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Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
List of NGOs in Uttar Pradesh Part-2
1)Name: Mahila Evam Bal Vikas Sansthan
Contact Person: Nobahar Singh, Secretary
Address : Village Kiratpur, PO Ayampur, Via Noorpur,Bijnore-246734, UP,India
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
2)Name: Manav Kalyan Pratishthan
Contact Person: Ramesh Chandra Tiwari, Secretary
Address : 72, Ismailganj, Fatehpur-212601, U P, India
Tel.No.: 05180 - 24647
Fax:05180 - 24663
Email:ramesh_tiwari@rediff.com
Area of focus: Science/Environment education and training
3)Name: Myana Gramodyog Sewa Sansthan
Contact Person: Shanti Swarup Sharma, Secretary
Address: Murari Nagar, GT Road, Khurja, Bulandshahr -203131, UP,India
Area of focus:Environment education
4)Name: National Council of Development Communication
Contact Person: V.K. Dubey, Secretary
Address : B33, 14-22, Koshlesh Nagar Colony, Naria Varanasi -221005 UP,India
Tel.No: 0542 - 318574
Area of focus: Environment awareness and science popularization
5)Name: National Environment Conservation Association
Contact Person: B.D. Tripathi, President
Address: Centre for Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi - 221005, UP,India
Tel.No.: 0542-311190, 330454
Area of focus: Environment education and conservation
6)Name: National Forum for Environmental Studies and Conservation (NESCO)
Contact Person: Dr. Anil Kumar Tewari, General Secretary
Address : C/o Department of Botany, University of Allahabad,Allahabad-211 002, UP,India
Tel.No.: 0532-603359
Area of focus: Environment conservation and awareness
7)Name: Navodaya Vikas Sansthan
Contact Person: B.P. Sharma, Secretary
Address: Village & P.O. Baksar, District Ghaz iabad , UP,India
Area of focus: Science & livelihood education
8)Name: Nehru Seva Ashram
Contact Person: Vineshpal Singh Yadav
Address : Village Digarpur, P.O. Dilawarpur,Shahjahanpur District, UP,India
Area of focus: Environment awareness
9)Name: Nehru Youva Kendra Sangathan, Meerut
Contact Person: Dr. D.K. Gupta, Youth Coordinator
Address: 180/2, New Prempuri Railway Road,Meerut-250 002, UP,India
Tel. No.0121-512453
Area of focus: Environment education
10)Name: Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Etah
Contact Person: Pawan Kumar Dubey, District Youth Coordinator
Address : Sanjay Nagar, Agra Road, Etah-207 001 UP,India
Tel.No.: 05742-33692
Area of focus: Environment education
11)Name: Paryavaran Sewa Sansthan
Contact Person: Raghunandan Singh, Secretary
Address: 2226 Kharagjit Nagar, Mainpuri- 205 001, UP,India
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
12)Name: Pipalsana Gramudyog Vikas Samiti Pipalsana (PAGRO)
Contact Person: Rijwan Husain, President
Address: P.O. Khas (Block Bhagatpur Tanda),Tehsil & District Moradabad-244 001, UP,India
Tel.No.: 0591-47297
Area of focus: Livelihood education
13)Name: Randhol Vriksharopan Samiti
Contact Person: Randhol Singh, President
Address : Mohalla Holiwala, Village & P.O. Sisauli, Muzaffarnagar District- 251 319, UP,India
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
14)Name: Saghan Kshetra Vikas Samiti
Contact Person: Rama Kant Rai, Project Officer
Address: Sewapuri, Varanasi- 221 403 UP,India
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
15)Name: Salim Ali Memorial Nature Club (SAMNC)
Contact Person: Awdhesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary
Address : C/o Sita Ram Sahu, Bari Haat, Mahoba, Hamirpur -210427 UP,India
Tel.No.: 0581 - 55079
Area of focus: Environmental awareness, Biodiversity Conservation
16)Name: Sarva Deshik Seva Samaj
Contact Person: A. Bajpari
Address: Gymkhana Club Road 3, Kaiserbagh, Lucknow,UP,India
Area of focus: Environment education and training
17)Name: Seva Karmi Sansthan
Contact Person: Om Prakash Mishra, General Secretary
Address : Sherpur Khurd, Ghazipur- 233236, UP,India.
Area of focus: Environment protection
18)Name: Sharda Environmental Conservation Centre
Contact Person: Shailesh Kumar Rai, Chairman
Address : Post Bag No. 1, Jaunpur- 222001, UP,India
Tel. No. 05442-64778, 66220
Area of focus: Biodiversity and environment conservation
19)Name: Shohratgarh Environmental Society (SES)
Contact Person: Dr. B.C. Srivastava, Secretary
Address: 9, Adarsh Colony, Shohratgarh, Siddharthnagar- 272205, UP,India
055448-271
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
20)Name: Society for Conservation of Nature and Scientific Development
Contact Person: J.C. Srivastava, Secretary
Address: 11, Park Lane, Lucknow-226 001 UP,India
Tel.No.: 0522-228281
Area of focus: Environment awareness and eco-development
21)Name: Society for Environmental Pollution Control
Contact Person: A.Quraishy, President
Address : 17/423, New Hyderabad,Lucknow-226 007, UP,India
Tel.No.: 0522-387252, 327547
Fax:0522-388610
Area of focus: Environment protection
22)Name: Society for Himalayan Rehabilitation and People's Action (SHERPA)
Contact Person: T.N. Dhar, President
Address: 27-B-5, Lajpat Rai Marg, Lucknow-280 661, UP,India
Tel.No.: 0522-280661
Area of focus: Environment education and training
23)Name: Society of Professional for Rural Enrichment, Environment and Technology
Contact Person: Ripika Gulati, President
Address : J-196 Patel Nagar I, Ghaziabad Distict-201 001, UP,India
Tel. No.0575-719825
Area of focus: Science and tec hnology education
24)Name: Swachchha Ganga Mahila Samitee
Contact Person: Anjana Prakash, Secretary
Address: D-59/103 A, Sigra, Varanasi- 221 002, UP,India
Tel. No. 0542-221199
Fax: 0542-239172
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
25)Name: The Academy of Environmental Biology
Contact Person: R.C. Dalela, Secretary
Address : 1/206, Vikas Nagar, Lucknow-226 022, UP,India
Tel.No.: 0522-768752
Area of focus: Science and technology popularization
26)Name: UNICEF
Contact Person: The Coordinator
Address : 1/4, Vipul Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, UP,India
Area of focus: Environment awareness and eco-development
27)Name: Urmila Gramodyog Sewa Samiti
Contact Person: Murli Manohar, Secretary
Address : House No. WS 692 Bharatpuri Colony, P.O. Bakkhni Kanungo, Gonda District, UP,India
Area of focus: Science and environment
28)Name: Uttar Pradesh Vigyan Lekhak Avam Samvaddata Samiti
Contact Person: Jagdish Chandra Ranjan, President
Address: F 34, Sarvodaya Nagar,Lucknow-226 016, UP,India
Tel.No: 0522-380746
Area of focus: Science education and popularization.
29)Name: Vigyan Shiksha Kendra (Science EducationCentre)
Contact Person: Dr. Bhartendu Prakash, Convenor and Executive Director
Address : Badausa Road, P.O. Atarra, Banda District-210 001
Tel.No: 0519-22587
Area of focus: Science and Technology education
30)Name: Vinoba Adarsh Shiksha Samiti
Contact Person: M. L. Maurya, Secretary
Address: Vinoba Nagar, Nai Bazar, Naini,Allahabad-211 009, UP,India
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
31)Name: Wildlife Society of India (WSI)
Contact Person: Dr. Jamal A.Khan, Secretary
Address : C/o Centre of Wildlife and Ornithology, Aligarh Muslim University,Aligarh-202 002, UP,India
Tel.No.: 0571-401052
Fax0571-404511
Area of focus: Environment education and wildlife conservation
32)Name: Women In Need Institute (WINI)
Contact Person: Uma Solomon, Secretary
Address: D-19, Indira Nagar, Varanasi-226 016, UP,India
Tel. No.0542-345938
Fax:0542-388715
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
33)Name: World Pheasant Association -India
Contact Person: Prof. A. H. Musavi, Secretary and Treasurer
Address : 6, Kabeer Colony, Anoop Shahar Road, Aligarh-202002, UP, India
Tel. No 0571-400759
Fax: 409081
E-mail: amwfls@amu.ernet.in
Area of focus: Environment awareness and conservation
34)Name: World Wide Fund for Nature-India
Contact Person: Brig. Surendra Varma (Retd.). State Director
Address: U.P.State Office, Balrampur Terrace, 5th Floor,Rohit Bhavan, 4, Sapru Marg, Lucknow-226 001, UP,India
Tel. No. 0522-217647
Fax :0522-200942
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
35)Name: World Wide Fund for Nature-India, Vrindavan Conservation Project
Contact Person: Project Coordinator
Address : Chhota Munghyr Mandir, Vrindavan-Mathura MainRoad,Vrindavan District-281 121, UP,India
Tel.No.: 0565-442771 (R)
Area of focus: Environment education and conservation
36)Name: Young Environmentalist Association, Lucknow (YEA)
Contact Person: Anil Mishra, General Secretary
Address: 64, Kurshed Bagh, Lucknow- 226 004, UP,India
Area of focus: Environment education and awareness
37)Name: Yuvak Vikas Samiti, Vedmanpur
Contact Person: Anand Kumar Dubey, Secretary
Address: P.O. Parsipur, Bhadohi District- 221 402, UP,India
Tel.No.: 05414-71358, 71361
Area of focus: Environment education and training
Latest NGO Events and Happenings
Fellowships Available: Join a Chef in Germany or an Animal-Assisted Therapist in US
We are happy to announce that the Dekeyser&Friends Foundation is offering two exciting new Projects with fully funded Fellowships aimed at young people world wide.
The Culinary Project will allow 5 Fellows to join famous chef Tim Mälzer for three months in his restaurant Bullerei in Hamburg, Germany. The Teaching Project provides an exciting opportunity for Fellows to learn hands-on from Dr Samuel Ross in his school Green Chimneys in Brewster, New York about teaching children with special needs with the help of animal assisted therapy.
Deadline: March 10, 2011
To know more Details of the same: click here
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Indian Nonprofits face scrutiny for misuse of foreign aid
In 2004, Jerry Almeida, then the fundraising director of ActionAid India, was shocked to discover an office in the garage of their Bangalore headquarters where some of the staff were penning letters in a child's scrawl. The letters were sent out to individual donors all over the world, allegedly written by the Indian children people were paying to sponsor. The forgeries were far from the personalized interaction that the charity led the sponsors to believe. Sandeep Chachra, the CEO of Action Aid India, denied to TIME that the staff members wrote the letters themselves. "The children write the letters with the help of community workers and sometimes as part of school exercises," said Chachra. "Our staff has no role to play in it."
The alleged transgression is not a lonely instance of unscrupulousness in India's sprawling nonprofit sector. With 3.3 million registered NGOs, India's nonprofit sector raises between $8 billion and $16 billion in funding every year. According to Home Ministry statistics, foreign funding to Indian NGOs saw a 56% increase in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 fiscal years. In 2008, the latest available data, the total official foreign aid to India was $2.15 billion. But according to NGO watchdogs, almost half of that money is misused, mostly to support high administrative costs of running organizations. "NGOs who raise Indian donations are accountable to the Indian public, but foreign donors are abroad and there is no accountability. They receive a letter and they are happy that they are helping some Indian child," says Mathew Cherian, chairperson of the NGO watchdog Credibility Alliance. "There are many NGOs who won't even show you their accounts."
NGO accountability — or the lack of it — is, of course, not India's problem alone. A 2008 assessment of 30 of the world's most powerful global organizations cites transparency as one of the least developed dimensions of accountability. In India, the problem is compounded by the highly unorganized nature of the NGO sector: organizations are often required to register under multiple laws without any uniform accounting policy or reporting framework. It's a problem driven both at the organizational and the donor levels. Says Almeida: "Money is important for development but most people get swayed by emotional provocation and pay money to NGOs indiscriminately." (See pictures of the making of modern India.)
One of the key complaints against Indian nonprofits is their overspending on overheads. A 2006-07 government report on utilization of foreign funds by Indian NGOs shows that out of the $2.15 billion in foreign aid received, around $680 million was used for organizational expenses, compared with $563 million used for relief and rehabilitation of victims of natural calamities, $435 million for rural development, $269 million for construction and maintenance of schools and colleges, and $263 million for welfare of children. "Every organization has legitimate administrative costs," says Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children, India, which spends around 14% of its funds on administration. "It is impossible to distinguish administrative costs from program costs because it's all set up for delivering programs." Instead of focusing on how money gets allocated, Chandy says, "we should look at the impact created at ground level."
But there are other uncomfortable questions that also call the credibility of a lot of Indian NGOs into question. Chief among them is businesses using NGOs for money laundering. India's federal investigation agency is currently looking into money-laundering and fund-misappropriation charges against one of the country's most prominent human-rights activists, Ravi Nair. Nair and his NGO, the South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre, were indicted by the European antifraud agency in October of last year, though Nair has denied all wrongdoing.
While groups like Credibility Alliance, iCongo and GiveIndia are working toward increasing NGO accountability through annual reviews and accreditation, they still have a long way to go. Despite being around for many years, these watchdogs are used only by a few hundred NGOs. Credibility Alliance, for example, has only 600 members. Even international organizations like the Humanitarian Accountability Project, an international agency that seeks a voluntary system of accountability for 40,000 international NGOs, has only 36 members globally. The Société Générale de Surveillance, the world's leading for-profit inspection, verification, testing and certification company, has certified only 68 of the world's approximately 10 million NGOs. USAID-funded ForeignAID Ratings has certified three.
Foreign aid to India has come under the microscope by foreign donors over the past few years, with critics arguing that India — with a defense budget of $31.5 billion, a substantial foreign-aid program of its own and a U.S.-endorsed claim to a permanent Security Council seat — should be able to fund its own development. Today India is still home to 42% of the global population living on less than $1.25 a day, but if the World Bank's forecast that poverty in India will fall by more than a third by 2015 is correct, the government needs to take a closer look at better use of its foreign aid.
In response to these complaints, the federal government has been tightening its grip. New Delhi has banned 41 NGOs from receiving foreign funding in the past few years, and in August, the government revised the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, a 1976 law that oversees NGOs that receive foreign funding. Under the act, organizations have to submit an annual report to the government giving details of the funds received and their utilization. In 2008, out of the 34,803 registered associations, only 18,796 filed their reports. Now, with this year's revisions, NGOs that do not file returns to the Home Ministry will lose the right to receive foreign funds for three years, which will, in many cases, effectively suspend their operations. India's latest five-year plan also advocates a single comprehensive law with a single set of accountability procedures to encourage accountability and transparency within the NGO sector. After all, as Chandy says, NGOs are in the "credibility market" and they cannot afford to be above accountability.
Correction: Due to an editing error, a response from Action Aid was not included in the original version of this story. Sandeep Chachra, the CEO of Action Aid India, said, "The children write the letters with the help of community workers and sometimes as part of school exercises." He denied that staff members wrote the letters themselves: "Our staff has no role to play in it."
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Donations for Tribal Villagers in Thane, Maharashtra
Since I'm a bit of a curious cat, I called Ankur to ask whether his 'Young Sevaks' is associated with the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). He said it's not. - Chandni
Subject: Plz read and forward: Situation at tribal villages around MOKHADA
I request you to kindly have a detailed look at the attachments.
It would be appreciated if you can contribute by some or all means as mentioned in the flyer and also forward the attachments to your friends, family, colleagues and as many as possible requesting them to come forward and co-operate by all possible ways as mentioned in the flyer.
In case you want to donate more amount, you will get 80G certificate for your Income-tax benefit and also the receipt will be issued if required by the giver.
Thanking you in anticipation for your time, effort and concern.
Waiting for your response at the earliest.
For Young Sevaks,
Ankur Nandu
Jt. Secretary
+91 9960634573
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Save environment save Earth
I am working at Sagar to save environment from Hazards of Polythene disposal.Everyday during my leisure I make Paper Envelops and packets from used newspapers,which I distribute to shopkeepers without any cost with a message to avoid polythene use for selling their products and save Earth from global warming.Recently I am in touch of fifteen mentally challenged individuals living in a very bad condition with a group of Christian trust.I want to help them by financially and emotionally by involving them with this work of making envelops,but unfortunately I have no fund to help them as well as the whole world at a very large level.But I know one day God will create a way for me to do this work at fullest.
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Six Volunteers Available for NGOs in Bombay
We would like to request you to please grant us a permission for being a part of
your respective N.G.O for a very shortperiod of time, so that we give our best and help you all as mature students in various means. . We are 6 students’ pursuing bachelors in mass media from R.D. National College and have got an assignment of working for an N.G.O. (for children or even old age homes).
We basically have to spend 30 hours with them, be it even twice a week for 2 hours per day. Within this course we have to teach them or help them with various activities such as.. Dancing, drama, sports, cooking, art and craft, etc. Also, we will make a short 10 minutes documentary on all the time we spend with you all.
We sincerely promise you that the trust you will show upon us by granting us the
permission to work with you will always be respected and we will always
maintain the dignity of being a part of such a grace. As we have a vey short time and have to complete our assignment by end of January, I request you to please send us a hopefully positive reply as soon as possible.
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Research Fellowships on Health
Avabai Women's Archives (AWA) at the Research Centre for Women's Studiesinvites research proposals of approximately 1000 words for three research fellowships of Rs 50,000 each, for a period of six months beginning in Feb2011.
The proposals should aim at *retrieving and /or generating research based archival material* like diaries, campaign posters, photographs, important communications, journals, film clippings, institutional material etc in the following areas:
- Women's indigenous and contemporary knowledge practices and the status of women as knowers in the area of health and medicine
- Construction of gender in colonial health policies
- Histories, biographies and contribution of women in the early twentieth century to women's reproductive health.
The proposal should specify the methodology and time frame of the project.
Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit detailed proposals and appear for an interview.
Applicants for the grant should be social scientists or activists who have worked with oral histories. Registered PhD scholars working broadly in the areas suggested above may be considered.
The proposals will be scrutinized by a selection committee.
The decision of the committee would be final. Terms and conditions would apply.
Proposals along with two copies of the CV of the applicant should reach the following address latest by the *15th of Jan 2010*:
Avabai Women's Archives
Research Centre for Women's Studies
S.N.D.T Women's University
Sir Vithaldas Vidyavihar,
Juhu Campus,
Juhu Road Santacruz (West)
Mumbai 400 049
Tel 022-26610751 022-26610751 022-26610751
E-mail rcwssndt@bom3.vsnl.net.in
Details: www.rcwssndt.org
Research Centre for Women's Studies
S.N.D.T Women's University
Sir Vithaldas Vidyavihar,
Juhu Campus,
Juhu Road Santacruz (West)
Mumbai 400 049
Tel 022-26610751 022-26610751 022-26610751
E-mail rcwssndt@bom3.vsnl.net.in
Details: www.rcwssndt.org
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Animal Rescues
We are a small group of animal volunteers involved in rescuing and rehabilitating needy animals around Hyderabad.
We are starting a shelter for disabled animals.
We believe those disabled animals deserve a second chance [maybe not as easy as before , but still have a hope] which is why we are starting a shelter exclusively for them. Animals which are to be euthanize will be rehabilitated so that they can have as much normal lives as possible.
For this cause we are buying a land to built up a permanent HOPE. We have paid 150,000 INR from our pockets so far and we still need to pay 350,000 INR to get the land. We have been trying all possible ways to get the money [like loans , lending etc] which will take a very long time and almost seem impossible.
We think that joining lots of hands could make this shelter take form.We are gathering every possible penny and trying to reach the target amount.
All we want to request you is to please join a hand and help us move further.
Help us in helping those needy animals.
Hope to hear from you soon.Please let us know asap.
You can check our rescue album at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=427778&l=37be037c87&id=557160412
Our Website : www.ps4a.org
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The professor who begs for his students
In our special year-end section, Rediff.com looks at people who wrote the India story this year.
Professor Sandeep Desai divides his time between running two schools -- one for slum children in Mumbai and the other in rural Maharashtra. To achieve his goal of setting up one school every year in a backward area, he collects donations from commuters in Mumbai's local trains.
Sanchari Bhattacharya meets a unique teacher.
In the last three months, Professor Sandeep Desai has been on the front page of a national daily, has been featured in a popular magazine and has received a personal endorsement from actor Salman Khan.
The neatly dressed professor made several heads turn earlier this year when he got on a crowded train compartment, clutching a donation box under his arm, and started begging for funds to complete the construction of a primary school in Zadgaon in Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra.
He appreciates the overwhelming appreciation and goodwill that he has encountered after the media, and Salman Khan via his twitter page, made him an instantly recognisable figure. But Professor Desai had a sincere request when Rediff.com met him for an interview: "Please understand that the mission is more important. Please focus on our mission in your story, not me".
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Philanthropy workshop at the American Center
The American Center and Samhita cordially invite you to a discussion program on
“Making Philanthropy Easy, Essential and Effective” with
Dr. Amita Vyas,
Assistant Professor & Director, George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services and Founder & President, Global India Fund Inc.
in conversation with
Li Ping Lo, Foreign Services Officer, U.S. Consulate Mumbai
Noshir Dadrawala, Chief Executive, Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy,
Vidya Shah, Executive Director and Head, EdelGive Foundation,
Akhil Shahani, Director, Kaizen Private Equity
Rajiv Agarwal, Advertising Consultant
American Center Auditorium
4, New Marine Lines, Mumbai 400020
Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 6:00 pm – 7:30pm
(Registration/Refreshments will commence at 5:30 pm)
RSVP: Ashwati Bharadwaj on bharadwajab@state.gov or tel.: 22624590 extn.2253
View Agenda
About panel members
Amita Vyas - Assistant Professor and Director, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and Founder and President, Global India Fund Inc
Dr. Amita Vyas is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Maternal and Child Health masters in public health program in the Department of Prevention and Community Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Dr.Vyas founded the Global India Fund, a non-profit organization committed to inspiring global philanthropy by providing secure and transparent giving options to individual and corporate donors.
Li Ping Lo - Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Consulate Mumbai
Li Ping Lo is a first-tour Foreign Service Officer assigned to the U.S. Consulate Mumbai. After graduating from William and Mary in 1994, she taught English at Beijing Normal University, ran her alma mater's study abroad program in Beijing and worked as a researcher for the Los Angeles Times Beijing Bureau. In 1997, she moved to Hong Kong and worked for the Asia Society Hong Kong Center organizing programs on U.S.-Asia relations. She joined Hang Lung Properties Limited in 2000 and was a Manager of Special Projects, Chairman's Office. From 2008-2009, she worked as the Interim Executive Director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center.
Noshir Dadrawala - Chief Executive, Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy
Noshir H. Dadrawala is Chief Executive of the Mumbai based ‘Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy’. He has written several resource books and is also the regional contributing editor of the ‘International Journal on Non-profit Law’. He has conducted seminars and workshops for NGOs all over the country and he is Visiting Faculty for a number of renowned institutions. In March 2008 he was appointed by The Planning Commission as a member of an Expert Group on feasibility of a New Central Law to serve as an alternative All-India Statute for Voluntary Organizations in India.
Vidya Shah - Executive Director and Head, EdelGive Foundation
Vidya is responsible for giving strategic direction to EdelGive Foundation and guiding its overall development. Previously she was CFO of the Edelweiss Group, which also involved working on Edelweiss’ philanthropy programme. She has also worked with ICICI, Peregrine and N. M. Rothschild during her 19 year career in investment banking. Vidya has a Bachelor's degree in Commerce and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Akhil Shahani – Philanthopist and entrepreneur
Akhil is the Director of Kaizen Private Equity. He is involved with and supports in various organizations with interests in education, new media, commodities and non-profits, including, the Shahani Trust which has been supporting charitable work in education, healthcare and low cost housing for 60 years.
Rajiv Agarwal – Advertising Consultant
Rajiv Agarwal is an alumnus of St Stephen's College, and IIM Ahmedabad. He has spent 25 years in advertising, and has worked with, and founded, some well-known 'creative' agencies. He was the first-ever Indian Juror at the International Advertising Festival at Cannes, in 1994.
About moderator:
Priya Naik – Founder and CEO, Samhita
Priya has a Masters. in Economics from Yale University, USA, a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA and a Masters in Commerce from Mumbai University. Priya's interest in social entrepreneurship began when she worked as a Researcher at the Poverty Action Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA.
About Samhita - Samhita is an online portal supported by N.S.Raghavan, the co-founder of Infosys. Samhita provides social organizations with web presence and access to donors, volunteers, employees, customers, service providers, sector experts and knowledge resources. It also provides donors, mentors and volunteers with a variety of opportunities to support credible organizations and regular as well as customized feedback about the impact that their support has created. In the past 4 months, Samhita has helped 500 NGOs gain access to INR 6 million in grants and donations.
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14th Mega Free Annual Jaipur Limb Camp
Rotary Bangalore Peenya is in the forefront in assisting the disabled and needy to acquire artificial limbs to enable them in leading a near normal life. Without appropriate prosthetic and rehabilitation devices, they often lack the means for social and economic self reliance and respectable living.
Running an annual Mega Jaipur Foot camp in the past 13 years Rotary Bangalore Peenya has successfully fitted 4735 limbs for the amputees, provided 11226 calipers 4600 crutches, 720 wheel chairs.
We are the first one to introduce in India, a simple and very effective ‘mechanical’ prosthetic hand. In the last 2 years we have successfully fitted 100 prosthetics hands. Indeed, it’s a heart warming sight to find people come on their fours /carried by others, now walking tall on their two feet or being mobile on the wheels.
The week to ten days Mega Jaipur Foot Camp usually benefits over 2000 disabled people from all parts of South India. From screening to counseling, from customized production to fitting under medical advice, every aspect is taken care by a team of about 5-6 Doctors and 20 Technicians of Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Vikalang Sangh from Jaipur.
Running an annual Mega Jaipur Foot camp in the past 12 years Rotary Bangalore Peenya has successfully fitted 4735 limbs for the amputees, provided 11226 calipers 4600 crutches, 720 wheel chairs.
We are the first one to introduce in India, a simple and very effective ‘mechanical’ prosthetic hand. In the last 2 years we have successfully fitted 100 prosthetics hands. Indeed, it’s a heart warming sight to find people come on their fours /carried by others, now walking tall on their two feet or being mobile on the wheels.
Rotarians and the family of Rotary, volunteer their time and talent, to manage the entire project passionately, extending every kind of support in cash and kind.
The 14th Annual Mega Jaipur Foot Camp is scheduled for January 3-9, 2010, at Bangalore Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Sangh, Infantry Road, Opposite The Hindu office, Bangalore.
We take care of the ‘patients’ and their attendants by providing accommodation, three meals and other refreshments and cost of the artificial limbs, crutches, wheel chairs etc.
Please spread the message and if you are in Bangalore, please do drop in between Jan 3rd- Jan 9th.
Rtn Mohan Kumar K V
President
Rotary Bangalore Peenya
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Mumbai Marathon 2011 - Supporting Swasth Foundation
Back in June 2008, we started Swasth India - a social business with a vision to provide for healthcare for the poor of India. The last 2 1/2 yrs have been challenging, humbling and rewarding. When we started, we had, caught in our overconfidence,assumed that we could provide healthcare to a lot of poor lives very
soon. We have moved forward, from idea to implementation, trying everything we first listed in powerpoints & excel sheets, and fixing details in the implementation - and now cover about 13,000 lives in our comprehensive health cover schemes.
However, we have been humbled by the challenges of offering product to the poor - keeping costs low that they can afford, and even when they can afford, convincing them on parting with their hard earned money. We have realized the the effort and learning that has to go into creating awareness about health insurance or preventive care. That led us to form Swasth Foundation in Feb 2009 - with the goal of providing for healthcare for the poor, by building some viable health systems model - but also involving community & people at large to make it viable.
Our motto is "All for Health".
Swasth Foundation currently runs a pilot health insurance scheme in Latur (called "Arogya Suraksha") where we do the last mile community reach directly, supports
community health workers in Washim district (as part of a comprehensive health product offering to people), provided health care services to construction workers in Haryana, and now works with Delhi government to improve access to primary healthcare services in 2 slums. Learnings from these projects have started showing up in Swasth India Services' comprehensive health scheme pilots.
These activities by Swasth Foundation need your support to continue - and I'll request you to support these. Swasth Foundation team (a team of 6 runners) will
participate in Standard Charted Mumbai Marathon on Jan 16th 2011 to raise funds for Swasth Foundation. I'll be running the half marathon (21km) to raise support for the organization. You can find out more about our marathon fundraising effort at:
I'll request you to support our effort - you can do so by contributing at
The site supports fundraising only for a week only. You can also mail in checks directly in the name of "Swasth Foundation" to the following address:
Swasth Foundation
615 Palms 2, Royal Palms Estate
Aarey colony, Goregaon E
Mumbai - 400 065
Please do contact us for bank account details, if you'll like to make an direct bank account contribution. Your contribution will be income tax exempt under 80G.
If you have any questions about the organization or how can support us - please do not hesitate to ask me. I can be reached on arvind@swasth.org, or +91 96190 59634.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Latest NGO News
NGO, corporate come together to raise awareness
GURGAON: In a city where 47 laborers have lost their lives due to safety norm violations in the last two years according to official records, the need for stringent laws and higher awareness is obvious.
According to some non-governmental agencies, the actual number of laborer deaths due to such negligence could be several times higher. City-based NGO Kutumb Foundation emphasizes on the need of a more assertive and aware workforce.
The NGO organized an evening show titled 'Josh-e-Umang' on Friday to raise awareness among construction workers in the city. The event was organized at one of the Tata Housing construction sites in Ulhawas Village, Sector 59.
"This is an educational program for the laborers and their families. Through street-plays and songs we highlight the sensitive issues like child labor, education and labor-safety"" said Kapil Pandey of Kutumb Foundation.
The one of its kind event was attended by more than 800 laborers and their families. One of the organizers, Vaibhav Kumar Shivhare of Tata Housing, said in light of the recent accidents at construction sites, it was a social responsibility of the developers to raise awareness.
"The principle responsibility of labor safety lies on the developers and employers. While the contractors have an immediate responsibility, the developers also need to be a part of the whole process," said Shivhare.
He added that one way to improve safety was making the laborers understand their rights. "We are planning to hold such events for laborers working on our construction sites all over the country."
Construction activity has been on the rise in Gurgaon, but so have been the safety-related accidents. Members of Kutumb said that laborer accidents are grossly neglected and even labor laws need an overhaul.
"Our labor laws are such that there are no provisions for labor welfare or welfare for the workers' families," said Nandini, a member of Kutumb.
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Orphan home
Guwahati, Dec. 28: The four-year-old HIV-positive girl who was abandoned by her family after her parents died will be shifted to Snehneer, a care home for HIV-positive children in Calcutta, next month.
The NGO Bhoruka Public Welfare Trust that runs Snehneer is now taking care of the girl at its community centre at Beharbari here.
The Assam State AIDS Control Society had agreed to send the girl to the care centre so that she could receive proper care and treatment according to the guidelines of the National AIDS Control Organisation.
“The girl’s health has improved a lot and she will be shifted to our 25-bed home in Calcutta by the end of January, as we do not have space there at present. We had sought permission from the Assam State AIDS Control Society and they have agreed,” said Ratul Kalita, the project co-ordinator of the NGO here.
The girl was brought to the centre on December 11 by a local NGO, which had found her in Nalbari.
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Absent MLA makes NGO look elsewhere
PANCHKULA: A political leader in a democracy needs to remember he is like the engine of a train. If he is not there, someone else will automatically take his place. That was the lesson for Panchkula MLA DK Bansal when he did not turn up for an NGO's event to donate old and used clothes to the needy on Monday afternoon in Sector 9. The NGO officials decided that they would get four of the clothes' recipients to inaugurate the event instead.
The NGO's president, Rohit Sharma, said they had also called the MLA's brother Surinder Bansal to ask about him. ''The programme was to start at 1pm. We waited for Bansal till 2pm and when he didn't come, we invited four needy people to open the programme,'' he added.
The MLA's brother said the NGO had not been provided an appointment for the function. He added that as he was the president of the Sector-9's market association, the organizers had come to seek his permission to use the space there.
He stated, ''The organizers wanted that the MLA should be the chief guest at the programme, but I informed them that he would only come if he did not have prior commitments. As he was out of town on Monday, the MLA could not attend the event. I don't know why the organizers are levelling these allegations in spite of their knowing the situation.''
MLA DK Bansal maintained he was not aware that such a programme was being organized. The NGO members are lying, he said. ''For any event, organizers take appointments 3-4 days before it, but NGO members never contacted me or any of my party's members,'' said Bansal. He also said that at the time of the function, he was out of town.
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Golibar SRA project full of lacunae: NGO survey
Any project carried out on slums under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) requires the consent of at least 70% local residents. However, as per a survey carried out by Ghar Bachao Andolan, a Non-Government Organisation (NGO)- the Golibar redevelopment project carried out by Shivalik ventures- one of the oldest and probably biggest SRA project at Khar (East) has failed to keep up to this condition.
According to Simprit Singh of the Ghar Bachao Andolan, only 2362 occupants have been served an eviction notice by the district collector’s office. “The numbers clearly show that close to 48% of the residents have not given the consent for redevelopment,” Simprit Singh told DNA. He further added that the report will be submitted to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SRA on Tuesday.
Refuting his allegations, Ramakant Jadhav, director of Shivalik ventures claimed that his company had the consent of close to 90% residents. “We have been following all the legal proceedings in the project since the time we got the Letter Of Intent (LoI) in 2006. However, there have been a number of instances of residents first giving us consents and then going back on their word. Medha Patkar’s NGO (Ghar Bachao Andolan) has tried to malign our companies image,” said Jadhav.
Simprit Singh, however, rubbished all the claims made by the developer.
“If the developer is so firm about his claims on the consent, he should answer some questions such as why are the societies not having a meeting every three months, which is mandatory for a SRA society,” questioned Simprit Singh.
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Aid groups in Afghanistan question U.S. claim of Taliban setbacks
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Citing evidence that Taliban insurgents have expanded their reach across Afghanistan, aid groups and security analysts in the country are challenging as misleading the Obama administration's recent claim that insurgents now control less territory than they did a year ago.
"Absolutely, without any reservation, it is our opinion that the situation is a lot more insecure this year than it was last year," said Nic Lee, the director of the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office, an independent organization that analyzes security dangers for aid groups.
"We don't see COIN has had any impact on the five-year trajectory," he said, referring to the counterinsurgency strategy that U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, has championed.
While U.S.-led forces have driven insurgents out of their strongholds in southern Afghanistan, Taliban advances in the rest of the country may have offset those gains, a cross section of year-end estimates suggests.
Insurgent attacks have jumped at least 66 percent this year, according to the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office.
Security analysts say that Taliban shadow governors still exert control in all but one of Afghanistan's 34 provinces.
A recent United Nations security estimate of the risks that U.N. personnel face as they travel around Afghanistan concluded that security was deteriorating in growing pockets across the country.
In one example, the U.N.'s World Food Program no longer sends its trucks along the road that links Kabul to Bamiyan, one of the country's safest regions, because a bomb killed a U.N. contract driver and three police escorts on the route in July.
"Our ability to use these routes has decreased," said Challiss McDonough, a Kabul-based spokeswoman for the international food program. "There are fewer places where we have completely unimpeded access."
A 20 percent increase in civilian casualties in 2010 and the highest coalition death toll in nine years of war add to the belief in Afghanistan that insecurity is growing, not declining.
"I can't understand how they can say it is more secure than last year," said Hashim Mayar, the acting director of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief, an umbrella group that represents more than 100 Afghan and international aid groups working in Afghanistan. "Insecurity has extended to some parts of the county that were relatively safe last year."
President Barack Obama offered the assessment of diminished Taliban control on Dec. 3 during a surprise visit to the country.
"Today we can be proud that there are fewer areas under Taliban control, and more Afghans have a chance to build a more hopeful future," Obama told U.S. troops at Bagram Airfield.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates repeated the claim two weeks later in discussing the findings of a 40-page still-secret assessment of U.S. progress in Afghanistan that was announced Dec. 16.
"As a result of the tough fight under way, the Taliban control far less territory today than they did a year ago," Gates said.
The five-page unclassified version of that assessment doesn't include the statement about territorial control, but it leaves the impression that the Taliban are on the run.
"The surge in coalition military and civilian resources ... has reduced overall Taliban influence and arrested the momentum they had achieved in recent years in key parts of the country," the unclassified version says.
In the days since its release, the White House and U.S. officials in Kabul have declined to provide specifics, saying only that the conclusion was based on a variety of measures that include the number of districts under Taliban or government control, estimates of Taliban freedom of movement and information about roadside bombs.
"There's just not a lot more we can offer without getting into classified information," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said Monday in an e-mail message.
Last month, the Pentagon concluded that Afghan insurgents' "capabilities and operational reach have been qualitatively and geographically expanding."
Asked whether that assessment conflicts with the White House assertion that the Taliban control less territory, a military spokesman said that both could be true.
"You can, in fact, lose ground but be more geographically dispersed," said U.S. Rear Adm. Greg Smith, the communications director for the American-led military in Afghanistan.
Smith produced military maps that showed expanding "ink spots" of security around Afghanistan's biggest population centers, including Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif in the north and Kandahar, the Taliban's spiritual capital in southern Afghanistan.
Smith argued that by focusing on protecting the country's largest population centers under the administration's counterinsurgency strategy, the U.S.-led military has contained much of the violence and is protecting a growing percentage of the country's 28 million residents, even if the Taliban are operating more widely.
In the past year, Smith said, the U.S. military has managed to reduce the number of Afghan districts that account for half of the violence from 14 to nine.
"They will expend a force to go somewhere thinking that we will follow them out of the main ... population centers," Smith said. "Well, they're mistaken. We're not going to get sucked into chasing them around the country."
Even so, Smith said the military couldn't vouch for the White House assertion that the Taliban control less territory, which he said was based on a CIA study, not a military one.
"It's not a metric that we're able to validate from an ISAF perspective," he said, referring to the International Security Assistance Force, the official name of the coalition. "Not that I disagree with it, but the agency that does that is a three-letter agency."
A former senior U.S. intelligence official who closely tracks the conflict in Afghanistan said that his own count, based on news reports, showed insurgency-related violence in at least 231 out of the country's 400 districts in November.
The former official, who agreed to discuss his findings only if he weren't identified because of the sensitivity of the topic, said the count showed the Taliban's reach expanding.
"Even in unclassified sources, it's clear that the Taliban are showing they have greater reach than ever before," he said. "I don't know if they have the staying power." But they can reach previously unaffected areas, he said, "and that means terror. That means they can punish anybody anywhere."
"There were a lot more districts in contention than there were a year ago," he said.
Recent U.N. security estimates that The Wall Street Journal obtained appeared to support that view.
The maps, which assess the safety risks for U.N. staff traveling around Afghanistan, showed security deteriorating in growing pockets across the country.
Problems from March to October of this year worsened in eight provinces and overall travel risks improved in only two, the Journal reported.
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NGO calls for tough action on tobacco control
Concrete action on tobacco control at State level is far too rare on the Chinese mainland, according to a report released by a non-governmental organization on Tuesday.
Based on the current situation, China, which is home to the world's largest smoking population, could hardly live up to the promises it made when it signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO), said the report, Tobacco Control 2010 in China -- A Civil Society Perspective.
This is the second time the anti-smoking advocacy group Thinktank has released such a report.
Each year, 5.4 million people die of smoking-related diseases worldwide, one fifth of whom are in China. The country now has 350 million smokers on the mainland, including 180 million teenagers, WHO statistics showed.
Without effective intervention, another 100 million Chinese will die from smoking-related illness by 2050, half of them aged between 30 and 60, experts estimated.
"Despite the FCTC commitment, the central government has made little progress in implementing these rules, such as introducing a substantial action plan for tobacco control at State level and the long-awaited nationwide legislation on smoking bans in public places," said Thinktank Director Wang Ke'an.
Yang Gonghuan, head of the National Office of Tobacco Control, said that progress in reducing the number of smokers had almost stalled since China ratified FCTC in 2003.
The number of smokers on the mainland decreased by 0.45 percent annually from 2003 to 2010, only half of the rate between 1996 and 2002, she noted, citing a study to be published in January.
However, China's tobacco consumption has been rising in recent decades, from nearly 590 billion cigarettes in 1978 to roughly 2.3 trillion in 2009, statistics on the website of the China National Tobacco Corporation showed.
And cigarette production has increased by 33 percent since 2002.
As the tobacco industry reportedly generated more than 513 billion yuan ($77 billion) in taxes in 2009, accounting for 7.5 percent of total government revenues, "the bloody truth that lung cancer cases in China have jumped nearly 400 percent since 1980 shouldn't be ignored by decision-makers", said Zhi Xiuyi, head of the Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Center of the Capital Medical University in Beijing.
"Over the long run, the government has to consider the human and financial cost of tobacco and begin to take substantial action against that," said Huang Jianshi, a public health expert in Beijing.
He also encouraged all stakeholders from different fields such as the law, health, and education, to stick to the "long and hard" task of tobacco control.
Despite a lack of national legislation, by 2010 more than half of China's 337 large and medium-sized cities had issued regulations to ban smoking in certain public areas, said the report.
It also repeated the call for national legislation on tobacco control.
Also, it said a new ministerial-level department should be commissioned to lead the national campaign for tobacco/smoking control, replacing the current Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which also administers China's largest tobacco producer.
Currently, China National Tobacco Corporation, the largest cigarette-maker in China and reportedly the largest worldwide, makes 95 percent of China's tobacco products and is a subsidiary of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, which is under the ministry.
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You can't buy us, chorus voters
KOPPAL: "Neither am I on sale, nor is my vote." With polls around the corner, that is a stern message the voters are sending out to politicians.
By sticking the pamphlets on the doors and walls of their houses, the voters are making it amply clear that they are not a saleable commodity and can't be wooed by money or gifts. Taking up the initiative is an NGO, which is educating voters about their right to franchise. What holds the mirror to voters' resentment is the fact that they are buying the pamphlets for Rs 2 each. So far, the NGO has reached over 35,000 houses in 20 districts in the state, of which majority are in North Karnataka. Over 1,800 houses are sporting the messages in 23 villages of Koppal district alone.
This apart, NGO volunteers are enacting street plays to educate voters on significance of their votes. "To involve and inject a sense of responsibility we are selling these stickers at Rs 2 each," said Ganapathy, state convenor of the NGO.
"We started this campaign during the GP elections from Kundapur taluk in Dakshina Kannada district and now we have spread it to 20 districts in the state," he said.
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Crazy Angrezi: Maharashtra NGO attempts to simplify Queen's language
The framed image of Saraswati nearly falls off the wall when 40 tinny voices in the village schoolroom bellow: 'Little lamb, little lamb, where do you lie? I lie in the meadow with mother close by.' Apart from their sing-song sway, the pronunciation of the ditty is spot-on—'little' isn't 'leetle' and 'mother' isn't 'murder'. Chuffed with their efforts, the two classes—standards two and four, which in the case of many village schools, share the same room-—squat back on the floor and compose themselves after having channelled the lamb.
If eight- and 10-year olds in Vajreshwari and Ganeshpuri in Thane district have a better hold on English than other village kids, credit the Learning Space Foundation. The brainchild of Nitin Orayan, this non-profit was conceived eight years ago when the advertising-marketing professional recouped to the countryside to write his first novel. Between the lines, he would tour largely adivasi villages around Ganeshpuri and when he stopped by the local schools, he learnt that many children capitulated to English, a language which, despite clever textbooks and lesson plans, could not be successfully imparted to them. They learnt by rote, attaching little meaning to words but reflexively memorizing word sequences that corresponded to questions. Failure in English eventually cost them graduation from school.
Orayan realized that the children lacked a supplementary education programme, the kind that city children have in tuitions—a reinforcement or even re-teaching of a subject. And so he began, through a series of meetings with teachers and parents, to convey the necessity of auxiliary learning and the need to give children the time to revise their lessons at home without calling them out to thresh or in to cook. He then recruited local graduates as teachers and devised a syllabus that not only simplified the school curriculum, but also calibrated it with tribal culture so that song and dance, drama and art became intuitive teaching aids.
"We try to give children a practical understanding of English over just grammar and structure. We've also been teaching them maths and may later include other subjects," says Orayan, after a batch of 80 children departs for school, breathless after a throbbing song and dance in the courtyard. "Attendance is voluntary. So far, we have 120 committed children from around four schools in the area." They come on foot, some over three km. If you count the hours from 8.15 am to 10 am at Learning Space every morning (after which they spend the afternoon at school), you'll think LS offers them a pretty large carrot. It turns out that carrot is Fun.
It's also why the teachers are in it. Nethra Dohade, a 21-year-old with a BEd, rises at 5am to catch the bus and joins the other five teachers in a pantomime of the world's lingua franca. "We turn it into a game for the kids: say, a child pulls out a flash card from a pile and names the object in English," says Madhukar Patil, a teacher. Government schools have such teaching aids too. But those flashcards are wordy, with few visuals and are often considered too valuable by teachers to pass around. The flashcards at LS have been sketched by its teachers, who go into a huddle with Orayan once a week to discuss a game plan which usually entails a reimagining of textbook lessons in ways that demand song, mime or art.
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NGO alleges school threw out HIV positive boys
An alleged case of a Gurgaon school expelling eight HIV positive students has come to light here. The Haryana Education Department has ordered an inquiry into the allegation and has directed the district education officer (DEO) to submit a report by Monday. The department has also assured that the
eight boys, currently studying in a government school Bhondsi Village, would not be subjected to any discrimination nor will they be moved from there.
Gurgaon-based NGO Drone Foundation has alleged that eight boys, aged between 3 and 12, were expelled from Delhi Public School (DPS) Maruti Kunj in August 2009.
Now the NGO said since the HIV status of the boys has become public knowledge they minors will face discrimination at the government school.
Seven HIV positive girls are also under the care of the NGO are currently studying in a local government school.
"The girls could also face similar treatment from other students," said Ankur Gupta of Drone Foundation. All the 15 children have lost their parents to the deadly disease and the NGO currently takes care of them.
Gupta alleged that DPS Maruti Kunj denied entry to the boys in August 2009 after the summer vacations on the pretext of absence of infrastructure and expertise to teach HIV infected students. The boys had taken admission in March 2009.
But school principal Rachna Pandit refuted the allegations and said the students were never admitted in DPS but had joined the afternoon classes organised for underprivileged children.
"The eight students came for 4-5 days but we told the NGO that we lacked infrastructure as well as expertise to deal with children infected with AIDS. One of the boys vomited blood and we were helpless to tackle the situation. We had never taken these children on rolls," she added.
According to the Haryana School Education Department Rules, any school which has been recognised by the state government will be open for admission to all, without any discrimination based on religion, caste, race, place of birth.
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HIV positive kids shunned, alleges NGO
NEW DELHI: After losing their parents to HIV, eight children are now on the verge of losing their right to education. The children, aged between three and 12 years, were denied admission to a prominent school in Gurgaon last year on 'medical grounds' and even the government school they have been shifted to is threatening to remove them as they are HIV positive. The NGO looking after them has alleged that the kids are treated poorly at their school and are mocked at by fellow children.
"The students call us 'bimari'. Even the teachers do not help. They often scold us and make us work," said 12-year-old Amit (name changed), who studies in Class VI at Rajkiya Vidyalaya in Bhondsi, Haryana. Another 11-year-old child, who has no memories of his parents or where he was born, says teachers discriminate against him. "They make us clean the classroom, do gardening work and often scold us. They ask us why we keep taking medicines and beat us up if we protest," he alleged, adding that he has no illness and is healthy like any other child.
According to Sunita Gupta, chairperson of NGO Drone Foundation which looks after these children, the teacher in-charge of the government-run school has warned of action if a medical certificate is not produced at the earliest. "The children feel scared to go to school. I met the principal some days ago and he threatened disciplinary action as the school was not informed about the fact that these children were HIV positive. They are being harassed," she claimed. Gupta added that the children, who were orphaned, were first registered under the education program for underprivileged children run by DPS Maruti Kunj in March 2009. "Though the school administration was supportive in the beginning, due to pressure from parents of other children and teachers, they asked us to make alternate arrangement for their education in August. One academic year was lost as all other schools had closed admissions by then," she said.
When contacted, principal of DPS Maruti Kunj Rachna Pandit said that the children were never admitted to the school. "Such children need special care. We talked to doctors and experts about their emergency needs and care, and finally decided to drop them as we do not have expertise in dealing with such cases. There have been instances when these children got hurt while playing and the bleeding did not stop," said Pandit. On the allegations of discrimination at the government school, Gurgaon's district education officer Jyoti Choudhary said she was not aware of this case. "Under the Right to Education Act, no children can be discriminated against," she said.
Dr Bir Singh, professor of the community medicine department at AIIMS who has worked with Unicef, said that HIV positive children do not require any special care in schools. "They are healthy and need regular medication, including vitamins and tablets, to prevent opportunistic infections," he said.
The NGO looking after them has alleged that the kids are treated very badly at the govt school they are studying in and are mocked by others.
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NGO to transform villages
BANGALORE: Adamya Chetana, a citybased NGO is looking at transforming a number of villages in Karnataka into economically sustainable and ecologically viable models.
Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, chairperson of the trust on Monday said, "As part of our model village development programme, we want to transform a number of villages in the state by making them economicallysustainable and ecologicallyviable on the lines of Ramatheertha village in Belgaum district, which we have already adopted as a pilot project."
The trust said it has provided gobar gas plants to 40 out of 125 houses in Ramatheertha village. "We have helped the villagers plant 6,000 fruitbearing trees in the village and its surroundings to enhance the means of livelihood. We want to replicate this experiment in as many villages as possible," she said. The NGO also provides midday meals to over two lakh school children in Karnataka and Rajasthan.
Adamya Chetana is organising a two day workshop, 'Making Bangalore Green' on December 30.
source from:news.google.com
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