FUNDACIÓN ASHA-KIRAN’S 2009 CALENDAR

Dear friend,
As one more initiative in the awareness-raising and fund-raising work that Fundación Asha-Kiran carries out in order to implement its Projects in favor of vulnerable children, and after last year’s sales success of the 2008 Calendar, the 2009 Calendar is now available to the public.

With a small donation of 5 Euros, you can help disfavored children in India have access to the education, shelter, nourishment and affection that they deserve.

If you wish to pitch in with this endeavor, you may do so by purchasing the 2009 Calendar for yourself or as a gift to family or friends – by giving a socially caring gift at the end of the year. You can also help us by placing a bigger order and being in charge of selling Calendars as a Volunteer.

You may place your order by calling
(0034) 913 920 688
or by sending an e-mail to
fundacion@asha-kiran.org.es

We will ship your order right away. You may also ask for additional information. Asha-Kiran is in need of ‘hands and minds’ – of your hands and mind.

Lend us a hand! You are invited to become actively involved in Fundación Asha-Kiran’s work.

PROJECT REVIEW

Hi,
We’re back after spending two months in India. Visiting our existing Projects and the children who benefit from them is a unique experience. As I have often said, in Spain we have to work hard in order to respond in an adequate manner to all the issues that make possible the aid-to-development labor that we are carrying out. We sometimes complain because of ‘all that we have to do’, but when we get to India and come in touch with the beneficiaries of our work, our motivation gains new momentum and we come back full of energy for what lies ahead.

Thus, in our last visit we saw that everything is going according to plan and at a good pace. Both Day Care Centers are operating smoothly. A great job is being done in regard to the education process of the children who come on a daily basis. Their attendance is regular and the fruits of our labor become ever more apparent. They are happy to come, and there is a stable school-like atmosphere at the CFCs. At Yashodhara, our rented house is at full capacity since we have already taken in 20 children, 12 girls and 8 boys. They all go to school, and when asked if they are happy, they answer “Yes, because we go to school”. It is a real treat to visit Yashodhara – its atmosphere is light, refreshing and joyful. The children participate in activities other than going to class, and they have a teacher who helps them out with their homework when they come home from school. We are truly satisfied with the work that our staff (teachers, social workers, cooks, etc.) is carrying out at Yashodhara. There are monthly meetings between the children and their relatives, and it’s lovely to see the children tell them about their day-to-day experiences.

New Projects are under study. We remind you that you can see the monthly unfolding of our Projects at our website, in the monthly reports section (http://www.asha-kiran.es/informes.php).On October 17th, Montse, our Projects expert, is travelling to Pune in order to monitor and evaluate our projects. Itzíar, the dentist who will be carrying out the Dental and Oral Care Campaign 2008, will be travelling with her. We will be able to launch this Program, into which a lot of energy has gone, thanks to all those who donated dental supplies and cash. For two months, Itzíar will be assessing and giving treatment to the children we care for and to their communities. This way, we continue with the process of giving global care to vulnerable children. The premises for said Dental Program have been generously lent to us by a local NGO so that we may have enough space, dental equipment and supplies.We will keep you informed of its unfolding. Please visit our website – which will soon be available in English – to get detailed information. Lastly, I’d like to mention that a team from Spanish Television (TVE) came to Pune in July, where they got a lot of footage for a documentary on our Projects. We will be sending a copy of it to all of our sponsors, donors and collaborators in December, together with the 2009 calendar. Two Spanish groups who went on guided trips of India with Uttam also ‘visited’ us in August and September.

Thank you for being there.

A hug, Fundación Asha-Kiran.

ASHA-KIRAN in BOLLYMADRID 2008

On June 6th, 7th and 8th, over 30.000 people gathered in Lavapiés, an inner Madrid area, to take part in BollyMadrid 2008, the first Indian-culture and Bollywood festival in the Spanish capital.

The official figures are as follows: over 100 hours of cultural programs scheduling in three separate town squares, 42 hours of state-of-the-art film showings on Lavapiés’ buildings’ walls, 32 dancers of six different varieties of Indian dances, three European film premieres, seven children’s workshops, dance classes, a photography exhibit, countless new sponsors for NGO’s, 20-meter queues at the one-euro food stands and record sales at the Indian bazaar and food shops.

For Fundación Asha-Kiran, it was a time for intense sharing where, once more, we verified the vitality that gives our work momentum. Throughout the weekend, many volunteers made it possible for the colors that accompany us to shine through in true fashion throughout the various activities of the fair in which we took part: an Indian handicrafts bazaar where we sold almost everything we had; a marquee-jaima where we made the public aware of who we are and what our work in India consists in, and to which came many people who wished to cooperate; several workshops for children and an Indian dance performance by our co-worker Ester Rodríguez from Girona.

We wish to thank all of those who made this weekend rich in experiences and cooperation. Thank you.

The fair took place just a year after the starting of Asha-Kiran Shelters Foundation in India (the counterpart of A-K in Spain) and our work there – our driving force. Looking back, we see with great joy how much can be accomplished in a short period of time in aid-to-development work for the people who need it. As always, we trust that we will continue to count on the support of the people who already help us, and that, little by little, more hands and hearts will contribute to the attainment of the goals we set for ourselves.

You are again invited to come close to India’s disadvantaged children through Fundación Asha-Kiran. There is enough work to go around. Please get in touch with us to get to know the ways in which you may cooperate and join our Vitality.

Hugs and until soon,

Uttam Módenes, Fundación A-K.

Dental and Oral Care Program in Pune. India

Fundación Asha-Kiran, wishing to give global care to the children who attend our Day Care Centers and the children who live at the Yashodhara Shelter Home in Pune, is planning new strategies and Projects.

The Dental and Oral Care Program is one of the strategies that sets out from a context of the defense of children’s rights as set forth in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989), just as the rest of our interventions do. This Project will be carried out during two months – from October 20 to December 20, 2008 – by a volunteer dentist (Itziar Oñatibia, from Urretxu, Gipuzkoa, Spain). Our projections are that we will be able to give dental care to at least 120 children between the ages of 3 and 18.

We are aware that the majority of dental problems could be prevented by education, regular check-ups and proper hygiene habits. It is of utmost importance to raise awareness among adults and children about the relevance of having a healthy mouth. Other lacks, aches and illnesses that are sometimes caused or worsened by oral/dental problems can also be prevented by good oral hygiene.

OBJECTIVES:

General objectives

To improve the health of the street children that Fundación Asha-Kiran cares for
in Pune.

To raise the awareness of children and parents alike about the importance of having proper oral hygiene and healthy habits in order to stay in good health.

To cover the needs of all of the Children who are presently attending our Day Care Centers and those who live at Yashodhara Shelter Home.

Specific Objectives

To treat the teeth of all the Children from the Day Care Centers and Yashodhara Shelter Home.

To improve the children’s habits in regard to dental, gum and overall oral care.

To provide children from the CFC’s and the Yashodhara Shelter Home with the necessary supplies for them to continue to take proper care of their mouth and stay in good health.

To raise their awareness concerning unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking, or taking substances which have a detrimental effect on their teeth and overall development.

To lessen the amount of caries, infections and other common childhood dental ailments.To reduce the fear that children and their families have of dentists and physicians in general.

In order to carry out our Project, we need to secure the necessary dental equipment and supplies. To this end, we urge you to give us your support either by contacting your own dentist or acquaintances, or through a cash donation.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to receive further information and to get to know the ways in which you may cooperate with us and be part of this undertaking. As you know, our number is 902 181 245.

Together, we can ‘draw smiles’ on the faces of those in need.

We are awaiting you. Warm regards from
Fundación Asha-Kiran.

ONE STEP FURTHER....

Just back from India, and still with its aroma in our hearts, I wish to share some more of what’s currently being done in Pune. It isn’t easy to portray in words the joy that we get from seeing how the children’s smiles blossom.

The Day Care Centers continue their daily work – with more or less mishaps – and in them can be felt the atmosphere needed for children to… be children once again. Their time at the Centers is spent in play and learning, and tastes of support and lack of concerns. We think that these moments are a great gift for the children, and it is our intention to keep on propelling and enhancing our task of providing them.

Once again, the Center at Vishrantwadi – just as the slum it was located in – was demolished by the local authorities at the beginning of April. This is a familiar pattern in which the police tear all the shacks down and then allow people to rebuild them, so we expect to rebuild the Day Care Center where we already care for about 35 children who attend regularly and cheerfully. In the meantime, the teacher goes on with her work with the children out in the open, under a tree or in a shack.

The Day Care Centers are a useful tool in social work – they are a bridge that goes from neglect and oblivion to fresh opportunities of participation in society. As I have said before, the CFC’s become a space in which children don’t have to work or perform grown-up activities, but where they are allowed to fulfill their need to discover the world through reading, drawing, or simply playing with other children within a secure environment that aids their growth process.

On the other hand, the official inauguration of Yashodhara Shelter Home took place on April 7th, to which came members of other local NGO’s, our work team in full, their families and friends, the children who are already living there, children from the areas where the Day Care Centers are located, Hansa and I.

It was an unpretentious celebration, but filled with great emotional content. It must be said that although we don’t need big inauguration ceremonies, Indians are keen on them and, simply taken, we value this one as a way of feeling the advance of our Projects. There were short speeches made regarding who we are. We were all given tea and patties, and the Home was shown and our Foundation introduced to those present. There are already ten children living at Yashodhara, and a few more are under consideration for their possible future admittance.

The Projects that we have in mind for the future are to build a Home with a capacity for 100 children, the launching this summer of a Sponsorship Program for the development of children in rural areas, and – at a later date – working with HIV+ children. Again, you are welcome to visit us in Pune to get to know our work first hand. As I said in a previous letter, the work “we end up with” in Spain is sometimes dry and difficult, but feeling the fruits of our labors in the lives of the children is the momentum that we bring with us back to Spain and that we share with you with vitality. We hope to continue to count on your support.
There is much work ahead and new projects to be undertaken.

Best regards from Fundación Asha-Kiran.

YASHODHARA , official inauguration

WELCOME TO YASHODHARA SHELTER HOME

Hi.
Again in touch with you to draw you closer to the work in progress in India and its unfolding.

At last, on the 25th of February, we opened the doors of Yashodhara Shelter Home to the first eight children who will be living there permanently. Another four will arrive in April, and the situation of a brother and sister, who are homeless in the streets of Pune, addicted to substances and without protection from any adults, is currently under study.

As I said in my last letter, we decided to rent the bungalow that houses the Yashodhara Shelter while we secure the necessary financial means to build the definitive Home. Thus, we think that our current capacity – 20 children – will be at its limit pretty soon, so our hope is to continue working in order that the project evolves with quality and we may take in a larger number of children.

Presently, we have two women who tend to the children at all levels – creating a home for them – together with Vaishali and Anirudha, our social workers, who are in charge of coordinating tasks and needs, as well as of overseeing the education and daily activities of the children until they start school in June, when the new school year starts.

The personal history of these ‘small people’ may be very different, but all of them have something in common: the experience of a state of inequality, neglect and hopelessness to which millions of children are condemned daily in the world and, more concretely, in India; a stark reality that demands reflecting on the values and motivations – whom do we serve? – which move each one of us, understanding and remembering that this is not about ‘helping’ them, but about making it possible for all human beings to live with dignity and, why not, with the same abundance that we already enjoy in this part of the world.

Welcoming these children to the Day Care Centers and to Yashodhara is a reason for immense joy for Fundación Asha-Kiran. With great courage, said children allow or make it possible to be set on the road to new possibilities and life prospects. It is an intense undertaking, in many aspects, for all of us who work to make it come true, but a child’s smile or the look in his/her eyes is always a reward that cannot be compared with anything else, and which makes us rediscover the motivation that impelled us to do this work to begin with.

We invite you to continue to visit this blog and our website, so you may stay close to the work that we are undertaking with disadvantaged children. It is now that we need your support and cooperation the most, so that all that has been started won’t come to a halt. We want our labors to resound in you. Don’t hesitate to come to our office in Madrid or to get in touch with us in any way if you need further information, wish to make a suggestion or are interested in working as a volunteer. We are in need of hands and ‘minds’ for very diverse tasks – you will be very welcome.




Warm regards,

Uttam.

Asha-kiran Espacio

Welcome to Asha-Kiran Espacio.

In its work of aid to development, Fundación Asha-Kiran, Home for Children aims to create places where sensitization can take place, as one more step in its social endeavors. Thus, Asha-Kiran Espacio is born as a supporting tool for such endeavors, moved by two main objectives:

On the one hand, to create a sensitization milieu where one may awaken to the recollection of that which is more genuine, true and honest in oneself, through the use of creative and bodily techniques and practices for wellbeing, so that one may remember others. We set out from the base that the natural state of a human being has to do with his integration into everything that surrounds him and with his surrender to it, including other human beings.

On the other hand, the running of A-K Espacio is done without profit in mind, and without belonging to any specific religious or political orientation; wholly allocating its benefits to the projects that Asha-Kiran Foundation carries out with vulnerable children in India.
Not only does Asha-Kiran espacio adapt itself structurally to the social aims of the Foundation, but also gathers as its creative momentum its experience of Vitality sharing Vitality.

We view this motto as a prime mover in our work. In this manner, we wish to offer a Space where the discovery and/or learning of new ways of living, the development of that which goes beyond one’s self, and the exchange between people will allow the awakening of vitality and the sharing of it – a Vitality that is always welcome as an added gift in children’s presence in general, and in the presence of the children in India in particular.

As always, we invite you to cooperate actively in this sharing between two ‘worlds’, which intends to overcome the division created. Asha-Kiran Space offers the means for your potential individual development to bear fruit in turn in the wellbeing of humanity as a whole.

“Love is overflowing joy. It comes when you have discovered who you are, and nothing is left except sharing your being with others. And in this sharing, you enrich yourself.”
(Contemporary mystic)

YASHODHARA SHELTER PHOTOS