Background: The Dream Mile (www.thedreammile.org) is Vibha’s flagship fundrtaiser event. In 2009, this event is being organized across 10 cities in the US. The following write-up refers to the event held in Twin Cities, Minnesota on Sep 12th, 2009
Why do we do this again?
Every year, about 20 or 30 of us wake up at 5am on a weekend and assemble at the pavilion in Lake Phalen before sunrise. We organize a fantastic race. At the MN action center, we organize quite a lot of fundraising events- be it Bowling, Cricket, cultural shows and the like. And we often enjoy organizing these events. Sometimes I tend to forget the real joy that we are working for- and that is making a difference in the life of an underprivileged child. I chanced upon the following photo slide show at the website of The Hindu, one of India’s leading newspapers in a piece titled, ‘India’s Little Laborers’.
Did you know that India has 11 million child laborers?
Or that 40 percent of domestic help (maids) in the city of Mumbai are girls under the age of 15? Child labor is a complicated problem and sending children to school and depriving them of their incomes – that opens up a different set of problems. However, we at Vibha are doing what we can.
You can see these statistics and the photos from the article at http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article18033.ece
It is in the life of these children that we are making difference. If you volunteered or registered and participated in the Dream Mile, it means that
One more child may get a chance for a brighter future.
One more child could be supported by Door Step School in Pune – to learn reading and writing at the construction site and not go into the same cycle of poverty as his or her parents. http://projects.vibha.org/projects/nfe-classes-for-construction-workers-children/
If you helped with any little task to help organize this event, it means that –
One more girl in the Aalamb project in Delhi could get a chance to learn to read and write, get some vocational training and stand on her own feet. http://projects.vibha.org/projects/education-and-vocational-training-slums-girls-new-/
If you collected some donation at the pledge page for this event, at least-
One more child in the remote Sunderban Delta (BTS project) could have a chance to go to school. http://projects.vibha.org/projects/sishu-tirtha-green-buds-child-care-centers-ccc/
One more child in Karnataka could get improved education from a public school. http://projects.vibha.org/projects/sikshana-scaling-component/
Every little thing that we do matters. It makes a difference.
To read up more on Vibha’s projects, visit:
http://www.vibha.org/projects
