A Journey Through the Grassroots
AID – Spanning India Through Projects: Bridging the Two Worlds Chapters across USA Projects in India
School seems a distant dream
A mere 63% of Indians are literate 46% drop-out of school between grades one and five Only 43% of Indian Women have primary education
AID and Education
The School Goes to the Children -Mobile School Project, Pune
“I have stories to read now” - Srikakulam Library Project, AP
The Railway platform is my school.. - Ruchika Platform Schools, Orissa
Experiments can be done with throw-away materials - Jagriti School, in Lodhar (near IIT Kanpur)
“Maybe not early, but earnestly to school” - Vocational training programs, Gujarat
But What if I am Not Strong Enough to Go to School?
Infant Mortality Rate in India: 63 deaths per 1000 births – Compare that with 6 deaths per 1000 births in USA
AID and Health Care
Health Check-ups at Appalagraharam - AID Internship Program
Dispensing low cost medicines -Village Outreach Clinic, Ganiyari, Chattisgarh
Leading a Medical Revolution - Health Camps by Swanirvar, West Bengal
Low cost centrifuge for testing Anemia Health Care Research Center - Jan Sahyog Samiti, Chhattisgarh Research on Multi-drug Resistant TB
Women’s Health Remains a Neglected Issue in the Indian Society …
Training Traditional Birth Attendants - Association for Services to Rural India, Maharashtra
To this day, many women in India face: Dowry Deaths Sexual abuse Social Inequalities Domestic Violence
AID and Women
Women - at the core of the village health training sessions
18 women saving Rs.20/week = Financial Independence - Village Micro-credit Enterprises
AID and “Struggle for Justice”
Dec. 3, 1984 – the Night of Death… Union Carbide, Bhopal after the Gas Leak 16,000 breathed their last
20 Years Later For 120,000 people The Darkness still remains
Fight for justice: Satinath Sarangi, Rashida Bi, Champa Devi outside DOW HQ One day at a time …
“Mother” Nature Also Brings Disaster to our Homes Gujarat Earthquake Orissa Cyclones
Every year 130 million people in over 70,000 villages face starvation due to severe drought
Seasonal Floods Devastate Millions of Lives Each Year
AID and Disaster Relief
Temporary shelter houses - Earthquake Relief Projects, Kutch, Gujarat
Mobile Health Camps - Earthquake Relief Projects, Kutch, Gujarat
Floods can be Man-Made Too … 13 more villages are submerged due to Dam Displacement
AID and “Technology for the Masses”
Where Big Dams Fail, Local Initiative Brings Electricity– Bilgaon Micro-Hydel Power Project
I am capable of generating power for my own needs! -Pedal Power Project
I can do it too! - Pedal power generator project
Organic farming AID-GRASS Project, AP
One TRIUMPH at a Time for AID The India-Pakistan Peace Initiative by AID Receives Recognition from Congress Member Sheila Jackson
Bhopal Activists Win the Goldman Prize – the Nobel Prize in Environment
With Bhopalis – in solidarity 3032 people from all over the world sign the petition that forced the government of India to order clean-up of the Bhopal area – Justice Prevails …
Recognition from the US Community AID has received a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent evaluator of charities. AID has also been ranked #2 among 10 of the Best Charities
Relationship is one of partnership AID and the people … Listening to the people and what they want – the solutions lie within them Developing sustainable and repeatable development models with local flavor
The message from the grassroots is one of Hope….
Of courage …
Of Optimism …
Compassion whenever there is suffering… Conviction that the compassion is strong enough to eliminate suffering… Courage to make this conviction a reality.. THIS is AID….