Samhita

Literacy India: Key to Life

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:01:00 +0000

When given a chance through education, the poor often thrive. Literacy India, which aims to give underprivileged people the keys to a fulfilling life - education, empowerment and employment, believes in that.

Started in 1996, the organization helps men, women and children, teaching not only basic literacy but also vocational skills and creative expression through theatre, painting and other forms of art.

One of Literacy India's success stories involves Rahul Kumar, who was part of the program and later shared screen space with Aamir Khan in the movie ‘3 Idiots’.

But there are quieter successes like 22 year old Manoj Sansanwal. His father died when he was five and his mother sells milk. He underwent computer training program of Literacy India and was successfully employed.

20-year-old Nisha, supports a family of five. She enrolled for a one-year training course and is now become an instructor at Literacy India's Daulatabad Centre and a skilled bag designer.

Literacy India has 15 centers around Delhi, NCR, as well as a special venture for indigenous people in West Bengal and Rajasthan. The organization also has an 18,000-square-foot school building on half an acre at Village Bajghera, complete with classrooms, an assembly hall, science and multimedia labs and a library.

The organization's core program is called Vidyapeeth, and offers classes up to high school. Children otherwise often destined for child labor are provided with top-notch education, excursions and meetings with well-known personalities to inspire them. The student-teacher ratio is low, about one teacher to 25 students. Children also receive uniforms, books and stationery. The program has grown from 50 students to 633 today.

Literacy India also conducts a number of other programs designed to lift the poor and help them become self-sufficient by developing their talents.

One such program is Pathshala, where children are taught to read and write within a period of three months to a year. They then get counseling and help getting into mainstream schools. Pathshala also offers classes every summer for dropouts from various government schools. To attract and keep students, the organizers provide a fun learning environment and supplement basic learning with instruction in dance, music, painting and computers.

So far, this program has touched the lives of more than 700 people. Promising students from Pathshala and Vidyapeeth can get financial help for higher education.

Another program, Karigari, gives vocational training to students who are not interested in traditional schooling. These students learn tailoring, beauty culture and computers. They also take courses in retail management, housekeeping and other trades. All courses are designed to help break the cycle of poverty for these students and their families.

The Shiksarth program, meanwhile, nurtures the creative talent of slum children, who learn theatre, dance, pottery and painting. Other programs provide health outreach to villages, nurture awareness of social issues and create community-based livelihood training in rural and semi-urban areas -- all to improve lives through knowledge.

Many have praised Literacy India and the people it has helped. Actor Aamir Khan said working with Rahul was a wonderful experience, and in a letter called the boy "hard-working, diligent, respectful, focused and passionate about his work."

"In my opinion Rahul has a very bright future and great potential, and I am glad Literacy India is making sure that he successfully completes his education besides pursuing his parallel career in acting," Khan wrote.

Literacy India students have also been asked to perform for dignitaries, including past President APJ Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Literacy India officials are now looking toward the future, hoping to achieve their goal of a better-educated, empowered India in which more people have the opportunity to reach their potential.

Financial support for the organization comes from a number of sources, including the Delhi Dynamic Round Table India, Dell and American Express. Individual donors also play an integral part in keeping Literacy India thriving.

Team ‘Make a Difference’ is promoting Literacy India’s work and raising support for them. You too can participate in Socially Positive to promote a social cause and raise support for an NGO.

The Banyan: A shade of hope

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 06:50:00 +0000

Walk inside any of the facilities for mental illness patients in India, and you are weighed down by the heart-rending stories of desertions by the families of the sufferers. The illness runs deeper into the society.

But in India, the sad commentary does not end only inside the precincts of such government or privately run institutes and homes or care facilities.

Surveys say an estimated 40% of the homeless population in India is affected by the burden of mental illness – living in deplorable conditions on streets.

Citizens with no entitlements and homeless people with mental illness represent a significant portion of people at the margins who are rarely acknowledged in mainstream society or developmental discourses.

In The Banyan, Chennai there is a silver lining. As the name suggests, the organization tries to offer the protective umbrella for the people - women and destitute - suffering from mental illness and are forced to live on the streets of unforgiving cities and towns.

The Banyan works in the sector of mental health care for people affected by poverty and homelessness providing free mental health services at the grassroots in Tamil Nadu, while advocating nationally for their rights.

The Banyan's approach focuses on rehabilitation and consumer empowerment as opposed to traditional institutional and/or clinically focused models.

“Our mission is to enable a meaningful life for people who have lost everything - their home, family, livelihood and identity - due to the devastating effects of mental illness and poverty,” says Swapna Krishnakumar, a senior official of The Banyan.

“Our initiatives are aimed at ensuring for these people – the right to rescue, the right to care, the right to options for their future and the right to life,” she says.

The Banyan runs several projects and initiatives. One of them is ‘Adaikalam’ –The Banyan’s Transit Care Centre for homeless women with mental illness in Chennai.

The NGO says it has changed the dynamics of institutional care and made several innovations in socio medical model of care for mental health. The Project includes Rehabilitation, After Care and Networking services that establish models for rehabilitating people back to communities after successful recovery.

The Banyan runs a Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP). It involves developing a model for providing localized care in both rural and urban contexts. It includes psychiatric services in Kovalam and three urban communities of Chennai, among others.

The Banyan also runs an Urban Mental Health Programme (UMHP). The urban mental health clinic was set up in collaboration with the Loyola College of Social Work in Chennai.

The Banyan and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust collaborate every month to provide a Rs.250 disability allowance to over 400 families suffering from mental illness.

This benefit helps families to sustain care of their loved ones and reduces the financial burden of a family member with mental illness.

According to the NGO, what sets The Banyan apart is that all of its programme curricula are focus on the socio medical model of service delivery that doesn't merely look at symptom reduction through clinical interventions, but at longer term rehabilitation of the sufferers.

Dr. Kishore Kumar, Senior Psychiatrist at NIMHANS who has played a key role in Community Mental Health Care in India, comments: “The Banyan has demonstrated that ordinary people can bring new life for the marginalized without compromising technical, professional and ethical issues of care in their work.”

“Their work elucidates the processes of partnership between governmental and non-governmental agencies (NGOs) in India. I consider this exemplary,” Dr Kumar sums up.

The Banyan is now a member of Samhita and you can acces their profile at http://samhita.org/ngos/the-banyan. If you have a creative bent of mind, you can use your creative skills to raise support for The Banyan by participating in Socially Positive. You can write blogs, design posters, click pictures or make short films to promote the good work that The Banyan does. You also stand a chance to win cash prizes and exciting internships. Click here for details and participating.

EdelGive announces Social Innovation Honours 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:26:00 +0000

EdelGive Social Innovation Honours 2011 is a national awards programme instituted by EdelGive Foundation, to reward innovative work in the social sector in India. EdelGive Social Innovation Honours will identify and reward organisations that are innovating to empower women in India.

Prize money of INR 50 Lakhs will be awarded to the winners across the five categories of health & well being, education, economic security & livelihoods, social and cultural rights and governance.

Award categories:

Health and well being: Awarding an innovation which promotes women’s health and overall well-being
Education: Awarding an innovation which provides women with access to education and/or improved quality of education
Economic Security & Livelihoods: Awarding an innovation which helps women increase their income, and / or provides them with employment opportunities.
Social and Cultural rights: Awarding an innovation which helps women overcome social and cultural challenges.
Governance: Awarding an innovation which prepares women to participate in available legislative positions

To Apply:

Visit www.edelgive.org/honours.htm
Apply online at www.samhita.org
Existing Samhita users can apply online at www.samhita.org by simply filling up details on EdelGive Honours pages on their profile

Deadline: 23^rd October 2010

In case of queries contact EdelGive at:
Phone: 022-65240579/ 4342 8296/97
Email: honours@edelcap.com

For queries regarding online application contact Samhita at:
Phone: 022-42641892/ 6520
Email: esih@samhita.org

About EdelGive Foundation:

EdelGive Foundation is an initiative of Edelweiss Capital Limited and provides strategic direction to the philanthropic activities of Edelweiss, its employees, clients and associates. EdelGive’s key priority is to focus on the areas of education, livelihoods and supporting women’s empowerment. EdelGive’s investment is in the form of financial but more importantly, capacity building support to its investees. For more information about us, please visit www.edelgive.org

MAM Movies: Real reel

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:57:00 +0000

When Meghna and Madhusudan Agarwal returned to India from USA after graduation in filmmaking from Academy of Art in San Francisco, they did not set out for any tinsel town glory.

Instead, they invested all their effort in using the skills and resources for social change. Thus, in April 2006, MAM Movies was born to propel the vehicle of social change through movies.

But there is a heart-warming episode before the launch.

With a backpack and a donated camera Madhusudan returned to India started travelling. He stayed with Himalayan yogis and modern teachers, but the true inspiration came while making a film on Dwarko Sundaraniji, one of the last active disciples of Mahatma Gandhi.

Dwarko Sundarani runs a school for the children of the Harijan or untouchable community in rural Bihar. Madhusudan stayed with him for two months and while leaving, Sundarjaniji asked him to find his truth.

“Filmmaking is just an instrument, realize your true goal,” he said. This blessing gave birth to MAM.
MAM (pronounced as ‘MAAM’) means “I AM” in Sanskrit. It symbolizes the supreme soul. “Brahman, without beginning, supreme: beyond what is and beyond what is not.”

Inspired by this uniqueness in all, the founders have made an attempt to create a platform which will support and nurture independent filmmakers who use media – the arts and technology – to inform, inspire and empower others to create positive action in the world.

In one of many programs, MAM Movies creates an effort to consistently make inspiring films on NGOs and use media for social change.

With six employees and 100 percent growth rate in the number of projects in the past few years, MAM is a mission in progress. The couple's vision for 2010 is to have a community centre with an open source resource hub providing support to filmmakers and organizations who/which want to use media for social change.

When they launched MAM, there was clearly no support system for what they were trying to do.

“It was experimental and thus it took time to convince companies and organizations to sponsor projects. We started with just our computer and a borrowed table at a friend’s place,” says Madhusudan.

With limited resources, they worked mostly with volunteers.

But the turning point came with their meeting with Dr. Nachiket Mor of the ICICI Foundation. Dr. Mor believed in MAM Movies and supported them.

In a short span, MAM Movies has had several successes.

First they organized the Genesis film project, a film competition held in Mumbai where 101 filmmakers were invited to make films for 101 NGOs in just 101 Hours.

It was an instant hit, with more than 300 filmmakers participating. They got 90 films on time. That motivated them to do it every year.

Then MAM Movies launched a project called ‘She Creates’ in 2007, where they invited 25 girls aged between 10 and 15 years from varied background, including from Dharavi slums, and conducted film workshops. In just 21 days these children, mostly without formal education, made some heart warming films on women issues, gender inequality and female feticide.

The MAM Movies juggernaut rolls on with new projects, new dreams.

However, for MAM Movies, the mantra remains the same: “Make a film, make a difference.”

If you are passionate about filmmaking and have a zeal to do good then Samhita brings you the right opportunity. You need not be an accomplished filmmaker, even if you have basic filmmaking skills and a willingness to create positive social change you can participate in Socially Positive and make a short film for an NGO of your choice. Using your film you can promote the NGO and raise support for them.

Best entries from participants in the filmmaking category will be judged by a panel including Madhusudan to get an opportunity to intern with them and also win cash prizes. To know more and to register for the competition click here.

aTEEtude of Giving: Cool and meaningful philanthropy

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 06:09:00 +0000

The aTEEtude of Giving, an initiative that celebrates the Joy of Giving, has launched the second edition of its campaign this year starting 15 September - 1 October ’10 on www.Give.aTEEtu.de. The campaign urges donors to give something new instead of discarding old objects under the guise of philanthropy. As part of this campaign, donors, i.e. netizens, are presented with an offer to “Buy1- Get 2- Keep 1- Donate1: at regular prices” which will result into donation of a designer t-shirt or a brownie box to underprivileged students, for every purchase.

“The youth of today do wish to contribute to the society but don't know how. aTEEtude of Giving is an excellent opportunity for them or for that matter anyone , to 'give back',” says Noted actress and former Miss India Universe, Gul Panag.

aTEEtude of Giving collaborates with e-tailers (online retailers), individual volunteers (BaseCamp Chiefs) and other supporting organizations to help the partner NGO. Students studying at the night schools run by NGO Masoom will benefit from the campaign this year. Inkfruit.com and MithaiMate.com have signed up as retail partners for this season. Inkfruit will donate a new t-shirt, from its collection, for every t-shirt bought; and MithaiMate will donate a box of brownies for any purchase from their site during the campaign.

aTEEtude of Giving was conceived as a part of the Joy of Giving week in Sep 2009 and the pilot saw around 100 t-shirts being donated to the students of a night school run by Masoom. The campaign is named so, because it started with donating t-shirts; however, it aims to add more relevant products and e-tailers to scale the impact of giving.

“The campaign is doubly social - being a purely online campaign, it is majorly driven via social media while helping a social cause. Given the fact that the participating e-tailers ship internationally, we hope to overcome geographic boundaries, reach out to an international audience and hopefully increase the scale of impact,” says Lavin Mirchandani, founder, aTEEtude of Giving. “The idea behind this campaign is to transform philanthropy into a cool, meaningful activity while helping the needy. There is nothing wrong in giving away an old object that might be of utility to someone else, it’s better than throwing it in the bin. However, this must not be confused with charity.”

“Last year when we distributed the t-shirts that came through the aTEEtude of Giving campaign, the students were full of joy. This was very overwhelming. We wish to give the same experience to our students once again; waiting to see their eyes brighten up when they see the brand new gifts,” says Nikita Ketkar, founder Masoom.

ThinkChange India: Be a thinkchanger

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:43:00 +0000

Way back in February 2008 when Vinay Ganti, Santhosh Ramdoss, Prerna Srivastava and Shital Shah driven by the zeal of working in the social sector, crossed each other at a conference and discovered they have one common gripe: there is no consolidated place to be informed about social entrepreneurship in India.

The outcome and collective resentment was, however, positive. They created ThinkChange India.

ThinkChange India is the fastest growing blog focused on social entrepreneurship and social innovation in India. Its goal is to be the primary source of information/analysis on social innovation and social entrepreneurship in the Indian context.

The blog lies on the presumption that the social circumstances facing India are unique in nature, and thus the approaches that will be most effective will also be unique.

“For that reason we focus on the country as its own, unlike other blogs in the social entrepreneurship space,” says Vinay Ganti.

”However, the true mission and purpose of the blog is also inspired by Paulo Freire’s book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The underlying principle is that meaningful change is predicated on reflection coupled with action,” says Vinay, graduated from the JD/MBA at the New York University School of Law and the Leonard B. Stern School of Business in New York City and is now an Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern's Undergraduate College.

Santhosh graduated from NYU Wagner and is now working for BRAC, helping develop new initiatives and strengthen communities throughout Bangladesh and Africa.

Prerna graduated from Harvard and is pursuing her passion for development and social entrepreneurship in Rwanda for the next year.

Shital Shah graduated from NYU Wagner and is now working as a consultant on microsavings, technology, and mobile banking projects in South Asia.

ThinkChange India has a dedicated team of editors who aggregate personal stories, articles, academic works and other relevant bits of information to provide the reader with the most comprehensive taste of the vibrant social venture landscape in the Indian subcontinent and other efforts that are sprouting up in other parts of the world, but are focused on India.

Currently, ThinkChange India is undergoing a reboot process, whereby the founding editors are looking to bring in fresh talent to manage and operate the blog. This is a voluntary opportunity ideal for an individual(s) eager to contribute and learn from emerging social innovation space in India. The person(s) will have full freedom and responsibility in operating the blog and will be brought into the team at an equivalent level as the Managing Editors of the blog.

This is a multi-disciplinary and entrepreneurial role. A thinkchanger will have to:

Create, edit and manage overall content on TC-I
Build and manage a team of writers and voluntary contributors
Identify and build partnerships with news portals, blogs and knowledge networks
Interview and profile the work of social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, corporations, global foundations, journalists and policy makers
Focus on technology improvements - work with volunteer coders and designers

What’s in it for you?

Chance to network extensively within the social entrepreneurship community in India and beyond
Build relationships with thought leaders in the industry
Learn the ins and outs of the social enterprise sector in India - especially useful if you want to start your own social enterprise, work for one, or become an “expert” on a particular issue
A chance to be entrepreneurial without the risk of failure. The TC-I brand name is already well recognized and all the building blocks are fully in place.

To be eligible for the position participate in Socially Positive. Best bloggers will get an opportunity to be interviewed for the position. For details and participation click here.

Photography for good: 10 things to consider

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:34:00 +0000

Every day around us, we see hundreds of people affected in many different ways – everyone has a story. Life changing experiences create stories. Creative storytelling of human endeavors that creates compelling actions is the key to capturing an NGO’s work.

There are thousands of NGOs working tirelessly and passionately, committed to changing the world for better. A keen understanding of particular place, moment or situation is very essential and it also brings a sense of responsibility. It also helps us gain a deeper insight into the broad range of issues.

Ten things to consider while working with NGOs for photographing the social and cultural framework:

1. Time: Time is of the essence. Don’t rush to get photos from the word go in any location / activity. Often, it is important to understand the objective of their work and concentrate on the surroundings at the macro level.

2. Understand the organizational goals: Each organization works on different social impact projects. People are always the core of the activities. Spend time with the program managers and talk to them briefly on the scope and scale of the projects. Look into their archives / newsletters / websites and understand the profile of the organization.

3. Get the people interested: For a community to be seen, they need something to get excited to. You need to show your enthusiasm and earn the confidence of the community you photograph. Most of them will be shy / reluctant. Create your own space and comfort level. Make them react to your creative skills and personality too.

4. Choose the right organization: It must fascinate you. There are so many different genres from health care, energy, education and sanitation to conservation and so on. Do a bit of research into what energizes you most and put your heart into building a portfolio.

5. Always have a smile: It helps! Photography is a great tool to bring a smile to the people’s faces and get the impossible tasks accomplished in a flash.

6. Tell stories: “A picture is worth a thousand words”, but it is more about stories than just pictures. Images that you create can have far reaching effects than written words and can communicate the human emotions and the nature of the organizational focus. A set of compelling images can have both reaction and action from the audience. Always think of telling a story in your images.

7. Grab the attention of the viewer: With so many media competing in tandem, it is photos that grab the short attention span of the readers / viewers than several lines of text. Photos are powerful tools for fundraising.

8. Impact the audience: People, portraits and their surroundings attract maximum attention in non-profit photography. Be sensitive and attentive to capture the moment and bring out the highlights of the situation. Show that your subjects are normal, intelligent and positive people with hope and capable of contributing for the larger society.

9. Permissions: Always be clear with the organization of what are the sensitivities of photographing the subject and the region. Many a times, there is a security issue involved, that needs restraint in using the camera.

10. Share the work: Don’t keep the images under wraps. Share it with the world on social networks.

- -

This article is written by D K Bhaskar, ace photographer, explorer, author, international speaker, and strong advocate of world culture. Find out about Bhaskar here

Bhaskar will be conducting photography workshops in Rajasthan and Orissa with children from the villages. In the past he has conducted similar workshops in Assam (details). Participants of Socially Positive in the photography category will stand a chance to be a part of the workshop.

To see details and participate in Socially Positive click here.

Video Volunteers: Telling the untold

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:48:00 +0000

Despite a proliferation of news channels and publications in India, often the mainstream media is unable to reach the far corners of the country. A unique citizen journalism venture called Video Volunteers (VV) is bridging the gap, especially in rural belts.

Started in 2003, Video Volunteers, a non-profit organisation, is led jointly by Jessica Mayberry and Stalin K.

Video Volunteers programs include Community Video Units, IndiaUnheard – Community News Service, Community Radio Forum, Girl Powered Videos, Videoshala E-CVUs and Videos for Livelihood.

All these programs are providing disadvantaged communities with the journalistic, critical thinking and creative skill that help them articulate and share their perspectives on both local and global levels.

“Video Volunteers is working to create an alternative media landscape in which thousands of rural and poor people around the world can produce high quality video content that brings awareness to communities and empowers them to take action,” says Jessica Mayberry, Founder and Executive Director of VV.

Jessica started the organization in September, 2003, after spending a year training rural Indian women in filmmaking as a Fellow of the American India Foundation. Jessica believes that video technology can empower the poor (women especially) to find a voice.

“Our work has earned us several awards including the prestigious Manthan Award South Asia ‘09 and grants from the Knight News Challenge and the Echoing Green Foundation,” says Jessica.
VV has also won a 2006 Tech Museum Award and the NYU Stern Business School Social Business Plan Competition in 2008.

VV has also launched IndiaUnheard, the first ever community news service. This new initiative is constituted of a network of community correspondents who are trained to tell unique stories; stories about their own communities; stories which are otherwise left untold.

By feeding this community-produced content to national and international outlets, such as mainstream television channels and social networking sites, IndiaUnheard links rural communities with a truly global audience.

“Through bridging these worlds, IndiaUnheard empowers communities to create real change on real issues affecting their lives,” says Jessica.

One of the primary missions of each Community Video Unit is to encourage local people to take action on the issues presented in the videos, which, in turn, would bring in a change.

In most cases, a single video goes way beyond changing the status quo in one village and sparks a chain of impacts. For example, when one village community took action to demand access to safe water in Surendranagar district of Gujarat after a film screening, several others followed. This finally led to provision of water in over a dozen villages.

According to VV, the mission of the initiative is to empower the world’s poorest citizens to participate in the community media movement so they can right the wrongs they witness and become players in the global media revolution.

“Providing disadvantaged communities with the journalistic, critical thinking and creative skill they need, we create financially self-sustaining, locally-owned grassroots projects that teach people to articulate and share their perspectives on the issues that matter to them, on a local and a global scale,” says Jessica.

Video Volunteers is an event partner for Socially Positive and will be part of the jury to judge video entries. You can also raise support for an NGO by making a short film. You will not just use your creativity for good but also stand a chance to win exciting prizes.

: : By Sujoy Dhar : :

Dr. Natasha Sahijwala – An agent of change

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 08:47:00 +0000

Rotaract is a Rotary supported service club for young people between 18 and 30.

During the last one month I regularly interacted with Dr.Natasha Sahijwala, a member of Rotaract club of Caduceus which is a club of medical students, paramedical students and interns from medical colleges across Mumbai and is in its tenth year of existence.

Natasha, a student of D.Y Patil Medical College, was first introduced to this network while she volunteered to survey the victims of 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Since then she has been a part of Caduceus and was elected as the president for her commitment and dedication.

During her tenure, Rotaract of Caduceus worked on various projects with partner NGOs. The most notable one was their close collaboration with The Spastics Society of India. Through funds raised from Rotary, they constructed an activity room and playground for the spastic kids. Apart from that, they organized a toy donation drive across various medical colleges in Mumbai and distributed over 300 toys to the children. Natasha says that it is the best thing that has ever happened to her and nothing can beat the joy that comes with the smiles on their faces. They also regularly organize blood donation camps in collaboration with King Edward Memorial Hospital.

Natasha complains that most people donate but do not empathize. She cited that Rotaract itself is like an NGO and they face similar problems. She observed that NGOs do not give enough incentives for people to volunteer and that most volunteers do not take work seriously. Therefore twenty percent of the people end up being proactive and doing most of the work.

She says that Caduceus is different from most other Rotaracts, as they are more focused on implementing projects rather than networking. But unlike Rotarys, Rotaracts collaborate among themselves and most of their projects are implemented in collaboration with other NGOs. Natasha feels that Rotary too should work with NGOs and other Rotarys to maximize impact.

Apart from managing the team and projects of Caduceus, which is quite a time intensive task in itself, Natasha regularly volunteers at various NGOs despite having a very tight schedule at medical school.

Self motivated people like Natasha are catalyzing the process of change and are changing the world one step at a time despite the odds. This also showcases clubs like Rotaract provide an enabling platform for the youth to rally around a worthy cause and create an impact for the betterment of society.

: : By Varsha Adusumilli : :

Indian youth get socially positive

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:29:00 +0000

Samhita launches Socially Positive – an opportunity for the youth to contribute towards positive social change. This weekend put on your creative hat and do good.

Socially Positive is a nationwide campaign where you can use creative skills such as photography, film-making, designing and blogging to create awareness for social causes and support NGOs.

You need not be an ace photographer, an accomplished film-maker or a celebrity blogger. All you need is a knack for creativity and a passion to create positive social change. You can participate as an individual or in a team comprising of maximum five members.

Winning teams will get cash prizes and prestigious internships with social enterprises such as National Social Entrepreneurship Forum, Video Volunteers and MAM Movies.

Bloggers will get an opportunity to spearhead the leading social entrepreneurship blog – Think Change India as Managing Editor(s). Best entries in the photography category will get an opportunity to join ace photographer D K Bhaskar for a week long interactive photography workshop with kids in rural Rajasthan, Orissa or Andaman Islands.

Participants will have to select an NGO registered on www.samhita.org and work with them to create marketing collateral which can be uses during the Joy of Giving Week to raise funds for the NGO.

You have until September 24 to upload the collateral you create. Register now and create your team on www.samhita.org Visit www.samhita.org/sociallypositive for more information or write to info@samhita.org for any queries.

Event partners:

NSEF: Promoting change makers

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:53:00 +0000

With the focus of universities primarily on academic excellence of the students, the educational bodies in India often fail to produce well-rounded and socially responsible individuals. But one of the fundamental aims of a university education is to prepare better citizens for the country.

So despite its one billion plus population, India often is plagued by a dearth of young people from the student community who can be real "change makers".

To overcome this shortcoming, the National Social Entrepreneurship Forum or NSEF was formed in February 2009 in Bangalore by a few committed and visionary youngsters led by Yashveer Singh.

NSEF’s main aim is to empower the students by exposing them to the field of social entrepreneurship through various activities.

It provides internship opportunities to young students to work at some of the leading social enterprises in India.

Thus NSEF is a youth-focused non profit organization promoting Social Entrepreneurship.

"A social entrepreneur is an amalgamation of values displayed in Mother Teresa's compassion and Richard Branson's sharp business prowess", says Nishant Sarawgi, Strategic Partnerships and Marketing Manager, NSEF, as he sums up the aim of the organization.

The primary vision of its founding team is to inspire and build people and organizations, who can effectively respond to social challenges, lead the movement for grass roots development and be the premier place for social entrepreneurs to meet, collaborate, learn and develop social innovations.

NSEF wants to promote new social entrepreneurs and create environments where they can succeed.
NSEF facilitates resources for social entrepreneurs through mentoring and networking and raises awareness about the issue among the target group.

It also participates and collaborates in programmes with congruent organizations for funding as well as knowledge exchange.

It fosters an open forum for the exchange of ideas, concerning the societal well being of the national and global community.

NSEF wants to shift from the role of a resource facilitator to resource provider in five years time.

The young team of NSEF is continuously guided and mentored by senior and reputed people from the field of academia and corporate & development sector.

NSEF has partnered with Samhita for the Socially Positive campaign. NSEF will facilitate social sector internships for the winners. For more information and to participate visit www.samhita.com

: : By Sujoy Dhar : :

Amcha Ghar: Home safe home

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:50:00 +0000

A decade ago when Susheela Singh and Anthony Dias, founders of Amcha Ghar, a Mumbai-based NGO providing shelter to orphaned or semi-orphaned girls, tried to provide a home for a sexually abused girl, they came in for a rude shock.

They ran from one home to another but discovered that no institution would take her because she was not an orphan in literal term.

The unsavoury experience led to Amcha Ghar, or Our Home, that many orphaned, semi-orphaned and vulnerable girls call their home.

“We realized those days that no home catered to semi-orphan girls or to those living in vulnerable situations. The girls were denied admission in homes if they had a single parent, despite the fact that the single parent often worked all day, leaving the girl to fend for herself or placing her in the care of relatives who can abuse them sexually, physically, or emotionally,” says Singh.

So the sorry state of affairs prompted Ms. Singh and Mr. Dias to form an organization that would serve those living in such situations. In 1996 in Uttan village at Bhayander in Mumbai, a committed team of social workers, attorneys, doctors, and well-wishers joined Ms. Singh and Mr. Dias to set up Amcha Ghar.

Amcha Ghar is thus dedicated to helpless female children - irrespective of their religion or caste. It tries to provide a home to the vulnerable, especially those living on the streets.

Amcha Ghar focuses on early intervention, rescuing and rehabilitating young girls from the streets. When possible, Amcha Ghar also provides counselling and economic guidance to girls’ parents or relatives, with the ultimate aim of stabilizing the family environment and improving economic status so that girls can be re-united with their families.

“The home aims to educate the girls in an English medium school, and train and transform them into skilled adult women who are able to live an independent life in the mainstream of society,” says Singh.

What had begun with three children is now a home to 30 with hundreds on the waiting list.

“Our children are known for their loving nature and discipline. The main objective is to give them an opportunity in life that protects them from falling in to the clutches of evil forces,” says Singh.

Amcha Ghar provides resources for development of destitute girls from all over India. The main thrust of this organization is towards the children's education in an English Medium School.

At present some of the Amcha Ghar girls are pursuing their graduation.

Amcha Ghar now encompasses not only a Residential Home in the village of Uttan, but also an Extension Home for grown-up residents who are working and pursuing higher studies in Bhayander.

“We want to purchase land for development and expansion of Girls Home, expand our classes up to tenth standard and implement school bus services,” says Singh.

The NGO also plans a mini multi-speciality hospital with Home for the aged.

These plans apart, what Amcha Ghar has succeeded is no less significant. It has provided at least 30-odd girl a safe home and set an example for others to come up with more such initiatives.

For details visit www.amchaghar.org

Deadline for the Hari Chopra Social Awards extended!

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:56:00 +0000

Samhita is pleased to announce an extension for the application deadline. NGOs now have until September 5th to complete their application.

If your projects focus on the girl child and if you have still not applied for the award, you can register on www.samhita.org to become eligible for:

Unrestricted grants of up to Rs. 5,00,000 p.a to strengthen organizational capacity and increase your impact
Free online profile on www.samhita.org to reach out to donors, volunteers, potential employees, service providers and sector experts around the globe
Registration fee waiver and free access to services offered on www.samhita.org for a few months

Click here for additional information. For any queries, contact 022 4264 1892 or write to ngosupport@samhita.org.

Innovation workshop for social enterprises

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:20:00 +0000

The Marico Innovation Foundation in association with Innovation Alchemy are organizing an Innovation Workshop for social enterprises. The workshop is designed to enable organizations involved in creating social impact and development to apply innovation as a key tool to significantly increase their impact and scale their programs. It is a 3-day workshop which will focus on innovation tools, sharing and learning from successful case studies, addressing primary challenges in applying innovation and help social enterprises identify and put together an innovative roadmap to scale up and create greater impact.

A high-impact Methodology

Experiential & highly interactive 3-day workshop for a 3 member team from each organization
6-8 weeks of follow up support through webinars and in-person coaching
Opportunity to be selected for Innovation Incubation supported by MIF
Designed for a group of 7-10 diverse social enterprises that will come together to learn (both for-profit and not-for-profit models)
Moving away from the traditional ‘individual’ based learning to a more engaging and useful ‘Team based’ approach
Designed for 3 member teams from each organization to participate – a minimum of 2 members for each org are necessary to participate in this workshop

What each participating organization will take away from the work sessions:

Evolution of a clear action plan that identifies the areas of innovation for organization – and inputs on how to implement the plan
Strategic inputs and support for Leadership while implementing the innovation action plan in organizations for the first 6-8 weeks
Learning material from the work sessions and discussions on specific challenge
Become part of alumni of such organizations, who can share and learn on an ongoing basis through the MIF Platform (Online + events)
Get an opportunity to be selected for a 12 to 18 month Innovation support and incubation program.
The Program will include consulting inputs, guidance and mentoring of the identified team to build and deliver an innovative approach for scaling up impact on a particular project. Marico Innovation Foundation would support the consulting fees and time provided by its Knowledge Partner - Innovation Alchemy for its services for this innovation support process to the
selected organization.

For further details visit http://www.maricoinnovationfoundation.org/workshop/index.html or read the concept note.

No citizen should go hungry: PM

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 07:11:00 +0000

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IBNS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said no citizen of the country should go hungry.

“Our Government wants a food safety net in which no citizen of ours would go hungry. This requires enhanced agricultural production which is possible only by increasing productivity,” he said delivering his 64th Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort in the national capital on Aug 15.

The PM said the government has taken care to provide remunerative prices to farmers so that they are encouraged to increase production.

“Support prices have been increased every year in the last six years. The support price for wheat was enhanced to Rs.1,100 per quintal last year from Rs.630 per quintal in 2003-04. In paddy, this increase was from Rs.550 per quintal to Rs.1,000 per quintal. But one effect of providing higher prices to farmers is that food prices in the open market also increase,” he said.

He said his government is making ‘every possible effort’ to control high inflation in the country.

“Today, I do not want to go into the detailed reasons for high inflation. But, I would certainly like to say that we are making every possible effort to tackle this problem. I am also confident that we will succeed in these efforts,” Singh said

“I know that in the last few months high inflation has caused you difficulties. It is the poor who are the worst affected by rising prices, especially when the prices of commodities of every day use like foodgrains, pulses, vegetables increase. It is for this reason that we have endeavored to minimize the burden of increased prices on the poor.”

Singh said the Government has laid ‘special emphasis’ on the welfare of Indian farmers and on increasing agricultural production.

“After we came to power in 2004, we realized that the state of Indian agriculture in the preceding 7-8 years was not satisfactory. Our Government increased public investment in agriculture. We started new schemes for increasing production.

“We encouraged agricultural planning at the district level. I am happy that the growth rate of our agriculture has increased substantially in the last few years. But we are still far from achieving our goal. We need to work harder so that we can increase the agricultural growth rate to 4 per cent per annum,” the PM said.

Referring to increase in petroleum prices, Singh said: “It is our responsibility that we manage our economy with prudence so that our development is not affected adversely in the future because of high debt. We import about 80 per cent of our requirement of petroleum products.”

Lamenting that a large part of Indian population still suffers from persistent poverty, hunger and disease, Singh said: “But today we do not need many new programmes to achieve our goals. However, we do need to implement the schemes we have already started more effectively, minimizing the chances of corruption and misuse of public money.”

“We want to achieve this in partnership with the State Governments, Panchayat Raj Institutions and civil society groups,” the PM said.

: : via IBNS : :

Independence Day special: Look back in hunger

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:27:00 +0000

Battling soul-crushing poverty, Balai Gharai breaks down in tears and seeks alms from visitors in his village in Maoist-dominated Lalgarh in West Bengal. He moves around bare-torsoed, his emaciated frame and the protruding ribcage lifting the veil off the tall and misleading claims of economic growth in the third largest Asian economy celebrating its 64th Independence Day.

While politicians bicker and India’s red rebels unleash terror to achieve their mission, Balai’s life in Lalgarh, now referred to as Ground Zero in global media, remains unchanged.

The shiny urban shopping malls and the crushing rural poverty tell India’s story of past six decades- a journey that produced millions of slumdogs and exclusive clubs of millionaires. Kalahandis clearly outpace the prosperous life in upscale oasis-like neighbourhoods of New Delhi, or for that matter any Indian metro.
“I have no food. I beg with my wife and children,” breaks down Balai, his wizened face belying his much younger age.

Surprisingly, despite all the talks of development measures to combat the rise of Maoists, this writer found no one in Lalgarh who is a beneficiary of India’s much touted BPL (Below Poverty Line) scheme.
The Indian government last year said it would soon whip out a comprehensive Right to Food Act.

“After the Right to Information Act, Right to Work Act and Right to Education Act, the Government is working on a Right to food Act, which will be enforced soon,” Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said, claiming that his government’s economic measures have benefited all sections of the society.

Last year, the President of India announced that India will soon pass a Food Security Act, which will ensure at least 25 kg of wheat at Rs. 3 per kg to every household below the poverty line. The bill is yet to see the light of the day as debate over its provisions rages.

According to Institute of Developmental Studies, the debate is on the scale and scope on the potential Act. Two drafts of the proposed legislation have been passed around policy circles: a narrow version that mainly focuses on the delivery of grain to poor households through reforms of India’s large food subsidy programme and another prepared by activists who are part of the Right to Food Campaign, a people’s movement that hopes to enshrine broader entitlements to food in law.

The "Right to Food Campaign" is an informal network of organisations and individuals committed to the realisation of the right to food in India. They consider that everyone has a fundamental right to be free from hunger and under-nutrition.

The members of the Right to Food Campaign have “rejected'' the proposed draft of the bill- that promises 25 kg of foodgrains to each Below Poverty line population family per month at Rs. 3 per kg.

A newspaper report says they have urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to come up with a bill that covers every adult resident of the country under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

“Nothing short of a universal entitlement for the PDS would suffice to change the existing situation,'' they said in a letter written to the Prime Minister.

The Right to Food Campaign’s “essential demands” sets the Act in the context of the nutritional emergency in India and the need to address the structural roots of hunger. In concrete terms, the campaign demands a comprehensive “Food Entitlements Act”, going well beyond the limited promise in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) manifesto of 25 kgs of grain at Rs 3/kg for BPL households.

Aside from an overarching obligation to protect everyone from hunger, as well as to promote sustainable and equitable food production, essential provisions of the proposed Act include: a universal Public Distribution System (providing at least 50 kgs of grain per family with 5.25 kgs of pulses and 2.8 kgs of edible oils); special food entitlements for destitute households (including an expanded Antyodaya programme); consolidation of all entitlements created by recent Supreme Court orders (e.g. cooked mid-day meals in primary schools and universalization of ICDS); support for effective breastfeeding (including maternity entitlements and crèches); safeguards against the invasion of corporate interests in food policy; and elimination of all social discrimination in food–related matters.

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has praised the government move to enact the Right to Food (Guarantee of Safety and Security) Bill.

“It is a step in the right direction,” he said.

“I think we should give credit to the government that they are thinking of bringing the Right to Food Act, the fact that they are thinking in this line is extremely important and we ought to recognise that,” said Amartya Sen, while cautioning that the government should ensure that the facilities reach the poor.

“Remember we have to reach the deprived people in a variety of ways and then look deeper and recognise that along with the under-nourishment problem, we have to address the question of general health care and public services,” Sen said.

According to an eye-opening editorial in The Hindu, the recommendation by the National Advisory Council for a revised Food Security Bill is, in essence, a proposal to enhance entitlements in some spheres while reducing them in others.

“The enhancement lies in the fact that the Bill will recognise, for the first time, a justiciable right to food for all persons in the yet-to-be-identified 150 ‘most disadvantaged' districts.

"The reduction lies in the fact that the revised Bill will not envisage such a right to food as a universal right, but as one restricted to a target group — in this case, to be identified by geographical targeting.

"This is in contravention of the letter and spirit of Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which declares that the right to food must be for all individuals (and not circumscribed by region or any other factor) and that a variety of instruments must be used to respect, protect, and fulfil that right,” the editorial reads.

“The most unjust feature of the proposed revised Bill will be the restriction of the right to food to people living in a fourth of India's districts and not even necessarily comprising a fourth of the country's deprived population — the world's largest mass of poor, credibly estimated to be in the region of 800 million. A malnourished person must have recourse to the same justiciable right to food wherever she or he lives,” it says.

According to P. Sainath, the noted writer on poverty and rural affairs editor of The Hindu, as a member of the BPL Expert Group he had argued that in four sectors — food, healthcare, education and decent work — access had to be universal.

“That flows from the Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution. The rights of our people are based on their being citizens. Not on their ability to pay. Not on their being BPL or APL (or even IPL). Rights, by definition, are universal and indivisible,” he says.

“Will the features of the government's proposed food security bill take the Directive Principles forward? Or will it weaken them? Diluting constitutional rights and presenting the watered down mix as progressive legislation is fraud. The only PDS that will work is a universal one,” he asks.

“Now there's talk of an ‘experiment’ making access to food [that is, mainly wheat and rice[ ‘universal’ in about 150 districts. While this might be a step forward in thinking, it could prove a misstep in practice. This is ‘targeting’ in other clothes. It could collapse as foodgrain from districts that are ‘universal’ migrate to districts that are not. Better to go that final mile. Universalize,” he writes.

But the debate over the bill notwithstanding and even with its enactment, the efficacy of any legal provision depends on its implementation in right earnest.

It remains to be seen if Balai’s status as a beggar changes when we write another Independence Day column next year.

: : By Sujoy Dhar : :

International youth day special: Working for solutions

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:18:00 +0000

Volunteering to work in rural India, a group of young Indian Americans reconnect with their roots and find a new way of using their skill.

Karthik Raman did not want to just sit around and complain about what was wrong in the world. He wanted to do something about it. “Instead of sitting in the U.S. and knowing that problems existed in India, I wanted to come here and test my limit to create change,” says Raman of Ohio. His family is from Tamil Nadu. “Also, I was out of touch with ground realities in India, especially rural India. By relocating to a tribal village, I felt I could learn about my own culture, especially Tamil culture.”

Raman got the chance to test his theory that “by working for social change, we get to choose what kind of world we live in” through Indicorps, a Texas-based NGO. Through its office in Gujarat, Indicorps helps people of Indian origin all over the world to volunteer for a year with an NGO in India.

Raman arrived in India in 2007 and was placed in the Naickaneri Hills in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore district. His project was to work on nutrition seminars in the small, mountaintop Adivasi community. “But, as often happens in India, things didn’t pan out as planned and I ended up spending most of my time working with a local potter to design and distribute pot-in-pots,” he says.

Pot-in-pots (PIP) are rural refrigerators created by placing one clay pot inside another with sand and water filling the gap in between. “With this device…villagers were able to keep their fruits and vegetables fresher for longer periods of time, thus improving their health and nutrition. Even better, the PIPs were so affordable that villagers paid for the technology and didn’t need a subsidy,” says Raman.

His fellowship ended in 2008 but Raman stayed on to work with ‘Source for Change’, an all-women, rural, business process outsourcing venture in Bagar, Rajasthan. “Selfless leadership is a life lesson that is often misconstrued. I have realised its meaning is as simple as working toward an objective and not for one’s own personal gain,” says Raman.

Amrit Dhir, a 2008 fellow from California, says that Indicorps helps personal growth and exposure. “The experience is, in no small way, life-changing,” says Dhir, who works in Bangalore. During his fellowship, he worked with Manzil, aNew Delhi learning center for young people from low-income backgrounds.

Indicorps was started in 2001 by Sonal Shah, now head of President Barack Obama’s Office of Social Innovation, and her siblings Roopal and Anand. Fellows are chosen through a two-part application process. Aspirants must have a university degree or five years of applicable work experience from anywhere in the world.

The fellowship year starts with a rigorous, month-long orientation camp at Ahmedabad where participants are given practical lessons from grassroots developmental experts, and take part in group discussions and community activities. “Indicorps stresses the idea that service is not transactional. For us, to seek a better world means to connect the process of personal change to societal change and to make our story part of the community’s story,” says Adam Ferguson, who works on fellowship support at Indicorps.

In the past seven years, more than 100 fellows have spent a year in India. In August 2009, Indicorps placed two to four fellows each with 12 community-based partner organisations. Though they come from different backgrounds such as medicine, public health, marketing, finance and nonprofit management, what the fellows have in common is the drive to make a difference.

“I have not come to ‘help’—I have come to make genuine relationships and to work on solutions to rural poverty hand in hand with rural Indians…. By volunteering I am addressing my own inner hunger,” says Vivake Prasad, who is associated with an NGO called Grassroots Development Laboratory in Bagar, Rajasthan.

Prasad graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania where he had founded a student organisation dedicated to service and social justice issues. “Something about India was just calling me. I wish to connect with my roots and to explore my own spiritual relationship with India on a much deeper level,” he says.

Prasad is working on a start-up social enterprise called the Bagar Employment Institute (BEI) which was founded by an Indicorps fellow, Ashish Gupta. “The goal of BEI is to reduce the prevalence of unemployment and underemployment across rural India…,” says Prasad, who is working with two other volunteers, including another Indicorps fellow, Sahil Chaudry.

They conduct training courses that aim to fill the gap between the skills rural youths attain through formal education and the skills actually needed in the modern Indian job market. “To this end, we teach courses in spoken English, basic computer skills, and accounting software. In all of our courses, we emphasise confidence building and invaluable soft skills such as public speaking, presentation skills, workplace etiquette, job hunting skills, interview skills, etc.,” says Prasad.

Chaudry and Prasad conduct presentations every night at Bagar and the surrounding villages where they educate villagers about the job market and recruit students for the institute. “Much of our impact, however, comes not from these more formal interactions, but from our personal relationships with our students. These go a long way in changing mindsets in the community,” says Prasad. He plans to attend law school when he returns to the US. But his ultimate goal is to return to work in the development sector in India.

Himabindu Reddy’s motivation to work for social change comes from her parents. “I’ve witnessed both my parents working incredibly hard and struggling to provide their children a comfortable life…. I see volunteering and social work as a way to ‘pay it forward,’ to use the advantages I’ve been given to benefit others,” she says.

Reddy is associated with Chaitanya, an NGO based near Pune, which works to spread the self-help group movement in the state as a means of empowering rural women financially and socially. “Health issues and particularly women’s health issues are of major concern in this area; low-cost public facilities are often lacking in quality and private facilities can be very costly. As a result, medical emergencies can topple families into poverty,” says Reddy, who moved to the United States shortly after she was born in Andhra Pradesh.

“It’s for this reason that we’re designing a low-cost, community-based health insurance scheme for women to enroll in. The idea is for the program to be entirely community-driven and operated, much in the same way that microcredit operates currently within the self-help groups.”

Though her fellowship is in the early stages, Reddy says there is so much that she has already gained. “I think, foremost, I’ve come to view India not just as an ancestral homeland or the occasional site for summer vacation, but as really and truly my home. In some ways it’s tangible… but it’s also in the intangible, of knowing that this is where my roots are, roots not just from my parents and grandparents, but roots that I’ve planted on my own,” she says.

Rahul Brahmbhatt is volunteering in India because he wanted to work directly with people. “After years of working in the corporate world and not being able to see the end result of my work, I decided that community work and social entrepreneurship were areas in which I wanted to work,” he says.

Brahmbhatt is working with Ahmedabad Ultimate in Gujarat, an Indicorps sports initiative focusing on Ultimate Frisbee, a high-energy team sport that combines elements of many other sports, such as football and basketball.

After studying chemical engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, Brahmbhatt worked in technical fields like oil and gas and IT consulting for eight years. His work took him to China, where he developed an interest in international sports development. In 2009, Brahmbhatt earned a sports management degree from George Mason University in Virginia and researched how to increase the popularity of basketball in India.

“We are looking to inspire a citywide sports culture which is accessible to all and which embodies the true strength of healthy competition and personal challenge,” he says.

Besides building a group of youth players, teams and coaches, Brahmbhatt wants to spread the message that “sports can be a new vehicle by which people can work on developing and improving some larger life skills like conflict resolution, diet and nutrition, health and hygiene, sportsmanship, teamwork, honesty, just to name a few.”

All fellows agree that working in India is a challenge, but brings its own rewards. “The style of work that is needed in order to be successful is extremely different than in America. I would say that things almost never go as planned, and you have to be quick on your feet and always prepared for surprises,” says Prasad. “At the same time, working in rural India is also extremely rewarding. There is rarely such a thing as a ‘strictly business’ relationship. People are warm, hospitable, humble, and generous beyond measure.”

Working in India, says Brahmbhatt, takes a lot of patience and creativity to get certain things accomplished, “but it teaches you to appreciate the path and surroundings of your journey, and to not just be preoccupied with the destination. Accomplishing goals in India is that much more rewarding!”

For Reddy, the challenge was adjusting to a different work culture and working without the facilities, like electricity and the Internet, she had grown used to. “Replacing the instant gratification of instant messaging and e-mails are the drawn-out conversations over chai; this has been immensely rewarding. I’ve been given a chance to enter people’s lives, to hear their stories, and I’ve been in awe of people’s openness and willingness to share with me,” she says.

: : By Deepanjali Kakati - SPAN-TWF : :

Punya: Connecting Minds

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:22:00 +0000

When some young Chennai professionals led by a dreamer-Varun Singhi- started Punya in 2009, the idea was not to offer palliatives for the misery of the poor children that is starkly visible on the streets of India.

Instead Varun, who is the founder and chief executive volunteer of Punya, and his team set out to strike at the root of the problem- lack of education, its tools and life skills.

Empowerment through education is the primary goal of Punya, a self-started initiative of Varun and his like-minded friends.

The NGO’s mission statement says: “Punya wants to direct its efforts towards meaningful and sustainable improvements instead of temporary relief. We aim to enable and empower people to improve their lives and conditions. Therefore projects and activities supported by Punya are focused on planned human and social development instead of random charity.”

The birth of Punya was around the idea of connecting minds with similar passion, vision, ideas and commitment.

“Most underprivileged children are faced with adverse conditions during an early age. This renders them socially, emotionally and even physically weak as they grow up. But if we can enable these children to be self-reliant then they can enjoy a childhood filled with smiles,” says Varun who works with Wipro Technologies .

So on the Independence Day of 2009 (Aug 15) a new initiative started blossoming.

“At Punya we strongly believe that education is the only way to elevate these children. Punya is determined to revolutionize and rekindle philanthropic urge in individuals by providing the donors/investors the assurance and satisfaction that their investments reach the right people at the right time, and most importantly through the right channels,” says Varun. for whom charity rightly began at home.

“I have seen my family right from my childhood days getting involved in social and community activities. Two statements- of Martin Luther King and Swami Vivekananda- have inspired me a lot and they still continue to inspire me,” says Varun.

King said an individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity while Swami Vivekananda said one should take up one idea and “make that one idea your life”, says Varun.

“So I started initially with just my family members on board. I did everything, including the legal procedures, to establish Punya with a like minded team across various cities. Today Punya has inspired many people from different walks of life,” says Varun.

The young IT professional has come across many individuals and professionals who all are very socially conscious, but are unable to devote time and focus.

“So I decided to channelize the youth force for the development of the rural society,” he says.

Another important inspiration behind Punya is Late Shri Natmal Jain, who is a recipient of the Indira Gandhi Peace Award for his outstanding services to the society.

“Due to his fore vision and active involvement in community services, he was highly held and remembered in the society. Punya in short is a way to give a meaningful direction to his vision and carry forward his legacy,” informs Varun.

Punya has taken up various projects. One of the upcoming projects is “Education Scholarship Project” in Chennai and Bangalore through which it plans to extend financial support to two of the deserving students for their studies.

Under another scheme, Punya distributes stationeries to students in rural schools.

The Independence Day of 2010 would be celebrated thus with distribution of materials among the students of M.U.O.N Higher Secondary School in Chengalpet District.

Punya recently gifted a Computer System to Manav Seva Sanstha, a organization which works for the rural development in villages near Pune to support the Computer Literacy Program started by it. Currently about 120 students from nearby three villages are getting benefitted by this program. "Punyaites are working on the possibility to get some corporate support for this project by donating used/disposed computers from companies for this project," says Varun.

The trust doesn’t receive any financial support from the government and so the Punya team stepped in. It is now doing feasibility studies on their immediate requirements and needs.

For Punya and its chief architect Varun, the goal is simple. Translating Swami Vivekananda’s words into action, Punya dreams and lives on that one idea- of empowering children through education.

Visit Punya website for details.

Priyanka is UN child rights ambassador

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:34:00 +0000

(via IBNS New Delhi, Aug 11) Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra was on Tuesday appointed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as its newest National Ambassador, with the responsibility of promoting issues relating to child rights and adolescence.

Priyanka thus joins Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore in supporting UNICEF’s work for children in India and around the world.

“I am very honoured to formalize my association with UNICEF as their National Ambassador to help bring awareness for child rights and adolescence.” said Priyanka Chopra at a ceremony in New Delhi.
“Over the past few years, I have worked very closely with the team at UNICEF to bring awareness to a number of causes related to India and I realized that there is so much more to be done. I hope that by lending my voice I can make a difference to their lives.”

“You all know Priyanka Chopra as a shining star of Indian cinema,” said UNICEF representative Karin Hulshof. “Now I tell you that she is equally passionate about her work on behalf of children and adolescents.
“We are proud of the work she has done with us so far on child rights and we are thrilled about all what we will be doing together so that no child gets left behind. Priyanka, with her unwavering commitment to child rights, will help to create a world fit for children.”

A former Miss World winner, Chopra entered the Hindi film industry in 2002. Since then she has appeared in many films and last year won a top prize at India’s most prominent film award ceremony.

Since beginning her collaboration with UNICEF in 2008, Chopra has also recorded a series of public service announcements championing girls’ education and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. She has also participated in a media panel discussion to promote child rights.

UNICEF Ambassadors are celebrities with a demonstrated commitment to improving the lives of children. Highly talented in their own right, they share an ability to bring attention to children’s issues, to galvanize support from the public and leading decision-makers, and to raise urgently needed funds for UNICEF programmes.

Visit UNICEF website here

Of green hopes and uneasy lives

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:54:00 +0000

Earlier, I was like short grass
Little children would tear me apart
Now I am like those tall grasses
Among which anyone can get lost.
I am green like dreams,
With thin hands
And legs like sticks
I offer shelter to all
So that mud touches no one when they sit on me
When rain falls on me,
It seems that diamond pieces are dropping.
Then I fill thick earth into my green dream.

- Thoughts expressed in verses (Grass) by 14-year-old Pooja Majhi.

Pooja, unlike many of the privileged Indian teenagers of her age, could have never hoped of her thoughts finding way into print, but it happened. Her poem is now part of a book ‘Poetic Spaces’ brought out by a reputed publication though she belongs to one of those marginalized groups whose green dreams are forever invaded by the whims of uncharitable destiny.

Thanks to some support from an international NGO called Daywalka Foundation, Pooja, forever at risk from the prying eyes of predators, can actually hope to stand up like the tall grasses of her poem.

You walk up the neat stairway of an elegant three-storied old south Kolkata building that houses Daywalka Foundation and step into a spotless red-floored room to meet Pooja, Saraswati and Reshma, all of them harbouring green dreams despite living on the margins of the society.

The small wooden board that greets your in the room reads “Kalam” (meaning pen or pencil in Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and many other languages). The room is no less than a dream come true for many girls who want to touch the sky.

Here they find the first glimpse of that piece of sky. Here they make friends with men, from the same margins of the society, but for a change the eyes offering the comfort of pure friendship and hands extended for camaraderie. Under the guidance of their young teacher, the young souls ink their limitless thoughts into verses.

Cut back to the day in the life of Geeta who was sold to a brothel in Mumbai when she was nine.

According to a CNN report, she started servicing countless men since that age after her family- of farmers- was duped in Nepal and she was brought to India and sold to a brothel.

India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children, especially minor girls, subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation.

Consider these hard facts and statistics on trafficking compiled by the NGO Apne Aap.

According to India’s federal investigating agency CBI, there are 1.2 million prostituted children in the country now (2009). Girls form the majority of 1.2 million prostituted children in India, the agency says.

A shocking 45.6% of the trafficked victims were below 16 yrs of age when first raped, according the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

NHRC says at any given time in India, 20,000 girls are being transported from one part of the country to another.

The anti-trafficking law (ITPA) punishes victims with jail but has very light fines against buyers of prostituted sex and profiteers.

According to the Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 – India, by the US government, the Indian government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking despite making significant efforts to do so, particularly with regard to the law enforcement response to sex trafficking.

The report says: “Despite these efforts, the Indian government has not demonstrated sufficient progress in its law enforcement, protection, or prevention efforts to address labor trafficking, particularly bonded labor; therefore India is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for the seventh consecutive year.”

While countries whose governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards is placed on Tier 1, those not fully complying with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards are under Tier 2.

According to recent media reports, the trafficking of girls is on the rise in India.

"Trafficking is a $32 billion business worldwide, especially of women forced into prostitution. Of this about $12 to $14 billion is a turnover from child trafficking," says Kailash Satyarthi, chairperson of Global March Against Child Labour and founder of the BBA (Bachpan Bachao Andolan), which organizes the South Asian March Against Child Trafficking.

According to those working in the field, the causes of trafficking in women are many.

“The root causes of migration and trafficking greatly overlap. The lack of rights afforded to women serves as the primary causative factor at the root of both women’s migrations and trafficking in women...By failure to protect and promote women’s civil, political, economic and social rights, governments create situations in which trafficking flourishes,” says Radhika Coomaraswamy, former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

Activists say trafficking in women results both form social inequality and susceptibility to exploitation.

According to a report in the online magazine Prativad, the most commonly identified push factor driving the trafficking process is poverty, lack of human and social capital, gender discrimination, social exclusion, lack of governance, deprivation, marginalization and vulnerability.

Macro factors such as impact of globalization, unemployment, migration policy conflicts and natural disasters can set into circumstances that increase vulnerabilities.

Activists say greater social awareness through sustained campaign in the rural areas and guarantee of local employment can help prevent the menace.

So while a few like Pooja can dream of standing up like a tall grass to take on the society, millions remain vulnerable and defenceless.

To empower girls fight and stand up against such a menace we need to empower credible social organizations that give them their deserved voice. Samhita has launched the Hari Chopra Social Awards 2010 to provide grants to such organizations. We will be happy to get your views and feedback on this and all other social issues.

: : By Sujoy Dhar : :

Companies do good because they want to do good: Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:54:00 +0000

Samhita fundraising survey analyzes the engagement of the corporate sector with social causes and social organizations. This report highlights some interesting findings from the survey conducted across NGOs from all over India.

The objective of this section of the survey was to understand the popular methods of corporate fundraising used by NGOs. We started by asking about the kind of support companies provide and 82.4 percent of the respondents said the companies which fund their projects support them directly.

A small percentage of 5.9 said the companies engage their employees for donations while 17.6 percent said the companies engage their employees for volunteering.

Feedback

About 27.8 percent said the companies take regular feedback through phone calls and email while 11.1 percent said the companies meet personally for the same.

Half of those surveyed said the companies ask for detailed reports while 11.1% said they provide feedback through other means.

Outreach

The most popular way of approaching companies for funding is through personal contacts, the survey revealed.

Of the respondents, 83.3 percent said they got in touch with the donor companies using personal contacts while 44.4 percent reached them through partners and support agencies.

About 16.7 percent said they resorted to cold calling (i.e. via telephone).

Objective of support

Asked why the NGOs think the companies support them, 31.3 percent said the reasons are goodwill, marketing and publicity of the company.

However, 75 percent of the respondents said the companies support them because of their interest in social work.

Duration of support

The duration of the companies’ partnership with the NGOs vary with many extending the ties when they are satisfied with the work.

Around 35.3 percent of the respondents said the association ends once the project or campaign is completed while 23.5 percent said most alliances last for a year.

However, a sizeable 41.2 percent said partnerships are extended indefinitely when they are satisfied with their work.

Watch out for our next reports on Government funding and individual fundraising. Read previous reports ‘Trusts and foundations say yes to organizational support’ ‘Individual donor base most critical’

When Ahalya chose books over a husband

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:23:00 +0000

Fifteen-year-old Ahalya, who lives in Oldih village in Purulia district of West Bengal,, last year said a firm “no” when her marriage was fixed by her parents.

Saying no to marriage by a 15-year-old is not very usual in her village, till she was emboldened by the courage of another girl from her village - Rekha.

Rekha blazed the trail when she refused to get married at the age of 13 and became a profile of courage for others. Her actions were even noticed by India’s first woman President, Pratibha Patil who felicitated Rekha on her refusal to marry at a young age.

Ahalya and Rekha live on a single meal, often of starched rice, every day.

But their act of courage and social rebellion was inspired by the flame of literacy lit by a government initiative to educate the child laborers.

According to recent reports, only 76 adolescent girls are educated for every 100 adolescent boys and more than 55% of out-of-school population is constituted by adolescent girls.

India’s low female literacy is owing to a host of well-known reasons- poverty, early marriage, household work and the continuation of a social practice where girls are considered lesser humans.

India’s political gentry promote education of the girl child but the ground reality is still not conducive for a text book implementation of government policies.

Recently, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia said educating a woman is akin to educating her family, drawing from the observation of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the issue.

India’s economy booms but her girl child still finds it difficult to pursue education and take up a livelihood of her choice. However, there are silver linings in many rural pockets where crossing the barriers of social prejudices and poverty, girls are striving to pursue education.

Angela Walker, Communications Chief of India in UNICEF, writes of a residential school in Uttar Pradesh where girls from the marginalized and low income families are getting an opportunity to be educated.

One hundred solar-powered SUNNAN lamps, donated by IKEA Social Initiative, enable them to study even when lights are out.

The UNICEF official tells the story of Mantasha, who when 13, was taken by her mother to a rich family to work as a maid. She was beaten with the rolling pin and not allowed to sleep till 1 am.

But life changed for her when early this year a teacher at the local Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) residential school, who knew her family, enrolled her at the school.

“My parents brought me here to study,” said Mantasha, who hopes one day to become a doctor. “They say if I study I will have a good life,” she told UNICEF.

The Government of India launched the KGBV residential school programme in 2004 for girls from scheduled caste, schedule tribe and other minority groups.

The programme targets rural blocks where female literacy is below the national average of 46% and large numbers of girls are out-of-school.

Similarly, in West Bengal, the change started occurring in 2006 when villages where Ahalya and Rekha live got National Child Labour Project (NCLP) schools to provide basic education to former child labourers.

According to Prosenjit Kundu, an assistant labour commissioner in Purulia who is working with the girls, it is education which is the agent of change in the rural society.

The passionate government official, who is working hard in the villages along with NGOs and other aid agencies, said the girls are just too keen to study.

“They are half fed. They have no resource. But they love to study,” he said.

So Ahalya, who rolls bidis (which are cheap hand-rolled Indian cigars) the whole day for a pittance which is just enough to manage one meal a day, could defy unspeakable poverty and marriage pressure to pursue study.

Samhita and Global India Fund have announced the Hari Chopra Social Awards 2010 to empower NGOs working for the benefit of girls. The Hari Chopra Social Awards 2010 (HCSA) will identify and support innovative and deserving non-profit organizations that improve the health and wellbeing of girls in India.

The Hari Chopra Trust was founded by the late Dr. Hari Chopra, a physician and visionary committed to improving the lives of girls and women throughout India by providing educational opportunities and support. HCSA is particularly interested in supporting organizations that integrate girls’ education, training and livelihood with health. HCSA will provide unrestricted grants for program as well as organizational support.

To apply for the grant register at www.samhita.org For support write to ngosupport@samhita.org

[Images are illustrative in nature. Image1 source]

Samhita announces the Hari Chopra Social Awards 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:15:00 +0000

Samhita – a collaborative social marketplace - has now launched The Hari Chopra Social Awards 2010 (HCSA) in partnership with Global India Fund.

HCSA will disburse grants of up to Rs. 5,00,000 each to multiple organizations annually, particularly ones that integrate girls’ education, training and livelihood with health. HCSA will provide unrestricted grants for program as well as organizational support. Click here for additional information.

Nonprofit organizations that register at www.samhita.org will be eligible for:

Unrestricted grants of up to Rs. 5,00,000 (Rs. 5 lakhs) to strengthen organizational capacity and increase outreach and impact
Free online profile on www.samhita.org to reach out to donors, volunteers, potential employees, service providers and sector experts around the globe
Registration fee waiver and free access to services offered on www.samhita.org for a few months

Registrations are open only for nonprofit organizations now. Donations, volunteering and other services will be available from September. Registrations for individuals will open soon.

For any queries write to info@samhita.org or call on +91 22 42641892. You can also follow Samhita on

Trusts and foundations say yes to organizational support: Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:59:00 +0000

Findings of the Samhita fundraising survey speaks of the kind of support trusts and foundations provide to NGOs and the feedback mechanism they prefer to follow.

Nearly 45.8% of the NGOs who took the survey say they approached the trusts and foundations via personal contacts. 34.5% used online channels and 20.7% got in touch with them through partners.

A significant number of NGOs are using online channels to reach out to trusts and foundations which indicates a paradigm shift in fundraising outreach methods. NGOs are moving away from conventional methods and adapting newer and perhaps more cost effective means to expand their network of donors and organizations.

Most trusts support project and program costs of the NGOs followed by infrastructure costs and capacity building.

Survey results contradict the general perception that most trusts and foundations do not wish to support organizational capacity building expenses. Although majority of support goes toward project/program expenses a significant amount is spent on infrastructure, capacity building and salaries.

The survey quotes 60.9% of the NGOs saying that trusts diligently monitor the progress of the funded activities.

54.2% of the NGOs say that trusts expect regular feedback through phone calls and emails, 29.2% through detailed reporting and 12.5% through personal visits.

Majority of respondents are satisfied with the support received from trusts and foundations. It was also found that support from trusts and foundations also come in the form of better credibility, higher visibility and improved sector linkages.

Watch this space for other interesting findings of the fundraising survey. Read our first report in this series ‘Individual donor base most critical for NGOs’.

NSEF Idea Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Samhita) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:23:00 +0000

About NSEF – A brief introduction

National Social Entrepreneurship Forum (NSEF) is a non-profit organization with a single minded mission of promoting social entrepreneurship in universities across India. With this objective NSEF establishes student run chapters at each university which conduct various activities to create an ecosystem that will produce the next generation of social entrepreneurs. Some of the activities we do include lecture series and workshops for students and young social entrepreneurs, social business plan and blogging competitions, idea cafes, mentoring young social entrepreneurs amongst others.
More at http://nsef-india.org

NSEF Idea Conference

The NSEF Idea Conference is a platform for young people to gain exposure about various social innovations, different facets of social entrepreneurship in India and a place to discuss ideas on social issues and solutions. The Idea conference has a multitude of activities which will serve multiple purposes:

a. Spread ideas about the innovations and existing models that are acting as change agents in the society.

b. Trigger ideas in young people which can lead to social enterprises.

c. Inspire passionate students and young people by bringing them face to face with social entrepreneurs who will share their real life experiences and challenges in social enterprises.

d. Nurture the next generation of innovators to solve problems at the bottom of pyramid and ultimately create the next cohort of leaders who will lead the movement in the development sector.

e. Act as a networking platform to help connect people who share common passions and interest in the developing sector.

The platform invites attendees from a vast domain including students, working professionals and people from development sector. It acts as an open forum for sharing ideas and experiences in the development sector and also helps people learn, execute and materialize their ideas for changing the world.

Format of the Idea Conference

While we are continuously innovating to find newer ways to most effectively transfer and trigger ideas to solve problems at Bottom of Pyramid, we have found the current format a successful way of doing the same.

1. Every idea conference has a theme (sometimes multiple themes) which spans topics relevant to the development sector. Some of the topics include Microfinance, Technology to solve problems at BoP etcetera

2. 60 minutes of lectures by 3 subject matter experts on the theme at the rate of 20 minutes per speaker.

3. 60 minutes of panel discussion on a topic relevant to the theme. The panelists will present their ideas on the topic followed by a discussion amongst the panelists and finally an open for a discussion between the panelists and the audience.

Idea conferences are held at least once every two months in a community identified by NSEF (could be a Major city or a university where NSEF chapter exists). They are being held all over the country, for instance they are held frequently at Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, BITS-Pilani, IIM-Lucknow amongst others.

The 2 session in this conference are:

1. Sessions with eminent entrepreneurs and academia. The theme of these sessions would be Innovations driving social change
2. Panel Discussion on Innovations in the field of Microfinance.

Please Find attached the Poster and a small concept note of the Idea Conference. Details of the speakers are on our website (http://www.nsef-india.org/hyd-speakers.php).

Timing: Saturday, 24th July 2010, 3 PM to 6 PM.
Venue:School of Management Studies
Hyderabad Central University
Hyderabad