Fwd: [ReachIndia] Happy Independence Day! ** Dishaa: The Association for India's Development Newsletter. ** Issue 60, July 2010.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sree Ganesan <sree.ganesan@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 10:30 PM
Subject: [ReachIndia] Happy Independence Day! ** Dishaa: The Association for India's Development Newsletter. ** Issue 60, July 2010.
To: chapter-coordination@lists.aidindia.org, reachindia@lists.aidindia.org, newsletters@lists.aidindia.org

Download the PDF version here.

Association for India's Development Courage | Commitment | Change July 2010
Editors: Amrita Balachandran, Karthik Ranganathan & Sree Ganesan
In this issue Revitalizing Child Nutrition in Rural Chhattisgarh Surodi: A Village Transformed by Ideas National Food Security Bill - A Threat to Food Security? Volunteers Protest Bhopal Injustice One Year After: Conversation with Dr. Binayak Sen Getting Started on the Sprint: AID Pittsburgh's Marathon Debut Recently Approved Projects	Dear Friends, Happy Independence Day!   On this occasion,  let us take a moment to solemnly recall Gandhiji's Talisman to humbly introspect and guide us forward: "I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [person] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj  [self rule] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away." In this issue of Dishaa, we talk about basic human rights such as the right to food, right to water and right to health that still elude the poor and marginalized. Be it the survivors of the Bhopal disaster who struggle for access to clean water, or the rural poor affected by the civil war in Chattisgarh in a multitude of ways, or the millions "below poverty line" that rely on the public distribution system for food, the "right to life" enshrined in the Constitution remains a distant reality.  But all is not despair. We also bring you stories of hope and possibility through the efforts of ordinary people in Surodi, Maharastra and Bilaspur district, Chattisgarh.   More than six decades since independence, the poor and marginalized in India continue to struggle for freedom, as survivors though, not as victims. We pledge to continue our work to improve their lives, and count on your support to make this possible. Warm Regards, Volunteers, Association for India's Development
Revitalizing Child Nutrition in Rural Chhattisgarh   Malnutrition, a serious problem in Chhattisgarh, afflicts 65% of children under five, and causes over 50% of all deaths in this age-group. Jan Sawasthya Sahyog (JSS), a healthcare organization in rural Bilaspur district, Chhattisgarh, identified one of the underlying causes of malnutrition among children as the absence of a caretaker and set up Phulwaris, to feed children between the ages of 3 to 6. [Read more...]       Surodi: A Village Transformed by Ideas   The village of Surodi presents an extraordinary story of transformation. From dry and non-productive to bountiful and prosperous, through the concerted efforts of its villagers, and with financial help from AID. The villagers of Surodi had worked hard to build check dams for rainwater harvesting that provided them access to water all through the year. Even on the hot summer day of our visit in May, I saw wells that stood full - a testimony to the efforts of the villagers. [Read more...]       National Food Security Bill - A Threat to Food Security?   The National Food Security Bill introduced by UPA-II government has been a key item on the recent agenda of the Right to Food campaign. The draft bill as it stands today would provide subsidized food to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, through various means such as cash transfers and food coupons. Will this reall work? [Read more...]       Volunteers Protest Bhopal Injustice   The June 7th, 2010 verdict against seven Union Carbide India Limited officials by a Bhopal court has sparked protests all over the world. Protests and vigils in Boston, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, Austin and Philadelphia continue to intensify the pressure on the Indian government to take action now. [Read more...]       One Year After: A Conversation with Dr. Binayak Sen   Dr. Binayak Sen and his wife Dr. Ilina Sen speak with AID volunteers about health care, human rights, structural violence and the role of media in civil war affected areas of rural India. [Read more...]       Getting Started on the Sprint: AID Pittsburgh's Marathon Debut   AID Pittsburgh launched Run for India with very modest expectations. Their marathon runners surprisingly turned it into the best fund raiser in the chapters' recent history. [Read more...] Do you want to run a marathon for a good cause? Contact your local chapter or visit www.runforindia.org for more information on running and training programs near you.        Recently Approved Projects   Your contributions are creating new livelihoods for the elderly in  Orissa, rehabilitating Mogya tribals in Rajasthan, and supporting Cyclone Aila-affected children with their schooling. [Read more...] We rely on donations from individuals like you to support our work. Please consider making a generous donation today.     Thank You for your continued support. We are proud to announce Association for India's Development has earned a 4-star rating (the maximum) for the seventh consecutive year from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent evaluator of charities.
Conferences | Issue/Region Cells | Poems | Project reports | Press releases

------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your continued support to Association for India's Development and its work.
Please visit http://www.aidindia.org for updates.

If you like to unsubscribe from this list, you can do here:

http://lists.aidindia.org/mailman/listinfo/reachindia and enter your email in last option and select unsubscribe in next page.

Alternatively, you can send an email to reachindia-owner@lists.aidindia.org with subject: Unsubscribe
------------------------------------------------------------

--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/