOLUNTEER

SPEAK………………..……….11

TREASURY

UPDATES………………..……11

AID NCR PROJECT

UPDATES…………………12-16

MY EXPERIENCE WITH

AID…………………………...17

AID NCR PARTNER PROJECT

UPDATES…………………18-21

SUSTAINING THE

ENVIRONMENT………………22

“I was taught that the world had a lot of problems; that I could struggle and change them; that intellectual and material gifts brought the privilege and responsibility of sharing with others less fortunate; and that service is the rent each of us pays for

living, the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goal’s” -

Marian Wright Edelman

‘Volunteering’ for a cause is a result of a transition from being aware of an issue to feeling responsible for it. This transition requires strong efforts from an individual to inculcate the aspect of ‘serving’ in to their regular lives. No matter how much our routine lives keep us tied, we can serve, even if it is through donating an amount as less as Rs.10.

The AID NCR Publication team, in its efforts to continuously provide a platform for everyone to read about the endeavors AID volunteers invest themselves in, proudly presents its edition of PRATIBIMB for the month of MAY and JUNE. It was through the collective efforts of our volunteers namely, Aditi, Aakanksha, Varun, and Vikramjeet that this edition has taken its present shape. The cover page was beautifully designed by Tanvi.

In this edition, Sejal Parikh, introduces to us the right to food campaign and gives her opinions on the same. Munmun Nath, then goes on to highlight the ills associated with food wastage in the country. Anvita Shukla describes the experience of attending her first AID operational review meet, whilst Sneha Kothawade pens down the inspiring story of an individual and his journey towards serving the society. Anvita, further, carves out a beautiful poem describing the life of a farmer’s wife. Kartik and Mohit, jot down their experience of volunteering with AID and in the end, Moon Garg addresses the challenges likely to be faced by us in sustaining the environment.

Updates from our cells- Environmental cell, Treasury, our projects - Paathshala, Prayas, Pehal and AID Gurgaon and our partner projects - Jaagriti, Jamghat, L.E.U. foundation, LearningInq and Parichay provide you with insights on the efforts, the AID Volunteers are making, towards making this world a better place to live

We hope, as always, this edition, serves to be an inspiring and enriching read for you.

Zulaikha Urooj Rahman (Publication Coordinator)

In order to be a part of the publications team or to contribute to the newsletter. Please write to aid.delhi@gmail.com

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

BY SEJAL PARIKH

Arjun Sen Gupta puts it at

77%, N. C. Saxena

estimates it to be 50%,

while the Tendulkar

Committee's figure is

37.2%. They say that differences of opinion are

healthy. I am not sure whether I agree in this

particular context!

The reference data used for all the three estimates

was the same. The figures vary only because of

difference in ways the mysterious poverty line is

defined by each. Of course no prices for guessing

what the planning commission picked up! For them,

the lesser the better! So, now we know that 37.2%

of our citizens are officially poor.

In parallel to this, UPA-II has been working on its

National Food Security bill, which effectively strives

to increase food in-security in some ways. Food

security as defined by the bill only includes

distribution patterns (even worse, giving no

entitlements to APL card holders unlike the current

situation), while disregarding the issues on the

production side. As if it was not enough, several

plans of cash transfer or food coupons that are being

discussed within the future framework of the Public

Distribution System (PDS) might prove to be a grave

threat to the food security.

For a long time, PDS, despite all the corruption, has

been ensuring two major aspects of food security in

some ways. One is to provide subsidised food to the

poor, and at the same time, guaranteeing Minimum

Support Price (MSP) to the farmers while.

Procurement of grains in this way, by the

government also works towards ensuring that the

food production in the country meets the demands

of its population. With the introduction of direct cash

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE RIGHT TO FOOD

CAMPAIGN

[Note: As a part of my fellowship with CHC, I volunteered full time with Right to Food campaign for a few months. This is an attempt to present my own perception of the campaign to the fellow AIDers.]

With drought at its peak during the early years of the 21st century, starvation took many innocent lives, of those who could not find themselves food or work. Even after numerous reports of starvation deaths, Union government of India did not declare a state of famine. High levels of food grain buffer stocks were not released to the needy, and rumours were out about the plans of either selling it to the open market or dumping in the sea (as the government was at sea on figuring out the right usage of it)! These were those years, when People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) in Rajasthan took the lead on questioning the system with the help of law. A PIL(Public Interest Litigation) was filed in the Supreme Court in April 2001, arguing that the right to food follows from the fundamental "right to life" enshrined in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution as it is impossible to live without food. It also demanded that massive food stocks (about 50 million tonnes of grain at that time) should be immediately used to prevent hunger and starvation. Going further in the demands for the relief work in drought affected areas the petition asked to (a) provide immediate open-ended employment in drought-affected villages, (b) provide unconditional support to persons unable to work, (c) raise the PDS entitlement per family, and (d) provide subsidised food grain to all families. The case resulted into some landmark judgements passed by the Supreme Court, in terms of regular interim orders related to the implementation of many schemes (such as PDS, ICDS, Mid-day meal, old age pension) under the case, after converting them as legal entitlements. This PIL was the pioneering stone for the Right to food campaign, which has now grown strongly as a movement. The initial petition focused on the drought situation prevailing at that time, especially in Rajasthan, but later on, the case has been focusing on the larger issue of starvation and malnutrition for all the states in the country. Time and again, 'interim applications' have been filed resulting in interim orders, directing central and state governments to take necessary steps. The Supreme Court has also appointed commissioners for the purpose of monitoring the implementation of the interim orders. At present Dr. N. C. Saxena is the commissioner and Harsh Mander is the special commissioner, both of whom now have been appointed as members of National Advisory Council headed by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The commissioners in turn appoint advisors in each state to assist their work. The National Food Security Act brought up by UPA-II has been a key item on the recent agenda of the campaign. For more information, kindly visit – http://www.righttofoodindia.org/.

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transfers or food coupons, there lies a serious concern on the production aspects.

The purported idea behind cash transfer or food coupons is to get rid of the corruption issues with PDS, but the

expert arguments prove that otherwise:

There is no clarity as to whether this cash entitlements will take inflated food grains prices into account.

While buying from open market, there's no way to know what prices are given to the poor by the private

shops. In case of food coupons, just like in PDS, there are high chances of the private dealer charging

commission to give food grains in return. There is also a possibility of giving out low quality grain at the

rates of normal quality grains. In case of government licensed fair price shops, at least there are better

mechanisms of monitoring such issues (provided there is a will to do so!).

Already indebted majority of the poor may find the cash a handy

tool to get rid of their debts; hence this won't necessarily make them

hunger-free. If given food coupons, they may again exchange it for cash to

pay their debts. There can also be black marketing of food coupons, as it

happens with Grains in PDS. Duplicate or fake coupons too are very much a

possibility too.

There are issues with cash transfer via banks or post offices. The

access to bank is already a challenge in many rural places and opening bank

accounts at such a massive scale is in itself a big task. Already some of the

NREGA cases have reportedly been suffering from delayed payments due to

bank and post office transfers. Here too, people may lose out some money

on commission to those who help them withdraw it.

In the Indian patriarchal system, where, primarily men are the

decision makers with regards to spending cash, there's no assurance of

this cash being spent on food.

Cash transfers or coupons assume that food is available in every

part of the country, where as the reality is different in many parts of rural

India, where private shops do not exist in the first place.

Hence, instead of strengthening the PDS and looking into important matters

related to the errors in exclusion and inclusion of BPL card holders,

promoting local production, procurement and storage, etc.; providing

nutritional security by including pulses and millet; blind promotion of such cash transfers or food coupons will only

serve to dismantle the food security of the country

Instead of strengthening

the PDS and looking into

important matters related

to the errors in exclusion

and inclusion of BPL card

holders, promoting local

production, procurement

and storage, etc.; providing

nutritional security by

including pulses and millet;

blind promotion of such

cash transfers or food

coupons will only serve to

dismantle the food security

of the country

"When India achieved independence, more than 50 years

ago, the people of the country were much afflicted by

endemic hunger. They still are."

- Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize Winner

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According to a report by

the United Nations World

Food Programme, India

ranks 94th in the Global

Hunger Index of 119

countries

WILLFUL WASTE BRINGS WOEFUL WANT

-THOMAS FULLER

BY MUNMUN NATH I am sure after watching this inspiring short film by Ferdinand Dimadura,

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGNmvNIgqlY&feature=player_embedded)

all of us feel a bit guilty about the times we ordered food more than we could eat

or complained about the taste of our meal. This video is a gentle reminder of the

fact that we are immensely privileged to have food on our plate, something which

we often tend to take for granted.

Food waste is a common occurrence in developed

countries. Roughly 30 percent of food in the United States goes to waste,

costing some $48 billion annually, according to a Stockholm

International Water Institute study. In American restaurants, 27

percent of all food consumed is thrown out, which is equivalent to a

pound of food every day for every American. Closer home, in India, a

whopping Rs 58,000 crore worth of agriculture food items get

wasted every year. According to the Ministry of Food Processing

Industries, this is mainly due to lack of post-harvest infrastructure

such as cold chain facilities, transportation and proper storage

facilities. Such colossal waste is unacceptable in a country that is home to 230 million hungry people, the highest

in the world. According to a report by the United Nations World Food Programme, India ranks 94th in the Global

Hunger Index of 119 countries. What’s worse, malnutrition itself accounts for nearly 50% of child deaths in India.

To eradicate hunger by 2025, India plans to develop a food bank similar to the Global Food Banking. Loss due to

wastage could also be reduced increasingly through improved post-harvest storage infrastructure and quick

processing of the raw food materials by canning, bottling, drying

etc.

To do our bit for this cause, while eating out, let us not order

more than we can finish. Let us plan before shopping for food,

learn about the practices of food storage, and understand the

meaning of food date labels. To use Gandhi Ji’s words, there is

enough food in this world for our need but not enough for our

greed. Therefore let us adopt these good food practices and

encourage others to do the same. Our small steps will surely go

a long way in making a difference.

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CAMPAIGN UPDATES

BY PRADIP KUMAR The

Bhopal

Gas Tragedy, What picture does this incident

paint in your mind? This disaster which took

place 26 years ago still haunts the local

population of Bhopal. And the ones who

were left bereft are still suffering.

Many rallies/dharnaas have been carried out

to question the government and demand

justice. And it was on the last Friday of June,

when the volunteers from AID NCR and

hoards of people came all the way from

Bhopal, to express their grief and anger

they’ve been subjected to for the last 26

years. The major blow came from the GoM

which declared compensation only for 7% of

victims, leaving the rest 93% in lurch. There

were tonnes of media houses covering the

event; while they spoke to the victims, I

could sense the pain in the victim’s voices.

What a shame it was – This plight has been

unheard for the last 26 years!

Post this, the masses gathered at Jantar

Mantar and sang songs, shouted slogans and

held out a rally in the evening which was

stopped by the police. So they all sat down

on the road instead and an agreement was

made that a group of 6-7 people each,

representing an NGO/Group will go to the

PMO to submit the memorandum.

For me, it was a day for connecting with the

Bhopal Gas victims and the activists who’ve

been fighting tirelessly to get justice – be it

by trying the guilty in court or vouching for

better compensation, health care and drinking water. Post the tragedy, these are bare necessities, the victims still

continue to fight for, in a country which claims to be the "World's largest democracy".

I humbly wish and pray that we do not witness any more of such incidents in

India. God forbid, even if it does occur, the government should provide

comprehensive support than simply being hell bent with its polices.

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AID NCR- OPERATIONAL

REVIEW MEET

BY ANVITA SHUKLA The Operational Review Meet (ORM) serves

as an extremely good platform to bring all

volunteers together and discuss visions,

achievements, issues and challenges. In

addition, the updates from our AID comrades inform us about the efforts that they are putting in to make the

projects successful. This always kicks back in the adrenalin and passion to work harder. The AID NCR ORM was

held on June 27th at IIT Delhi. It which happened to be the first ORM I ever attended and it clearly left me

motivated. Community service, indeed, is an area which requires a constant drive and motivation to sustain.

We were briefed about, Vijay’ Bhaiyya’s undying efforts towards community development and his inputs on his

new project Gyan Gangaa, which caters to mentally disabled children. The survey that he did across the villages

showed shocking revelations about the plight of mentally disabled children in the area. Also his efforts towards

community sustainability had started showing results, wherein the community members have learnt how to take

care of themselves, and fight for their own rights.

Next, representatives from AID Noida, AID Gurgaon, AID Faridabad and AID Delhi shared their latest

developments, achievements and vision.

On account of environment day, Pulkit Parikh, shared his experience of "tour-de corporate", promoting the

concept of "Go-green" and presenting viable ways for the same. He also discussed the micro-financing of cycle

rickshaws and deployment of low smoke chulha initiatives.

Our guest speaker Ms Pushpa shared her experience of the struggle for the people of "Bhalaswa Lok Shakti

Manch". Her narration of the chain of events - the obstacles she encountered, the toil she put in, and the results

she got - was electrifying. The efforts that Ms Pushpa has put in showed tremendous results as the women of

Bhalaswa Lok Shakti Manch have come up to fight for the rights. The events she narrated were : the fight to

secure the right ration card for the under privileged, getting to improve the standards of the nearby schools to

benefit children of the community, making the community members aware of RTI and using it in their projects.

Next in line, Mr.Ramendra from Delhi Shramik Sanghatan narrated his experiences. He shared with us the

process which they used to follow for the screening process of schools.

Then, we had Sukriti talking about her journey of returning to AID, her works at the strategy planning level, and

how she can help in our projects.

The event ended with Selva's speech. This could be his last ORM for AID NCR, and he managed to sum up his

experience in quick 4.5 minutes, where he told us that we can always try to intervene at the policy level, to get

results quickly. The enlightening speeches from various speakers, indeed, raised our determination towards

serving the community.

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SQUASHING HIS WAY

THROUGH

BY SNEHA KOTHAWADE He can be mistaken for another naïve local in the small village of

Reetha but for the sparkle in his eyes. Harendra da, can be found

outside his shop, the one that doesn’t sell chips, cold drink or

mobile coupons like the other shops around that area.

“Rhododendron juice, first try, and then buy”, he says gushingly in hesitant English. He can offer you juices of

mulberry, Kilmora (a local fruit) and also dried sugarcoated peach. Fresh plums and apricots are always available in

plenty, as they are stocked for the chutney, jams and jellies which he prepares.

He is not only an entrepreneur, but a dreamer, in a region where people don’t bother going beyond conventions of

farming. His story then sounds novel, for he has changed 8 jobs in the past two decades. He took up a job at

Dehradun Motor Works immediately after his education. Though earning a decent sum, machines weren’t his cup

of tea. His love for nature pulled him to a job as a government forest office at Kashipur. But here it was the

mundane approach which made him quit again. He moved back to his village finally, and he confesses, for the good.

Here he joined Chirag, an NGO based in Uttarakhand, to guide the forestry program initiated in the early 90’s.

Gradually he moved towards sustainable agriculture and fodder management. Cultivating various fruit species to

check for suitability, profitability and growing superior fodder like Golni, Rai, Napier and Gucchi occupied him at

Chirag’s experimental farm.

This heightened his desire to help the fellow farmers of his community and he formed an independent group

called Kisan Vikas Sangathan in 2000. He organized campaigns for a minimum support price for produce,

insurances to save from climatic uncertainties, and other issues that faced the community. One case he prides

himself in is when he got together all the SHGs, NGOs and also journalists to rally against a property developer from

Delhi who had lawlessly occupied large forest areas of Khabrad and was pumping large quantities of drinking water

meant for the five nearby villages. The case is actually pending in the high court, but Harendra Da’s efforts ensured

that a part of his land was now open for fodder and wood collection to the villagers.

From a sangathan, now he has registered an organization and called it Jan Prerna. He had noted that farmers sold

fruits to the whole seller. These would then be processed into jams, jellies and juices elsewhere and sold at a much

higher price. During his stay at Chirag, he had undertaken a 6 month course in extracting juices from fruits in an

inexpensive manner. And the only thing which now kept him away from setting an enterprise was money. He took

loans from NABARD and a regional bank to set up a small scale unit in Reetha. His unit today directly engages 15

villagers, mostly girls, working on 45 different items. Besides whenever a farmer has his fruits ripened too fast, and

no more fit to be sent to mandi, Harendra da buys it, for his jams.

Despite such achievements, his innocence is palpable. He requests for

a copy of his interview as and when it is published with a child like

excitement. For now, I am only happy that I can take the story forward

of this unsung hero.

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MR.BALAJI SAMPATH AID JEEVANSAATHI

BY AAKANKSHA PUROHIT

Mr. Balaji Sampath, is one of those AID Jeevansaathi’s who have influenced at AID at deep levels. A graduate from

IIT Chennai and Ph.D. from University of Maryland by qualification, he chose to be a full time volunteer for AID.

His work has been instrumental in building AID into a large nation-wide organization with chapters in several

cities from a local organization that it was in 1997.

Back in 1997, he spent some years to understand the dynamics of rural India and NGOs , by working with the

Tamil Nadu Science Forum (TNSF). He worked with TNSF in their "Arogiya Iyakkam” health program, community

education, literacy and computer training programs. He also helped them organize village libraries, savings groups

and information centers. Arogiya Iyakkam program was judged one of the top ten programs in the world by UN

based on its impact.

He then coordinated several parts of these programs across states; building volunteer base, motivating and

training local workers. He later joined the People's Health Assembly (PHA) as a national coordinator. In 2000 and

2001, along with Dr. Sundarraman, he helped conceive the Hundred Block Plan (HBP). The idea was to involve

local community of villages in solving their own problems, to develop the skills of volunteers in villages and let

them plan. Thanks to his persistent efforts, HBP is now a reality with large-scale AID participation.

He has been a firm believer of sensitizing more and more people to issues and

motivate them. He almost single-handedly started the AID-Chennai chapter and

mentored the new volunteers by organizing joint programs with the TNSF. He is

an AID Jeevansaathi since 1998 and a source of constant guidance and

inspiration.

“Sometimes constructive programs that help the poor organize better can make a difference, but at other

times it becomes important to organize the poor to struggle and to stop them from losing the rights they

already have. It is only a combination of struggle and constructive action that can ensure that problems of

poverty, education and health can be effectively addressed. The last nine years of work has taught us that nine

years is not enough! We realize that to make a long-lasting impact, we need to work over a much longer

period – ensuring that the ideas we develop are internalized within the system. This recognition of our work

only further strengthens our resolve to work harder and longer on these problems” – Balaji Sampath

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BLUE HAZE

by Anvita Shukla

The night looms larger As she lights the chulha

The daily chores as always, remain pending She an ordinary housewife, her husband a farmer

Blue haze settles down in a full moon light

She oils the lamp, looking out for the glimpse of the retreating husband, If she might..

She briskly tidies the cozy little house Shooing away a scurrying mouse!

Her husband returns exhausted from all day’s labour

Washes hands and sits down for a meal to savour She has already put her little children to sleep.

The husband quietly takes a peep The day is done, another life’s battle won

She quickly finishes her food, Humming a folk song or two

She is an ordinary woman but has no time to brood... Life has set a challenge, she has accepted it too!

She quietly opens the box of steel

To take out a slate and few battered notebooks, sharpens her pencils

Strong and independent, that’s what they make her feel

She has to attend a night school She hurries and crosses the village’s pool

This is a woman who knows her value,

Unlike celebs, and painted faced women, She doesn’t bigmouth women’s liberty

Content with her life , taking it all as good omen But she sails thru life, merrily past the Blue Haze,

It thins as she cuts across it , the farmer’s wife This lovely life and her small world shines through her

face.

PROMOTING GREENER, HEALTHIER COOKING!

By Pulkit Parikh

AID has moved forward with the installation of biomass-

efficient chulha’s of in one of the slums in Noida. The

exploratory phase wherein we tinkered with about half a

dozen samples has concluded now. The Rs. 650 model

from the organization, Envirofit has been deemed the

most - actually the only - suitable model by the

community. It's been deployed for a few weeks now at 4

different households. From early anecdotal evidence, it

cuts the wood consumption back by about half the

amount, and reduces smoke considerably. The facts that

it's potable (unlike the traditional 'mitti ka' chula) and it

cooks food much faster are also valued by the community

users. We are now talking to various other organizations

working with Noida slums to scale this up. We are also

beginning to explore rural possibilities. However, an

individual's reach is very limited in such matters, so we

urge you to come forward with your contacts/associations

(native place, a relative in civil services, social workers you

know, etc) to assist us in reaching our goal. For more

details, please visit: Envirofit-1

The low-smoke chulha embraced by households of the Naya Bans slum

11 VOLUNTEER SPEAK

By Kartik Sharma

I had always been thinking to jot down my experience with AID (Pehal)

over the last few months and how I have evolved as a person after being

associated with this noble cause. Whenever the thought of writing down

comes to my mind, a plethora of experiences shower over me and I would

like to share some of them with you all.

I get that sparkle in my eyes as I remember my first day at Pehal, when I

visited the construction site a few months back. I have had a few

volunteering experiences before, but this one was close to my heart as one

could see the grass root realities. It was a small classroom of 20-30

children and when I entered the classroom, they were excited and asked

for my name. I didn’t realize how a few hours passed by while interacting

with them and listening to their innocent tales. I came back that day with a

feeling of satisfaction and gratitude that I had never experienced before.

When I met them the next week, I was surprised to see them remember

my name and shouting a “Good Morning Bhaiyya”unanimously. It is

difficult to express that feeling in words, for one needs to be in that

scenario to experience it. As weeks passed by, Pehal started becoming an

integral part of my life and I couldn’t imagine my weekends occupied with

anything else.

Gradually, we shifted from the construction site to the adoption of two

MCD schools in Shalimar Bagh, and we touched even larger number of

lives. Suddenly, the workload increased and we were all running around to

arrange for classrooms, teachers and books for children. We enjoyed every

moment of it and the sense that this will be fruitful for the future of these

children--overpowered any feelings of fatigue and exhaust.

As time went by, I became so attached to Pehal, that in whatever way

possible I tried to explore opportunities for the evolution of Pehal. Since, I

work in Deloitte and we were planning to organize some event for CSR

(Corporate Social Responsibility), I suddenly pitched in with the idea of

partnering with Pehal and that seeded the “Impact Day” event, which

marked the successful beginning of enhanced partnering with the

corporates. I hope to organize more such events in future and make AID a

renowned name in the CSR initiatives of organizations.

As I look back, Pehal has added a new dimension to my life and given me

new friends, hope and a purpose. Pehal is no more an

organization/initiative for me; it is a family to which I would like to

associate myself as long as I exist. As they say: “It is tiring yet inspiring”, in

the same manner the journey with the AID has been exhausting but truly

satisfying and fulfilling. I really look forward to the journey ahead with a

smile

TREASURY

UPDATES By Selva Ganapathy

During the first quarter of the financial

year 2010-2011.

Funds raised Rs. 403000/-

Funds spent Rs. 494000/-

Funds raised by Meal a Month

Rs. 182581/-

Funds spent on Education

Rs. 269180/-

Funds spent on Livelihood

Rs. 70630/-

Funds spent on Nutrition

Rs. 47522/-

Note: This report has details of Funds

raised by AID Delhi and Gurgaon of NCR

and

doesn't account AID Noida details

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PAATHSHALA

AID FARIDABAD http://delhi.aidindia.org/bethechange/content/view/1251/1/

Our association with other projects of AID motivated us to do

something for the immediate society we reside in .With a dream to

make a difference, the team of Paathshala, went to the slums in

Faridabad, surveyed them, and finally found a project area for

operation, near the old Railway Station.

Our aim is to eradicate poverty through the most diligent way-

providing easy access to education. The typical rigidness of the

members of the community and their outlook towards education,

basic literally skills is very disheartening, and we figured the best

way to influence their mindset is to impart awareness through their

kids. Hence, we named our project as “Paathshala”

As the name suggests, “Paathshala” has started with the aim of

providing basic education to the underprivileged children and later

enroll them in schools where they could receive formal education

We had interacted with around 40 underprivileged slum kids,

who are now a part of our regular 6-day school that provides a

basic platform for their development and enrichment.

Moving ahead in future, we shall not confine ourselves to

education, we would continue to invest efforts in endeavors that would lead to the development of the

community

PRAYAS UPDATES

AID NOIDA http://aidnoida.blogspot.com/

With a new batch this year, more space was required to accommodate the children. With mutual

consensus Prayas funded the extension of the Prayas centre.

Appointment of new teacher for Senior & Eureka batch: To maintain the

regularity of the classes a new teacher has been appointed. Now we

have two teachers taking regular classes at Prayas centre. Mentor

Graphics has sponsored a quarterly amount of Rs.9,000 towards

sponsoring the teacher's salary at Prayas. Also it has been decided to give

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special attention to the writing skills of the kids, to enable them to be able to express their feelings and ideas

confidently.

Efforts to revise the concept of Balsabha: There have been proposals to

have some competition based actives for the kids like extempore

sessions. This would help in exploring skills, stringing of ideas, team

work, sense of accomplishment, and increasing knowledge.

Environment Day celebration at Balsabha: It was Good fun with

knowledge sessions on the Earth, air, water, trees, animals and birds.

Kids became acted as different things and did advertisements to save those earth elements.

Women literacy program: Most ladies have performed very well in the last test. The Literacy program

started with basic books of school going kids. If the attendance increases then the classes will be extended to

both days in the weekend. It will be more structured and organized once we will find some material for

advocacy on women reproductive health and hygiene. We hope to get some help from Jaagori. We also plan

to have vocational trainings for the women.

Birth certificates for the community kids: Most of the kids don't have proper birth certificates. For Prayas

kids going to schools it is a mandatory requirement to have a proper birth certificate. As an initiative

volunteers are getting together to get the birth certificate for the community kids.

Transportation for the Prayas kids going to School: Prayas has bought a cycle rickshaw. It was completely

funded by one of the volunteers. The cycle rickshaw will be given to one of the community person who has

been unemployed for some time. This rickshaw will provide employment opportunity to him and reliable

transportation for the students. The cost of the rickshaw will be recovered in small installments.

Small step of initiation at Govt. School intervention: Prayas volunteers held a small session at the school as

a start up activity. We interacted with more than 75 children studying in classes 2, 3 and 4 and conducted

various group exercises to evaluate students grasp on the different

subjects. We came across challenges faced by school authorities,

which included, lack of accountability amongst teachers, the rule that

each student must pass introduced by the government leads to

decrease in quality of education for the students, limited support

provided to teachers to help the slow learners in their classes.

Library program: Prayas is planning to loan books to the government

school library. AID NCR will fund books for the Prayas library in case a need arises at a later stage. The

government school student’s participation will be monitored over a period of 1 - 3 months. Based on the

response, new books for the library will be bought. Teachers of Prayas have endorsed NCERT books for the

library. Prayas teachers will also provide a list of publishers and a list of books from their school library.

Books in the existing Prayas library have been segregated in 2 sets: Basic Level Reading for Class I and Class II

students, Medium Level Reading for Class III, Class IV and Class V students. An online inventory for library

books will be created.

Interactive sessions at Prayas: Prayas volunteers went to Parichay. We had a detailed discussion with Mr.

Vijay, the one who manages the project. We discussed on ways to connect education to the daily lives of the

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student as it helps them find actual value in the knowledge. We also plan to do documentation for all the

activities as it helps in continuation of activities by new volunteers.

AID veteran Prasanna's visit to Prayas: We had a very interactive session. Key points discussed included

having no hierarchy among the volunteers, keep evolving constantly to have a deeper impact on the society.

Old volunteers should deal with new initiatives and let new volunteers handle existing activities. He also

strongly recommended regular sessions among the volunteers.

We are trying to have an Aaganwaadi/Balwadi through government. The application has already submitted

for Aaganwaadi.

AID GURGAON http://gurgaon.aidindia.org/

Prerna: A dental and health camp was organized with special help from our

dentist and physician volunteers. Kids identified with immediate need for

treatment were taken to the city hospital for further check up. The camp was

followed by a comic-satirical act in the following week aimed to educate kids

about the importance of keeping their teeth clean and ways in which they can

do so.

Disha & Unnati: At Disha and Unnati, volunteers are facing problems in their

community connect program. In addition, there is a need for more volunteers

who could contribute towards the thriving

free tuition centre, established under the

RSEP.

Sikhsharth: Research is on, to find out ways to make Jeevika (our spice

making initiative) more sustainable by bringing down the operational cost

and also identifying better marketing opportunities for the products.

Stitching classes continue at the centre with regular cloth supply for the

novices to practice on.

Deepshikha: AID Gurgaon and Deepshikha, another NGO intervening in

education, has jointly set up a new school for underprivileged children in

New Palam Vihar. The shed for this school

has been completed with a total budget of

Rs.20,000/- out of which AID Gurgaon

contributed Rs10,000/- and the rest has

been borne by Deepshikha, The classes for

over 30 children have already commenced since 11th June.2010. Books, slates

and other stationery items have been provided to the children. All activities are running smooth except that

there is still a volunteer-crunch felt at the centre.

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Cycling Club: Talks with various corporate houses are being held to acquire support for the club and incase

the talks yield no viable results, we plan to ask AID- US for assistance.

Others: A ‘Calendar Design’ team has been fashioned, aimed towards ensuring timely production of AID

Gurgaon calendars to promote the organization and its fund raising initiatives.

PEHAL

AID DELHI http://projectpehal.blogspot.com/

In order to bring a more systemic change, the AID Delhi’s school adoption program is our first attempt to

reform primary education in Government and MCD schools of Delhi. The program utilizes the existing

government infrastructure and resources. The team has 5 teachers and 25 volunteers. These schools run

classes from 1st to 5th standard and have children with a lot of potential. But the quality of teaching is not up

to mark.

The MCD officials gave us the permission to conduct a summer

camp during the months of May and June, and remedial classes

after school hours for the next one year.

Summer camp: The summer camp started on 10th may. We

realized that until these children could read and understand

what was

written in their

books and notebooks (instead of simply copying it down

from the blackboard), learning could never be fun for them.

That’s how we started the “reading hour” in our summer

workshop and have continued it in our remedial classes. In

this summer workshop, we had interacted with around 300

children. We began with the basic Hindi & English reading

along with capacity building classes.

Remedial Classes: The remedial classes started, after the

school break was over, on 28th June. Our idea was to understand the problems that the kids were facing in

the school hours –so as to know what was hampering their learning inspite of being regular to school. In the

meantime we also got the permission from the Sahipur MCD School’s Principal to interact with the school

children within the school hours for two weeks. We scheduled several meetings with the Principal and

teachers of this school to understand the problems of the students. The main problems that we were able to

point out were –

Though the school timings are from 8am to 1pm, there is no check on the students coming to the

school at random hours.

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Most of the kids in the school work at tea stalls and shops

which doesn’t leaves them enthusiastic for their classes

The teacher to student ratio is 1:48, with the same teacher

teaching all the subjects.

The teachers do not take enough interest and usually

interact with 2-3 bright children in the classroom.

Most of the teachers lack motivation and usually teach for

only 1-2 hours per day.

Remedial classes started with the following major focus—

To inculcate and enhance the reading habits in children

To assist the kids in academics and strengthen their weak areas.

We had already assessed their reading speed, followed by identifying the problems while

reading simple Hindi and English text (during the time when we had intervened in the school hours). Another

assessment test was taken to identify the academic level of the children in Hindi, English n mathematics. A

re-assessment would be done after 3 months to track the progress of the children. A library was also set up

to conduct the reading hour. The program has been running in Sahipur school n has to be started in BT block

school. The delay was caused due to non co operation of the principal, however the issues have now

resolved.

School Chale Hum: We have also discovered that there are children from our summer workshop who are still

not coming to school. We have already interacted with the parents of these kids and have started getting

them enrolled in the MCD Sahipur School.

Meri Udaan- The Adult Literacy Program: The adult literacy program i.e. MERI UDAAN has taken its first step

on 6th July at BG-1 block in Shalimar Bagh. Turning the idea of catering to the "basic education needs" of girls

and women above the age of 15 years, was not a simple job. These females had either left their books way

back or had not been to school ever.

It was only after the PEHAL team went to the homes on a regular basis, were they able to locate the women

and girls who readily enrolled themselves in our literacy program. In the beginning only 7 females showed

interest in the program, but since then the number has kept on increasing and now it has 20 females within

10 days.

The journey that had begun with Poonam Ma'am teaching these ladies to write their own name (and thereby

giving them a sneak-peak into their self-worth) is bound to travel several miles in the days to come. Also-- we

look forward to getting more women and girls enrolled in our program and replicate our success in other

nearby areas i.e. BC Bagh, BT block, slums near the railway track.

Fund Raising: To contribute to the future of these 'underprivileged yet amazing kids' in your own little way,

you can buy the PEHAL merchandise at http://projectpehal.blogspot.com/p/pehal-merchandise or contact us

at aid.prachi@gmail.com.

To volunteer for the school adoption program and community connect program: Please contact Vikramjeet

at vikram.dceian@gmail.com or call at 9818688583

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My perspective about AID is that it is a community of young like-minded people, ready to make a difference

in the world

MY EXPERIENCE WITH AID

BY MOHIT BERI

It’s just the beginning and I hope this journey becomes more and more

exciting in the times to come.

I have always felt that people around me have contributed a lot

towards my success and now it’s my turn to give something back to the

society. This feeling has motivated me to utilize my skills as well as my

energy in the most committed manner towards the upliftment of the

society. To give my efforts a concrete direction, I joined AID, thanks to Kanika. My perspective about AID is that it

is a community of young like-minded people, ready to make a difference in the world. I still remember my first

day at Shiksharth, as if it were my first day at school. I was excited to know from the other volunteers about their

experiences with AID and the activities in which they had been involved recently. The sneak-peak into their

experiences was highly motivational and informative. SHIKSHARTH provided me a platform to kick start my stint

with the children’s education. During one of the discussions with Munish and Anshul, I learnt that the AID

community was interested in helping children learn computers. I really liked the idea and undertook the

responsibility to initiate it along with Rupal. The Computer Literacy

Program (or CLIP in short) aims to empower the kids with the modern

tools that will help them prosper in their lives.

After intensive planning and preparation for CLIP, we conducted our first

computer class on 23rd May at Disha. The level of excitement among

the kids about the computer program was such that they had

assembled much before the actual timing. However, the Kodak moments

were when the rays from the laptop screen reached the twinkling eyes of

the kids and emerged as numerous glittering smiles. The round of

questions from the kids followed this and their inquisitiveness was a

delight for us. We ended our first class with the screening of a movie that

served the dual purpose of entertainment and imparting moral values to kids. The movie screening has now

become a tradition of our computer classes. When I returned home after conducting the class, my sense of self

worth had risen drastically.

To make the computer classes effective, we had made the kids realize the role of computers in today’s times and

in effect, they have started paying special attention to it. We have also adopted a teaching methodology that

draws out analogy from the real life to explain them computers’ concepts. This methodology worked remarkably

well and helped the kids remember the concepts. The computer classes have also had a butterfly effect of helping

students improve their command over English along with computer science. However, there remain several

challenges such as - kid’s access to computers for practice etc that needs to be resolved.

I conclude by saying that my journey with AID has been remarkable. It has helped me evolve my perspective of

“giving something back to the society”. It has also helped me cherish the small happy moments that we tend to

forget in pursuit of larger happiness.

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JAAGRITI UPDATES Enrolment of Children under RSEP: This year Jaagriti touched a new

milestone. We enrolled 78 children from the poor communities in Sector-

10, 12, 13 and 17 in Dwarka, under the Regular School Education Program

(RSEP) into Classes I-VIII. This includes new admissions as well as school

dropouts, taking total enrollment done by

Jaagriti to 92+. For many children, this is their

first experience of formal school education.

Thanks for your continuous support to us! We are in process of admitting

around 30 more children in month of July and will be recruiting volunteers and

interns to track the performance of the children.

RTE Awareness Workshops: The Right to Education (RTE) Task Force at Jaagriti, in collaboration with

Swechha, organized street plays in June 2010 for communities at its education centers in Dwarka to make

the parents and children aware about the various benefits of the act and motivate parents to send their

children to school. Special emphasis was laid on girl education. After the play, the volunteers interacted

with the parents and also made list of children for admission into schools. Jaagriti will now help these

parents in admitting their children and will also track the performance of the children and provide support

to them, as and when needed.

Summer Skill Building Sessions: Drawing, crafts, personality

development and theater classes were organized for the children from

all projects, to develop new skills and

strengthen the existing ones. Drawing

competition was held to showcase the

work of the children. Some of them made

wonderful drawings. An exhibition of the drawings will be done in the US to

generate funds for Jaagriti.

We also collaborated with the Avnika Theater Group of Deen Dayal Upadhaya College for developing

theater skills of the children, and with Bal Bharati Public School to provide the children and volunteers with

the necessary infrastructure to practice for the play. The play “Kissa Ek Khat Ka” was staged on 20th June

2010 and was a grand success.

For volunteering or donations to Jaagriti, please write to anchit@jaagriti-india.org or call at +91-

9555086554

JAMGHAT – A GROUP OF STREET CHILDREN We are happy to announce that all our regular kids have been

admitted to the nearby MCD School. They come to our centre wash

themselves up in the morning, get ready and leave for school from

Jamghat. Once they come back in the afternoon, they have their

lunch and have an hour’s sleep. After which Sangeeta and Irfan help

the kids with their homework. Children are excited after their

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admission to school as all of them wanted to study and become

a good human beings. They are now more enthusiastic to learn

new things, make new friends and besides all, that feeling of

going to school.

Summer holidays on the roll came as a surprise as the children

went for a vacation to Dehradun and Missouri for 5 days and 6

nights. It was a thrilling experience. They had never been to the

mountains and that mere fact brought immense happiness to those lovely faces. Children loved the serene

beauty of the Kempty Falls. They were busy doing diving and swimming. They were also engaged in doing

various activities like sessions on yoga and meditation. Many volunteers from that area came and became

the part of the group. They played various indoor and outdoor games in the beautiful green surroundings.

Liver Care Foundation, India recently visited our day care centre and conducted a health awareness camp

for all the kids. They made kids learn about various diseases which can crop up due to poor sanitation and

hygiene. Kids enjoyed and learned a lot as their way of explaining was very interactive and visual.

Max India Foundation has been very supportive as always. After their recent donation for food, we have

started providing fruits in the morning as well now. Salads have now been incorporated in the meal. There

is a strong focus on nutritional yet balanced diet.

The coloring books and sheets provided by Family India

Foundation are coming handy in teaching kids basic alphabets.

They learn spontaneously in this way. Also the folders provided by

Paul have helped to keep the records of all the kids in place. We

hope to bring several more children into the fold and thereby

make their lives better.

LEARN EMPOWER UPLIFT (L.E.U)

Re-admission of kids to Govt. School, Sun City and Shifting Senior Class students: L.E.U.

FOUNDATION has tied up with a government school in Sun-

city, Sec-54, Bal Shiksha Kendra (BSK). Kids living in the

slum areas are trained for a pre- entrance test to get into

the government school. In July, 38 students cleared the test

and were admitted to different classes varying from 3rd to

5th grade. Recently, 32 students were promoted from the

junior to senior section within the BSK

Newspaper Drive: For the very first time, L.E.U. foundation, took its first step towards making the

best out of waste. The newspaper drive initiated on May 2010 and corporate giants such as

DUNNHUMBY and EXL-DA supported us. Volunteers of L.E.U plan to start newspaper drives in

other parts of the city in order to raise funds for BSK.

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New Class at BSK: There are around 100 students enrolled

with L.E.U foundation at BSK. However, till date there were

only 2 classes - one for seniors and one for juniors. In May

2010, BSK got itself a new class. The 3 classes were formed

by identifying the appropriate academic levels of the kids

living in the slum-area. There are two permanent teachers

who train these children.

Environmental Awareness Workshop – HSBC: The HSBC Corporate Sustainability Team organized an

Environmental Awareness Program on 28th May 2010 with 160 students, studying at the Bal Shiksha

Kendra. The Corporate sustainability team got an overwhelming response from the employees at GFC

Gurgaon, with more than 30 people volunteering for the cause. The two and a half hour program started

with performances by the young students, aged 5-10 years, studying at BSK. The talented students put up

an entertaining show comprising of a range of acts like singing and dancing. The most captivating act was a

skit inspired from the lives of those who live in the slum areas. It came packaged with an earnest social

message.

Summer Day by DUNNHUMBY: Summer Day was organized at

BSK on 19th June 2010 in collaboration with the Helping Hands

Team of DUNNHUMBY. Kids were taught on how to keep

themselves healthy in summers. Some fun filled activities were

also organized which included a theme based Fancy-Dress

Competition.

LEARNINGINQ Singapore’s Stupendous Support- ‘Self Indulgence’ &

Volunteers Pull off a Great Night

It took one month of hard work, for a committed team of

volunteers including Arijit Roy and the rock band with a heart,

‘Self Indulgence’, to get 40 well wishers to come out and

encourage LearningInq’s schools. While the guitars electrified

the silliness and dancing kept pace with the great selection of

songs, envelopes of support found their way over to the

LearningInq table. The spirit of the evening was best reflected

in the unassuming generosity which extended itself to friends refusing to put down their names and

emails.

LearningInq’s Language Curriculum

Children Think Spelling through Language teaching insists on introducing

the students to alien squiggles instead of the familiar ones. At Hamara

Schools, it begins with building the confidence that children already use

English and Hindi, and in many cases, at least one other language with

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confidence and understanding. Class sizes are kept small, so that individual attention is possible. Funds allow

for regular worksheets that children love taking home to display to parents. It helps the teachers make the point to

parents about the value of schooling.

PARICHAY The much awaited summer vacations, were surrounded in abundance with

activities as always. As May approached, the kids packed their books and

notebooks in their bags to explore the joy of creativity and imagination.

Art and craft, music, storytelling sessions, origami workshops kept the kids

cool though the temperature was raising high in Delhi. Fun games including

chapati making competitions were organized.

Nutrition program at parichay is continuing to be a success. To beat the heat

and to keep the kids cool, varieties of sharbats and sattu were given to kids

along with other diets.

Language plays a key role in communicating one’s ideas and principles. It is a

medium to express our opinions and speak out our mind in public. Changes in language pattern reflect the

changes in society. Keeping all this in mind a workshop titled “Bhasha Shikshan ek Prayog” was conducted

by Vijay Bhaiya in May 2009. Considering the fabulous outputs of this workshop a workshop titled “Shuddh

Hindi likhna aur bolna” was conducted in May 2010 for the Kids who then enjoyed the workshop a lot.

During Environment week a stall of environment friendly products made

with recycled paper, cloth and jute was organized at CSC Noida in June.

Total sales of Rs.18, 240/- was registered.

Gyan Ganga Project on mental retardation

Assessments of mentally challenged kids are going on. The assessments

include general awareness, memory test, gross motor coordination, fine motor coordination, color

concept, day and night concept, communication skills etc. In the month of May several group counselling

sessions, awareness programs on potentialities of mentally challenged kids, and meetings to form parents

support group have been organized with parents and care givers of mentally

challenged kids. The Office for the project has been shifted to a better location in

the same locality.

Events planned in next month

Spice stalls, Handicraft stalls, Trip to Peetampura Haat by metro for the children of

the handicraft unit, opening of special school for mentally challenged kids and second phase of survey

under Gyan Ganga project on mental retardation.

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JOIN US!

Love to teach children? Love to write, report and design? Care about the environment? Want to strengthen Rights? Worried about

new policies?

Simple steps by which YOU can make a difference:

Visit http://delhi.aidindia.org Register yourself as a volunteer

On receiving a welcome note Subscribe yourself to the volunteer e-group

One of our volunteer coordinators will contact you within a week.

Contact aid.delhi@gmail.com for any

further questions

Volunteer on ground or online; every contribution by you is of extreme value to

us.

REDEFINE YOUR

CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) Understand the evolution of Corporate

Social Responsibility in India and incorporate CSR as an integral part of business strategy

Develop a community engagement strategy, Bring together NGOs working in diverse

fields like education, health, environment with corporate/funding agencies to tie up

partnerships through discussions Develop environmentally and socially

responsible products and services Engage your employees in giving back to the

society through AID’s Corporate Volunteers Program

Provide cost effective solutions to the problems of underprivileged communities

Encourage your employees to participate in environment related initiatives

SUSTAINING THE ENVIRONMENT-

THE MOST CHALLENGING QUESTION

OF THE 21ST CENTURY

BY MOON GARG

The environment is an essential need for the very survival of life

on earth. We humans have successfully depleted the environment

to the extent that our own survival is now at stake. Over the time,

a lot of new mechanisms and procedures have been proposed to

deal with the menace created by us. Be it the Kyoto protocol,

carbon trading, bio-fuels, introduction of efficient technology, use

of alternate sources of energy, green buildings none of them is

able to substantially prevent or reduce the damage done so far.

The vast paced depletion of the underground water table, natural

resources, extinction of wild species, air pollution, water pollution,

land pollution, indiscriminate felling of trees, reduction of forest

cover, receding glaciers, ozone depletion, nuclear pollution, dying

marine animals, piling of e-waste stand testimony to the fact that

something is very wrong down the bottom-line which needs to be

addressed immediately. Every year, we pledge on Earth day to act

as responsible humans and stop harming the environment but

where are the outcomes? Every year we organize the Copenhagen

summit to discuss the role to be played by every nation towards

environment but where are the results? The average temperature

of earth has risen. Droughts, floods, drying rivers, hurricanes can

be seen everywhere.

The developed economies should act more responsibly and not

only ask developing economies to ratify any environment saving

pact. They should also join the bandwagon themselves because it

is joint effort that will bear fruits. The so called activities carried

out in the name of development, human progress needs to be

administered strictly as their unscientific handling does more

harm. This pressing issue requires immediate, coordinated efforts

from all directions of the world to make sure that we and our

future generations are able to survive. It’s high time to act rather

than indulge in loose talk and wait for some miracle to happen

that will save the mother earth from becoming another planet in

the solar system with no life. Each of us, yes you and me, need to

stop taking the environment for granted and work towards

preserving it. Do not peripherally pledge, that won’t save the

environment, implement!

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DONATE All donations to AID NCR are directed towards education, health & nutrition, skill- building, campaigns and other

activities. You can donate towards AID and its activities in the following manner:

Meal a month: An initiative to donate an amount equivalent to one meal of yours to build future India. Even a

single penny counts! Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 500...Whatever a meal costs you, we’d like to share your platter.

Donate Books: Donate academic books of your children after they’ve completed studying from them.

Pledge support for formal education of a child/ children

These contributions are entitled to a 50% tax exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.

How to donate in India

ELECTRONIC TRANSFERS Internet banking users can make electronic transfers to AID-India's

ICICI Bank Account.

CHEQUES Cheques can be drawn in favour of AID-India's ICICI Bank Account

and can be either mailed to or deposited at any ICICI bank branch.

CASH Cash may be deposited at any ICICI bank branch quoting "AID-

India" on the deposit slip.

AID-India - ICICI Bank Details

Branch: Royapettah High Road (RHR) Location: Chennai

MICR code: 600229007 Account No.: 602201200299 (Savings)

Beneficiary address:

7/4 Besant Road, Royapettah, Chennai.

Phone: +91-44-42106493, 28350403

To receive a receipt for your donation, please send the following details to aid.delhi@gmail.com

1. Your name and permanent address

2. Date , amount and mode (e-transfer, cheque, cash) of donation

3. Bank details together with the Cheque/Receipt number or E-transaction ID

If you are outside India and want to contribute to AID India’s Delhi chapter, then do mail us your cheque (in any

currency), drawn in favour of "AID-India", along with a cover letter stating the purpose of donation.

AID-NCR – Mailing Address

AL - 124, Shalimar Bagh

New Delhi-110088

Reach us at: http://delhi.aidindia.org AID NCR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/delhi.aidindia

AID NCR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/aiddelhi AID NCR on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AID_Delhi

AID INDIA- Bank Details for International Transfers

Punjab National Bank - 0306010100082696 PNB Extension Counter, D A V School (under Anna Salai Branch)

383, Avvai Shanmugam Salai, Gopalapuram, Chennai 600 086, Tamilnadu, India

IFSC (NEFT/ RTGS) code - PUNB0030600 ABA or SWIFT routing number of PNB India - 000046612 in the name of

PNB FEO Chennai. CODE - PUNB IN BB MF