ABHIYAN-Proposal for 1998

'ABHIYAN' is an active NGO in Patna lead by some very strong will powered youths who believe in JP and Gandhian philosophy and who have dedicated their lives to bring social change and upliftment in the lives of weak, poor and exploited sections in Bihar state. This project has three components:

Education centre:
----------------
This proposal is for starting a school in Bishwa village
to provide literacy and primary education to approximately 80 schedule class/ OBC children of extremely poor and ignorant families living in dire unhuman conditions. ( out of these, 30 children belong to mushar community ('rat eaters') which is an outcaste within the outcaste and their children are even today considered socially unacceptable and do not go to the govt schools. These children would be the first generation going to the school in this community. The education programme would be holistic in nature.

Economic self reliance:
----------------------
Besides education, teachers would attempt to become self reliant by starting activities like screen printing, chyawanprash making, repair of diesel pump set, water tube well boring, tailoring etc. These activities will be carried out at the same centre. Children would also be encouraged to learn these skills.

Bring Social/org awareness in the community:
-------------------------------------------
camps, meetings, lectures, activities would be carried out by these teachers/ volunteers to create social awareness amongst the local villagers about their rights/ responsibilities etc.

Funds:
------
CAPITAL: Initial one time Capital investment of Rs.53,000.00 (apprx.$1325.00) would be required to buy all material/ equipment for the economic self sufficiency programme.
RECURRING: Recurring expenses of approx. Rs. 1,61,000.00 ($ 4025.00)would be required each year for 3 years .

Project Team:
------------
Five trained teachers, two local teachers(Mushar caste boys),one consultant and four volunteers. Total team of 12 to assist in all three components of this project(school, vocational, social awareness).





Recurring Expenses :1325

Non-Recurring Expenses :4025

Objective: 1. To provide literacy to 80 SC/ST/OBC underprivileged children. 2. To make this education project economically self reliant in 3 years. 3. To create social/organizational awarness amongst the villagers.

Funding Amount: Initial Capital Expenditure: $ 1500 funded in June 99

Duration of funding : for three years starting June '99

Other details/comments:
----------------------
'ABHIYAN' is an active NGO in Patna lead by some very strong will powered youths who believe in JP and Gandhian philosophy and who have dedicated their lives to bring social change and upliftment in the lives of weak, poor and exploited sections in Bihar state.

Education centre:
----------------
This proposal is for starting a school in Bishwa village
to provide literacy and primary education to approximately 80 schedule class/ OBC children of extremely poor and ignorant families living in dire unhuman conditions. ( out of these, 30 children belong to mushar community ('rat eaters') which is an outcaste within the outcaste and their children are even today considered socially unacceptable and do not go to the govt schools. These children would be the first generation going to the school in this community. The education programme would be holistic in nature.

Economic self reliance:
----------------------
Besides education teachers would attempt to become self reliant by starting activities like screen printing, chyawanprash making, repair of diesel pump set, water tube well boring, tailoring etc. These activities will be carried out at the same centre. Children would also be encouraged to learn these skills.

Social/org awareness:
--------------------
camps, meetings, lectures, activities would be carried out by these teachers/ volunteers to create social awareness amongst the local villagers about their rights/ responsibilities etc.

Funds:
-----
Initial capital investment of $ 1325/- reqested in the first year to buy the machinery and equipment required for the economic self sufficiency programme. And Recurring expenses of $ 4025/- is solicited annually for 3 years.

Note: Asha -AZ Chapter has agreed to fund this project and has sent first instalment of $ 1500/- towards the inital capital investment in June 1999. Their reply with receipt is awaited.

Project Team:
five teachers, two local teachers from local community, three volunteers to assist .





Recurring Expenses :3500

Non-Recurring Expenses :1500

AIM OF THIS PROJECT: Objective: 1. To provide literacy to 80 SC/ST/OBC underprivileged children. 2. To make this education project economically self reliant in 3 years. 3. To create social/organizational awarness amongst the villagers.

PROJECT PROPOSAL BACKGROUND/SUMMARY
(based upon site visit report from Asha -India(lucknow volunteers):
'ABHIYAN' is an active NGO in Patna lead by some very strong will powered youths who believe in JP and Gandhian philosophy and who have dedicated their lives to bring social change and upliftment in the lives of weak, poor and exploited sections in Bihar state.
This project has a three dimension objective to it:
EDUCATION CENTER:
This proposal is for starting a school in Bishwa village
to provide literacy and primary education to approximately 80 schedule class/ OBC children of extremely poor and ignorant families living in dire unhuman conditions. ( out of these, 30 children belong to mushar community ('rat eaters') which is an outcaste within the outcaste and their children are even today considered socially unacceptable and do not go to the govt schools. These children would be the first generation going to the school in this community. The education programme would be holistic in nature.
ECONOMIC SELF RELIANCE:
Besides edu

Recurring Expenses :3500

Non-Recurring Expenses :1500

AIM OF THIS PROJECT: Objective: 1. To provide literacy to 80 SC/ST/OBC underprivileged children. 2. To make this education project economically self reliant in 3 years. 3. To create social/organizational awarness amongst the villagers.

PROJECT PROPOSAL BACKGROUND/SUMMARY
(based upon site visit report from Asha -India(lucknow volunteers):
'ABHIYAN' is an active NGO in Patna lead by some very strong will powered youths who believe in JP and Gandhian philosophy and who have dedicated their lives to bring social change and upliftment in the lives of weak, poor and exploited sections in Bihar state.
This project has a three dimension objective to it:
EDUCATION CENTER:
This proposal is for starting a school in Bishwa village
to provide literacy and primary education to approximately 80 schedule class/ OBC children of extremely poor and ignorant families living in dire unhuman conditions. ( out of these, 30 children belong to mushar community ('rat eaters') which is an outcaste within the outcaste and their children are even today considered socially unacceptable and do not go to the govt schools. These children would be the first generation going to the school in this community. The education programme would be holistic in nature.
ECONOMIC SELF RELIANCE:
Besides education teachers would attempt to become self reliant by starting activities like screen printing, chyawanprash making, repair of diesel pump set, water tube well boring, tailoring etc. These activities will be carried out at the same centre. Children would also be encouraged to learn these skills.
SOCIAL/ORG AWARENESS:
camps, meetings, lectures, activities would be carried out by these teachers/ volunteers to create social awareness amongst the local villagers about their rights/ responsibilities etc.

FUNDS SOLICITED:
Capital investment: $ 1500
Recurring expenses: $ 3500
--------------
The project proposal was first received in 1998, site visit by Asha -india volunteers -Arundhati Dhuru and Sanjai Rai was undertaken in Jan-Feb 1999.
The project was selected by Asha-AZ chapter in March-April 1999 based upon the feedback from the site visit and the cause effect of this project.
$1500 funded as first instalment(towards capital expenses) in June'99 to buy all equipment for the economic self sufficiency programme.
For recurring expenses @ $3500 p.a.for next three years, help from other asha chapters was solicited and Asha- Berkely has agreed to the funding
PROJECT TEAM:
five teachers, two local teachers from local community, three volunteers/social workers to assist.
CURRENT STATUS of Project (as on Nov 99):
Feedback is awaited from the project site about the starting of project /development thereof.




Recurring Expenses :4000.00

Non-Recurring Expenses :1500.00

Hard Data :
--------------

Amount requested :Total Rs. 2,14,000.00
Capital (one time initial funds): Rs. 53,000
Recurring Expenses (each year for three years): Rs. 1,61,000.00

Amount disbursed :
New project, funds will be dispersed soon.

Total number of children benefitted : 80 SC/ST/OBC children
from extremely poor
backward and socially
outcaste tribe.

Girl / Boy ratio : Not yet known


Teacher / Student ratio : Unknown ( at this point)
Total staff of 12 as the project team to carry out all three
components
of
project viz. school/ vocational training/ soical awareness.
5 trained teachers
2 local community boys as teacher
aids
1 consultant
4 volunteers


Total budget of the organization requesting funds : The
education aspect
relies entirely on Asha funding.

What % of total funds is Asha giving : 100%

Date at which proposal was received : October 1998


Date at which funding started:
JUNE 1999

Project Contact Person (from asha-chapter) : (Name & email/phone
number
)
Kiran Shah 602-755-9466 kiranshah69@hotmail.com AZ US Chapter
Arundhati Dhuru 522-347365 asha@1w1.vsnl.net.in Lucknow Asha
India.

Semi-Soft :
---------------

Time frame of Asha involvement (one time donation, continuous
support )
:
For THREE Years
Project plans to become self sufficient by fourth year.

Location :
(State , rural / urban ...)
very Rural, PATNA District, BIHAR State, India.

What kind of education : (Formal/informal )

BOTH
Educational/ vocational

Perceived success rate of the project :
(retention ratio, improvement in socio-economic status etc...)

1.If the project will overcome initial political and upper caste
power
groups threat (risk), retention ratio could be considered high.
2.Improvement in socio economic status of the target community
is
considered
to be tremendous and would go a long way.

Number of site visits ? Who has visited the project ?
ONE. Arundhati Dhuru and Sanjay Rai, Asha India volunteers.

Organization requesting funds :
ABHIYAN. A registered non profit organization in Patna, BIHAR
since a
long
time lead by youth who believe in Gandhian and JP philosophy and
are
committed to bringing improvement in the lives of poor and
exploited
classes in Bihar.

Alternate sources for their funding :
Local and National agencies including Education Deptt,Govt of
India

How did Asha get the project ?
Asha AZ had sent out letters to a bunch of NGOs in Bihar.
Abhiyan is one
from
whom we received a response. Sandeep, Arundhati (from Asha
India)
further
modified their proposal.

Does the project have a web-page ?
http://www.ashanet.org/arizona/projects/ABHIYAN.html

Soft Data :
------------


Aims and objectives of the project :
1.To give literacy to 80 children of extremely poor, socially
outcaste
community in very remote and backward region of Patna District
in Bihar
state.
2. To start couple of economic productive activites, to give
vocational
training to the staff, students and their parents, which would
help
generate income, make the project self sufficent in three years
and
would
help these children and their families become economically
independent
and
free from the exploitation of upper caste land lords.


Main reason for requesting money :
(summary of project proposal in 2-3 sentences)
1.To start a school for SC/ST/OBC children.(Village has no
school). 2.To
buy equipment and material for starting the vocational self
sufficiency
programme.

Perceived strengths of the project ?
1.ABHIYAN is a recognized and reputed non governmetn
organization in
Bihar.
Has also been working as coordination agency campaign against
child
labor
(CACL)Patna District.
2. Proposed project readily meets Asha objectives of providing
basic
education needs of underprivileged children. (This would be the
first
generation from this socially backward and outcaste community to
go to
school.)


Perceived weaknesses of the project ?
Political instability, upper caste power group, high rate of
caste base
crime in Bihar and dire poor and ignorant conditions of the
target
community is perceived as the only risk factor for survival and
success
of
this ambitious but challenging project.


What are the future plans for this project ?
To give this project a head start with 80 children initially,
and to
make
the project self sufficient by fourth year with the help of
income
generating economic component of the project.


What are the improvements noticed because of Asha support ?
YET to see..


What do you think is the overall effectiveness of this project ?
( in changing ignorance/literacy level etc. )

Can be HIGHLY EFFECTIVE.
Their current situation is so pathetic and dark that any small
effort
done
to eradicate illiteracy and ignorance would greatly influence
their
lives
and lead their children towards a better future where they would
be able
to
live with human dignity.



Thx.
Questions/ suggestions welcome.
Kiran Shah
Asha Volunteer- AZ chapter
email: kiranshah69@hotmail.com