<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> <title>Vibha Xpressions Vol. 3, No. 7,8,9,10 | October 2007</title> <style type="text/css"> body { background-color: #ffffff; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; } table { background-color: #FFF2BD; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; border-color: #336699; font-size: 10pt; } td { background-color: #FFF2BD; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; border-color: #336699; /* padding: 5px; */ } h1 { font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: bold; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center; color: #ffffff; background-color: #604D86; padding: 5px; } p { padding-top: 3px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 2px; } li { padding-left: 1px; padding-right: 5px; } img { border-style: none; } .style9 { font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #604D86; } .style11 {font-size: 7pt} .style12 {font-size: 8pt} .style13 { color: #660000; font-weight: bold; } </style> </head> <body> <center> <table width="799"> <!-- Header --> <tbody> <tr bgcolor="#fff2bd" valign="top"> <td colspan="2"> <table style="border-style: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr bgcolor="#fff2bd"> <td style="border-style: none;" align="left" nowrap="nowrap" width="75%"><a href="http://www.vibha.org" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_2_No_1_Jan_2006/VIBHA_140x57.gif" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.vibha.org/Xpressions/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_2_No_1_Jan_2006/VIBHA_XPRESSIONS_400X57.gif" border="0" /></a></td> <td style="border-style: none;" align="right" bgcolor="#fff2bd" width="25%"> <p align="right"> <a href="http://www.vibha.org" target="_blank">www.vibha.org</a> </p> <p align="right"> <a href="mailto:info@vibha.org">info@vibha.org</a></p> <p><font style="font-size: 8pt;">Vol. 3, No. 7,8,9,10 | Oct 2007</font></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#fff2bd" valign="top"> <td colspan="2" height="193"><!-- FIXME: Message from the Editor --> <p align="justify">Vibha has started its first chapter in India in Bangalore !! And, to kick-start our volunteer activity in India what can be a better way than to spend time with the children !! On the Gandhi Jayanthi Day, 28 volunteers of Vibha helped the Shrishti Special Academy near Bangalore in organizing a day of fun and competetions. We bring you an exciting report from a very special day that made a difference in the lives of the children at the academy but also touched the hearts of all our volunteers.</p> <p align="justify">In our projects profile, we bring you Rural Development Organization (RDO), an organization that is working at the grassroots level addressing the core issue of poverty by helping the women with several income generation programs through Self-help groups. Vibha is very happy to support their effort directly by taking care of their children through Balwadis and in the process laying a firm foundation for the health and education of the next generation. </p> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#fff2bd" valign="top"> <td rowspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(255, 242, 189);" bgcolor="#fff2bd" width="50%"><!-- FIXME: Project profile here --> <h1> <strong>A Special Day for Vibha in Bangalore</strong></h1> <p align="center"><img src="http://vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_3_No.7,8,9,10_October_2007/IMG_9842.JPG" ="" align="middle" hspace="5" /></p> <p align="justify">Shristi Special Academy in Bangalore, is an abode of love, with a mission to provide education to children who are differently abled. Its less like a school, more like a family! As we made our way there on the morning on Gandhi Jayanti(October 2nd), the 28 volunteers were filled with excitement and joy to be there! Little did we know, that these emotions would only multiply every second! We decorated the rooms which were going to play host to different events, so the kids felt like it was a celebration! Balloons and streamers were everywhere!</p> <p align="center"><img src="http://vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_3_No.7,8,9,10_October_2007/IMG_9886.JPG" ="" align="middle" hspace="5" /></p> <p align="justify">We started with the painting and collage competition. There were about 40+ participants in the painting and drawing competition and 13 took part in the collage competition. They were excited and so were we! So much so that we all couldn't help ourselves from joining them in all the fun...from sticking pictures for the collage to helping them paint or draw! It was beautiful to watch their creativity ooze! We just kept applauding and admiring their work! Then we moved on to the quiz competition which was a BLAST! The 32 children who participated were so bright and full of enthusiasm which made the quiz a complete success! But the highlight of the whole day was the Fashion Show (fancy dress competition)! 42 children participated from all age groups! They were dressed to kill, impersonating the likes of Salman Khan to tribals to all sorts of different characters! It was an occasion not to be missed! The crowd was so pleased and excited as the kids showed off their outfits! Everyone cheered for everyone! </p> <p align="center"><img src="http://vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_3_No.7,8,9,10_October_2007/IMG_0064.JPG" ="" align="middle" hspace="5" /></p> <p align="justify">After a fulfiling, scrumptious lunch, the Grand Finale was the prize distribution! The happiness filled the air as the 39 prizes were given away to the children who won in the 4 events! The prize winners walked away with the most beautiful smiles, in awe of their conquest as the crowd cheered them on! This was follwed by dancing! Vibha volunteers, staff of Shristi and the children grooved away to "shakalaka boom boom" and the long awaited "onde ondu saari" from Mungaaru Male! The kids were so thrilled, each one showing off their moves! Each one being an inspiration, in more ways other than in dancing.</p> <p align="center"><img src="http://vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_3_No.7,8,9,10_October_2007/IMG_0048.JPG" ="" align="middle" hspace="5" /></p> <p align="justify">Rosie, the Chief Administrator of this beautiful academy was a bundle of optimism and energy! In every activity, the teachers and staff were so helpful. The teachers and the staff at Shristi made us feel totally at home and as Rosie aptly put, "no longer volunteers, but a part of the Shristi family." The day ended with us taking pictures with a few staff members; but more importantly with a memory of effervescent smiles, energy, enthusiasm and sheer will power of the beautiful children at Shristi, and, how soon we would like to go and see them again!</p> <div> <h1>Write To Us...</h1> <p align="justify">Your feedback is important to us. Vibha welcomes any comments, suggestions or questions you may have about our projects, programs, products, monitoring etc. If you are particularly interested in a topic and would like to see Vibha showcase it please <u><a href="mailto:xpressions@vibha.org">let us know.</a></u></p> <p align="justify">We bring you this edition of Xpressions after a gap of four months. We regret the break in this communication. We promise to all our supporters that we will do our very best to make it a monthly newsletter. </p> <p align="center"><img src="http://www.vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_2_No_7_July_2006/July_06_09.jpg" align="middle" hspace="5" /></p> <p> </p> </div> <p class="style13" align="center">Together, we can do much more!<br /> Dream a little! Do a Little!</p> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#fff2bd" valign="top"> <td bgcolor="#fff2bd" height="1668" width="50%"><!-- FIXME: Program profile here --> <h1> Project Profile </h1> <p class="style9" align="center">Rural Development Organization (RDO)<br /> Tamil Nadu, India </p> <p align="justify">RDO was founded in 1999 by several dedicated people who had been involved in social work since 1996. Its charter is to improve the standard of living of poor , destitute women in the rural areas of the Puddukottai district in Tamil Nadu, while also providing education and care to their children while they are at work. RDO adopts a grassroots approach to achieve basic economic sustainability, social justice and basic rights for poor women, through various initiatives.</p> <p align="center"><img src="http://vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_3_No.7,8,9,10_October_2007/IMG_3791.JPG" ="" align="middle" hspace="5" /></p> <p align="justify">The primary activity of RDO is to initiate and sustain Self Help Groups (SHGs). So far, over 125 SHGs have formed to help over 3000 poor women who primarily earn their livelihood by working as agricultural laborers. Members of SHGs contribute a small sum of money every week towards their savings, which is used for internal lending to help members meet the needs of their families. Once a month, RDO meets with the SHG members to provide guidance. It was via these meetings that RDO learned of a major problem. Several destitute women were unable to go to work as their very young children would be uncared for. This meant that both the mother and her children often went without food. To help resolve this problem, RDO established five pre-primary educational centers (also known as Balwadis) that cater to 125 poor children. Each center caters to approximately 25 children between the ages of 2 and 5. Educational and recreational materials are provided to the children, in addition to a nutritious lunch each day. The overall goal is to provide a caring learning environment for very young children while their mothers work without having to worry about them. </p> <p align="center"><img src="http://vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_3_No.7,8,9,10_October_2007/IMG_3792.JPG" ="" align="middle" hspace="5" /></p> <p align="justify">Farmer clubs are another initiative by RDO to educate, motivate farmers to use eco-friendly methods of agriculture. Very good results are being noted. Training on ready-made garments, cultivation of flower garden, evening school, computer training, are just a few options provided to women.</p> <p align="center"><img src="http://vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_3_No.7,8,9,10_October_2007/IMG_3788.JPG" ="" align="middle" hspace="5" /></p> <p align="justify">The five Balwadis are running extremely well. On October 10th, 2007 Zankhana Patel and Aravind Govind (Vibha-Chennai volunteer) visited all the Balwadis, which are within 6-7 km of each other. They were shown around by Mr. Kulandai Velu, the project coordinator. The visitors reported that the feeling of gratitude towards Vibha was very apparent throughout their visit. Members of SHGs were busily employed in mat weaving, scented stick making, readymade garment making, fly-ash bricks manufacturing and the cultivation of various seasonal fruits and vegetables. At one of the centers, computer classes were being provided to the women. According to Mr. Velu, these income generation activities have brought respect and dignity to these women. </p> <p align="center"><img src="http://vibha.org/Xpressions/Vol_3_No.7,8,9,10_October_2007/IMG_3794.JPG" ="" align="middle" hspace="5" />&nbsp;</p> <p align="justify">The Balwadis were a direct result of these women&rsquo;s demands and are being run very well. Each center follows well designed schedule that is strictly observed. Children are taught through play, music and story-telling, as well as with more formal charts on alphabets, numbers, simple one digit addition, animals, birds, and more. The visitors were amazed by 3-4 year old children who could not only identify alphabets and numbers, but also describe associated objects in the context of the real world. Teachers use a question-answer methodology to teach the children about the daily life around them. Attendance is between 90-95% clearly indicating the quality and effectiveness of this program. The plan is to put RDO under the guidance of NEST to provide an even better pre-school education to ensure these children are prepared for the rigors of regular school. In addition, &ldquo;HOPE FOR CHILDREN&rdquo; an agency from the U.K helps RDO conduct evening schools for 30 children between the ages of 6-14 for SHG members. </p> <p align="justify">Vibha has funded over Rs. 2 lakhs to run these 5 Balwadis for the project period from April 2007 to March 2008. Vibha is committed to continue and extend this partnership with RDO to reach more women and children.</p> </td> </tr> <!-- Contact Address --> <tr bgcolor="#fff2bd" valign="top"> <td colspan="2"> <p align="center"> Vibha 1030 E El Camino Real, #424 Sunnyvale, CA 94087<br /> Phone: 408-997-9992 | Fax: 775-593-1061</p> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#fff2bd" valign="top"> <td colspan="3"> <p align="center"> <a href="http://www.vibha.org" target="_blank">Vibha Main Page</a> | <a href="http://www.vibha.org/Xpressions/" target="_blank">Newletters Home</a> (Previous editions) | <a href="http://www.vibha.org/donate" target="_blank">Donate Online</a> </p> </td> </tr> <!-- Disclaimer here --> <tr bgcolor="#fff2bd" valign="top"> <td colspan="2" height="45"> <p class="style11" align="center"> <font style="font-size: 8pt;" color="#336699"> Vibha is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit, non-religious, non-political organization that seeks to restore to underprivileged children their basic rights to food, shelter, health and education - in short, a future. <br /> All donations to Vibha are tax exempt in the US.</font></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </center> </body> </html>