2004-3

New Delhi - July - September 2004
Jubilant Celebrations
Fifteenth July 2004. A red letter day
in Deepalaya's history. For the red carpet was laid out to
welcome the children of Deepalaya to the Rashtrapati Bhawan,the
official residence of the President of India, H.E. Dr A.P.J
Abdul Kalam. The occasion-the eve of Silver Jubilee Celebrations
of Deepalaya.

The joyful students with H.E.Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam
Says Chandni, "From the moment he walked
in, the President made us feel comfortable. He asked us our
names and ambition and shared many jokes. He explained about
the creation of the universe and the earth. We were asked
many questions and he clapped loudly for all right answers."

The children were accompanied by the Deepalaya Board members
and teachers. The colorful presentation on the Dances of India,
by the students was appreciated by all. This was followed
by song of unity,"Hum Sab Bhartiya Hain",(we are
all Indians despite religous/regional disparities), a sentiment
the President always highlights in his address.

The memorable meeting ended with recitation of a pledge specially
prepared by the President. It exhorted the children to transform
India into a developed nation.
Celebrating Childhood

The meet with the President was a befitting flag-off to the
inauguration of Deepalaya's year long Silver Jubilee celebrations
on 16th July 2004.The Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt Sheila
Dikshit was the Chief Guest and the function was presided
over by Dr.Kapila Vatsayan, eminent
artist and Chairperson Asia Project, India International Centre.
A large gathering of friends, donors, funding partners, Rotarians,
staff and students attended.
Ms.
Dikshit with the 'Achievers'

The highlight of the day was the release of the publication,"Child
Achievers" which narrates the life stories of children,
who have made a success of their lives with the support of
Deepalaya. The 'Achievers', were felicitated by the honored
guests. Founding members, Board members and volunteers were
also honored for their valuable contributions to Deepalaya.
Corporates /Funding partners/Volunteers spoke highly of Deepalaya's
commitment and professionalism.

Cultural programs presented by the Deepalaya students added
further colors to the celebrations.

The Inaugural function was followed by a symposium on the
'Right to Education for The Marginalized' .The speakers were
from the fields of sociology, judiciary ,the government and
NGO sector. All reiterated that steps must be taken to make
'education for all' a reality. Deepalaya's contributions to
achieving this was appreciated by them.

Friendly Ties
Having started with the child , Deepalaya's focus then moved
to the 'family'. The 11th of September 2004 saw a "Celebration
of Families" as the next obvious step to mark the second
Jubilee celebrations. The occasion was marked by the release
of the publication "Families that have made a Difference".
The book shares the travails of 25 families and the role Deepalaya
has played in shaping their life for the better. Speaking
on the occasion Ms. Nirmala Deshpande, eminent Gandhian and
MP emphasized that "Friendship begins within the family".
A symposium on "Families in Different Faith Perspectives"
marked the celebrations. Speakers shared the viewpoints from
the Sarvodaya, Bahai, Hindu, Christian, Sikh and Muslim faiths.
For presentations of the symposiums and the publications released,
please contact us at www.deepalaya.org support@deepalaya.org

Alumni In The Spotlight

I am Harender, pursuing a diploma program in Electronics
& Communications at the
Pusa Institute,Delhi. My association with Deepalaya, goes
back to when I was a pre-schooler. The Deepalaya balwadi (preschooler)
was my first school.
My father earns a living as a petty hawker, my mother is a
housewife and my two younger siblings are still in school.
Throughout my schooling, it was Deepalaya's constant guidance
and support, which kept me going. My teachers have been encouraging,
patient and have taught me to "achieve".It was proud moment
for all when I scored 72% in my class XII exams. It is Deepalaya
who has pushed me into joining this professional course -my
parents could not afford this. Deepalaya has once again stepped
in,providing me the with scholarship from Ms.Laj Rani, mother
of Mr. Jyoti Sagar, a trusted friend of Deepalaya.Thank you
Mataji.
I am confident of securing a good job after this course. My
family will be more settled and this has all been possible
to the organization's support. Thank you Deepalaya.
All Aboard And Off To
School
August
2004, its 8.00 am but the village of Patuka (in rural Haryana)
wears a deserted look. It has been raining all night. But
as the bright yellow school bus enters the narrow lanes of
the village, the air is filled with the excited shrieks of
“bus aa gayi” (the bus has come). And then from
all around, come the young students (a notable number being
girls)- bags clutched tightly as they jostle their way into
the bus. All aboard, the door closes and off they are to Deepalaya
School, Gusbethi, least bothered by the rain.
No one would have ever guessed that this was to be the result
of a chance visit of Ms. Louise Niehe, wife of the Dutch ambassador
to India to the Deepalaya School, in Delhi,earlier this year.

Ms. Niehe was on an exploratory trip to recommend a good,
reliable NGO to a friend wanting to support a cause in India.
Her strong recommendation connected Bijenkorf a leading departmental
store chain in the
Netherlands to Deepalaya. As part of a nearly month long Glamour
of India show, the store sold ethnic Indian products.50% of
the sale proceeds of a bag was earmarked to Deepalaya The
drive was widely publicized on the store’s website and
other publicity materials.
A whooping 25,000 Euros was raised which went towards procuring
the bus (a 32 seater) & partially subsidizing the cost
of a 10 seater van to transport differently abled children.
Mr. J.C.Berger, the Director of the chain chose Deepalaya
because, “I had a strong feedback that Deepalaya was
nurturing tender young lives towards a secure future through
education.”
The bus was procured from Eicher Motors Ltd. which gave a
discount of Rs.50,000 on the cost of the bus and also offered
free maintenance for the next two years.
The bus will facilitate children from the nearby villages
to have an easy access to school. Moreover, lack of transportation
was one of the major reason for the low enrolment rate of
girls in the school. This has now been addressed.Thank you
Ms. Niehe for your valuable reference!
On The Move

This is Geeta, a resident of Dwarka, (resettlement area
in South West Delhi) She could only move by dragging herself
on the ground as her lower limbs are too weak to bear her
weight. And a large protrusion on her back, makes it more
difficult. She has always been confined to her house, children
call her names & think she is funny. Her parents have
left no stone unturned to get her treated. But with increasing
age, it also became difficult to carry her around.
But
that was the past. Geeta now attends a nearby government
school,regularly goes for phsiotherapy and is gaining experience
and confidence. All this has happened after she received a
tricycle from Deepalaya.
The organization has been working in the area for the past
one and a half years. The focus is on 'mainstreaming and inclusion
of differently abled children, with special focus on girls."
The project, supported by the British High Commission, caters
to a population of over 6000 households in seven slum communities
in West Delhi.
The activities commenced with identifying the disabled and
generating awareness on issues of disability. This spread
the message that 'the disabled should not be shunned, but
rather viewed in light of their different abilities".
Within a period of six months, over 200 children were identified.
They were provided with specialized individual intervention.
The Namtech Business School (Delhi) and American Express Bank
have also helped setting up therapy centers in the community,
a much needed service.
Linkages have also been established with rehabilitation centers,
Government institutions and other NGOs for providing necessary
intervention .A core group of parents are also being trained
to act as an advocacy group.

Since
July this year, regular meetings are being conducted with
Government and private schools in the vicinity. The agenda
is to promote admissions and sensitize the teachers on issues
of the disabled. Over 25 children have been admitted ."The
response has been warm.Wherever we have been successful in
admitting our children, the school authorities are taking
special care to help the children settle in well," says
Iftikar Alam, Program Executive. Special education classes
and therapy programs will soon prepare more children for admission.
"I am now more confident about Geeta's future", says her
mother Hansmukhi. And so are many more families, as
their children surge ahead to a self reliant and dignified
future.
Medics On Board
Not one or two but a total of forty cadets, trained in the
basics of First Aid and more.
In August 2004, students of class VIII & IX, Deepalaya
School were trained by the Medical Cadets Organization, Israel.
The most important training the children received was with
regard to the triangle of life-brain-heart-lungs and on the
vital cardio pulmonary resuscitation. "This training
has been very valuable, teaching me how to attend to minor
health problems and save lives. In my neighborhood, I am now
called "Chotte (junior) Dr. Saab", says Rahul Verma,
a student of Class IX.
A Secure Bond!
To commemorate reaching a landmark of one million insurance
policies, ICICI Prudential Insurance has extended its cover
to deserving and needy children in five cities. In Delhi,
the partnership is with Deepalaya. 10 students, have received
the unique insurance cover. The one time premium of Rs.20,000/
child has been paid by the company. Each child will get the
maturity amount of Rs.21,000/- at the age of 18yrs.
This money is to be used to support the child's higher education/business
development, under the NGO's supervision.
The Bond has brought much relief to the families. "I
was worried about how I would sustain my daughter Tamanna's
education, with my meager income as a tailor," says Om
Prakash, a resident of Gole Kuan slums. But with the Bond,
he sure is a relieved father, confident of helping his daughter
become a "Doctor".
This link with ICICI Prudential has been made through the
GIVE Foundation, promoting online donations to charities.
Parent's Day Out
Students of the British School, (VIIth-IXth grade) New Delhi
are proud parents. Yes! amazing isn't it. Five Deepalaya students
are indeed happy to have such young,energetic and caring sponsor
parents. This association started five years back, with grade
VII sponsoring one child. They motivated their successors
to do the same. And since then the family continues to grow.
"Each student contributes towards the sponsorship. And
we make it a point to visit Deepalaya every year. Meeting
the sponsored child adds further value to this relationship,"
says Mamta Govil, Community Services Coordinator at the school.
Thank you dear children, we too are proud of you.
Data Bank
Are you on the lookout for trained manpower in the fields
of electricals/ electronics, A/C and refrigeration, computer
hardware/software, dress designing and beauty culture? Then
please contact the Deepalaya Employment Bureau-we have a database
of over 500 candidates trained at the Deeplaya Vocational
Centres in Delhi and Haryana. Perfetti India has already absorbed
candidates for industrial training at their plant in Haryana.
Thank You Perfetti and a sincere appeal to all to come forward
and give the children a chance. Contact 91-11-28525908 for more
information.
Products Available
To mark the Silver Jubilee Celebrations, Deepalaya presents
a special range of souvenirs. T-Shirts (with and without collar
) are available in three sizes for just Rs.150/- each. Attractive
coffee mugs will cost you just Rs.30/-each. (discounts on
bulk purchase)
Bright and colorful Deepalaya Greeting cards designed by the
children are also available. The cards are priced at Rs.8/-.
(discounts on bulk order.)
Hurry! Book your orders and help another child out of the
clutches of poverty. Further details are available at www.deepalaya.org / support
@deepalaya.org or call +91-91-11-28525908.
Helpline To The Rescue
For authentic, practical,sincere and confidential cancer
related information call 26711212. The service brought to
you by Cansupport is available from 10.00am - 5.00pm on Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday.
Did You Know...
In August 2004,the
Give Foundation has certified Deepalaya to be one of the 70
Indian NGO’s complying with the minimum norms of the
Credibility Alliance –a certification that assures that
all donations made to Deepalaya will be utilized well and
all donors will know how their contribution has made a difference.
More details available in the Annual Report 2003-04. Please
contact us for a copy.
Letter To The Editor
In July, when I volunteered to teach at Deepalaya School,
uncertainty was staring me in the face. But with each passing
day and teaching period, I went on to establish beautiful
relationships, which are stories in themselves.
The student's eagerness to learn leaves me amazed. They make
a sincere and determined effort to reach out to their dreams
with the knowledge that is being imparted. They work hard
to seek opportunities with what is available unlike those
who just assume opportunities for granted.
The encouraging and nurturing atmosphere the children have
at Deepalaya leaves me touched. The staff all over is here
with a mission in their heart. It's been a pleasure discovering
Deepalaya.
Ms.
Sakshi Kapoor - a volunteer teaching English at Deepalaya
School, Kalkaji Extension