Professional Documents
Culture Documents
"-
H.E. Luccock
Envisioning a better world is the first step towards making a dif-
ference. However, our work doesn‟t end there. We need to be pre-
pared to tread the roads less travelled. We need to walk through,
hand in hand, in rain and in sunshine, and bring at par our vision.
We need to align ourselves towards the purpose- the purpose of
being the tidal force, shaping the cliff of social wellness, whilst
removing the ills and overtaking the norms. This job is not an easy
one.
The AID Delhi Publication team releases its first newsletter, re-
flecting the work that has been done by our dedicated volunteers
in the past three months. We have had our share of encourage-
ments and disheartening experiences. We gained insight and learnt
many new lessons. It was through the collective effort of our vol-
unteers that we were able to compile all these into a newsletter and
give it the current shape.
In this edition, Moon Garg, puts forth her view on the schemes
adopted by the government for the girl child. This is followed by
updates from our different projects- Pehal and Meri Udaan. Our
volunteers penned down the events that were held within the past
three months that included the AID NCR Operational Review
Meet and Independence Day celebrations. Updates from Project
Saksham, a micro financing initiative that has currently joined the
portfolio of different projects under the AID Umbrella, follow
next. In our „volunteer speaks‟ sections, one of our school coordi-
nators, writes her experience of volunteering with AID Delhi as
the one that made her realize her goals as a social worker. Next,
our partner project- LearningInq provides us with updates of their
projects. The newsletter concludes with updates on the various
fund raising initiatives undertaken by AID Delhi and treasury up-
dates for the quarter.
It‟s ironic to see, that even today, a girl child- whether born to a wealthy or a poor
person- is unwelcomed by so many. It‟s not only the fear of dowry that most worry
about, it is also the fact that the girl shall leave them one day, leaving no one to take
care of them.
The sex ratio of India is 927 per thousand males. The sex ratio of some states speak
volumes about the plight of girl child in India. For instance the sex ratio of Delhi is
915 per thousand males which is below the international standard of 952.
The Government of India , in its effort to combat this social illness, has announced a
number of schemes such as Laadli, Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Adolescent Girls,
Balika Samridhi Yojana, Kishori Shakti Yojana, Nutrition program for Adolescent
Girls(NPAG) and others. All these aim at improving the health status and provide
opportunities to the girl child in the areas of education and career development. Some
of the schemes, also, provide incentives to people on registering the birth of a girl
child.
How ironical it is that we need a scheme to make people realize the importance of a
girl child. A girl child, who later is the one who gives birth to another life, is a victim
of homicide herself. She not only suffers when she is not even born in the form of
female infanticide but also subject to violence and humiliation at all stages of life.
The government has dedicated a day to the girl child and thinks it is the most effec-
tive step that can be taken to give a girl child her share of importance. But this day
merely gives media, celebrities, and the government opportunities to inundate people
with several facts, activities and programs.
Dedicating a single day to the girl child and starting schemes in the name of provid-
ing the girl child with resources for development is not enough. The real tribute is
when people recognize and appreciate the presence of a girl child in their lives.
A girl is not merely a girl but a mother, a wife and a responsible person contributing
to family and the society.
If we really want to see a change in the way a girl child is perceived in this country,
we need to change the thought process. The change has to begin from our homes, and
it is only then that we could become role models for others to follow the right path.
A million plastic bags are consumed every minute, and 1500 bottles trashed every second!!
Reduce and reuse plastic
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Project Pehal
The remedial classes in the MCD School, BT block, began on the 10th of
May. Fifty students from classes 3rdto 5th were enrolled. The students were
segregated into different lots on the basis of their classes. In the 2 hour
classes held after school, our able teachers Mr. Uttam and Ms. Mona em-
phasized on strengthening the basics as well as help the kids cope with
their school syllabus. The students were given ample support
for the preparation of their mid-term examinations.
-Aditi Sachdev
Crying is indeed healthy…as long as the tears are washed with a handkerchief, not a tissue
paper!
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Meri Udaan
-Vipra Dhawan
There is a wide gender disparity in the literacy rate in India: adult (15+ years) literacy rates in 2009 were
76.9% for men and 54.5% for women. The low female literacy rate has had a dra-
matically negative impact on family planning and population stabilization efforts in
India.
In its effort to bridge the gap, AID-Delhi started with its Adult Literacy Program,
“Meri Udaan” on 6th July, 2010. The program currently is running at two centers in
Shalimar Bagh slum- BG 1 block and BC Bagh. A team of dedicated volunteers
went to the homes of various slum dwellers, motivated the women and girls above
15 years of age to study and were successful in convincing around 30 females who
got themselves enrolled for the one-hour daily classes as this will not affect their
regular routine as well.
The program initiated with females learning how to write their names and signatures. Basic knowledge
about our national language- Hindi, along with simple day to day calculations in the form of basic Mathe-
matics is being taught to them. The class is an interactive one and the problems faced by the women in any
concept are catered to.
In Hindi, they have been taught “Varnamala” and can now form words with and
without “matras”. Stress is also being given on developing their reading skills as
much as writing skills.
Mathematics forms an integral part of their daily classes so that they can use the
basic arithmetic operations to deal with the shopkeepers and are not cheated. Till
now, they have learnt how to count and are currently working on addition of two
or more numbers.
Apart from that, volunteers visit the site and monitor the classes regularly, making sure that the classes are
carried out without hassles. Any problems faced by the women that prevent
them from coming to the classes regularly are also dealt with.
The next world war will not be fought over land or oil, but over water!
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Operational Review Meet,
September 2010
-Anandita Yadav
Even Sachin is betting for it now! Take restrained bucket baths, as opposed to long showers/
tub baths.
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Independence Day
at Pehal
-Surabhi Keyal
India celebrated its 63rd Independence Day on 15th August 2010; Pehal
volunteers took up the initiative to celebrate it with the children of the
MCD School in Sahipur.
The main idea behind conducting the event was to enrich the kids with
knowledge of the brutal struggle India had to undergo while achieving
independence. It was to instill into them the feeling of patriotism and
make them aware of the great freedom fighters who led our country free
from British rule.
The program started with the flag hoisting ceremony, followed by the
national anthem. Thereafter, the children performed a dance and sang a
patriotic song „Saare Jahaan Se Accha‟. A skit based on the importance
of the three colors in the National flag was then presented. We felt really
proud as the efforts of the children & volunteers faired really well.
The children rehearsed for the events, weeks before the Independence
Day as they were enthusiastic about the celebrations. It paid off well and
the event was a grand success. It felt like walking down the memory lane
--- our school time fun and celebrations, and then everything fading in to
the call of VANDE MATRAM.
Delhi alone guzzles 4.5 crore liters every day for car washing! Why pour water where a wet
cloth would do?
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SAKSHAM: A Micro-Financing
Initiative
-Vikramjeet Singh
Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it’s most important that you do it.
– M. K. Gandhi
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Volunteer Speaks...
-Ashmeet Bilkhu
Each night passes by promising a new day of full lessons and wide horizons. As was the case when I
marked my beginning with Association for India‟s Development (AID). My pursuit for social work probed
me in to looking for NGO‟s and hence began my search. I wrote countless mails to various organizations,
filled a number of volunteer applications online, and called up different people but all to no avail. My search
then, brought me closer to 'Aashayein' an AID Delhi project by two of my colleagues.
Eager to join the race, I exchanged basic information with them and landed on their project. It was then
when I understood the term social work. I realized that the urge to do something is not enough and one
needs to be more specific.
I needed to chalk out a way which would benefit the kids around rather than just teaching 2+2=4 which eve-
rybody over there was taking care of. Eventually, lacking means in myself to do 'something', I left
Aashayein only to make a more meaningful comeback in „Pehal‟. This pause gave me more than I can ask
for. It gave me a good time to introspect my goals. It not only answered my quest on what I should do but
also on how to do it.
I took up art classes on the project. My idea, while I work with kids is "self expression". The chief concern
is to make them unlearn all that they are forced to learn. It doesn‟t matter how you paint, what really matters
is what you paint and this, forms the basis of my art classes at Pehal.
With AID, I realized my goals and found the platform to achieve them. I hope this journey continues to help
me make a difference in the lives of the children I work with.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. In-
deed, it is the only thing that ever has.
- Margaret Mead
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Partner Projects
In the last few months, the LearningInq team has been redoing its door-to-
door survey, based on a grid, to ensure that every single house on the se-
lected block is able to access education. Mapping has been carried out
where we have revisited every adult and child in the demarcated geo-
graphical area to know about their education status. It was devastating, as
we covered around 50 houses, we found that around 100 children are ei-
ther out of school or need supplementary education to be able to stay in
school.
Although the target for each school is 100 families, we realized that we
had to stop setting limits as the number of children who needed our atten-
tion could be more than 150 from just 50 homes.
There are 93 children in one centre and 60 in another who are regular to-
day
What has happened in the process is that LearningInq has updated a de-
tailed databank of the families in the demarcated area. Also, the reasons
for lack of access, the reasons for drop out from formal schooling, the an-
ticipated and existing challenges with retention and the challenges for
mainstreaming per child per family, have been identified.
A screen saver “saves” nothing! Turn off the monitor each time you step out for 3 minutes,
and the CPU while going off for 30 minutes.
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AID DELHI FUND RAISING INITIATIVES
This September, AID Delhi clubbed the celebrations of Raksha-bandhan with its fund raising initiative.
Rakhi stalls consisting of decorative rakhi‟s, Loombas, Bracelets, Envelopes, Soan, Tshirts, Rakhi
Thalis and Roli Chawal Boxes, were set up in different corporate houses such as ST Microelectronics,
Colt Technologies, Evalueserve, and SEZ.
In addition, as a part of our fund raising initiative, we have also started printing customized corporate t-
shirts for corporate houses like Aricent.
JOIN US!
Love to teach children? Love to write, report and design? Care about the environment? Want to strengthen Rights?
Worried about new policies?
Simple steps by which YOU can make a difference:
Visit http://delhi.aidindia.org
Register yourself as a volunteer
On receiving a welcome note
Subscribe yourself to the volunteer e-group
One of our volunteer coordinators will contact you within a week.
Contact aid.delhi@gmail.com for any further questions
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Donate
All donations to AID Delhi are directed towards education, health & nutrition, skill- building, campaigns
and other activities. You can donate towards AID and its activities in the following manner:
Meal a month: An initiative to donate an amount equivalent to one meal of yours to build future India.
Even a single penny counts! Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 500...Whatever a meal costs you, we‟d like to share
your platter.
Donate Books: Donate academic books of your children after they‟ve completed studying from them.
Pledge support for formal education of a child/ children
These contributions are entitled to a 50% tax exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.
If you are outside India and want to contribute to AID India‟s Delhi chapter, then do mail us your cheque
(in any currency), drawn in favor of "AID-India", along with a cover letter stating the purpose of dona-
tion.
Contact us:
Reach us at: www.aiddelhi.org
AID Delhi on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/delhi.aidindia
AID Delhi on Twitter: http://twitter.com/aiddelhi
AID Delhi on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AID_Delhi
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