Art and Craft training by Pranita Patar at Parijat for the children.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Joy Of Giving - Rainbow Ride Rickshaw Project
LAUNCH OF ‘RAINBOW RIDE’ RICKSHAW PROJECT
On the last day (8th October, 2012) of nationwide celebration of ‘Joy of Giving Week’ Lakkshya Foundation launched ‘Rainbow Ride’ Rickshaw project to support the education of underprivileged children.
Education, we all agree, can not only contribute to our economic growth but also can bring the changes in health, women empowerment, alarming growth rate of population and overall social development. In India about 1/3 of our population under the age of 18 can afford to reach to VIII standard! And 15% of those children who reach VIII standard fail to make the move from upper primary to secondary schooling and only 7% who make it to high school graduate. Besides Government initiatives, so many institutions and individuals have been doing their bit but nothing seems enough. In our initial stage of our study to address this issue we tried to find out the root cause of illiteracy and we were convinced to the fact that its poverty that tops among all the causes. Once the fight against poverty and hunger is removed education comes automatically followed by development and civilization. On the other hand there is abundance of unutilised manpower. So we thought of something where we can utilise these manpower to generate and uplift their livelihood and make them able as well to share the responsibility in the long run. To make people self-sustainable in initial stage they will be needing sufficient financial aids and support.
Launch of ‘Rainbow Ride’ Rickshaw Project:
As part of various projects and initiatives to make people self-sustainable ‘Rainbow Ride Rickshaw’ project aimed to support child education was launched at a small function at Parijat Academy, Pamohi, Gorchuk. Under this project rickshaws were donated to the selected guardians/ parents of the children of the school and each guardian will take responsibility of education expenses of 2 children (one, of course from their own family and the other one from another family of that school/ organisation). Under this project the guardian will also become the owner of that very rickshaw after 18 months to support their child’s education life long. In this initiative the Foundation tied up with ‘Deep Bahan- CRD Rickshaw Bank’, Guwahati and remodeled the rickshaws with some additional features. The rickshaws will have some F&G and educational stationery items besides drinking water for the passengers providing an additional income source for the rickshaw puller. The rickshaws will also have local newspapers and will be loaded with solar lamps, FM radio and mobile charger. Foundation is also working on an additional feature of pre-recorded audio messages to welcome the riders and spread the awareness of education.
Event Activities:
On the occasion a discussion was held on the subject ‘Promotion of Sustainable Projects to Spread and Support Education’. Mr. Vijay Pandit Dasa & Mr. Surajshrestha Prabhu from Akshayapatra Foundation, Guwahati, Mrs. Neeru Basumatary from a local based NGO and RJ Veer were present as guest and enlightened the audience with their thoughts and ideas for Promoting Low-cost Sustainable Projects for all round development of the community and appraised the Foundation’s initiative with the Rickshaw project. On the occasion Debasish Nath, Founder of Lakkshya Foundation, urged the parents and guardians of the children to come forward and share the responsibility of the education of their own children by being self-dependent through various low-cost sustainable projects. Lakkshya Foundation and all the guests present on the occasion hailed Uttam Teron’s untiring and remarkable effort to promote education by providing free education to all the children for the last 9 years or so. On behalf of the Foundation Debasish also stressed the need of public participation in large number to share the burden of the efforts by the people like Uttam Teron. The Foundation also launched ‘elevate’ Child Sponsorship Programme which will enable general public to sponsor the cost of education for children in need.
Friday, September 7, 2012
The Magic of Change and Words of Advice: Derrika Hunt, Feature Volunteer
Visit the link http://omprakash.org/blog/Story/The-Magic-of-Change-and-Words-of-Advice-Derrika-Hunt-Feature-Volunteer
“Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” Meet Derrika Hunt, this week’s feature volunteer. Hunt is just finishing up her volunteer stay with Omprakash Partner Parijat Academy in Guwahati, India and is passionate about living her life with the goal of eliminating poverty, violence and oppression.
Hunt’s stay with Parijat Academy has been a positive one. She was able to construct her own lesson plans and play with the underprivileged children whom Parijat Academy serves, all while learning the local language of Assamese.
Please enjoy our recent interview with Hunt.
Omprakash (Omp): What or who inspires you to volunteer?
Derrika Hunt (DH): What inspires me most is the opportunity to give to others. My mother raised me to understand the value of giving to others and I’ve channeled that energy into my own life. In my childhood I struggled with a lot of adversity [and] I fought to overcome the pangs of poverty. I lost both of my parents as a teenager and adopted my younger sister and became her caregiver while she was in high school. I went through a lot, but I always remember people taking time to help me [and] if it wasn’t for some of my teachers and mentors believing in me and pushing me [then] I would have become a victim of circumstance. I want to share the same gift with others that was given to me: Hope.
Omp: How do you feel like you are making a difference?
DH: Simply by putting positive and energy and love into the universe I feel like I’m making a difference. It is not my goal to change others with my service. It is my goal, however, to give selflessly and empower others through my giving. One of the most powerful things I can do for myself and the world is to volunteer because as I give to others I also give to myself. It restores my faith in humanity, because at the end of the day we all need each other. As I volunteer I learn so many lessons as I witness the power of giving, and more often than not, the people I serve end up making a difference in my life.
Omp: What words of advice would you give to prospective international volunteers?
DH: I would first thank other volunteers for being willing to give to others. I would also encourage [them] not to focus on what they are giving to others but to focus on what they can learn from the people they are serving. In my experience with international volunteering the communities I’ve served have given me so much more than I could ever give them; they have taught me the value of human connections. We may have different cultures and different background but human connections transcend those difference, if we let them. Invest yourself not only in your project but also in the people. Get to know them. Talk to them. Live your culture while you are serving them. You may be amazed at how much you can learn.
You can connect with other amazing volunteers like Hunt via the volunteer portal on the Omprakash home page.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Message from B1G1 team for everybody at Parijat Academy
Dear children and teachers at Parijat Academy,
Firstly, thank you for inviting us to send you a note on the very special day.
It's great to hear that you have a special festival to celebrate your achievements in Art, Sports, Music... and even Gardening! We wish we could be there to share the wonderful day with you and have fun seeing your performances and creativity.
Celebrations and festivals are important because they help us remember how special life is.
When we are working or studying hard everyday, we sometimes forget the greatness of small steps and little improvements we are making through the things we do.
The people who have contributed to support your education also need the same kind of moments to celebrate what they are doing as well. So if you are happy to share the great time you are having with all of us by sharing some of the pictures or writing about your day, it would be really special. We'd really enjoy seeing your smiles and finding out what makes your life special.
And most importantly, please make sure that you have a wonderful day full of fun, friendship and special praises for each other.
With love and gratitude,
Masami, Paul, Elvin & Hashima from B1G1 Team
and B1G1 Businesses and their team members
Summer Festival photos and Message
Words of Volunteer programme coordinator:
The purpose of the Parijat Academy Summer Festival was to
have a day of celebration for the beautiful children of Parijat. The children
of Parijat are truly amazing. They engage in intensive study year-round
although they have many obstacles in their lives. Many of these students come
from a disadvantaged background and they don’t always have access to the best
things. Yet, from the moment I arrived at Parijat Academy
Thus, Kevin and I (Derrika Hunt) wanted to do something
special with the students of Parijat. We wanted to have a day just for them, to
show them how special and important they are. We wanted these children to feel
like they are valuable and worthy, because they are. Yet many times those who
are underprivileged often get overlooked and forgotten about by society. But, I
wanted the children of Parijat to come to the Summer Festival and think “Wow,
someone took time out to do all of this for me?” Therefore, we organized a
variety of activities for the children to play, laugh, relax and simply enjoy
themselves. Activities ranged from sports activities to face painting to an egg
decorating contest. The smiles on the children’s faces let me know that our
efforts had not gone in vain. I could feel my heart overflowing with love and
happiness as I watched the children while they smiled, laughed, danced, played
and sang.
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