Grant bestowed on – Sikshana- one of Vibha’s key Education projects in India

Sunnyvale, CA, October 27^th, 2009….Vibha, a volunteer run, not-for-profit organization focused at childhood education and healthcare, today announced a notable grant of $40,000 from Yahoo Employees Foundation (YEF). This grant from a global organization has furthered and leveraged Vibha’s efforts in supporting childhood development projects in India.

YEF, one of Yahoo! Inc’s social responsibility programs is a grassroots philanthropic organization that brings together the talents, time, and financial resources of Yahoo! employees to serve the needs of communities around the globe. The grant has been allocated by YEF to facilitate Vibha’s effort to scale up Sikshana- a project aimed at improving the learning levels in the public education system.

Sikshana which started out in 2002 in Karnataka with 3 public schools, today works with 134 schools supporting around 19,000 children. An additional 166 schools are in the pipeline with the onset of Phase IV of this project, taking the total reach of the project to more than 43,000 children.  The YEF grant will be used towards supporting 40 schools in the Phase IV expansion, reaching 5000 children.

In addition to playing a major role in this scaling up effort, Vibha has also facilitated, and provided the financial support towards replicating the Sikshana model in Andhra Pradesh. This will be initiated through another Vibha supported organization called Gandhian Organization for Rural Development (GORD). Using structured problem solving methods Sikshana has created a cost effective solution to address the shortcomings of individual schools, by spending about $12 per child per year to augment the government expense of $130 per child per year.

This grant is the result of consistent effort of a team of Vibha volunteers who closely communicate and research with various foundations and organizations, who have the scope to fund social development projects and organizations. Speaking about this grant, Sandhya Acharya of  VIBHA said, “We are really pleased to have the support of YEF. We are excited we will be reaching 5,000 children with this $40K grant. The win reinforces our confidence in Sikshana as a project that can deliver and make a long lasting impact. Kudos also to the grants team for working through the year persistently and putting together a great application for this.”

What: Indiya Shine Awards 2009

Category: Best of USA Medium Non-profit

And the winner is ……. Vibha

Enough said!

Best of USA Medium Non-profit Winner

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- by Srujana Pattabathula, volunteer, Austin, TX

I write this with the many other Vibha volunteers in mind. I want to express my profound sense of gratitude to the volunteers and the organization they have created and continue to support. Thank you for everything that each of you is doing for the children in India. I am grateful for having found such an exceptional organization as an avenue to create positive change.

Gratitude…that word encapsulates the reason why I have chosen to volunteer for Vibha. I knew how to define the word. But I didn’t know what it meant until I spent time among children of the poorest poor in India, earlier this year.

Some lessons take a long time to be learned. To sink in. And then one day, you look in the mirror and you realize that the charade is over. After witnessing the lives children lead there, I realized that I could no longer hide behind a veil of indifference or ignorance.

Whenever I saw the children on the streets in India, or on the television here, I would do so with a broken heart. There were children who walk miles upon miles to the nearest school because they simply want to learn. It is their faces that come to mind on cold, cloudy mornings when I would rather stay in bed than attend my 8 am class. I can no longer justify looking for every excuse not to go to class. Instead, I am grateful for the ability and means to learn. These children put things into a perspective I would have never gained elsewhere.

I realized that it could have just as easily been me born as a child who is a helpless victim of disease, violence, famine, and injustice. It could have easily been me. But for the grace of God, I am part of a tremendously fortunate few in the world to have a solid education. I must say that there are many times when I take it for granted. However, I realize that education has opened many doors for me and I cannot imagine life otherwise.

Unfortunately, so many children in India do not have the opportunity to achieve their potential or even dream about a life like ours partly because of a lack of education. For this reason, I am planning to run a Half-Marathon to raise funds for Vibha’s education projects for these underprivileged children in India.

This is one of the most challenging tasks I have undertaken, but I realize that it dims in comparison to the challenges that these children will face without a proper education.

The fundraising journey has been arduous, but immensely rewarding. At every step, I have been greeted by people who are enthusiastic about this organization and the cause it advances. People have been contributing generously and keenly, based on the simple notion that for a small fraction of our yearly expenditures, we can give an underprivileged child the best gift one can give to another person…Education.

So I want to thank Vibha for bringing together people like myself, to help make a life for these children. Thank you for allowing me to fulfill my moral responsibility and duty and rebuild the lives of these children with heart and soul. Thank you for the chance to break the cycle these children have been born into, set them on a path to build positive change, and become the leaders of tomorrow. Thank you Vibha for giving these children hope, a chance to rise, dream…and learn.

You can support my efforts by making a pledge at   http://www.active.com/donate/vibhamarathoners/Srujana

by Sasi Tadepalli

PRAGATI 2009

DAY 2

Oct 03, 2009

The second day of the conference started off in a much more relaxed manner, thanks to the excellent ice-breaker “skits” by all the participants and Vibha volunteers!

Session #1 – LONG TERM GOAL, VISION/MISSION

Panel – JanMadhyam, Vidyarambam, SKB (Sarada Kalyan Bhandar), GRSV(Gohaldanga Ramakrishna Sarada Vivekananda Sevakendra), HEARDS (Health Education Adoption Rehabilitation Development Society)

Guest Speaker – Jyotsana Lall

Mrs. Lall, the founding member of Gramin Siksha Kendra, has been working in the development sector for over 20 years.  A graduate of rural management, she works primarily with underprivileged communities and aims to professionalize development initiatives.  She has worked with a number of national and international organizations including Digantar, Center for Environment Education and the National Dairy Development Board.

From the onset, there was an energetic and spirited discussion on the topic.  Participants started out trying to define Vision and Mission, Long and Short term goals and how they differ.  When a new organization is established, it is forced to write up a vision/mission statement, even if it is an external organization that compels it to do that.  Issues like the basic need for a statement, how often the goals need to change and when to review the mission statement were discussed at length, with Mrs. Lall taking the lead.  As she put, most of the participants work with just an impulse to make a small difference – having to put this down in words when a society or trust is formed or when marketing and funding teams demand it can get hard for the people working on the field.  Although some may feel that it is just jargon, it can be important to be on the same page with others in the sector when trying to convey what the organization actually does.

A few of the participants and the panelists pointed out that the vision and mission of an organization should translate into the team’s vision/mission and in everything that it and its partners do.   One question that was widely debated was – When some ground level realities drive some changes in the work that an organization set out to do, does this warrant a change in the vision/mission?  Maybe not, just change the approach and the activities that take us towards the vision.

Talked about if any of the social organizations present achieved their mission/vision that they set out to achieve and one perspective is that we can look at it from one success story at a time.  Some examples of how their missions were partly achieved by some examples were given by some of the organizations present.

Other questions that were discussed – What tells the organization that it has indeed achieved its vision?  Is it possible?  Even if, then we find something else to do – the vision of the community should drive the organization and the other way around.

Ron Victor, the president of Vibha explained how the vision and mission statements mean a lot to Vibha as an organization.  They link the people wanting to make a difference with the people working on the field.  He reiterated the point that every individual in the organization needs to know what the exact vision and mission of the organization is and act according to that in every task that they do.

Lastly, topics that lead directly to the next session were discussed – How are the needs of the community assessed?  It is important to be constantly aware of all the needs the community has, even if we are not working in all the areas.  Importance of knowing the needs and pulse of a community and addressing what and how a healthy give and take can happen for a shared vision was talked about.

Session #2 – COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS

Panel – GSK (Gramin Siksha Kendra),  RDO (Rural Development Organization), SKB (Sarada Kalyan Bhandar), GORD (Gandhian Organization for Rural Development), BCT (Bhagavatula Chraitable Trust) – Tribal Schools

Guest – Jyotsana Lall

When asked why the need to communicate with stakeholders arises, participants responded with various thoughts – Accountability to the community, partners and donors, communication is vital with the community, door to door visits, regular meetings, street plays, etc. should all be employed.  If one mode of communication fails, another innovative one should be employed.  Maybe bring in an outsider to analyze/assess the process and impact.  We shouldn’t be a case “Lost in Translation” due to a lack of understanding of what the community needs and due to misunderstanding between management and field workers.  If the program workers are not from the local community or area, the workers need to first understand the local culture, work towards building a trust with the community before they can have a real impact.  The effectiveness of any program depends on how the beneficiaries perceive the program and the field workers.

Other ideas that were presented were: make the community understand that it is responsible for the program.  It is VERY important to ensure that the stakeholders take ownership of the program – create local committees; let the stakeholders contribute to the program; involve the local Panchyat Raj in these committees; let the community come up with a solution for any problems; let them decide the terms of the program and the organization of the activities; give a small group from the community itself the onus of motivating the rest of the community; remember that the organization is only a facilitator for the program.

Ideas on communication with the donors – if you are in line with what the grant letter says, then the rest should fall into place.  However the mode of reporting and formats may vary from agency to agency and you would have to just live with that.  Sometimes, it is the project’s duty to convey the ground realities to the funding agency and ask them to change the scope of what is required in the community and, any reasonable funding agency will adapt to the changing needs of the community.  If the donor/government insists on continuing work that is not appropriate to the situation on the ground, make the community itself involved in talking to the donor/government – the donor, program and the government should all be answerable to the community.

One question that was immediately addressed by the Vibha team was “How would you communicate to the donor that you disagree with their point of view on a basic program requirement?”  Vibha responded that the program can demonstrate, with examples and case studies, to the donor on what and why it is really required.

Ron’s thoughts on relationship with the trustees – when a society is formed with like minded people, not because it had to be formed in hurry, then a healthy relationship follows.  If the board is not involved, the program should actively chart out ways of involving the board members – send regular reports, proactively call for meetings, form an active “steering” committee to counter a passive trustee so as to not become a one-person show, etc.  It is also very important for the trustees to know what is happening on the field and to be in touch with the stakeholders.

Some of the participants acknowledged that they actually learnt quite a bit on the various modes of communication and what positive changes good communication and relationship with the stakeholders has brought about.

Finally, how can any group influence policy at a higher level?  If partner NGOs can communicate and agree on a few basic points, then together, they can in turn communicate to the higher authorities!

Session #3 – ACCOUNTING PRACTICES AND FINANCIAL ISSUES

Panel – Rachana, Alamb, RMKM (Rajasthan Mela Kalyan Mandal), BCT (Bhagavatula Charitable Trust), BTS

Speaker – Anil Baranwal

Mr. Anil Baranwal, a consultant at Account Aid in Delhi, has a background in both rural development and financial accounting and has been providing support and guidance to NGOs and donor agencies on financial management.

Mr. Anil started the session with sample budgets of educational projects, simple method of a fund utilization statement, accounting system for an educational project.  Questions like how to show the books when local funds are used to offset a delay in foreign funds, how staff receiving salaries from two different projects have to be maintained, if FCRA account to local bank transfers are allowed and if unused FCRA money can be put in a corpus were answered.

Next, Mr. Anil tried to get the group to define a budget – estimation of upcoming expenditure.  It cannot be exact, ‘cause the actual expenditure will be either more or less than what was budgeted.  Some donor agencies accept about 5-10% variance, given proper reasons.

He explained how the various elements of a budget are activity, program and resource dependent.  He asked everyone to make it a habit to break down each item into actual specifics.  Inflation (5-10% maybe) should also factor in while preparing a budget.  However, appreciation and/or depreciation should not be a part of the budget.

Rajesh Haridas, the COO of Vibha explained how a good budget tells the donor agency the amount of work and thought put into creating it and how involved the staff is in the details of the project itself.  Clearer the budget, better are the chances that it will get funded!

Sample financial reports – Unaudited and Audited were shown.  Audited reports that opine on the various parts of the report are much more valuable than a straight “checked and corrected” audit.

How FCRA accounts are maintained was discussed at length.  ITRA, 12-A, Section 2 and other financial jargon was also touched upon.

The following topic created quite a stir amongst all the NGOs – Definition of a charitable organization was defined as per the government of India norms providing FREE services (medical, educational and shelter) to the needy is deemed as charitable but organizations selling any products or charging any fees do not come under charitable agencies as of April 2008.  How can our projects that sell products made by the beneficiaries or charge fees need to change their program to fit these new rules.  If the project CANNOT survive without selling, then separate your organization into two different parts.  There was one exception to this for the children with disabilities, where the program can charge a fee to the parents (who can afford to pay), who is turn can claim an exemption on the fee.  What happens to this now? – It was decided that all questions will be addressed by Mr. Anil, through Vibha.

The panel gave detailed examples from its respective experiences on each member tackled various financial hurdles that he/she had encountered.  The panel agreed that one should rely heavily on the accountants, but do not leave it completely to the accountant.  The program should be aware of the accounting reports and the audits that are being sent out.  If the program does not have access to or cannot afford a chartered accountant, you can register yourself with AccountAid – www.accountaid.net – which sends update and informational brochures on the latest laws and rules that can be used by the program’s local accountant. “Trust but Verify”

Another important topic related to terminology was addressed.  “Honorarium” – a nominal, non-negotiated amount (varying and voluntary) paid to the worker AFTER the services were provided.  However, a number of programs use this term, including the government, use this term for the monthly amount paid to the staff.  The validity of that was discussed at length.  “Salary” – preset payment to staff for tasks done

Session #4 – AVOIDING FINANCIAL CRISIS

Panel – Sevalaya, Prayas, Amta, Rachana

Speaker – Anil Baranwal

The last session led very naturally into this session, especially with Mr. Anil continuing as the guest speaker.  He immediately jumped into the topic – the primary way to avoid a crisis is to have a Corpus Fund.

The panel had inputs from everyone on what the meaning of a Corpus Fund (CF) and on who is allowed and should hold a CF.  A trust is allowed to hold it – when this fund is created by selling some assets or by funds raised (ear-marked) for that purpose, it is called a CF.  The interest from the CF can be used for the program.  Ear marked funds can be accumulated for a maximum of 5 years.

Questions like how ear-marked funds can be used as general funds and how unspent funds can be transferred to the corpus were answered by Mr. Baranwal.  The corpus can be dipped into by the program.  However, Endowment funds are ear marked funds where the income from this fund is utilized by the program according to the donor’s instructions.  The endowment principal itself cannot be used by the program.  However, when an external agency, mostly from the US sends an EF, it is listed as EF/CF so that the fund can be used in the future.  Also, 15% of our income (ONLY interest and local donation) every year can be used to build the CF.  If a donor agrees to let you transfer the unspent amount to the CF, a written letter from the donor is very important to show to the Income Tax dept.

Mr. Baranwal pointed out that the money of CF and EF can be invested only in certain permitted mutual funds, scheduled banks, etc., but not stocks and chits (IT Act 1961).

Mr. Baranwal also said that having multiple donors is another way of avoiding crisis.  Also, one panelist observed that most NGOs tend to do expense budgeting but only a few do income budgeting.  If we budget out the income, NGOs can easily avoid pitfalls.

Another issue that caused quite a stir amongst the participants was the news that new changes, which will come into effect once passed have been proposed by the finance minister – to change the renewal process of the ATG to get lifetime validity instead of renewals every 3 years.  Unspent funds by March will be taxed at 15%.  So, the NGO has to work with the donor agency to schedule your grant/budget accordingly.  How does this affect the current CF that the NGOs have?  The ministry was looking for inputs and feedback from the people on these issues before the bill is passed but the date has already passed.  Can we go through the backdoor and still have the government hear us out?

Examples and experiences from the various NGOs were given on how they each built their corpus, how they deal with their FCRA accounts, how they dealt with crises on the field, etc.  Ron Victor, the president of Vibha, and the COO of Vibha, Rajesh Haridas, gave the group a perspective of how Vibha, as the donor agency and its board, deals with numbers, funds and proposals – monthly board meetings, building a corpus, how budgets are reviewed and how reserves are used.

With this the day’s proceedings came to an end.  The final event for the day was the 10 BCT Model High School children performing for all the participants before dinner.  They conveyed, through song and dance, the importance of keeping good mental, physical and social health in all villages in our country.  It was very well received by everyone and was an excellent way to end the day!

The Bay Area recently held their 5K/10K Dream Mile on June 28 2009, and it turned out to be the most successful Dream Mile ever.  Do you want to know how it happened, what the volunteers did, how they felt after?

These are some voices from the Bay Area Dream Mile 2009 team – they will speak in their own words about what the event meant to them, what they felt was the highlight and what impact it has left on our action center. ? Read on….

Raja Gobi – chairman emeritus of the BA action center [BAAC]

“What can I say? It is easily the biggest Dream Mile I have been part of and my vocabulary is not strong enough to express my thoughts.  To achieve something of this magnitude in a recessionary economy is more proof that whatever flowery language I can come up with. I felt that the core team of brand new volunteers subscribed to the true nature of the event wholeheartedly and starting running at 100 mph off the blocks. It was really refreshing to see the friendly competitions and how they used that to boost the results in a constructive manner was a breath of fresh air. Hats off the entire core team.”

Muthu – ex- Vibha-COO, current member BAAC.

“Prioritization – last year there was this aspect of we need to do this, we need to do that etc, whereas, relatively speaking, this year there was a greater focus, and better execution on what was decided on.

Better understanding of roles and responsibilities – This is both with the core leads at the top and every volunteer in the chain of command and is a clear marker for success.

Now to the volunteer part – I’ve never seen a Vibha event handling an excess of volunteers. Case in point is this guy Pierre who was in parking. Just finished high school, non-desi, never heard of Vibha before, just saw something about us wanting volunteers online and came in to volunteer.”

Balaji Rajam, 6+ years in the BAAC, member- National Marketing Team, Vibha

“During my second week at Vibha, we (the sponsorship team) met with the (now defunct) Biz-dev team. We were sitting around discussing potential sponsors. I suggested that we should be approaching companies like Gatorade & PowerAde. I was shot down saying “We are not big enough for them to be interested in us”. So seeing PowerAde folks handing out their beverages at the finish line was sort of a vindication for me. Even better was the fact that they approached us. I think that speaks volumes about how far we have come. “

Mukesh Mirchandani, National Fund-Raising Director, Vibha

“All I can say is that I am happy and content. The commitment of the newbie’s to Vibha’s cause of helping the underprivileged was on full display yesterday. Brilliant, all-round perfection.  “

James Phillip, 7+ years in the BAAC

“Questions this time leading up to the Dream Mile were – How do we handle 900+ participants? When do we cut off on the day registration – 300, 350 or 400? And this amazing transition from eons ago (seems distant now where we worried about increasing registrations was truly made possible by a newbie-powered Dream Team who dreamed big, executed well and inspired everyone.”

Milind Sonawane, 6+ years in the BAAC

“Truly amazing experience it was at the Dream Mile, seeing close to a thousand runners and walkers behind the lead biker. In 6 years, this was my first race start that I had seen, and it was great. Actually we can say that, we are not very far from seeing tens of thousands of runners in Vibha dream mile given the set of turbo charged volunteers we had this year. Especially the new volunteers (Vivek, Ribhu, Prashanth, and Shravan) who had energy like I have never seen before.”

Anand Aravindan, 8+ years in the BAAC

• Factual achievements – A decade of the Walk in the Bay Area, the largest in terms of volunteers, pre-paid registrants and total registrants. A successful pledge drive.

• Innovative solutions – The Vibha branded paper weights that I never got to see, Tap-smack tattoos, twitter and face book for publicity, page hits to track impact, ‘
• Dedication # 1 – new vols who came in and took on tasks that were daunting, but in handling them injected a new life into them…
• Dedication # 2 – experience spoke volumes!  Inventory, booths setup, registrations, water stations, trails & signs, volunteer relations, décor, carnival, food, sponsorships. If something appeared to have been an easy task from outside, it’s because the execution of the task has been distilled down to a science. “

Rajesh Haridas, COO Vibha.

“940 Registrations, 30K Plus in Pledges, 100 Plus Volunteers!!!!!! The super-motivated, new volunteers created the momentum and nothing could hold them back.  In fact it inspired everyone to put in their 100%.  The ACC’s played a crucial role in providing the right leadership.   The execution on the day was truly awesome.  Even when we hit a road block we didn’t panic, instead found a Plan B and ensured that the event started on time. Our volunteers managed to carry 70 A-stands on their shoulder to set up the trail on a very hot day.   That clearly shows the commitment of this team.”

Umesh Lakshman – Bay Area ACC

“First of all, I believe the newbie’s to Vibha, stepped it up a notch. The pillars of the event, registrations and publicity, along with Logistics were some of the best planned and executed portions of this event. Ribhu, Prashanth, Harini, Taniya, Vivek, Shravan; you guys are the future of Vibha.
But I think what I have truly witnessed is a result of great teamwork and synergy between the new &  old, the dreamers and the doers, the calm and the crazy, and last by not least…the leaders and the leaders… Yes, all of the volunteers yesterday stepped it up and lead something to ensure the event went as planned…”

Bahi Anandarengan- Bay Area ACC

“These numbers are truly awesome. I and Vikram started volunteering around the same time for 2004 Run/Walk and first time at Shoreline too… The no. of registrations and pledge pretty much doubled over years. It’s amazing to see the new volunteers like Prashanth, Ribhu, Shravan and Vivek took up tasks and enabled taking this event to new heights under the able mentoring from Vikram, Balaji, Umesh, & Mukesh. I would like to mention my special Thanks and Congratulations to the Dream Mile 2009 Core Team Members for spending their valuable time for last several months and set this new record.”

Vikram Chandran – - Bay Area ACC

“When I assumed the position of acting lead for the Walk in May, I was a little apprehensive of the task ahead of us this year for the Dream Mile. I was wrong!!!

To give you some idea of the magnitude of our achievement - In 2008, we had 600+ runners, 57 volunteers on race day, and raised $24,000 in pledges. Dream Mile 2008 by any standards, was a big success for us.

In 2009, we had 940 registered runners, 140 [yes, you read that right] volunteers on race day, and an incredible $34,000 in pledges! We have officially made the Dream Mile a $50K event this year.

This could not have happened without the incredible, whole-hearted commitment of our volunteers to this task. As ACC’s – Umesh, Bahi and I are proud to be part of such an enthusiastic, passionate, and dedicated group of people.”

Anand Kumar, 6+ years at BAAC

“I am just simply amazed at the biggest walk I’ve ever seen in all these years. All the new leads came up with a fresh new perspective on things. The proof just lies in the numbers they pulled in, both in runners, and the pledge raised. Special thanks to Anand and Taniya/Harini for efficient organization, and keeping us sane.”

Taniya Baveja, 3 years at Vibha, Volunteer Relations Team lead – Bay Area Action Center

“Dream Mile 2009! When the planning for this event began, all we started with were tough goals, big ambitions and a great team with passions that ran deep. My involvement with the event started with booth publicity at the Pat Tillman race -Prashant and Ribhu’s infectious zest to drive the publicity efforts hit me.

Harini – whatever is said about this outstanding person may not be enough. Barely a week away from the event – I had to travel out of town for work. Harini took up the reins to deal with the ballooning volunteer requirements from all sides. Harini took up this onerous task of balancing volunteers available and dealing with the leads with a cool demeanor that is rare!

To the volunteers who came on the day of event, we wish to thank you ever so much! Whatever your role and involvement was, you were an important piece of a puzzle, which came together beautifully to present a fantastic picture - The Vibha Dream Mile 2009!!! Kudos to all of you.”

Mahadev Konar, 3 years at Vibha, Signs/Trail lead for Dream Mile 09

“My take: Awesome work by the new DreamMile team. It was just unbelievalbe to see 750 folks running on the trail on such a hot day!! Also, great work on logistics on DOE!”

Prashanth Ganapathy & Ribhu Pathria – 3 months at Vibha, Publicity leads – Dream Mile 09

Ribhu – “It was our second meeting and Mukesh was on a roll about how much fun and important, Dream Mile publicity is. Prashanth nodded his head for Dream Mile publicity, and I followed him. Thanks to the help and guidance of all fellow volunteers, the whole publicity effort seems to be not so difficult a task. We have a nice mix of volunteers in Bay area, and it was a lot of fun at meeting discussing all the brilliant ideas.”

Prashanth – “The Publicity Team sets the ball rolling for the Dream Mile every year. How it does, sets the mood, and gives direction to the rest of the team. Ribhu and I had no idea what it would take to publicize the event. But Kamakshi (previous year’s lead) had done a great job in 2008. We simply used her model of publicity as the guiding force. In the beginning, our goal was to at least reach last year’s number of 650 total registrations. But as we went along we realized we were going where Vibha Bay Area hadn’t treaded before.”

Sugam Tiku, 1+ year at Vibha, Corporate Teams lead –Dream Mile 09

“I totally enjoyed being a Team Lead for the NPO/Corporate Teams. It was very exciting and felt nice to receive Vibha compliments and event day compliments from the Corporate team members! I guess I feel so happy when we can put smile on the faces of children back in our motherland! That is the greatest feeling ever!”

Shravan Shashikant, 3 months at Vibha, Registrations lead – Dream Mile 09

“For me, the race day was a complete blur. To go in one hour, from a barren field to 8 tents, and an army of 30 all set and ready to process around 750 people probably tells you why it was such a blur. But one image in my mind is crystal clear. And that’s the image at 8:30 AM, of 700 people lined up and ready to race off! Also attached to that is the image of the “pre-paid” and “on-the-spot” areas having zero lines. That’s an image which I’ll never forget. Folks, we did it! We re-engineered and planned well, we trained well and we put our heads down and executed flawlessly. I loved how whether at the Pre-Paid or the On-the-Spot booth, everybody was totally “in the zone”. I just want to take a moment and thank everyone for producing a fantastic Dream Mile!”

Vivek Gupta, 3 months at Vibha, Pledge drive lead –Dream Mile 09

“We have come to the end of the Dream Mile pledge drive. And what an effort it has been. As a team we have raised a total of $34K!! While it is a bit shy of our twice revised target of $35K, we handily beat our original stretch goal of $30K. Personally, for me it has been immensely gratifying, knowing that our efforts over the last couple of months will bring hope to the lives of thousands of young kids across India & US.”

Harini Ganesan, 3 months at Vibha, Volunteer Relations Team lead – Bay Area Action Center

“”It was great working with Taniya – someone who was so in-sync with the entire event and knew exactly what to watch out for and ensure we did not miss out on anything critical with respect to staffing <including distribution of experienced volunteers across all critical functions to the best of the resources available>
I want to thank the ACC’s – Bahi, Umesh and Vikram who really made themselves extremely approachable to us and were very generous with their suggestions as well when they were sought. And of course all the volunteers who helped us with reaching out to volunteers – Mugs, Rajesh, James, Milind, Mukesh, Umesh, Vikram, Bahi – for helping is reach out to existing volunteers and confirming their availability.

And last but not the least, Anand – for his extra dose of enthusiasm to get the logistics nailed down. “

If you think you can, you can!

This is what comes to mind when Vibha volunteers, along with organizations Rachana & Door Step School (DSS), conducted two successful Health Check-Up camps on 18th & 26th of April, 2009 for 300 kids from various slums and villages in and around Pune. Watch a video capturing the experience below.

A full report follows …

Vibha, Pune comprises about 50 volunteers from various backgrounds, all coming together with a common belief – ‘Together, we can make this world a beautiful place to live’.  In the past, this group has conducted a number of creative workshops, in collaboration with organizations such as DSS and Rachana, which are funded by Vibha for their various educational activities for children.  But this time we wanted to take it up a notch by organizing a health check-up camp for the children supported by these organizations!

With a team of around 30 volunteers that included 6 doctors, few medical students and volunteers of Vibha, Rachana and DSS, the health camp saw around 300 kids between 5-15 yrs of age from nearby villages and slums of Pune for an eventful and fruitful day, away from their mundane daily routine.

The first camp was hosted for 100 students at the Municipal School in Bahuli Village (40 Kms from Pune) on 18-Apr, while the second camp was conducted in Dattawadi on 26-Apr where 200 kids participated.

During the camp, health cards were issued to all the kids. Once the health cards were issued, the kids were taken in for height, weight and chest measurements. Then these kids were checked for eye, dental, cardiovascular, ENT and other related problems. The idea behind the check-ups was to find out if any child needed immediate attention regarding some disorder that might go unnoticed otherwise.

While the check-ups were being done in one of the rooms, the biggest challenge was to manage the kids waiting in two other rooms.  But Vibha volunteers were well equipped and fully prepared for this challenging task right from the beginning. The hot Sunday sun could not roast away their high spirits! There were drawing activities and fun games lined up for the kids, which kept them high spirited throughout the day.  It was really surprising to find some great artists among these kids, and it was a heartening experience for all the team members to spend such great time with those creative and lovely kids.

There were arrangements in place for re-hydration drinks and food for all the volunteers, doctors and the kids.  In the end, it was an exhilarating experience for the team to see the camp ending with big smiles on the faces of all the kids and everyone involved.  The team got bear hugs and thank you notes from the kids. Everyone around were simply delighted with a beautiful Sunday spent well.

The camp would not have been successful without the constant words of encouragement and guidance from Mrs. Rajani Paranjpe & Mrs. Sangeeta Banginwar, from DSS and Miss Swati and Mr. Konde from Rachana.  Special thanks to Dr. Venkatesh, Dr Gayatri Aghashe, Dr. Renuka Surpur, Dr. Prachi and all other physicians and dentists, who took time out from their busy schedules to be a part of this camp and made it a success.  All the Vibha volunteers were delighted after two successful health camps.

Follow-Up Activities:

All the kids who were recommended for further checks were taken to hospitals along with teachers and parents. Volunteers and Teachers worked with groups like Samvedana (NGO for medical assistance), Singarh Dental college  and Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital for follow-up and treatment activities that is still in progress.

The Vibha Pune team plans to conduct similar health-camps in the future in collaboration with various other groups to make sure that each and every kid stays healthy and educated.

Event Details: http://pune.vibha.org

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObYO9YLkNPM

Vibha Projects: Rachana, Door Step School

Underprivileged kids….the cause…the challenge…the satisfaction…the friends we made…or just plain old simple conscience?

Reasons aplenty, I thought I’ll go down the path of soul searching and put down on paper why I volunteer for Vibha.

About 4 years ago, I moved to the Bay Area and at that time my wife was (and still is) an active volunteer for this organization I knew nothing about. She called it Vibha and couldn’t stop talking about the organization, its people, their passion to make a difference and all this while having fun.

I heard the names over and over again – about the folks who were in the trenches, discussing passionately on the best way to make the most impact in a stranger’s life. I proceeded and met some of these folks, and to my absolute wonder, they were normal, down to earth, young, energetic people such as myself; the only difference being they had the greater good in mind and I didn’t.

Few months passed and I had made friends with most of these gems in today’s society long before the thought of volunteering came to mind. And one day, I took the plunge…to volunteer for the 2007 Dream Mile.

The energy was electrifying, the patrons ecstatic, volunteers doing tasks that I would have never thought I would do one day for a cause; moving tables, putting up signs, setting up booths, designing décor, the list was endless.

At the end of the day, I looked around, and I was surrounded by over 50 volunteers all in various levels of exhaustion from the prior 2 grueling days but every…every volunteer had a smile on his or her face and the look of immense satisfaction from being a part of something that was beyond what the eye could see.

The seed had been sown…

3 months later I volunteered for the Vibha Dandia in 2007 as a volunteer and was much more involved this time and was beginning to understand the bigger picture of what each of these individuals were enabling; It was a great event and we successfully supported over 1000 kids from the proceeds of that event; 1000 kids we will never know and never see in our lives.

I later came to know that some of the event leads was going through some personal challenges and professional challenges at the same time when they was organizing the event. And to be a part of something that supported 1000 kids, knowing that beyond their personal/professional challenges, someone was able to spear head an event with such excellence, keeping in mind what he or she was achieving, I decided at that moment, I will volunteer for Vibha.

Over the last 2 years, I have grown as an individual both spiritually and mentally because of this cause. I look back and see what I have achieved for this great organization and helped enable over 1500 kids with a future by leading the Dandia in 2008. I now function as one of the Action center coordinators for the Bay Area.

And the journey has just begun…

I don’t know what drives us to do what we do on a daily basis. Be it volunteering for Vibha or anything else. But as you read this blog, and are thinking “I don’t have the time”, you can still make a difference!

It’s usually one person, one act of generosity, one act of selflessness that touches or moves us to join the movement.

The call to action for all of us might come in many disguises, but come it will!

It is up to us to open our eyes, recognize them and act on it…

Volunteer with Vibha…

I can move the earth…

The Vibha Volunteer conference moved me, motivated me, impressed me

It engaged, inspired and consumed me

It enabled, empowered and encouraged me

It energized, drove and compelled me

To believe that I am Vibha, and Vibha begins with me…

This was my first experience attending the annual Vibha volunteer conference, which was hosted by the Bay Area action center this year. Having no previous experience at this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Let me just put it this way, I was blown away! It was a phenomenal show of teamwork, organization, planning and execution.

Hats off to the entire team that put the outstanding event together. Not only was it impressive in its format, content and structure, it set the expectation bar very high. Having been a part of Vibha’s volunteer force for close to 3 years now, it is the organization’s professionalism, volunteer dedication and passion that drew me to it. Attending the conference was like witnessing ball after ball being hit out of the ball park with all 4 bases loaded.

The relevancy of topics, balanced themes and discussions, effective power points,  brainstorming, breakouts and workshops…were all so well organized and conducted, I felt like I was attending a large scale corporate 2 day seminar. Furious note-taking on my end is proof enough.

The first 6 sentences (in italics) summarize my take-a-ways from the conference.

Oooh! By the way, did I mention, that I wasn’t present at the conference in person, I was logged in remotely via the web and conference call sitting at my home computer 2500 miles away. So, if this is how I felt…can you imagine what impact it must have had on those present in the room? Just goes to show that a little goes a long way….literally.

Yes, I lost connection a few times, had some start up issues, the refresh button on my browser and the mouse cursor became thick pals, the music on the bridge kept me entertained for lengthy periods….and I got to see bright summary T-shirts and designer jean pockets from time to time….but who cares….these are minor things that can be improved. What is important to note here is that in spite of any technological challenge, I firmly believe now more than ever before that I am Vibha and Vibha begins with me!!!

Great job everyone who was involved in organizing this event! Vibha is a strong and determined movement that impresses me more each time.  Volunteering for Vibha is something I am proud of. I will be sure to attend the event in person next year and must insist that you do too. Your take-a-ways are too many to list and you only have everything to gain!

-Lakshmi