Aid Delhi Newsletter January 2009

January 2009

Association for India’s Development Delhi Chapter Newsletter Editorial

Table of Contents Editorial

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Project Updates AID Aashayein AID Gurgaon AID Prayas Khoj Jamghat Tara

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It gives me immense pleasure to release the first edition of the newsletter for the year 2009. However, apologies are in order for the late release of the same. With a tentative heart and small steps, I’m writing my first editorial to you all. The month of January forever signifies a time for new beginnings- new steps and new ventures. With AID Delhi, it was no different. Marking its fifth Birthday Anniversary, AID Delhi celebrated its Birthday for the first time, by holding a gathering of all its projects from Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida.

Articles Defining Moment – Arun Raj

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Volunteer Experience – Sugandha

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AID Delhi Celebration

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Photo of the Month

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ROTI 2009

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Contact us

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Organized at the Sahan ground, Katwaria Sarai, the event started with much anticipation and fanfare. The beginning of the celebrations was ear-marked by a heart felt musical performance by the ever talented children from Parichya. With their faces brimming with excitement their songs reached out to one and all. The planned activities of the day included the tug-owar, the three legged race, and a drawing competition, followed by the famous dance competition. Each activity brought with it a sense of intensified excitement, along with hoots and shouts of team encouragement and consolations. Each project brought with it its unique talents and a fortified team spirit. With the project coordinators donning their old childhood days, the activities boasted off each projects family like atmosphere. The celebrations came to an end, amidst a spontaneous dance performance from all and with the much awaited prize distribution ceremony. Much adulations and recognition goes out to the AID volunteers who contributed immensely towards turning this event into a success. In particular, I would like to extend a special thank you towards Ritesh (without whom this event would have never taken off), Anchit (for his dedication towards the,

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Project Updates: AID Gurgaon

organization of both funds and the activities), Neeru, Vijay Bhiaya (for providing us all the support and the delectable lunch), Darshan and Zubair for his excellent compeering at the event.

Activity Updates: 1.

Beggar free Gurgaon Campaign: a. Ideas discussed o 1098: Beggar helpline o A mail campaign with personalized touch along with a pledge o Pamphlets o Hold drawing, painting competitions etc in schools o Use notice boards of building societies o Street plays: Can contact College Drama Societies b. Collaborating with Khoj Foundation through Pavan c. Anupam, Dev and Bhuvan to build on the ideas discussed 2. Two students, Amanraj and Sanayak, taken to Pallavanjali 3. Diaries: 400 copies of the AID Gurgaon Year Planner Diaries sold to corporate and individuals

Deep gratitude also goes out to all our corporate supporters and their financial assistance- RBS, Evalueserve, Koshish, Sapient and the Monnet Foundation. With bright smiles we look forward to the month of February, which has already taken off at a stupendous speed. Shruti Panwar [email protected] +91-9810961495

Project Updates: AID Aasahyein Activity Updates: 1. The children were very excited about AIDdelhi's annual event on the 25th and spent a lot of time preparing for the same. 2. The children won prizes in all the events. The group dance which won the 3rd prize was self choreographed , there was no involvement of any of the volunteers in it. The win increased their confidence manifold.

Events planned in next month:

Regular Classes:

Inauguration of the new school at Jharsa (26th January) a. Rs 10,000 donation received via Anchit b. Basic materials (blackboard, duster etc.) procured 2. 26th January celebrations at Unnati a. Prizes for: i. Most regular students: 2 prizes ii. Best Academic performance: 2 prizes iii. Cleanliness: 2 prizes b. Song and dance performances by students c. Games

Weekends - Saturday : 4 pm - 6 pm

Project Location: Gurgaon Sec 31

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Volunteer Support at the Event: Kriti , Swastik, Nitin , Amit, Rupin. Neeru, Aanchal and Jasmine. Project Location: Timarpur (10minute walk from Delhi University metro station)

Sunday : 10:30am - 12:30 pm

Regular Class timings: 10.00 hours – 13.30 hours

Regular Volunteers: Neeru, Rupin, Kavita Aunty. Regular volunteers: Anshul, Puneet, Rachit, Shankar

New Volunteers: None Contact Information: Neeru Malhotra – 9971661422 Aman Nigam,[email protected]+91-9873779905 2

A small achievement by mere size of quantified action but one wish full-filled for many children.

New volunteers this month: None Contact Information: Puneet - 9811621209, Anshul 9873469546 Puneet Sharma [email protected] +91- 9811621209

Republic Day Celebrations with People of the Community on 26th Jan '09 'What is the next step?' is a question we have been asking in at least the past few months of debating and dinner discussions. Then finally it struck as if a bolt of lightning. And yes, it was a real bolt of lightning when Darshan jolted us all in a mail on the group after a failed survey.

Project Updates: AID Prayas Activity Updates

The next step was to engage more actively with the parents and the community at large. For this we felt that 26th January – Republic Day, was the right day to work on this. Planned and executed with success, we had a good turn out of parents and other people from the community. A parallel survey captured details of at least 35 families in the vicinity.

Inauguration of our new class at Nayabans, Sector 16, NOIDA on 11th Jan '09 We inaugurated the 'much talked about' new center of Prayas. It was attended by most of the children's parents plus a whole bunch of volunteers. We briefed and introduced Prayas covering how it evolved to its current level, why we felt the need to start the new centre and what value new set up would bring to the children to the parents. Nikunj was formally introduced to as a full time teacher. The parents of – Subi, Sabreen, Sajjad, Sona & Zulekha, who we placed into Nai Disha (a free school for under-privileged children at Sector 29, NOIDA) shared their experiences and changes felt by them in their wards. This was followed by cultural program by the children showcasing their inherent talent.

The objective was to take our message - the need for education and support we could offer to them, in a representative way through programs by the children who we currently work with. There was an important hand of the parents of some children we work with to affect the entire event which was an achievement in pure qualitative measurements. Prayas today has become successful in inspiring many families and children in the community to look forward to education & literacy as a means to getting their deserved rights and live a better life. We look forward to seeing the same in a much more amplified and focused effort from people much like you and me.

The Dance team performed @ AID Delhi's Birthday Celebration 25th Jan '09 An innocent request came from the children that they wished to perform a proper dance program on stage well-dressed and trained that we felt honored to work towards getting it done. Thanks to the good hearted and active volunteer lot that we have at Prayas we found not one but two choreographers. Good Work - Sonika & Tarun. But we finalized with Apoorva who was from Tarun's office - Kritikal Solutions.

Some Key Achievements: Time Line '06-'09 1. Jan '06 – Prayas begins 2. August '06 – Classes start for girl children of the community 3. June '07 - 25 Kids into government school at Sector 15 NOIDA 4. March '08 – 5 Children – Suby, Sabreen, Zulekha, Sona & Sajjad joins Nai Disha a Free School at Sector 29, NOIDA 5. Jan '09 – A new Center : Bigger & Better

They trained for 2 full weeks with Apoorva & Tarun for close to 2 hrs everyday. The enthusiasm and happiness while watching them dancing has been an invaluable sight to us the past few days. All this peaked out when we finally saw them on stage performing.

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Regular Classes:

Pioneer – Tuesday, Thrusday 20.30 hours – 22.30 hours Eureka – Tuesday, Thrusday and Saturday 18.00 hours to 20.00 hours. Class – II – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – 20.30 hours to 22.30 hours and Saturday and Sunday 16.00 hours – 18.00 hours.

3. AID Delhi Birthday was attended by kids from Ber Sarai and Bikaji centre. Kids not only had a great time they even won awards in Painting, three legged race and gave a fabulous Dance performance as well. Events planned for next month: 1. Starting a new centre just outside IIT hostel gate led by volunteers from IIT delhi. 2. Trying to get kids from Ber Sarai center admitted to schools.

New Volunteers this month: Kaveri Sharma, Sonika Balyan, Aakhansha, Sonia and Arpita

Project Location: Ber Sarai Volunteers by Heart: Darshan, Kannan, Rajat, Anand, Rajiv, Sugandha, Charu, Nikunj, Arun, Raj, Tarun, Priyanka, Vikas, Selva, Ruchi, Neha, Poonam

Class timings: 15.30 hours Volunteers: Shashank,Annie, Gauri, Amrit, Neetu, Abhinav

Special Mention: Apoorva (Kritikal Solutions)

Contact Information: Zubair- 9868486272 Pawan- 9810406998

Arun Raj [email protected] +91-9910908774

Abhinav Kumar Gupta +91-9868371533 [email protected]

Project Updates: Khoj

Project Updates: Jamghat

Activity Update: 1. Khoj organized a trip for kids from all its center's to Red Fort and Raj ghat on 3rd Jan. Around 50 kids had lot of fun visiting history at Red fort and listening to stories of Kings and wars from volunteers. After Red fort trip kids had a delicious meal at Raj ghat and fun time playing and running around. It turned out to be a wonderful day out for all the kids and volunteers. 2. Classes at Ber Sarai were restarted and are going regularly withthe help of Khoj's new teacher Neetu. Classes at the new centre of RK puram are going on well.

Activity Update: 1. In early January we bought 200 blankets from Chandni Chowk withdonation money from many donors. These donations came from across India, From USA, Sweden and Canada.Immediately blankets were given to the children of the DayCare Centre ,enough for them and their family members that were in need. For the remaining blankets we conducted a night walk on 17th January in order to distribute these blankets to those in need. For this night walk, more than 20 volunteers came, along with 4 older boys from the Lado Sarai home, to help carry the blankets and lay them over sleeping bodies. 4

We also hired to rickshaws to move along beside us. This was nice because they also received a blanket and were part of the action! We feel that many blankets will be put to good use. But we have a concern that also many will be sold immediately for quick cash we hope to do this each year, reaching out to those who shiver through the cold winter nights of Delhi.

Contact Information: Amit Sinha: 9818705715 Abhinav Kumar Gupta +91-9868371533 [email protected]

Project Updates: Tara

2. 16 volunteers came to the Day Care Centre on 30 Jan. to do art with the children. This group of volunteers was made up of half Indians and half Canadians, who all are taking part in a global exchange program (SPYM in India, and Canada World Youth conduct this exchange). They arrived at noon and we all managed to sit in a circle and say our name and our favorite thing, be it a fruit, a sport, or a style of dance! Then everyone split into 4 groups and drew pictures of their home. This was interesting as the concept of a home is very different for a child living on the street from a Canadian! After a few hours of playing, we said goodbye with a question and answer period. First a small boy asked the volunteers how they felt after spending the day with them. They replied that they felt hopeful and happy because of the energy and smiles of the children. It was a fun, interactive day!

Activity Updates: TARA has completed over two years and in doing so has tread many miles. We had the Kancha Competition on 4th January with an excellent turnout of 25 children. After an hour of learning, everyone put their skills to practice at the competition, and Promod, Kumod and Vinod emerged as victors by the end of it. The children as well as the guests enjoyed the hot samosas and fresh milk. There were prizes for the first three places as well as consolation. No one left for home empty-handed since there were chocolates for everyone, and also souvenirs for the guests on the day which saw a 100% participation and 110% enthusiasm as we were all taken back to a day in our own childhood. Then we had the Annual Day Fest over three days, 16th, 17th, 18th January 2009. It was a platform for the children to showcase their talent, creativity, competitiveness and learning. We saw the days become one of creative expressions and a multitude of celebrations for the children. The TARA's Annual Day Fest 2009 celebrated the three days with workshops, activities, performances, competitions, etc.

3. All the Kids from Lado Sarai center participated in AID Delhi B'day event on 25th January. Kids enjoyed participating in all the events and won numerous prizes. They specially enjoyed the dance event. 4. Modern dance lessons are happening on a regular basis in the Lado sarai home and many of the boys are very devoted to practicing each day! 5. Aunty Das has started coming twice a week to teach basic English and maths, as many of the children are not exposed to this and do not understand the process involved, even if they can manage basic addition in the market.

Events planned in next month: TARA volunteers are now preparing themselves for the relocation of the construction workers and also looking for similar sites within the vicinity of Jamia University.

6. Amit has been leading many theater workshops in various schools and organizations. He is currently in Udaipur for a workshop on homelessness, so the awareness of Jamghat is becoming more and more widespread! These workshops are important because they not only generates funds, but also increase awareness about Jamghat, help break stereotypes about homeless people, and build confidence in citizens to step forward and ask for change. 5

Rajiv lies down after setting out the dari in the new class on the eve of the class inauguration. The class is finally ready after more than a month of work from negotiating with the broker, deciding the colors that need to go in the class, finalising the inauguration date to this day.

Special Needs/ Issues: As TARA is stretching its wings and looking for more children who are in need of care and support a lot of resource material as well as man power will be needed. Mobilization of volunteers is top most on demand list for the coming months.

He now looks around & reminisces the moments of toil and shared efforts of all the volunteers that has been put into completing the work to develop this class. The smile on his face says it all ... :)

Regular volunteers:

Thanks to all the volunteers who contributed equally to see this dream at Prayas take shape.

Kulsoom Rashid, Mithun Gomes, Avneet Arora, Gyan Gautam, Pavneet Kohli, Tonmoy Thakur, Manvi Singh, Arjun Guleria

Our new class is a standing monument of the work we have all done for the past 3+ years and is a call out to all others to give back to their society.

New volunteers this month: Ameen, Hamaad, Avina, Aman Khan

Volunteer Experience - Sugandha

Contact:

It was another bright afternoon when I was planning for an evening movie, a friend called up and asked me to accompany for Prayas class instead. Walking along a path way approximately twice as wide as I am, I entered a small room that had just enough accessories to make it look like a classroom:) Somebody was teaching a set of kids that mostly consisted girls. After creating a mild happening I settled down to be a pseudo student for another half an hour. Then promoted as a teacher again a pseudo one I continued with that maths class. Kids had monotonous expression to everything I said, just a plain simple smile, no matter if its a instruction, a formula or a question thrown to them. I seriously had no clue if anything I said made sense to them or not, so, mostly my reaction was also just the same. The class ended just like that, all I could conclude was they all have a smiling face:)

Kulsoom Rashid,9871551545 [email protected]

Defining Moment – Arun Raj

Here is one of those defining moments for a volunteer :)

Further classes were much more expressive, I see eclectic minds converging at Prayas. Few kids enjoy studying, few others enjoy the gathering, overall most of them find a reason to come. We are happy to see them inclined towards studies, they think themselves to be better than other community kids that don't come to the classes, they know its good to bath daily, they feel its good to know things around, they like to be aware and we relish all these feelings vicariously. 6

We plan to move ahead and set up a small arena to make it more look like a proper school. In the process, whole arrangement, architecture, color choices, I enjoyed watching people turn to interior designers:) A happy incidence I remember, Yesterday, 1st Jan 09 , got call from kids, Poonam shouted on phone and wished Didi Happy Diwali:) Mann! it was awesome....sorry sorry didi...Happy new year:) All in all its been good. With consequent classes I tried perceiving their level of understanding and requirements and more or less am still doing the same:) Lets just hope our effort help the kids understand their capability and will and make their living meaningful

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AID Delhi Celebration

AID Delhi Celebrations

AID Delhi celebrated its 5th Birthday on 25th January 2009. The first of its kind, the AID Delhi birthday celebration saw the participation of all its projects and partner NGO’s from all over Delhi, Gurgaon and Noida. The children from these projects- namely Parichya, Aashayeen, Aid Noida, Aid Gurgaon, Khoj and Jamghat, actively participated in the days activities with immense vigor and cheer. Organized at the Sahan ground, Katwaria Sarai, the event started with much anticipation and fanfare. With our premier volunteers such as Darshan leading the welcoming address, the children sat patiently waiting for the celebration to begin in full-form. The beginning of the celebrations was ear-marked by a heart felt musical performance by the ever talented children from Parichya. With their faces brimming with excitement their songs reached out to one and all. Ritesh lead the next leg of the events by shifting gears in the pace of the events and by flagging off the tug-o-war competition between the projects. The children were divided into groups according to their ages so as to facilitate a fair matching of strength. With Selva as the commentator, the ground came alive with the screams of encouragement from each project, urging their respective teams on.

The intensified excitement was then carried on to the three legged race, where a great performance of both adept skill and team work was demonstrated by the participating pairs. While the children were running up an appetite, the volunteers from both Parichya and AID together laid out the scrumptious meal prepared and served by our supportive project, Parichya and Vijay bhaiya. The volunteers, a great source of aid and support organized and brought together the coordination of two hundred children gathered for the event. . 8

The post lunch agenda included a drawing competition which was made an instant success by an immensely invigorating orator, Zubair. A special Independence Day performance prepared by the children from Unnati, Gurgaon, added to the spirit of bringing about a positive change in India supported deeply by Aid Delhi. The special song was then followed by beautiful dance performances by the various artists in the making from various projects. The organized activities came to an end when spontaneously following two animated and superbly skillful dancers from Khoj, inspired the crowd to automatically break up into a celebratory dance.

The day came to an end amid a grand prize distribution, where each project went back with a bagful of prizes. The AID Delhi celebration, a grand success, would have not been possible without the ever continuing support of • • • • •

Royal Bank of Scotland, Gurgaon Evalueserve, Gurgaon, Noida Koshish, IIFT, New Delhi Sapient, Gurgaon Monnet Foundation, New Del

We at AID would like to thank everyone for all the support that we have received from our partner projects and initiatives and corporate funding and volunteering support, without which our celebration would have not as blooming and joyful. Thank you. - Shruti Panwar

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Photo of the Month

By Arun Raj

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ROTI 2009

Lord! Give enough that the needs of this family are met, So that I don't go hungry, and neither does the mendicant. ~ Kabir, 15th century mystic and poet parabrahma svarupam.

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ROTI 2009

India is famous for its amazing variety of food, range of crops and myriad preparations. Perhaps more precious is the Indian cultural perspective of food not as a commodity but as a life-giver for all, indeed as a form of the divine: annam parabrahma svarupam. To feed an unexpected guest is an honour. The farmer, regarded as annadata or giver of food, is not simply someone who makes a living out of cultivation; just as a scientist is a symbol of learning, of technical advancement, not just someone who works for pay in a laboratory. To raise awareness about the struggling farmers, AID volunteers around the world held candlelight vigils on October 2, 2007 the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi which brought together over 3000 people across the world. AID volunteers pledged to support possible solutions with grassroots partners, through changes in public policy and in our own lives. And then there are choices that are personal but could be just as significant. Do we know who grows, harvests, packs, transports and markets the food we eat daily? What do they earn? What do they eat? Do they have homes? How far does our food travel? How much fuel is used in transport and cooling? Are we fooled by the cosmetics that give it a "fresh" look at journey's end? These questions highlight our power as consumers to tilt the market away from vegetables steeped in pesticides, waxed fruits, and legumes coated with metanil yellow, towards organically grown vegetables, low-input grains, fairly traded to give the farmer a takehome wage rather than mounting debt. Can we exercise this power? What if our common humanity depends on it?. Wishing you peace and joy in 2009. Selva Ganapathy. R AID Calendar Team [email protected] +91-9891358457

Feedback: [email protected] Web: http://delhi.aidindia.org Phone: +91-9818248459 Send your Cheques to Selva Ganapathy.R Department of Chemical Engineering, Publications Team Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi - 110016 Hauz Khas Phone: +91-9891358457, +91-9818248459

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