Vol 5, No.5 | May 2009       »www.vibha.org » info@vibha.org  

- Soumya Poduri

When Vasudave and Vidya learnt that Divya, their second child, was born with Cerebral Palsy, they were disheartened. The news came at a time when they were already struggling with their first kid, who is also a child with special needs. In 2001 the couple heard about RMKM – Rajasthan Mahila Kalyan Mandal and their programs. RMKM is an NGO situated in Ajmer, working towards rehabilitation and empowerment of children with special needs. The activities conducted at the center target all social levels. The Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program provides home based intervention for children with no prior specialized coaching and underdeveloped social skills. On the other hand the Day Care Center offers education and training to empower its students and help them perform day-to-day activities without any dependency.

Divya and her sister were immediately enrolled in the CBR program. A CBR worker with expert training in rehabilitation methods started frequenting their home and educating the children and their parents. The CBR workers are picked from the vicinity of the child’s home and are trained in rehabilitation methods. The parents are also counseled and the child’s progress is monitored.

In no time, the girls showed tremendous improvement; Divya had started to crawl! In 2004 Divya was admitted to the day care center. Behavioral, speech and physical problems were limiting her daily activities. With regular speech and physiotherapy along with proper nurturing and care, Divya showed excellent progress. She can now walk for a short distance without any support, wear her clothes and eat her food without help. She has also started addressing her parents as “Mummy” and “Pappa”. An overwhelmed mother says “Now my daughter will be able to lead an independent life”.

Along with the above mentioned programs, RMKM also helps the families enroll and benefit from government schemes like Aastha Yojana, providing free medical facilities and other subsidized services. The organization also maintains strong links with the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH) to use the best and most recent methods in the field for vocational, therapeutic and educational training.

RMKM received the “Best NGO of the Year” award from the Rajasthan State Government in 2007. Vibha has been funding RMKM since August 2003. The funds are used towards the day care program and the community based rehabilitation program. Vibha disbursed $16,500 to RMKM in August 2007, and $18,150 in 2008.

courtesy Georgia Asian Times, http://gasiantimes.com/

Vijay Vemulapalli is a well-known name among all volunteers of Vibha. He has been a volunteer of Vibha since 1993 and currently serves as Secretary of Vibha in the Board of Directors. He has been instrumental in forming a national volunteer network and is also a key member of the projects selection committee. Recently, Georgia Asian Times, a pioneer newspaper that covers the achievements of Asian Americans in Georgia listed Vijay as one of the 25 most influential Asian Americans in Georgia. Vibha is honored by this recognition.

Of Vijay, The Georgia Asian Times writes, “Vijay Vemulapalli is known as a leader in the Indian non-profit community in Atlanta. For the past 15 years, he has been leading Vibha, a national voluntary organization with more than 15 centers in U.S., raising awareness and funds for underprivileged children of India and U.S. He is currently the Secretary and a member of the Board of Vibha. Vijay is also the Founding President of Vibha-India that is creating a volunteer movement in several cities of India. Vibha is currently reaching more than 25,000 children through 35 projects in India and 5 projects in USA. Vijay takes special interest in the selection and monitoring of these projects, to ensure that the resources raised are put to best use. Vijay also played a critical role in the organization of several successful annual fundraisers – The Dream Mile 5K Walk/Run, Vibha Cricket and cultural shows. Vijay has a PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and is currently a Systems Analyst with Equifax.”

- Lakshmi Ramakrishnan

Spring heralds a busy season for Vibha volunteers. Over the past couple years; the twin cities action center has made it a tradition to launch a new event with the potential of making it sustainable and an annual occurrence. This year was no different, with the introduction of a new and culturally engaging event called Vibha Taal.

Inspired by the Dallas Action center’s (5th year-in-running), Art-for-Heart talent competition, Vibha-MN volunteers were enthused to adopt a similar concept to expand and diversify fund-raising events conducted in the Twin Cities. “Through events such as these, we are involving sections of community and reaching out to those that are not attracted to sporting events like races, golf and bowling.” says one of the long time Vibha volunteers.

Being that Vibha supports and strives to improve lives of children, it was only apt that the event provided a medium for young kids (ages 4-16) to perform and display their talents in the field of classical/semi-classical music and dance. When Sindhu Nair – the event lead was asked about feedback received from the parents, she mentioned “Most parents were very happy to have a platform like Taal for their children to perform. They were very appreciative of Vibha for taking such an initiative.”

Needless to say, the event in its debut year was a super-hit both with children and their parents who commented on how well the event was organized and promised their support next year as well. Of-course, constant communication and being able to accommodate requests from 70 children and their parents was challenging and key to the success of the event.

With nearly 70 participants performing and excellent time management by the volunteers, the event, was power-packed and entertaining from start to end. Its format showcased music and dance based performances in both the classical and semi-classical/light categories. The dance category ranged from the time-honored and classic Bharatnatayam to foot-tapping rhythmic bollywood/folk tunes, the likes of Jai ho. In the music genre, the individual and group performances were compelling and exciting at the same time.

As part of Vibha’s awareness campaign, ‘Alamb’ (educational and vocational program for girls in slums of Delhi) was featured in a short presentation to spread the message of hope and create a positive difference in the lives of millions of under-privileged children. “Many parents learned about Vibha for the first time and were eager to help the cause in future. We surpassed the number of participants we expected for the event. The enthusiasm and appreciation was beyond expectations.” said, Sindhu.

The judges’ panel comprised of notable artists, renowned teachers and cultural representatives from various dance/music schools within the twin cities. On being asked about the event, here are some of their specific comments:

“Very nice idea. Great that you are involving children in your campaigns. It is an honor to be invited to such an event. ”- Padmaja Dharnipragada

“I would come back every year to judge your event”- Shyamala Ganesh

“Very professional. So nice to see events that start and end on time. From Vibha, we have come to expect nothing less”- Nirmala Rajasekar

The judges renewed and pledged their support to Vibha in the coming years as well. The US and Indian National anthems followed the Vote-of-thanks given by event co-lead Kalpana Viswanathan to signal the event conclusion.

This new beat for Vibha-MN was not only unique in its format; it also reached out to a varied and specialized audience. “Most importantly, we are involving children in this movement. They are our hope for the future and our mission can be accomplished only with the involvement of the next generation of citizens. Through the event, 70 young minds know about underprivileged children in India and their plight and about the positive difference they can make through Vibha.” said Sreekanth which perfectly sums up the success story for this event. After all, it is all about the children.

Vibha-MN volunteer team was all smiles at the end of the event.

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!

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Phone: 408-997-9992 | Fax: 775-593-1061

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Vibha is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit, non-religious, non-political organization that seeks to restore; underprivileged children, their basic rights to food, shelter, health and education - in short, a future. All donations to Vibha are tax exempt in the US.