Introduction
As Vibha wishes all patrons a very Happy New Year, we acknowledge that 2009 promises to be a challenging year from every perspective. But we also recognize that in those very challenges lies an opportunity - the opportunity to bring to the forefront our true character.
As the new president said in his inaugural address : "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility" He emphasized the importance of contributing to our community, he urged us all to "embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than (our)selves." Because "at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all."
So the question is, can we continue to think beyond ourselves as we have done in the past years and even in this time of adversity, support the less fortunate? Can we continue to make a difference to the lives of those who are so dependant on our contributions? Can we hold from afar the hands of those little children who look to us for the bare essentials of life that everyone should be entitled to?
And the answer is, yes we can.
Vibha invites its patrons to continue on the journey that has bound us together these last years. Read on about how Vibha, with your support is determined to make this year even more successful and meaningful for children, volunteers and patrons alike.
Despite the declining economy, Vibha volunteers are determined to make 2009 a brighter year for even more children that they helped support in 2008.
For 2009, the Vibha Fundraising Events and Programs teams plan to raise even more funds than the previous year and reach out to more than 41,000 children. Vibha Action Centers across the country are busy planning for fundraisers in 2009. Many Action Center Coordinators have already finalized the plans for the coming year. The Dream Mile, the annual 5K/10K race will be organized in at least 9 cities in the US and is expected to be the biggest fundaising event. The Vibha cricket tournament is becoming a popular fundraiser across many action centers. Other interesting events that are expected to make a debut in some action centers in 2009 include Spelling Bee contests and Online art contests. Vibha in India also plans to make 2009 an exciting year with more events and fundraisers.
In 2009, the organizational goals are to strengthen and grow the existing dedicated group of Vibha volunteers, do more aggressive marketing through the internet and the IT team is bracing itself to support this objective in addition to the day-to-day operations. These are vital to raise the much needed funds to support ongoing projects and to support new projects. The Projects team is working on long term strategy for projects and plans to continue supporting all the projects that have shown excellent results.
Stay tuned for the 2009 Xpressions newsletters for organizational updates, events and stories from projects.
Encouraging stories from Pune
In this edition, we are going to review some of the remarkable work done to assist children of migrant laborers and
marginalized communities. Door Step School (DSS) is such an organization based in Mumbai and Pune that conducts classes
for these children who cannot go to school because they have to work to support their families. The organization provides
"Non formal education" classes with the intention of preparing these kids for mainstream schooling.
Over the last fifteen years, their good work has drawn dedicated volunteers and today they serve nearly 40 communities with
an estimated 8000 children as beneficiaries.
Child friendly builders: Recently, some of our volunteers had the opportunity to visit a DSS center at a construction site. Our volunteers were pleasantly
surprised to learn that, today, as many as 10 builders work with DSS before beginning a new construction project! What this means is that DSS,
with the help of Vibha patrons like you, is now able to take education to the very doorstep of these underprivileged children. Even better,
in addition to preparing these kids for school, they have also instituted a support system that prevents enrolled kids from dropping out of
formal schools.
Vibha volunteers are excited to share with you yet another outcome that is likely to attract lots of attention to this cause. Infosys, an
Indian software giant who is building a large campus in Pune, actually forced all their builders who intended to submit bids, to work with
DSS in order to even be considered for the bidding process. This is a strong indication of the accomplishments and constructive work done by
DSS over the years. We hope, that you take a moment to take pride in the fact your participation in Vibha has been a contributing factor towards
this positive outcome.
Our Pune volunteers, along with DSS are immediately working to provide credit to these builders in the local press. The intent is to create
awareness and promote this trend by calling them "Child friendly builders". By educating the average homebuyer and the
corporations in the surrounding area to do business only with "Child friendly builders", more builders can be enticed to adopt child
friendly practices.
Challenges: Regardless of the fact that DSS has had a positive impact on the lives of so many marginalized children, it encounters its fair share of
challenges. More recently, DSS chose not to undertake big construction projects with Airports authority of India. The primary reason for this
decision was the lack of managerial resources required for planning and implementation on projects of this scale. In order to remedy this
situation, DSS volunteers are considering reaching out to executives who have taken voluntary retirement and are passionate about volunteering.
Likewise, another option is to engage Infosys employees per its new CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program. This plan allows employees that have been with the company for 5 or more years to take a year sabbatical doing NPO/NGO work at 50% pay.
Vibha volunteers have identified another opportunity that aligns closely with the work done by DSS. Efforts are on to reach out to laborers
that have completed high school but are unable to transition to jobs due to lack of employable skills. Currently, a series of discussions are
being held to bring together organizations that work to address this issue. Plans are afoot to bring together Vibha volunteers from different
parts of India to share a common platform with these organizations. These actions come under an overarching strategy to learn and leverage one
another's progress and challenges to effectively reach out to the many who can be helped.
We hope you had a good insight into the continuing progress made in the lives of so many children in India. Our volunteers tell us that the
staff and volunteers of DSS extend their heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Vibha patrons like you. We at Vibha have reason to feel proud
that our patrons consider this cause as their own personal responsibility rather than an act of charity. With your participation and support,
Vibha continues to make strong progress in making education for these kids a reality!
Vibha is launching a new event called "Vibha Kalakaar-09", a unique competition for children and adults - an opportunity to give wings to creativity and expressions. Children and adults can work from the convenience of their own homes to submit entries by email! All participants will be awarded a wonderful certificate from Vibha. Winning entries will be published on the Vibha's professional website (www.vibha.org) allowing family and friends to share and celebrate the artist in you.
Children and teens can participate in painting and story writing. Prizes will be given away in three age categories, 3-6 years, 7-11 years and 12-17 years
Theme for Painting: 'Our World'
Starting line for the story: 'When I woke up, I did not know that this would be a very different day ' (The story should be in English and should not exceed 1000 words.)
For adults, the events are photography and essay writing.
Theme for Photography: 'Do you see what I see'
Topic for Essay: 'Change' (The theme is open to your interpretation and written in English not exceeding 1000 words.)
- Register and pay online at Sulekha (click here)
- Send in your entry before 15th March by e-mail to 'minnesota.vibha@gmail.com' or by snail mail to Vibha Kalakaar-09, 11838 Alamo St NE, Blaine, MN 55449.
- The entry fee is just $5 for children events and $10 for adults
- The entry should be sent from the same e-mail id that was used to register and pay online.
- Look for an acknowledgement by e-mail within 2 days of submission.
For additional rules and regulations, visit www.vibha.org/kalakaar09
Your creativity can make a huge difference in lives of many children who need help. A new book to write in, a new pair of slippers, a new little shirt - these are some of the ways that your participation or your child's participation could make a difference, a small difference to someone on the other side of the globe. Let's join our hands together to bring smile on a child's face
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 let us know.
Together, we can do much more!
Dream a Little! Do a Little!
Vibha 1030 E El Camino Real, #424 Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Phone: 408-997-9992 | Fax: 775-593-1061
