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About AID
Association for India's Development is a volunteer-based, non-profit organization committed to promoting sustainable, equitable and just development. AID supports grassroots organizations in India and initiates efforts in various inter-connected spheres such as agriculture, energy, education, health, livelihoods, natural resources including land and water, women's empowerment and social justice.
Compassion wherever there is suffering. Conviction that the compassion is strong enough to
eliminate suffering. Courage to make this conviction a reality.
This is AID.
Our Vision
The problems of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, disease, social inequalities, corruption and loss of natural resources reinforce one another and are interconnected. Hence the efforts addressing them must be also be interconnected.
Welcome
Dear AID Patron, We, the volunteers of AID, MIT and Boston chapters, appreciate and thank you for your commitment and continued support that enable us to carry forward our mission to substantially impact marginalized communities in India. From its humble beginning in 1991, AID has continuously strived to listen to the voices of the poorest of the poor and, in the process, developed a deeper understanding of the issues that affect their lives. After 22 years, we feel closer to people, their issues and derive great strength from their indomitable spirit and resilience. A volunteer organization like ours is energized by passionate volunteers and ardent supporters like you. Significant portion of the funds that we raise come from individual donations. Now, we hope you can make that difference by making your contribution to AID.
AID Projects
Association for India's Development supports several projects in different sectors across India. Here are some active projects in 2012-13.
Agriculture
DRCSCs seed conservation project is promoting a biodiversified farmer system to protect small farmer investment and also make agriculture profitable by setting up a seed center and a demo kitchen for food security in Paschim Banga.
Organic farming in Sunderbans started post Cyclone Aila with BTS & Mukti promoting organic, sustainable agriculture techniques to reclaim salinated land and supporting over 3000 farmers in the last 4 years in Paschim Banga.
Anti-Corruption
RTI Manch is a group of activists working on issues such as Right to Information (RTI), National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and electoral reforms through kiosks, workshops, social audits and awareness campaigns in Rajasthan.
Mukti sets up a Right to Information help center to raise awareness on pro-people government schemes and rights based work in Sunderbans area, Paschim Banga.
RTI Purulia project has been implemented in 3 blocks in Purulia district in Paschim Banga with over 100 public meetings talking about public distribution systems(PDS), agriculture, cooperative loans, self help groups (SHG) and other social entitlements using RTI laws.
Education
Jambuni Child Growth center supports education and enrichment initiatives for 110 poor Santhal tribal children to prepare them for mainstream education and organizes crche programs for 60 babies in Birbhum district, Paschim Banga.
Parivartan provides informal education to approximately 120 children from migrant communities regardless of religion, caste, culture, language or gender in the slums of Wadala in Mumbai, Maharashtra. A bridge school to formal education.
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Community Empowerment
Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS) tackles the problems associated with illegal mining in Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur, Karnataka and Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh by strengthening local self-rule, community control of natural resources and livelihood.
Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS) is a peoples movement based in Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh. More than 10,000 rural women and men have mobilized to demand work and fair wages under NREGA, access to irrigation water, social services and implementation of other pro-people policies.
Public Health
Two community workers from Jadugora, Jharkhand which has been the epicenter for health crisis from uranium mining will undergo extensive 9 months training with Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS), a pioneer in community health work in Chhattisgarh.
Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS) runs crches providing day care and nutrition to children between 6 months and 3 years of age which lets parents go to work and elder sibling to go to school. In 2012-13, the program will reach out to 1100 kids along with early childhood education and stimulation activities in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.
Trust for Reaching the Unreached (TRU) is working on rural mental health for poor communities and focusing on community based rehabilitation in Panchmahal in Gujarat.
SATHI health rights project effectively introduced the measures suggested by National Rural Health Mission through techniques like report cards for health officials and jan sunwais (social audits) in Badwani district, Madhya Pradesh.
Social Justice
Justice for Bhopal campaign hopes to achieve justice and a life of dignity for the survivors of the gas disaster in 1984 caused by Union Carbide (now Dow Chemicals) disaster in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh focusing on compensation , clean water and clean up of toxic site.
Rehabilitation of internally displaced people (IDP) project tries to ensure basic requirements of food, health, livelihood, education and basic human rights and dignities for 10,000 IDPs fleeing armed conflict in Chhatisgarh in 150 settlements in Khammam, Andhra Pradesh.
All projects have been visited by AID Volunteers and we continue to learn 5 from each other.
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Overall Impact: More than 2000 patients at the clinic on health issues Community is more sensitized on mental health and reducing stigma 6 with mental health. associated
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Creating models of quality healthcare for rural India. Stemming malnutrition from 0-3 years; maternal, ante & neo-natal care for all Holding the public health system accountable by community monitoring. Advocacy to strengthen health and patient rights
Challenges: Low awareness of health rights in rural parts, very high infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate, absence of trained medical staff & medicines in rural health centers, refusal to accept critical patients by health centers & referral to far off urban centers and unavailability of ambulances. 7
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Agrarian Crisis
1995-2010: Every 28 minutes, a farmer committed suicide.
Agriculture and the population dependent on it is facing a severe crisis in India today. At the heart of AIDs work in agriculture is its concern with the livelihood of the small and marginal farmers, the landless, the adverse effect of chemical farming on health and the environment. AID works with its partners to promote low external input sustainable organic agriculture, reclaiming degraded land, retaining control of seeds by the farming communities and nurturing conditions that make farming remunerative for the marginal farmer.
Overall Impact:
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Low external-input sustainable organic farming Conservation, seed rights and landreclamation Building consumer-farmer linkages Advocacy campaigns to support small farmers
Overall Impact:
Starting with 25 farmers in 2009; today, 3000 farmers have taken up these methods Farmers have become trainers and have been taking the movement forward 1000 acres of land under sustainable organic farming Women have taken up leadership roles in spreading the movement Organic methods save Rs 4500 on 1 acre for paddy
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Annual Fundraiser
Why do I run 26.2 miles for AID?
Being utterly bored of being a gym-rat, in the winter of 2011-2012, I decided that come spring, I will start running outdoors, along the river hopefully! I was introduced to this amazing organization, AID and their marathon fundraiser, TeamAIDAsha (TAA), by a friend and it was the very first time I ran anything greater than 2 miles with this group. The TAA program is geared towards first -time / beginner and experienced runners to train and run a full or half -marathon while raising funds for AID and Asha, Boston/MIT chapters. It has a very dedicated group of volunteers and an excellent coach. I ended up not only running a full marathon and raising over $2620 for a great cause but also making some great friends along the way.
I gradually began to understand the causes that AID volunteers strive so hard to support working towards self-reliance and empowerment of some of the poorest and extremely marginalized communities in India. I became very curious about their work and decided to attend the regular meeting every Sunday with specific agenda items such as introduction of new projects, talks and issue based discussions. I learned a lot about AIDs past as well as current projects, their campaigns, and Jeevansaathis and became interested in becoming more involved. I am the 2013 Tabling coordinator and am very glad to be a small part of this marvelous organization. I continue to run as part of TAA and hope to raise more awareness and funds in the near future! Learn more about the program: www.teamaidasha.org ~ Shivangi Joshi
2012 Concerts:
Speaker Series
Voices from grassroot India
AID hosts public events with grassroots leaders from India in an effort to raise awareness about the issues in communities around us and produce a direct bridge to the grassroots. Learning from the communities that live sustainably, we try to live responsibly and as true partners, raising our voice again injustice.
Talks in 2013:
Jan 1, 2013 : Vigil at Harvard Square Pit: Delhi rape and Violence Against Women Mar 2, 2013 : Discussion with director, Anand Patwardhan: Jai Bhim Comrade Documentary screening Mar 3, 2013: Panel Discussion : Violence Against Women and the case of Soni Sori Mar 11, 2013 : Talk by Shweta Narayan: Mercury In The Mist April 18, 2013 : Discussion with director, Micha Peled : Bitter Seeds Documentary Screening May 8, 2013 : Panel Discussion with Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Balmurli Natarajan and Sirisha Naidu: Development for Whom? Posco in India May 10, 2013 : Talk by SR Hiremath: Illegal Mining in India and Peoples struggle May 18, 2013 : Talk by Dr. Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Nazrul Islam: Water Futures of Bangladesh and India : Separated by borders, connected by rivers May 22, 2013: Talk by Dr. Ilina Sen: Women and Democratic Movements in India
Talks in 2012:
March 23, 2012: Talk by Prashant Bhushan : The Anti-Corruption Movement in India : Its focus on participatory democracy April 15, 2012: Talk by Aruna Roy : Transparency and Accountability in Governance: Challenges in India June 12, 2012: Talk by Pankti Jog: Transforming lives via Right to Information
Volunteer Perspectives
We are a family!
When I went to India for my friends wedding in December 2011, I was excited about meeting most of my friends who had moved back after graduation from university. I was also excited because I was going to do some sightseeing but what struck me were the hardships that people had to go through. After the trip, I decided to volunteer and find a way to make a difference in India. Being a part of AID has given me a new perspective of the world around me. I have learnt more about the issues that the country faces. Every time I come to the chapter meetings, I am amazed at the depth of knowledge that the volunteers have and every time we meet, we learn about issues that people are working on. Its very motivating to hear about people who work towards a better society everyday for others. Everyone in this chapter is so passionate that it will definitely rub on you. Most of all, people are so welcoming that you really start to feel like you are part of a family. ~ Roshan Chandiramani
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What inspired me to join AID is its holistic approach to problem solving, its vision of providing sustainable solutions to a variety of problems and social issues. Being a part of the AID-Boston chapter, I was amazed by the passion, optimism and dedication shown by its volunteers. Here are a group of individuals who get together every week and work hard to bring about desirable changes at the grassroots, back in India. The volunteers also play a great role in campaigning to spread awareness among people and raising funds to support some great initiatives. Working here makes volunteering a fun experience and I am truly honored to be a part of the AID family. ~ Nandini Shekhar
Working at AID has set a pattern in my life to help and serve my community. I have learnt two important things from the AID family: 1. Look at the positives in life 2. Never ignore poverty, corruption and injustice; instead make it a mission to eradicate these imperfections Earlier I used to complain about my life even when everything was smooth sailing but AID helped me evolve from being a self focused person to a humble and empathetic one. Volunteering for AID has been a defining moment in my life. I am happy that I am able to contribute in my community though AID. ~ Shivang Mandalia
I like AID Boston because I like to be polite. I like to help with water support for the marathon runners in the summer. I like helping everyone in AID who works for India. ~ Adrita Mukherji
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Financial Picture
Here is how you supported AID.
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Printed responsibly using environmentally sustainable practices by a cooperatively managed print and graphic design shop that has been supporting organizations for social and economic change. Recently recognized in Boston as a "Sustainable Business Leader" for being committed to environment sustainability.
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Association For Indias Development MIT & Boston Chapter P.O. Box 390884 Cambridge, MA 02139
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...
Association for India's Development is a volunteer movement promoting sustainable, equitable and just development. AID supports grassroots organizations in India and initiates efforts in various interconnected spheres such as agriculture, energy, education, health, livelihoods, natural resources including land and water, women's empowerment and social justice.
www.aidboston.org | info@aidboston.org