Located in the district town of Nandurbar, Janseva Mandal was started in 1969 by a Spanish gentleman, named Bernard Massat. It is a part of the Jesuit organization Bombay Xavierant Corp which also has a stake in the Xaviers college located in Mumbai. Janseva has been a partner in Tribal Development for over 25 years. The organization initiated a dialogue with tribal communities to formulate strategies of economic and social mobility covering environmental conservation in farming, credit management, and alternative education. Janseva’s hallmark is its inclusion of tribal youth in the development of their own communities on a semi-voluntary basis through motivation and training programs. As part of this initiative, Janseva operates a boarding and lodging facility for the tribal children in Nandurbar. Fr. Godfrey D’lima, the director of Janseva Mandal, approached Asha-Seattle through an acquaintance and

solicited funding for the boarding facility. Dilip, an Asha volunteer from California conducted the site visit in the end of June 2008.

The boarding facility is located in Nandurbar, 10 hours by road from Mumbai. Janseva’s office is located a few kilometers from the center of the town. They have been operating this facility, currently housing 60 adivasi boys, for the past 15 years. One year back, a similar facility, Jivan Vidhya, was started for girls. This facility for girls currently houses 60 adivasi girls. Although the organizations that run both the boy’s and girl’s facilities are different they share the same ideology and operational practices. One thing to note is that the land and the buildings where both Janseva and Jivan Vidhya operate belong to the parent organization of Janseva viz. Bombay Xavierant Corp.

The children who avail the benefits of these facilities come from villages located around 50-60 kms away. Most of the children study in the 6th or 7th grade and belong to very poor families. Most of the parents in this area are farm workers. The parents pay a fee of Rs. 700 per year for each child. The children attend a local missionary school for which they are not charged any fee.

Children are encouraged to be independent and disciplined. On any given day two children are given the task of deciding the menu and

VOLUME 14 - ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2008

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for EducationBringing hope through education

Asha-Seattle’s quarterly Newsletter

Janseva Mandal (Location: Nandurbar, Maharashtra),Project Partner since 2008Jay Dave, Project Steward; Asha-Seattle volunteer

Dear fellow Asha patrons,

This quarter we showcase two project partners of Asha-Seattle - Vigyan Ashram and Janseva Mandal, both located in the state of Maharashtra. Vigyan Ashram was started about 25 years ago by Dr. Kalbag with the intention of creating an education system that is relevant to rural needs. Vigyan Ashram was Asha-Seattle’s entry to AfE WAH2008*. Janseva Mandal in northwest Maharashtra is an organization that strives at providing boarding facilities during the school season to children of the farmers in the region.

Asha Seattle recently hosted the AfE West Coast Conference. We feature an article by a new volunteer who shares her perspective on the conference.

Thank you for your continued and full fledged support to Asha. Your belief in us is what keeps Asha going. We value and appreciate your

time and contributions that invariably brings a smile on every child’s face. Through our newsletters we hope to bring you closer to these kids and their environment. The months from October through December sees a lot of fund raising activities in and around Seattle, be it the Seattle Marathon during the Thanksgiving week, or the United Way Give campaigns that several corporate companies in the Northwest endorse. Let us continue to empower a child’s life with laughter and love through education!

We look forward to hearing your suggestions and comments. Our contact id by email is seattle@ashanet.org

Eid Mubarak! Happy Dussera! Happy Thanksgiving!

*WAH2008: Work an Hour 2008. http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/2008/projects.php

serving the food to their friends. The children wash their own utensils as well as their clothes. Both the facilities have a fixed time-table that the children are supposed to follow. It is ensured that they get enough time for both studies and play. Janseva and Jivan Vidhya only provide boarding and lodging facilities, so there are no classes or teachers. Local volunteers teach children organic farming and in the process, impart some vocational training. We found that the children needed help with Math and Science.

Festivals of all religions including regional ones are celebrated with great gusto. From our talk with the children, we received the impression that they love the facility and hold it in very high regard. Most of the children return to farming and contribute to their communities.

However, there has not been a steady flow of money for both Janseva Mandal and Jivan Vidhya. Janseva has an understanding with its parent organization that in case they aren’t able to raise enough money, the parent organization would sponsor expenses for 50 children. Janseva is striving to be independent and not ask for help from the parent organization. Most of their funding so far has been through friends, donations from schools or corporations. This year they had to turn down 25 boys and 25 girls for want of sufficient funds. They are looking for a donor that can ensure funds for at least a few years, so that they can reach out to more children. If you are interested in learning about or donating to this organization, please contact seattle@ashanet.org.

Site visit note: We were highly satisfied with our site visit and would really like to help both Janseva and Jivan Vidhya achieve their goal.

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One of the major problems affecting rural India is the forced migration of youth to cities due to economic hardship. The knowledge and application of various technological advances are not being seen in the villages. The current education system is not relevant to the rural needs and a lot of villagers do not trust the education system. With this in mind, Dr. Kalbag started Vigyan Ashram about 25 years ago in Pabal, a village 70 kms from Pune. His intention was to create an education system that is relevant to rural needs by providing hands-on training to students.

Vigyan Ashram was built on land donated by the Government of Maharashtra. Over the years, the ashram has made a significant contribution in the field of vocational education and reforming the education system. The system is based on the principles of the Natural System Of Learning (NIOS). The culmination of Dr. Kalbag’s and the Vigyan Ashram’s efforts is an NIOS approved 1-year course, DBRT (Diploma for Basic Rural Technology) as well as a 3 year school curriculum for 8th, 9th and 10th standard students, IBT (Introduction to Basic Technology).

The DBRT program is recognized by the National Institute of Open Schooling and is a 1-year residential program. It is a multi-skill program in which training is given in the area of: • Engineering (Fabrication & construction) • Energy & Environment (Electrical, Motor rewinding, survey techniques, solar / biogas etc.) • Agriculture and Animal Husbandry • Home and Health (Sewing, food processing and rural lab)

Beside these, Introduction to Computers, English, and Sports are a part of the program. The program is based on the “Learning while Doing” philosophy.

The IBT program is offered to the students of 8th, 9th and 10th std. along with other subjects in school. The Vigyan Ashram helps the school in setting up and running the program. It operates as a resource center (central authority) for others to adopt the principles on which it works. It provides the complete understanding & functioning for setting up a center at the respective places. It also helps in training the instructors and providing monthly guidance. One day per week is allocated for the course and is recognized by the Education board of Maharashtra. Each school needs to build facilities such as an engineering workshop, electrical section, agricultural land, poultry, food, and health lab. The community helps in setting up the facilities. Instructors provide services to the community with the help of students. At present 28 centers have been set & 25 more are currently being constructed. Vigyan Ashram plans to set up 100 schools by the year-end of 2009.

A number of innovative concepts have been developed at the Vigyan Ashram. These include: Geodesic domes: These domes provide a

low cost housing option for poor families. The domes do not require deep foundations and are simple to anchor. They are durable flexible and resistant to earthquakes. These domes are commercially available through Salam Enterprises, a company that was started by an ex-ashram’ite.

Mechanical bull: Mechanical bull is a diesel driven mini tractor of 10 H.P, equivalent to 4 bullocks. First generation MechBull was manufactured at the Vigyan Ashram using jeep parts. The manual and all engineering drawings were completed at the Ashram. The Vigyan Ashram sells detailed drawings to anyone wanting to make them. The concept has been commercialized by one of its alumni Mr Shindade. His enterprise has sold 20 tractors to date.

Community service is an important part of the education at the Vigyan Ashram .The students perform various jobs in the community and in turn earn money for the school. They learn to keep accounts. It also helps to build a good relationship between the school and the community.

Vigyan Ashram (Location: Pune, Maharashtra) Project Partner since 2004By Mukul Karnik, Project Steward; Asha-Seattle volunteer

Continued on page 3

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Vigyan Ashram (Continued)

A few success stories: Vigyan Ashram students carried out a water survey using GPS to support a water canal from the Dimbe dam to Pabal. The state government used this survey to construct the canal.

Kasam Inamdar learned to make geodesic domes here and has set up a business supplying them all over India.

Sindhu Borhade dropped out of school after the 5th standard. After her marriage, she came along with her husband to learn poultry. Today, their business includes 10,000 birds and has a revenue of Rs.150,000 per month.

Note: Vigyan Ashram & WAH 2008: The project was the chosen one from Asha-Seattle for WAH2008. For more, please visit http://www.ashanet.org/workanhour/2008/projects.php

Past events 2008Asha Picnic ~ Asha WAH

Wheels of change ~ West Coast conference Upcoming Events 2008

Oct. 12 ~ Subeer Manhas Golf Tournament Oct 18th ~ Allgorhythms

Rest of October ~ Northwest Giving Campaign Nov. 30 ~ Asha Marathon

Early 2009 March-April ~ Geetanjali

The 8th Annual Subeer D. Manhas Charitable Golf Tournament

benefiting Asha for Education

$100 suggested donation per player.

100% of proceeds to benefit Asha for Education.Please make checks payable to: Asha for Education

Please RSVP (with handicap) to Subeer by 10/3/08Email: Subeer.Manhas@morganstanley.com | Phone 425.455.8059

Creating your own teams is encouraged but not necessary. If interested in sponsoring a hole, please contact Subeer.

Tournament limited to 72 participants.

Sunday, October 12th, 2008 | Tee time: 8 am (reverse shot-gun start) (Please arrive by 7:15am for registration and warm-up)

Trilogy Golf Club at Redmond Ridge, Redmond, WA.http://www.trilogygolfclub.com/redmond

Lunch and Awards Ceremony to follow tournament, with prizes for:• Gross Score Competition • Net Score Competition • Net Team Best Ball Competition • Various Skills Competition

HEAD, a project partner of Afe since 2005 and located in West Bengal, was recently featured in an Indian news daily. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080904/jsp/calcutta/story_9783674.jsp

Know more about AHEAD: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=562

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Having attended many conferences (mostly work related), I was very curious to know what an AfE conference would be like. For many, the conference is about learning and for the experts it is about presenting. While I did learn a lot, to my pleasant surprise the conference was more like a brainstorming session on various topics. We had great participation in the discussions and you could see the passion in those who had been part of AfE longer than I have. Being a newbie, and not having taken the new volunteer training, the conference was one of the most inspiring experiences. It was very interesting to hear the various challenges faced by AfE volunteers while aiding education projects in rural and urban India. We heard about the challenges faced by India chapters in getting site visits completed with good valuable feedback as well as the challenges faced by the chapters in fund raising, getting volunteers and keeping the good work going, not to mention challenges of growth within AfE due to an increase in number of chapters. It was so similar to problems managers face at work: new products to build and ship, limited resources, finding talent to join the team and being able to retain the talent. A constant comparison to work related conferences, in my mind, led me to conclude that at AfE there was more practical hands-on training through volunteering with little-to-no management support, although the growth prospects were similar to that at work - the more you take in, the more experience you gain. The only difference being all the work and learning are voluntary since no one gets paid a penny. I asked myself, “How can no one be paid for any work in this day and age? How does this organization run? Who does the administrative work, the website designs & updates, keeps track of the finances and not to mention, finds the money and makes sure it is going towards the right cause?” The answer -“It is all in the hands of those who choose to make the time to make a difference in the lives of the many people they would never know or see.” In the two days of being amongst the experienced and those passionate to make a change, there was a realization in me that

we have a lot more in life than many not-so-privileged do. Imagine being paid Rs. 500 as a monthly salary in this day and age in India where

the inflation rate is at 12%? Sharing a little bit of time for the betterment of others is only noble. You need no recognition for it, because the sense of satisfaction far outweighs what money can buy; you will have a sense of pride in what you do.

As with the many logistics of organizing an event, this conference was no exception; it too needed planning. Food had to be good, tea/coffee to keep everyone awake, good amenities at a reasonable cost and convenience for everyone. Being able to pull it all together was fun. We even managed to take a small

hike to Snoqualmie Falls on one of the evenings. Four rounds of my special “ginger tea” in 2 days had many convinced that I should join the chai team. My dream of opening a chai tapri for 5+ years suddenly got some backing. I am sure my friends reading this are going to laugh at the very mention of a chai tapri. Never mind the business idea, but I’ll surely start “Tea for AfE”!

We also got trained to think Green (by the way, great presentation Raji!)! Hmm…“trained to think green?”

Didn’t growing up in India involve the small changes we are being told to make now to save our trees, to re-use and recycle? Till the time I arrived in the USA, back home, we always used a cloth bag for buying fruits and vegetables. This was a gentle reminder of how easily we adjust to the modern way of doing things that are considered cool while forgetting the advantages of the traditional way.

Imagine what a difference you can make without even paying a penny out of your own pocket! That said, many companies are now matching donations and volunteer time and encourage employees to volunteer more, be it in the form of donations or time. They are doing their bit to help, if you decide to put in a little.

I’ll sign-off with a little note of thanks to the organizers and the attendees. Hope to see many more like them who join the AfE team.

*AfE: Asha for Education

AfE* West Coast Conference 2008 (Location: Seattle, WA. Labor Day weekend)By Kalpana Sanghrajka; Asha-Seattle volunteer

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Support education.Volunteer with us.

Write to us at seattle@ashanet.org or visit ashanet.org/seattle

Contact TeamAsha@yahoo.com to join or help their mission.www.ashanet.org/seattle/events/marathon/team.php

2008

40 runners training hard to complete the Seattle Marathon on 30th Nov. 2008

Help them raise $20,000

NANDURBAR

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