The wheels of time hurl us towards a new decade, leaving behind a landscape littered with changes that has possibly impacted humanity forever. Some were positive, some were negative but the one constant has been the spirit of giving and for this we want to thank all our donors, volunteers, families and friends of ILP.
As the world changed around us, we continued our focus on changing the world of those in need. Your invaluable involvement through time and money helped make 2009 a very memorable year towards this cause.
Keeping in line with our strategy of large scale literacy, we have increased our coverage to include adjacent geographic villages in many of our project areas and embarked on three new projects this year. As an organization our chapters in India are embarking on innovative programs on the ground to address the gaps in delivery of education.
As we begin this New Year, we are eager as ever, to reach out and realize new beginnings for the women and children we can impact. In this issue we highlight some stories from North Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. A 12-year old volunteer in our Bay Area chapter expresses herself after attending our annual dinner. These are but a small printed sample of the impact we can all make.
But the results of your contribution and work is forever imprinted in the smiles and sanguineness of the simple folk who can now read and write and see the world as the rest of us can.
Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Feature Article
Life after flash and fury floods… (Report by A.L.Rangarajan, ILP India)
For the first time in the last 60 years, the perennially drought prone North Karnataka and Rayalaseema areas of Andhra Pradesh faced the fury of flash floods from 30 September to 4 October, 2009. The devastation caused was colossal - about 200 people lost their lives, 200,000 people lost their homes, and 2 million people were affected.
North Karnataka is an area where ILP supports some key projects. Long term education and child care services rendered by ILP are adversely impacted by such devastating calamities. ILP team decided to target our relief activities in the villages where our partners were working, with special focus on women and children. Our three NGO partners in the districts of Koppal and Raichur of North Karnataka are SEEDS, Sarvodaya and Janachetana. Our relief effort also targeted Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, where 8,000 children were affected. While the primary role of ILP was in directing, guiding and mentoring the partner organizations to demand the best relief measures from the State, we also worked in parallel through civil society groups.
Highlights of ILP Activities:
• Victor Tauro, our National Projects Coordinator and Sastry Ramachandrula visited the flood affected areas to make a firsthand assessment as well as make decisions on further action. Resources were mobilized and funds were raised (Rs. 220,000, i.e., ~$4,600) in addition to mobilization of materials like rice, clothing and toys. • Harish from ILP accompanied 10 volunteers from DELL to Chikmanchal village in Raichur. With the funds raised by DELL employees (Rs, 150,000, i.e., ~$3,200), food kits consisting of rice, dal (lentils), oil and masala sachets (spices) were distributed to 250 families.
• Sashi and Kiran traveled to Yemmiganur in Kurnool. An account of their effort is beautifully narrated at the following blog. http://ilpindia.blogspot.com/2009/10/kurnool-flood-relief.html.
• 258 School Bags and 165 Geometry Boxes were distributed to the high school students at Kurnool as part of the flood relief activity taken up by ILP.
• ILP linked corporate donor groups directly to the needy villages through our NGO partners in order to ensure speedy assistance.
• Rajesh and Sangamesh (from Indian Institute of Science), Angela (a volunteer from Australia), Sastry, Victor, Rangarajan, Harish and others were involved in sorting the clothes and toys mobilized through Joy of Giving Week and sent them to our NGO partner Sarvodaya in Koppal.
What we learned:
ILP’s involvement in flood relief was highly satisfying as we could help while people were in distress and ensured that our support reached the deserving ones. In the process, there have been some valuable aspects that our organization has learned and experienced firsthand:
• As a catalyst, ILP must always empower of the affected citizens, while also channeling the ‘desire to help’ of many concerned people towards the right areas that need help.
• The affected communities must demand for a “Relief Code” from the state Government that will clearly indicate what the community is entitled to in the case of a disaster.
• The interface and coordination between Government departments, local bodies, NGOs and corporate have to be strengthened further.
• Long term developmental needs of children like school buildings, books, stationery, Anganwadi infrastructure like toys, cooking vessels have to be suitably considered as part of the recovery efforts.
• ILP must earmark some funds for disaster relief to utilize in case of a disaster in our partners’ operational villages, especially to provide immediate relief to children and mothers.
• ILP’s NGO partners have to be guided on disaster preparedness so that there is adequate preparedness.
Volunteer Corner
What I learned at ILP’s Annual Dinner
(Shruti Goli, A 12-year old volunteer, ILP Bay Area Chapter)
As I was listening to the speeches at the ILP event in Milpitas, I learned many things and was very surprised. I was amazed to hear that not even fifteen percent of children in India go to high school. To me it was just so different because I never heard this before. Over here (in US), everyone goes to school and all we worry about is getting good grades or getting into good high schools. We don't take the time to realize that there are so many other children who haven't even had the chance to learn their a,b,c's.
Listening to all the speeches made me think how fortunate I was to be educated. I mean when I heard that sixty five percent of the fifth graders could not even divide simple problems or that one fifth grade boy was struggling to read a two letter word in his language, it really made me think.
When I was at the event, it gave me a new perspective about these children. Before I listened to the speeches, I knew that some children were not literate but afterwards I realized how much ILP has helped people in India. Looking at the statistics, you can see they help few hundred people each year**.
I am so glad to be a part of a group of people who want to make a difference by helping others who are living thousands of miles away. I liked their belief that one person can help hundreds of people. ILP has made a huge impact on me today. I can see that ILP makes a difference in the Indian community. They strive to help many children and adults become literate.
At the event, many people came to me and were very happy to see me volunteer. But all I did was smile because I had no clue what to say. To tell you the truth, I really had no idea why people were actually coming up to me. I had a totally different perspective on this. I felt that all these children whether they were educated or uneducated were just like me. So to me it's like helping my friends.
I do want to make a difference and help many children who are illiterate in as many ways possible!
^^Editor’s Note: ** We realized that Shruti picked up the "few hundred people” from examples of data presented at the event. ILP impacts many thousands of people each year; details can be found at www.ilpnet.org/projects
^^ After volunteering for the first time at our dinner, Shruti was so excited and she wanted to come back and volunteer at our Race For Literacy!!
Chapter News
Bay Area, CA Chapter
Smita Sharma takes over from Subhash Pochareddy as the Chapter Coordinator from Jan 2010. Thank you Subhash! As Smita aptly summarized - "The shoes that he is leaving behind are too large. His dedication to the organization, focus to the cause and contribution to the ILP over the last years has been immense."
Bangalore Chapter
The volunteer team conducted Independence Day celebrations at the Community Library.
Students of the ILP Scholarship program visited the Hindustan Aeronautics Center (HAL) heritage center and Aerospace museum in Bangalore.
Life coping skills workshop was conducted for the students of the scholarship program in Bangalore.
Hyderbad Chapter
The Hyderabad chapter organized a Dussehra Mela and it turned out to be a huge success in fund raising and spreading awareness about the cause of literacy.
Volunteers are actively mentoring the students supported by the ILP Scholarship program.
ILP is registered as a non-profit organization in the USA (Tax ID# 36-3779020).
Mail checks payable to
India Literacy Project,
P. O. Box 361143,
Milpitas,
CA 95035-9998.
ILP is registered as a trust in India. Donors can claim tax deduction under section 80G of the Income-Tax Act.
Mail checks payable to
"India Literacy Project"
27, 3rd Floor, Narayani Apartments,
2nd Cross, Ramakrishnappa Layout Geddalahalli,
Sanjaynagar, Bangalore -560094.
Opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of ILP. Please send articles/suggestions to the editor. Readers may note that contents are filtered from third party sources. All Brand Names & Trademarks are acknowledged.
• Victor Tauro, our National Projects Coordinator and Sastry Ramachandrula visited the flood affected areas to make a firsthand assessment as well as make decisions on further action. Resources were mobilized and funds were raised (Rs. 220,000, i.e., ~$4,600) in addition to mobilization of materials like rice, clothing and toys. 