NASSCOM Foundation, the leading Indian development organization that works towards galvanizing the corporate social responsibility (CSR) space in the IT industry in India; and the social development arm of NASSCOM, announces Genpact NASSCOM Social Innovation Honours – 2011 (GNSIH 2011), its annual Honours with Genpact as its Title Sponsor.
Now in its 3rd edition, NASSCOM Foundation (NF) pioneered the NASSCOM Social Innovation Honours in 2008, to recognize innovation in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for social development. The annual Honours aim to showcase projects that demonstrate best practices through exemplary use of ICT in areas of social transformation. It aims to identify projects where innovation could be in the form of a process or an application or product. In looking at the process, NF aims to understand systems based on transfer and sharing of knowledge across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. For NF, a social innovation can be a product, process, or technology as also a principle, an idea, an intervention, or some combination of these using ICT.
The winners will receive their Honours at NASSCOM’s biggest event – NASSCOM India Leadership Forum to be held in Mumbai in early 2011. The deadline for submitting entries is October 1, 2010.
“The power of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has been discussed widely by media, academics and practitioners alike. NASSCOM Foundation instituted the NASSCOM Social Innovation Honours (NSIH) in 2008 with the objective of nurturing and showcasing innovation in the use of technology that brings about positive and sustainable social change. We are expecting an even higher number of entries this year”, said Jerry Rao, Chairman, NASSCOM Foundation while talking about the Honours.
Pramod Bhasin, President & CEO, Genpact said, “NASSCOM Social Innovation Honours (NSIH) is a unique platform that aims to foster innovation in social development within organizations and individuals. The objective of our collaboration with NSIH is to act as a catalyst to drive growth and prosperity in the not so privileged sections of society. Through our association with NSIH, we aim to highlight the significant changes that technological innovations can bring about in improving the social landscape.”
CALL FOR ENTRIES:
Genpact NASSCOM Social Innovation Honours 2011, a NASSCOM Foundation initiative, is now open for entries for NGOs, NPOs, Corporate, Students, Government/PSUs,
Individuals /Groups, across the following seven categories:
·ICT led Innovation by Non – Profit Organisation
·ICT led Innovation as a Business Model
·ICT led Innovation through Corporate Social Responsibility
·ICT led Innovation by Government Department/Body
·Multi Stakeholder Partnership
.ICT led Innovation by Individual/Group
·ICT led Innovative Student Concept
This year, the GNSIH categories have been expanded to include ICT innovations by Students and Individuals/Groups. By broadening the scope, NF intends to encourage technology efforts through which social change can be accelerated and scaled up nationally.
BENEFITS:
Potential applicants should note that the GNSIH winners get national and international recognition for their innovative projects. Past winners have been able to draw attention to their organizations and generated much awareness in the media as is evident from their testimonials below. In addition, the GNSIH is a unique platform to share best practices with the relevant stakeholders such as industry, government and civil society bodies.
Amongst our partners Ernst & Young continues to be this year’s Process Partner as well. CNBC TV-18, as Media Partner will not only reach out to a larger and wider audience, but also highlight the urgency and need of creating sustainable businesses, programs and projects for social change in India. The Indian Angel Network (IAN) has joined the GNSIH initiative as Knowledge Partner this year and will be mentoring winners in the Student and Individual/Group categories.
JURY:
The grand jury this year comprises of stalwarts namely:
·Narayana Murthy, Founder-Chairman, Infosys Technologies Limited
·Jaithirth Rao, Chairman, NASSCOM Foundation
·Kiran Karnik, Former President, NASSCOM
·Rama Bijapurkar, Independent Market Strategy Consultant
HOW TO APPLY:
The application form can be either downloaded or filled online on our website www.nasscomfoundation.org.
LAST DATE to receive the filled application form is OCTOBER 01, 2010
For more information on GNSIH, please contact:
Gouri Raverkar, Senior Manager at T: 022 25190072/73, Email: gouri@nasscomfoundation.org
Or write to nsih@nasscomfoundation.org
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Oracle Education Foundation Opens ThinkQuest International Competition 2011
The ThinkQuest International Competition 2011, sponsored by the Oracle Education Foundation is now open to students worldwide. The competition challenges students, up to age 22, to solve a real-world problem by applying their critical thinking, communication, and technology skills.
"Our experience shows that when students collaborate on subjects about which they care deeply, they produce inspiring work," says Brad Saffer, VP, Oracle Corporate Citizenship. "We encourage teachers and students to
take part in this powerful learning experience and look forward to seeing the results of their efforts."
This year, the Oracle Education Foundation has introduced some exciting changes that will capture the creative spirit of even more students than before. Two new events considerably broaden the choice of technologies
students may use to create their entries. Moreover, the emphasis on problem-solving serves to inspire participants to tackle real-world challenges and produce solutions that benefit others.
Participants may enroll in three events: ThinkQuest Projects, Digital Media, and Application Development.
* In the *ThinkQuest Projects* event, participants will use ThinkQuest Projects, a hosted environment where students produce Web-based learning projects, to create their entry.
* In the *Digital Media* event, participants will use digital media tools to produce a blog/journal, Website, animation, public service announcement, photo essay, video, or some combination of these items.
* In the *Application Development* event, participants will develop a Web-based application or game using their choice of programming language from a select list.
Teams have eight months to develop and submit their entries by the April 27, 2011, deadline. Professional educators from around the world will judge all entries.
Qualifying entries will be published in the ThinkQuest Library, the world's largest online repository of student-developed learning projects that is visited by millions of learners each month. Prizes include laptop computers, a trip to ThinkQuest Live hosted in the San Francisco Bay Area, and monetary grants for the coach's school, or
organization.
More than 4,700 teams from 83 countries participated in the last competition cycle. View the previous ThinkQuest International Competition Winning Sites.
"ThinkQuest
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Volunteering Movement In Your City!!!
“Giving, taking, earning, stealing, squandering, hoarding. These are all human impulses, and we wouldn't be human without them. Yet on this list only one item- giving- appears in the world's wisdom traditions,” the Scriptures say that when you give of your time, emotional support, encouragement, your entire life is blessed and nourished; consequently, you become even more capable of giving.
A platform like the Joy of Giving restores joy to giving, brings many individuals and organisations together, and lets them support each other and work for a cause. Shalabh Sahai, Director of iVolunteer says, “The challenges that our country faces are unquestionably substantial. And only when each one of us raises our hand to say- I want to make a difference, I want to give some part of myself, my time, my skills- can these challenges be overcome.”
With this in mind, iVolunteer is organsing a series of events that will enable people to volunteer in their own city for a cause that they choose. Last year, iVolunteer organised a ‘Camp for the Elderly’ and facilitated old age homes in Bengaluru to get quality health care. This was a good beginning as it involved volunteers in working for the issue of elderly welfare; this year iVolunteer proposes to get more NGOs and beneficiaries served.
To start the Joy of Giving Week- on Sep 26, 2010- iVolunteer plans to organise ‘Wish Fulfilments’ in partnership with Make A Wish Foundation Of India (www.makeawishindia.org) and ‘Clothes Collection’ in partnership with GOONJ (www.goonj.org); ‘Clothes Collection’ will continue into the next day too and ‘Wish Fulfilments’ will be taken up on Sep 30 as well. Sep 28 is for ‘Tree Plantation Drive’ with different orgns. and Sep 29 for ‘Cleanliness Drive’. Sept 30 will see us ‘Giving Thanks to and Respecting Every Job”. Oct 01 is for ‘Sorting Clothes’ that were collected earlier. The last day of the Week is set aside for ‘Feeding the Homeless’ along with Ramaiah Hospital’s Geriatric project i.e. Camp for the elderly at 10 Old Age Homes in different parts of Bangalore for whole week.
“The ‘Joy of Giving Week’ signifies that one point of time in an entire year when all Indians WILL GIVE. They will give to say that I volunteer to make this country a better place,” Shalabh concludes.
So, take a lead and initiative, be the leader at your work place, college, school, complexes and make a difference… Tentative schedule at: http://joyofgivingweek.ning.com/events/volunteering-movement-in-your (Any more events planned will be updated)…
Pls mail me at prarthana@ivolunteer.in if you wanna be part of this movement, bring the change and see the change... J Believe me “Your skills can change lives” and “We need a massive number of volunteers to change the fortune of our country!” Let’s do it people!!!
Thanks and Happy Volunteering!!!
P.S: This is in continuation and as part of one initiative of my previous blog/story Let's do it - A Fear free City ... http://www.ngopost.org/story/lets-do-it-fear-free-city
Best Regards,
Prarthana
Prarthana Unkalkar Kaul
Head - iVolunteer Centres
iVolunteer -- Your skills can change lives
www.iVolunteer.in
Tel: +91-80-41466568
Cell: +91-99803 50180
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National Liver Foundation: Promoting organ donation
NLF( National Liver Foundation) is a voluntary, non-profit organization promoting awareness and prevention of liver diseases. It offers help, information, and supports to those suffering from liver disease and their families. In addition, NLF reaches out to support programmes involving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of liver- related diseases.
It is estimated that liver diseases are among the top ten killer diseases in India, causing lakhs of deaths every year. Besides, there are those who suffer from chronic liver problems, needing recurrent hospitalization and prolonged medical attention, which leaves them physically, mentally, emotionally and financially devastated.
On the other hand there are millions of cases of hepatic diseases, which go unreported or are reported when the matters have gone out of hand. Utter poverty coupled with lack of education and awareness, prevent people from seeking medical advice until it is too late. In addition, high cost of treatment pose as major obstacle in convincing people about taking treatment.
Studies have indicated that some liver related diseases like Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C virus could burgeon into an epidemic much larger in scale than the dreaded HIV. However, these diseases being silent killers with long gestation periods do not attract the attention of the Government or the other influential bodies. The needs of patients with liver- related disease have been grossly underestimated and largely ignored. Committed to address these issues, the NLF (National Liver Foundation) was established in 1999, thorough the consorted and co-operative efforts of philanthropists.
Since its inception NLF has attempted to spread awareness about preventable hepatic diseases and reaching out to people suffering from chronic or advanced diseases through:
Various educational and training programmes including seminars,
Patient support groups
Mobilizing funds for providing treatment to patients at considerably subsidized rates
Campaigns for promoting organ donation and other activities.
Vaccinate Hepatitis B vaccine to all medical students and para-medical entrants.
However it will be a long time before there efforts will significant results are yet to be seen in bringing down the incidence of liver diseases. With India’s large population growing every minute the task seems humungous. Encouraging individuals to participate in their own preventive health- care can prevent many serious diseases. Proper information and care can help reverse the ill- effects of neglect and ignorance in many cases. NLF has taken the first step. Your support can help us make lasting change in the lives of millions. Join hands with NLF in this fight to make India free of liver diseases.
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Make a life-saving difference
The prestigious Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in Delhi has broken the threshold of organ transplantation in the country. Now, Indian soldiers with organ failure can hope for a new, healthy and active life Prateek Chauhan Delhi
Had soldier Vikram Singh damaged his liver three years back, he wouldn't be alive today. Today, the situation has dramatically changed. With a 90 per cent success rate, Indian soldiers or para-military force ex-servicemen need not die due to organ failure. Ditto with his family members. One of the finest state-of-the-art hospital doing specialised research in India will now directly take care of organ transplant of Indian soldiers, until now largely an inaccessible, difficult and highly expensive affair. Clearly, this has ushered in a wave of relief and happiness among the armed forces.
It all began three years ago. The fabulously equipped organ transplant facility at the prestigious Armed Forces Organ Retrieval and Transplantation Authority (AORTA), at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral- R&R), in Delhi, inaugurated in 2007, is pioneering the 'craft' of organ transplant for current and former Indian soldiers from all over India, and their families, across the rigid hierarchies of the Indian army, air force, navy, para military forces, and ex-servicemen. Said Group Captain Dr Bhaskar Nandi, (R&R), who is instrumental in getting the organ transplantation centre going, "Only eye-donation has matured in India, while organ-donation is still in its infancy. We are trying to make more and more people aware that organ donation is a noble act."
AORTA is the country's largest organ donation centre with a success rate better than AIIMS. Records show that AIIMS started its organ transplantation programme in 1992 and till date they have done only 10 liver transplantations, whereas R&R started much later in 2007, but it has already done 41 liver transplantations successfully.
Organ-recipient Vikram Singh, a jawan from Jammu, doesn't know who donated his liver to him before his death or what his religious beliefs were. "I thank him and pray to god for him," he said, his eyes melting with gratitude.
Of the 41 cases of liver transplantation at R&R, 29 were facilitated by people who had donated organs from 2007 to 2010. There have been 89 cases of brain-death of individuals at the facility of which 66 could safely donate organs; 30 cases were committed for organ transplantation. Organ donor ratio in other countries is 30-32 per ten lakh while in India, it is very less in comparison - 0.5 per ten lakh, according to the hospital's official data.
Soldier Jeen Tilo from Tamil Nadu, also an organ-recipient, had come to the hospital with a damaged liver due to jaundice. He has been cured with a liver transplant and has rejoined duty with his unit at Tamil Nadu. "Organ transplantation is a boon to the medical industry as it has helped in saving my life, otherwise I would have been dead by now. I keep coming here after every six months for rechecks and feel thankful to the person who donated his liver to me," he told Hardnews.
R&R hospital started functioning as India's best facilitated multi-organ transplantation few years back with state-of-the-art technology and a competent team of physicians and surgeons. While accurate statistics are hard to come by, it is known that thousands of Indian soldiers and officers' families could gain from timely organ transplantation. It is estimated that there are more then 80,000 cases of renal failure annually, and probably thousands of cases of liver, heart or lung failure, where timely organ transplants could make all the difference.
For instance, Colonel Dod died of brain hemorrhage on March 22, 2010, but his family decided to donate his organs and helped save lives of many people subsequently. His heart went to a soldier who was on death-bed. "This was the third successful heart transplantation in the hospital," said Nandi. Dod's liver was transplanted into a soldier's father while his kidneys were used for two other patients.
Similar is the case of death of hawaldar Laxman Singh's 18-year-old son Ajay, who died on 27 March, 2010. Not willing to let his son's death go in vain, Singh consulted other family members and decided to donate Ajay's organs. His liver and one kidney were transplanted into two soldiers and his second kidney was given to another soldier's daughter.
So far, 5,000 soldiers and officers have registered to donate internal organs in case of brain-death. "The declaration of brain-death of a patient is decided by a panel of specialists," said Nandi. "Relatives of potential donors get emotional and convincing them is not an easy task."
For this purpose special training is done by lady officer and transplant coordinator Lieutenant Colonel Pradhi Nambiar. "For family members of the dead person, donation of organs is a very difficult task, but some do agree to it believing it to be a noble cause. The donors' family is rewarded by the defence minister every year so that others get inspired to do the same."
The truth is, India's social environment is still far from ready on organ transplantation which is not just about surgery, or medical science and technology. It touches a host of other issues - legal, social, emotional and religious - all of which have to be addressed with sensitivity and thoroughness.
Transplantation depends on the availability of human organs which in turn depends on voluntary donation of organs by relatives of persons who have met with sudden brain-death. "We have the technology and the expertise needed for the transplants, but the main problem is of shortage of organ and tissue donors," notes Lieutenant General Naresh Kumar VSM, AVSM, R&R.
People must be prepared to do something meaningful which makes the loss of near and dear ones easier to bear. Many western countries have the Required Request Law, which makes it mandatory for the hospital to ask the relatives of a person, who has suffered brain-death, whether they are willing to consider organ donation. "The thought may not have even occurred to many people, so the first step is to bring it within public consciousness," said Colonel Anupam Saha, consultant, Surgery and Gastrointestinal Surgery.
"One of the fundamental problems with cadaveric organ donation lies in our understanding of death. A 'cadaver' refers to a human body that has been declared brain-dead -- that is, the brain has stopped functioning but the heart continues to beat on an artificial support system, like a ventilator. Many people confuse brain-death with a state of coma," clarified Nandi.
A person who is in a coma is actually in a state of deep unconsciousness with the heart beating on its own while natural breathing continues. The person may emerge from a comatose state and regain most normal organ functions. Brain-death, however, is irreversible, when the person is clinically and legally deceased. "People find it very hard to accept this as death, because the body is still warm, and the heart is still beating," he explained.
It is estimated that nearly 60,000 brain-deaths occur every year in this country representing a potential pool of thousands of organs that can be donated. "We have to understand that death can occur when either the heart or the brain stops working," said Nambhiar. This is important for organ donation because organs can be harvested only from cadavers that are being maintained on ventilators, that is, when the organs are still being pumped with blood, and are in a state where they can continue to function in another body. "The family must decide to donate when their dear one still appears to be breathing and their body is still warm."
Organs cannot be harvested in the case of death at home because even the slightest time lag between the end of circulation and the removal of the organ can make it unusable. Another area of concern is the delay in bringing the dead body back home from the hospital, as the organ-retrieval process takes six to eight hours after consent has been obtained.
"We have found that once people have decided to donate the organs, they also have the strength to deal with these logistics," said Nandi. "It helps tremendously if the concerned person indicates a wish to donate his organs to his family before his/her death. It makes them want to respect the dying person's last wish," he added.
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Funds Available for NGOs working with Disabled Kids and the Elderly in Thane
Please provide me the name and the address of any nonprofit organisations in badlapur or in thane dist. which is working for the welfare of MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN or OLD PEOPLE so that i can contribute donation to them.
send an email:anjalis13@yahoo.co.in
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Prizes for Community Health and Development Work
The Community Tool Box will honor innovative approaches to promoting community health and development worldwide with the 2010 Out of the Box Prize.Your group’s work may involve efforts to improve community health, education, urban or rural development, poverty, the environment, social justice, or other related issues of importance to communities.
Grand Prize:
$5,000 cash award (USD) + free customized WorkStation for your group (value $2,100)
Second Prize:
$2,000 cash award (USD) + free customized WorkStation for your group
10/31/2010: Deadline for submission of applications
2/15/2011: Grand Prize and Second Prize announced
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Scholarships for Polio-Affected and SC/OBC Students - Bombay
Free Scholarship for Handicap (Polio) affected Students & Scholarship
for SC/ST/OBC & EBC Students.
We are offering Free Scholarship for Handicap (Polio) affected Students for the field of Interior Design & Fashion Design - 1 Year Diploma course. We have 4 reserved seats for the same. Applications are invited from deserving students and they are request to contact Ms. S. Deshmukh on 9987002023 or email - govt.designcareer@gmail.com. Last date for applying is 15th Sep 2010.
We are also offering 25% fees discount to SC/ST/OBC/EBC Students for the field of Fashion Design & Interior Design.
Kindly release this request through your media. Those students who desire to avail this scholarship are requested to get in touch with the scholarship manager.
Thanking you in anticipation with warm regards and looking forward for as soon and positive reply at your earliest convenience.
Ms. S. Deshmukh.
Manager - Scholarship
9987002023
Creative Educational & Charitable Trust (Govt. Regd.)
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Donate Life India
The goal of this website is to improve awareness of organ donation and increase the number of transplant surgeries in India, especially motivate the student community to come forward to become organ donors.
With the growing list of potential organ donors signing on to www.donatelifeindia.com, it becomes increasingly clear that there are thousands of wonderful and compassionate people willing to help a fellow human being.
The website is an initiative of the students of Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Anna University Chennai to promote the organ donation awareness among the young minds.
source from:ngopost.org
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