The Omprakash Foundation

Volunteer in Afghanistan

RAWA

RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of hte Women of Afghanistan, runs a number of schools and orphanages in Pakistan. RAWA is eager to host volunteers who can offer their help in any way. We strongly believe that supporting education and cross-cultural contact in this part of the world is a critical step towards undermining some of the roots of hate and prejudice. Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering with RAWA. Learn more about our partnership with RAWA>>

Circle of Women

Circle of Women is looking for volunteers who are interested in its cause and who looking to help add momentum to the organization and its goals. Volunteers can get involved through the Circumference Program by starting a new Circle of Women project, starting a Circle of Women branch, or supporting Circle of Women’s existing programs. You can support an existing program by volunteering your time, sharing your network, or by sharing your ideas, expertises, or resouces. If you are interested joining the circle, please contact info@circleofwomen.org to learn more about its Circumference Program. Learn more about our partnership with Circle of Women>>

Partnership with RAWA

Project Profile

RAWA runs a number of schools and orphanages in Afghanistan. RAWA is eager to host volunteers who can offer their help in any way.  We strongly believe that supporting education and cross-cultural contact in this part of the world is a critical step towards undermining some of the roots of hatred and prejudice.

History

In June, 2007, we donated $5,010 to support some of RAWA’s education initiatives in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  In an attempt to make our foundation as transparent as possible, we have included below the details of how these funds will be used.

$3,160 will pay for one year’s stationery and reference books for the 445 children at RAWA’s nine orphanages in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and $1,850 will buy one year’s worth of stationery, reference books, and textbooks for 58 students at RAWA’s school for Afghan refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Partnership with Yachay Wasi Intercultural Community Education Center

Project Profile

Located in Quito, Ecuador, Yachay Wasi is a community school that provides local indigenous youth a full academic education including a multi-disciplinary education in the history, language, traditions, culture, and cosmovision of the Andean-Amazonian indigenous peoples.  Yachay Wasi educates over 80 students that range in age from 5 (kindergarten level) to 13 (7th grade).  The cost to attend the school is highly subsidized for all students, and is based on the financial situation of each family.  Almost all students pay less than $6 dollars monthly, with many students paying nothing at all.

Through limited assistance from the Ecuadorian government (one of the few sources of aid the school receives), the school offers both a healthy snack and a large lunch.  At Yachay Wasi, education is not limited to what is gained through books and lessons but includes all inputs in one’s life, including food.  Therefore, the students are prepared traditional Kichwa food and all the vegetables and fruit are fresh and organic, and much of the produce is provided by the school’s own large chakra, or garden, where students and community members, grow traditional Andean crops such as maize, squash, beans, and potatoes. Chickens are raised on premise, and the school recently received a donation of three llamas that will be raised to give wool for artisan weaving.  

Besides serving as a formal school for kindergarten-7^th grade, Yachay Wasi serves the role of a community center for the local indigenous population, many of whom are recent immigrants from outlying rural communities.  Yachay Wasi hosts community celebrations and social events, an after-school program for high-school students that includes natural medicine classes and English classes, and an adult literacy/alphabetization class at night for illiterate adults. 

Mission of Yachay Wasi Intercultural Education Center:

Besides offering a heavily-subsidized education to humble indigenous youth, the mission of the school is to teach students and local community members to be in harmony with nature. As part of this, Yachay Wasi emphasizes the importance of biodiversity of animals and plants, conservation, sustainability, and organic farming/consumption practices.   Both traditional Andean practices and modern conceptions of conservation are incorporated. 

Secondly, Yachay Wasi strives to promote and revitalize the indigenous Kichwa culture, wisdom, and language.  The Kichwa language is taught to all students, and the school follows the Kichwa calendar, including celebrations and agricultural planting dates.  The school believes that educating Kichwa youth and their families about their identity is important for the validation of and pride for this historically marginalized and subjugated culture.  Within the present socio-political situation, indigenous people along with Afro-Ecuadorians make up an overwhelming percentage of Ecuadorians that live in poverty, and extreme poverty. Many lack access to basic resources such as food, safe water, health and education. Through education, organizations like Yachay Wasi have made significant progress in making changes to social and political structures in Ecuador.  Yachay Wasi is a positive source of inspiration and validation of the beauty that is the Kichwa nation and its culture.  Yachay Wasi is one of the many players working toward the dream of a future, diverse society that considers a variety of ways to see the world. 

Need for Volunteers:

 Yachay Wasi welcomes volunteers who have an interest in helping out with the activities and classes of the school.  Teachers from various countries have come to teach classes or share their culture and world visions.  Having a degree or teaching experience is not necessary.  Rather, what is more important is an interest in making a positive impact on the lives of children eager to learn all types of knowledge.  Many of the teachers have been college students, who before, did not have experience nor formalized training in primary education. 

             Members of other cultural groups and/or indigenous tribes, speakers of different languages, artists/artisans, musicians, scientists, and social scientists could lead exceptional classes on their knowledge.  Recently, Yachay Wasi has been fortunate to have regular English classes from a native speaker, a program the school would like to continue year round.  There are also general service and maintenance projects such as helping out in the kitchen, farming, being a teaching assistant, leading sports, and repairing infrastructure that volunteers could help with.  If you are studying abroad, living in Ecuador, visiting for more than a few weeks, or interested in working on service projects abroad where you will develop your Spanish speaking capabilities, Yachay Wasi would love to have your presence at the school.  You will learn about a new culture and become part of the Kichwa-Ecuadorian community.

Sister School Initiative:

            Yachay Wasi also is interested in developing partnerships with other schools throughout the world.  As sister schools, Yachay Wasi and its partner schools would exchange letters, photos, artesania (or art), updates about the schools, and didactic materials.  In the letter exchange, non-native Spanish speakers could write in Spanish, improving their Spanish language fluency, while Yachay Wasi students could respond in Spanish or English (or another language if the students have developed a capacity in that language).  Although it is certainly not necessary nor required of this partnership, if a partner school was interested in donating monetary funds for the school, school supplies, textbooks, sports equipment, used computers, or used electronic devices such as radios/cd players schools, Yachay Wasi would be grateful for the support and solidarity.

Need for Material Resources  

The school relies completely on donations from private individuals and indigenous organizations in Ecuador for the majority of its costs, which include but are not limited to: teacher salaries, books, school supplies, and sports equipment.  The money used from student matriculation fees is only enough to cover the electricity, water, and toilet paper for students.

            Yachay Wasi would be grateful to receive any kind of monetary donation or donation of school supplies, books, and athletic equipment.  A little goes a long way for the students and their families who do not have the financial ability to pay more than a few dollars a month on education costs. 

            “Sponsor-a-Machi” Program-“Machi” is the Kichwa word for friend/companion and is the word used to refer to both the teachers and students.  “Sponsor-a-Machi” is a program that would provide funding to sponsor a student’s entire education costs.  This small donation of $10 a month would allow one student to continue to attend Yachay Wasi for free.

Contact Information:

1.  Laura Santilian-Director of the School

Address:            Laura Santillan

                          Escuela Yachay Wasi

                          Francisco Matiz E 14 265 y Jose Xironza

                          El Barrio San Jose de Monjas de Puengasi, sector: La Arboleda

                          Quito, Ecuador

Phone number: (593) 02 3 194-529           

e-mail address:  sinchiachik@yahoo.es

2.  Adam Weiss-Student Volunteer/English teacher

Address:            Adam Weiss

                          1105 Briarcliff Drive

                          Arlington, TX 76012

Phone number (U.S. Phone number):  cell        (817) 287-1653

                                                             Home    (817) 795-2529

e-mail address:  adam.h.weiss@duke.edu

Partnership with Seeds of Hope

Project Profile 

The mission of Seeds of Hope is to support all the children who live in extreme poverty in Peru and to provide vocational training for those without economic means. We aim to achieve this through the objectives below: 

• Provide the children with a strong education, founded on the values and principles which will improve their prospects for the future
• Aid them with medical assistance as required (in conjunction with other organizations)
• Teach them to practice personal hygiene.
• Provide them with clothes, shoes and school equipment.
• Give them the emotional support they need whilst they are part of the organization.
• Fight for the rights of the children and provide them and their families with legal assistance where needed

 We currently operate from 2 centers: Huaraz (March 2006) and Cusco (October 2007). 

Our website: http://www.peruseeds.org.

We recently opened the Seeds café and agency (http://www.peruseedsadventures.org/) in order to generate a more stable income for the Seeds children. 

Read the Seeds of Hope October 2008 Newsletter>>

Partnership History

Seeds of Hope has been an Omprakash partner since November, 2008. 

Need for Material Resources 

1. We want to provide the children on a regular basis with:

Clothes, shoes and school equipment for 1 child (per year):  250 us dollars

Food (daily contribution towards a balanced diet) for 1 child (per year): 120 us dollars 

1. We organize fundraisers for specific projects (mainly from our network of ex volunteers), for instance:

Building basic housing for 1 family      1500 us dollars 

1. We have a sponsorship program where one kid throughout the year receives help with school material, uniforms, and school fees.

Sponsor a child (per year):   300 us dollars 

To learn more about our current projects or the sponsorship program, mail to seedsofhoperu@hotmail.com 
 

Need for Volunteers 

We welcome international volunteers from all backgrounds and with a positive outlook and enthusiasm to work in our projects. Our previous international volunteers have come from the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Belgium and Japan and are usually professionally trained in a variety of areas from teaching to engineering. They usually come to us whilst travelling in Peru, on a gap year, during retirement or simply for a working holiday.

We have opportunities working with the children or behind the scenes and currently need teachers, social workers, psychologists, project co-ordinations, medically trained people, language professionals, marketing and fundraising professionals.

The time volunteering depends on the volunteer: we have had people volunteering from anything between 2 weeks up to 2 years.

We ask for a monthly fee for volunteers choosing to live in the Seeds of Hope house to cover your accommodation and food, also included are Spanish classes. The fee is used to cover basic costs for the center first, everything after that goes directly to the children (food, school material, specific projects).

Alternatively, if you have your own lodging and food covered, we ask a contribution –as you see fit- into a current project. 

Read the Seeds of Hope Huaraz Volunteer Booklet 2008>> 

Some of the daily activities we conduct are: 

• Helping children with their homework and ensuring it is completed by the end of the session.
• Working with children to build up their basic reading, writing and arithmetic to a level appropriate for their age, so they can enter school.
• Ensuring all children understand the importance of personal hygiene, including brushing their teeth, and washing their face and hands, especially after using the bathroom.

When needed, we also bring in trained professionals for other matters, including:

• Sexual education, with the aim of reducing teenage pregnancies and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV and AIDS.
• Legal advice to protect the rights and integrity of children and their families.
• Psychological support for children that come from broken families with a high incidence of violence and/or parental negligence, often due to economic conditions or alcoholism.

In the future we also hope to be able to offer workshops which will teach knitting, t-shirt printing, card making and ceramics so that we can start micro-businesses including the exportation of goods, creating jobs and providing income now and in the future. 

Partnership with Expand Peru

Expand Peru (www.expandperu.org) operates multiple education and community-development projects in the city of Huancayo, about 350 kilometers outside of Lima.  Please download the files below to learn more about four of Expand Peru’s projects:

Escuelas Rurales- Volunteers are needed to teach computer, art, and English classes in formal schools.  Learn more about Escuelas Rurales>>  

Hogar de Bebes- These centers offer special care and developmental support to poor children between the ages of six months and three years, and also offer services to their mothers. Volunteers are needed to assist in all programs.  Learn more about Hogar de Bebes>>

Proyecto Especial- This project offers informal education and other forms of support to families living in extreme poverty, focusing especially on children between six and twelve years of age.  Learn more about Proyecto Especial>>

Manual Orfanatos y Aldeas- This project consists of a chain of orphanages offering residence, nutrition, education, and general support to abandoned children and adolescents.  Volunteers are needed to help teach and mentor these children.  Learn more about Manual Orfanatos y Aldeas>>

Volunteer in Nicaragua

Hospital Escuela

Located in Leon, Nicaragua’s second-largest city, this hospital is in need of volunteers with some background in Spanish and the practice of medicine.  Learn more>>

Partnership with Hospital Escuela

Project Profile

The Nicaraguan government constructed the Hospital Escuela Dr. Oscar Danilo Rosales Arguello in 1979. The hospital’s staff strives to assist the ~200,000 people living in the Léon (the nation’s second largest city), as well as the surrounding communities. The hospital is also partnered with the nation’s largest medical school, so it also aims to educate Nicaragua’s future doctors. The hospital deals with all aspects of medicine, with two notable exceptions: cancer specialties and advanced radiography (the hospital only has an x-ray machine). Although the hospital’s doctors all work incredibly hard, a continuous lack of medical supplies, current medical technologies, and training in new techniques and technologies make standard patient care difficult.

The hospital does not have a website, though the affiliated medical school does have a page:  http://www.unanleon.edu.ni/ .

Need for Material Resources

There is an overwhelming need for both daily medical supplies as well as long-term items, however the following is a list of critical items:

-Antibiotics (typically prescribed for ~1 week)— $4 buys a 30-day supply (enough to treat four patients with bacterial infections)

-Multivitamins (for children, pregnant women, and the elderly)— $5 buys a three-month supply

-Glucose Monitors—$13 buys a glucose monitor that will help the hospital’s doctors to quickly identify, monitor, and treat patients with diabetes.

-Pediatric Ventilator—$450 buys one machine (these machines are essential for pre-mature babies)

-Non-Electric Operating Room Table—$3,500 buys one table (Note: the hospital’s OR tables all do not currently function properly and a non-electrical tables is needed as ).

The hospital also gladly accepts all medical equipment and supplies that are no longer in use at other hospitals or medical practices. Please note, however, that the equipment should be in usable condition, as the shipping costs are quite expensive.

Need for Volunteers 

The hospital needs volunteers (preferably, fully trained nurses or doctors) from all medical specialties to help with daily work. Because the hospital lacks many new medical technologies, the hospital especially needs doctors who own medical instruments and can use these tools to help patients as well as educate the hospital’s current doctors.

Spanish proficiency is highly recommended, as it will make patient care and professional interactions easier, however, many of the hospital’s doctors do speak some English and translators are available for any kind of training that a volunteer may want to provide in English.

Stays of longer than 2 weeks are preferred, however any help that can be given is greatly appreciated. In Léon, homestays are very easy to find, as the city is rife with people who want to rent rooms within their homes (~$60/month). Cheap hotels are also easy to find (~$10/night for a decent room) as well as apartments (rates vary according to accommodations). The organization may help you to find rooming accommodations, upon request. 

Partnership with Voluntario Global

Asociación Civil Voluntario Global

Personería jurídica Número 0000 515-

REPUBLICA ARGENTINA

Project Profile:

Voluntario Global is grass roots organization working directly with and in impoverished districts and shanty towns in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Within the community centres that we use we know each and every person and their specific needs. This is our greatest asset, our greatest strength.

Our programmes are especially for those people looking to see, from the inside, the other side of Buenos Aires, what social exclusion really is, and those seeking to initiate change.

Our main objective is to promote a lasting change in the lives of the families that live there.  Voluntario Global creates volunteer work programmes that match the skills and interests of volunteers to the local social organizations like us. We are an investor in people and their training, and we also communicate and join forces with other organizations so that we can create appropriate volunteering programmes. We always start by getting to know personally the people from each organization with which we operate, and with that knowledge and understanding we are able to improve and focus our programmes.

Longer stay volunteers choose from a variety of programs depending on their level of interest, available time and language level. Spanish fluency isn’t required in order to volunteer but certainly a rudimentary knowledge of the Spanish language is helpful.

Some programmes:

Computer Class: Adult Continuing Education.

Communication and Media: adult continuing education.

English Class and tutoring: elementary and secondary school children and adolescents.

Radio Broadcasting: Assist at a community radio station located.

Culinary Arts: Assist in the community centre kitchen, preparing traditional meals for students and staff.

Clinical Assistance Health: Working with local hospitals will serve the poor residents of communities by providing preventive health care and education.

Contact: Valeria Gracia (Coordinator)

Email: info@voluntarioglobal.com.ar

Website: www.voluntarioglobal.org.ar

Phone: 0054 – 911 – 6206 - 9639

Need for Material Resources

 Voluntario Global can only survive by means of private monetary donations from the volunteers who work with us. The donations are used for administration, promotion and to purchase necessary equipment for the programmes and the community centres out of which we operate. Furthermore, a percentage of the money collected contributes to a “Banco Solidario” (a small no-interest loan fund for individuals in the communities we serve to access).

 Low donations:

4 week:              150  American Dollars

2 months:           200  American Dollars

3 months:           250  American Dollars

After 3 months helping and working with us, volunteers will not be required to make further donations. You can continue helping with your time and your presence as your availability permits.

Partnership with Intag

Project Profile

The eco/agro-tourism Project of San Antonio comunity, Intag, was formed in December 2007.  Our mission is to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of San Antonio, while conserving the delicate cloud forest ecosystem in which we are privileged to live. We aim to provide a safe, comfortable and friendly environment in which tourist, students, scientists and volunteers can enjoy the experience of visiting a remote cloud forest community. Our website is www.intagtour.com

Contact us at contacto@intagtour.com.

Mas informacion sobre Intag en Espanol>>

Need for Material Resources

We would like to construct  at least one refuge for visitors within the Nature Reserve that borders our community. We need funds to buy 1200 roofing tiles, cost $180 approx, and to purchase basic furniture and equipment for the refuge. For example, rubber boots ($ 7 a pair), Waterproof ponchos ($10 each), Blackboard, table and chairs ($ 150 approx), gas stove ($ 55), educational materials such as bird and plant identification books etc.

Need for Volunteers

We would like to received volunteers able to help in the following areas.

A) To help  develop the community´s ability to received tourist and other visitors. For example, we need training as guides, cooks and hosts adequate to the needs of national and international visitors.

B) To help teach English to the children of the community.

C) To participate in small-scale sustainable agriculture, and to give and receive knowledge of that subject.

D) To carry out plant and/or animal surveys in the community cloud-forest and in the edge of the nature reserve.

Volunteers would require a good basic command of Spanish and the ability to cope in an isolated, rural community. It is anticipated that volunteers would stay initially in the community  guest-house , and once ready, would stay with a local family. There is no minimum length of stay. Help with Spanish is available.

Partnership with SMILE

Project Profile 

SMILE is a registered charitable organization founded in the year 1997. SMILE works with three target groups children women and senior citizens. SMILE’s mission statement is caring enough to share what surplus or little we may have with the deprived and encouraging others to do the same. SMILE’s most eminent project is the children ‘s project focusing on the education upto graduation and post graduation level, health and all round development of the child. For the women we run vocational training classes in addition to monthly programmes on awareness and medical camps. For the senior citizens we have launched a mobile van service titled ‘SMILE at Every Mile’. This project for senior citizens is gaining momentum. The senior citizens have expressed joy at the thought of having SMILE start a project specially catering to their problems of loneliness and frustration.  Please visit www.smile-ngo.org to learn more.

Need for Financial Resources 

in Rs.

Partnership with Katie Welfare Trust

Katie Welfare Trust Bio 

Katie and I spent our 2004 honeymoon in South India. We were visiting the main temple in the city of Madurai (state of Tamil Nadu, South East India), where we had the pleasure of meeting Brother Edwin Issac.

He told us of an orphanage (ISA Children’s Home) he had founded, and was currently running on the outskirts of the city. He invited us to visit, but I was ill and we declined his offer.

Exchanging addresses, we parted ways.

Upon our return to California, we sent a care package to ISA (clothes, school supplies, ect.), later receiving heart-felt photos of the items donated, as well as the people who had so benefited from them. The light bulb went off: It is possible to make a difference. Thus began our desire to work on-going w/ Brother Edwin.

All sharing a passion to contribute, we created a Trust to formalize our relationship; Katie Welfare Trust was established in 2006.

The Trust’s Mission:
To make a positive impact on the tribes of Thandikudi, located within the mountains of Kodaikanal, 125km Northwest of Madurai (see map below).  We are in the process of purchasing a parcel of land (approximately 2 acres) in the area, where we plan on building an orphanage with corresponding school (nursery and primary, with a focus on English language acquisition), a home for the elderly and handicapped, as well as a center for women’s reproductive health.

We recently registered the Trust in the U.S. to enable those who donate to receive a tax deduction. We are being sponsored by a wonderful organization, Omprakash Foundation (www.omprakash.org), and are confident our 501© (3) status will increase our ability to fund raise, and empower the Trust to make a bigger impact on the tribes.

When donating, please make the check payable to, “Omprakash Foundation”; in the memo area of the check, please write, “Katie Welfare Trust”, and send donations to:

Katie Welfare Trust 
c/o Jason M. Beck 
4 Mallory Lane 
Redding, CT 06896 
We will deposit the funds in the Trust’s bank account in the U.S., and wire the donations to our Trust headquarters in Marurai.  Please provide us with a mailing address; we will send a receipt which can be utilized for your tax deduction.

Any donations, however small, will make a fundamental difference in the lives of these people. 
In Humble Service, 
Katherine T. Sadowski & Jason M. Beck 
Katie Welfare Trust

Partnership with BECC

Vision

“To build a community based on the values of Love, Justice, Equality and Peace”

Mission

“To help the marginalized and needy improve their quality of life by providing financial, educational and life skills inputs”.

Project profile

Located in Mumbai (Bombay), Maharashtra, Bandra East Community Centre (BECC), established in 1st September 1974, is a registered voluntary social work organization (NGO, Regd No: BOM-42/76 GBBSD) catering to the socio-economic development of the slums and pavement dwellers. This centre has three storeyed infrastructures with 25 staff and more than 15 volunteers. The activities reach out to street children project, handicapped programmes, community development programmes, clinic for poor slum dwellers, Senior citizens programmes, educational trade courses for the slum youths, nursing room for the street and handicapped children etc. 

Web site and contact info:   www.beccindia.org ; beccdirector@yahoo.co.in 

About the Project

Over the period, the street children project arbitrates to tackle the issues of streets children in Mumbai City with an Integrated Programme. In 1991 an Integrated Programme for Street Children started, under this project it runs 24 hours drop-in shelters and provide food, clothing, shelter, non-formal education, recreation, counseling, and guidance and referral services for children. The other components of the programmme include enrollment in schools, vocational training, occupational placement etc. At present the project look after about 55 street children in BECC shelter home.  We work to ensure that every street child is entitled to adequate nutrition, medical care, education, housing, and recreation and is to be protected from all forms of negligence and  cruelty from hardened exploiters for their selfish gains.

Need for Volunteers

1. This could be an exchange programme with our staffs and the volunteers. Perhaps volunteers may be get  inspire to do more work and also our staff may benefit by exchanging views.
2.  We have number of children they can take classes for them.  I am also worried these children from the road and don’t have proper upbringing as a result qualified volunteers may find it difficult to go to their level.
3. Most of the time children are occupied because children are going  regular classes.
4. As you are aware each child has it own back ground and story to tell each child should be handled accordingly.
5.  Five children are mentally or disable children.
6. We have senior citizen/drop out school girl  under our guidance and care  it would be nice to listen to them but volunteers may have language problem.
6, To stay a great problem we do not have rooms.  If they are willing to stay with the children we can accommodate for two week maximum.  Again volunteers may not like the set up.

Partnership with Asha Darshan

We are proud to be working with Asha Darshan, a community-based organization working in Assam in NE India.  Learn more about Asha Darshan or check back soon for more information!

Read Asha Darshan’s 2007-2008 Annual Report

Volunteer in Pakistan

RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (www.rawa.org), runs a number of schools and orphanages in Pakistan. As demonstrated by the email excerpts below, RAWA is eager to host volunteers who can offer their help in any way. We strongly believe that supporting education and cross-cultural contact in this part of the world is a critical step towards undermining some of the roots of hatred and prejudice. Please contact us or RAWA(Andeisha@rawa.org) if you are interested in this volunteering opportunity.

Letters

We invite you to browse through our archive of past newsletters.

April, 2008– Letter to Webb School

July 2007

January 2007

June 2006

August 2005

February 2005

Volunteer in Uganda

-SOVHEN Uganda is looking for volunteers to help them with nutrition and enviromental health education. The volunteers work with 29 staff members (2 fulltime and 27 part-time) and a pool of an additional 120 volunteers (35% out-of-school and 65% in-school) and live together in the rural areas of Mpigi, Masaka and Rakai and in the urban slum areas of Kampala. Learn more about our partnership with SOVHEN Uganda>>

-Youth Vision Uganda is currently accepting application letters from creative, talented, passionate and innovative youth to work with orphaned vulnerable children under its early childhood development education model centre of Bright Destiny Academy or its Sports for Development program.  Learn more about our partnership with Youth Vision Uganda>>

Partnership with SOVHEN Uganda

Project Profile

Supporting Orphans & Vulnerable for Better Health, Education and Nutrition in Uganda (SOVHEN Uganda) is a student founded legally registered Voluntary Not For Profit and Non Governmental Community based Organization, founded on 15th August 2001 to organize orphans and other vulnerable groups living in difficult circumstances in urban slum and rural areas of Uganda, build solidarity and cooperation among the target group, promote their economic and social development and improve their organizational ability.

Our mission is to struggle for a better quality of life and increased life expectancy for orphans and other vulnerable groups living in difficult circumstances. We will serve in purpose through community dialogue with the rights holders/claimers and duty bearers at individual, household, community, government, local government, religious, higher institutions of learning, private sector, media and international level building on existing community channels, their structures and networks, their resources and opportunities.  Contact sovhenuganda@gmail.com to learn more.

Partner History

SOVHEN has been an Omprakash partner since summer 2008.

Need for Material Resources

Institutional building: USD $ 6,000 is needed to purchase a truck for transport of SOVHEN Uganda duty bearers in our 4 districts of service for rights holders/claimers group formation, village organization and creation of a federation through community dialogue.(hiring is not cost effective)

The objectives of institutional building programme are to: create solidarity and cooperation among duty bearers and rights holders/claimers with particularly emphasis on orphans and their households participation: build the capacity of group members for sustainable development: encourage groups towards collective action to use natural resources for income generation, support individual groups in conflict resolution, problem solving and development so that groups can manage their activities independently, and enable the orphans and their households to participate in the national development process.

Eduaction:
- Adult literacy program: $1000 per year fully sponsors Adult literacy program
The objectives of the Adult literacy program (ALP) are to provide surviving parents and other orphan care caregivers in their groups with an opportunity to: learn how to read and write their names and addresses: understand group dynamism; understand the importance of child education and help their children in basic education.

- Non Formal Pre- Primary Education: for $15 per month you can sponsor an orphan living in difficult circumstances in households: separated from their siblings, widow and child headed, impoverished and abusive, institutional care, old and frail grand parents, orphans who have become children street children, refugees or internally displaced, HIV+ orphans, orphans who are being used as child laborers by meeting his/her pre primary education, scholastic materials, feeding, clothing, medical care and other essentials. What is required is a start up fee of $50 and then a monthly support fee of $15 thereafter. Detailed information, photographs and background of the boy/girl pr child will be provided to his/her sponsor

-Non Formal Post Primary Education: for $30 per month you can sponsor an orphan living in difficult circumstances in households: separated from their siblings, widow and child headed, impoverished and abusive, institutional care, old and frail grand parents, orphans who have become children street children, refugees or internally displaced, HIV+ orphans, orphans who are being used as child laborers by meeting his/her post primary education, scholastic materials, feeding, clothing, medical care and other essentials. What is required is a start up fee of $100 and then a monthly support fee of $30 thereafter. Detailed information, photographs and background of the boy/girl per child will be provided to his/her sponsor

Books: SOVHEN Uganda is in constant need for books for our mobile reading tent with an aim to develop life long reading skills and culture and to encourage literacy. The mobile reading tent targets less advantaged children in our rural and urban slum areas of service in order to inculcate the reading culture and introduce them to libraries at an early age.

Clothing: We are in constant need of clothing to improve on the health and well being of the rights holders that we serve. They are 400 children below 18 years who have lost one both parents. Their numbers include orphans in households: separated from their siblings, widow and child headed, impoverished and abusive, institutional care, old and frail grand parents, orphans who have become children street children, refugees or internally displaced, HIV+ orphans, orphans who are being used as child laborers.

Shelter: For $6000 we can have a home for the suffering hard to place children who include orphans who have-not been successfully traced, handicapped children, and groups of siblings. The home will enable us create a safe loving and nurturing environment for these rights holders/claimers as we plan to accommodate more. They will be provided with health diet and good education while in the home. While in the home, these children will undergo discipline and behavior change before they are released back into the community. In the long run, we shall have these children growing up as God fearing and as the future generation of leaders who will have a value system that stops war and prevents diseases. When they are released back into the community as health, educated and well-adjusted adults they will surely play their part in re-building their country into a positive and prosperous nation.

Need for Volunteers

As duty bearers entrusted by society to fulfill the human rights of rights holders/claimers namely orphans, persons with disability, elderly, women, children) living in difficult circumstances in urban slum and rural areas of Uganda, we are in constant need of volunteers ( individuals and institutions ) both formal and informal from other countries to jointly play our parts as duty bearers with a responsibility of ensuring that the rights of orphans and other members of the society, especially those most vulnerable are attained.

Together with the volunteers we will build on existing community channels (groups and organizations), their structures and networks, their resources (manpower, funds, materials and structures) and opportunities in addressing prioritized issues of concerns for the rights holders/claimers in the areas of Institution building: Self Generating Fund: Education and Awareness Raising: Environmental health and nutrition.

The volunteers in collaboration with our 29 staff members (2 fulltime and 27 part-time) and our pool of 120 volunteers (35% out-of-school and 65% in-school) will live together with the rights holders/claimers and their surviving duty bearers in our villages of service in the rural areas of Mpigi, Masaka and Rakai and in the urban slum areas of Kampala. This arrangement provides another opportunity for the volunteers to assimilate the foreign culture and is important for their integration into the local community. The host family provides support, a sense of belonging and serves as a reference point to help orient the volunteers in their foreign environment.

Volunteer in Nigeria

CHRIFACAF is seeking short-term volunteers to make an impact on the lives of their community. They accept volunteers with various backgrounds and skills. The volunteer would spend one to three months with CHRIFACAF and  there would be available accommodation with the host communities or inns nearby. Learn more about our partnership with CHRIFACAF>>

Partnership with Nigerian Christian Fellowship and Care Foundation

Project Profile

The Nigerian Christian Fellowship and Care Foundation (CHRIFACAF) is a non-profit humanitarian organization whose primary focus is to provide free health care and humanitarian services to the surrounding rural communities and beyond. To liaise and partner with local and international humanitarian service providers in the identification of target communities for the operation of the foundation’s in the actualization of her aims. To print free Christian tracts and engage in free Christian education to all interested member of the Christian community. We are dedicated to working with old people, young people, widows, disabled, women, orphaned and vulnerable children, families and their communities in Imo State, Nigeria, to reach their full potential by tracking the causes of poverty and injustice.  Learn more at http://chrifacaf.cfsites.org or email Clinton Ezeigwe at chrifacaf@yahoo.com.

Partnership History

CHRIFACAF has been an Omprakash partner since summer 2008.

Need for Volunteers

CHRIFACAF values short-term volunteers because we repeatedly see how their brief excursion makes a lasting impact on their lives as well the lives of the people they go to serve. We require volunteers from vary background and the ones that have vast array of different skills.The volunteer would spend one to three months. There would be available accommodation with the host communities or inns nearby.

Need for Material Resources

Here is current list of projects that requires funding and monetary donations.

REQUEST FOR SHIPMENT SPONSORSHIP COST:

Books for Africa, a non-profit in U.S.A, has approved a shipment of a 40ft container packed with books and five laptops to Christian Fellowship and Care Foundation, a non-profit based in Nigeria, to enhance literacy and furnish libraries in Imo State, Nigeria.

According to Books for Africa, the value of one 40ft container of books by conservative IRS estimates exceeds $165,000, while the cost required for shipment of the container is estimated at $10,000. We therefore, request sponsors who can take it upon themselves to ship the above container or help with the shipping cost.

Education sponsorship for low income children:

To provide books, pens, educational materials, school uniforms, etc. for children’s whose parents cannot afford it. We target to sponsor and pays school fees for 100 children’s, 50 from primary and 50 from secondary, from low-income families in Ehime Mbano..

Cost (US$) Quantity Total (US$)

Primary school student $10 50 $500.

Secondary school student $25 50 $1250.

Education:

To foster a basic education, providing a civic skills and competence apart from general education, Civic competence also includes a basic knowledge of Science, computer and technology, the use of information and communication technology, the promotion of health, dialogue and interaction skills and social skill, so that marginalization and alienation can be prevented, thereby unlocking the opportunity for children, Adults, women and girls also

Cost (US$) Quantity Total (US$)

Youths Computer House. $25,000 1 $25,000.

Vocational Training on different skills for 60 youths.

Health:

To train village health volunteers who will provide free First Aid and health care to the villagers in other to improve survival for the most vulnerable children, integrated management of childhood illness, nutrition and monitoring of their health.

Cost (US$) Quantity Total (US$)
Training of village health care volunteers $300 30 $9,000.

Provision of primary Health care by construction a health care center in Nzerem.

$45,000. 1 $45,000.

Provision of foods/ Orphanages:

We wish to provide raw foods such as rice, beans, garri, yam and cooking items to Orphanages in Imo State. The raw foods would be distributed to the management of each orphanage twice a month as well as to engaged in school feeding program for school children who goes to school hungry.

Provision of clean water to rural communities:

For many years now, the community of Nzerem has been suffering because of water. Located in steppe and desert terrain, Nzerem is one of the poorest community in Ehime Mbano in Imo State, Nigeria. The inhabitants have to obtain water from overflow collectors of small, unsanitary river. Hepatitis, Diarrhea, intestinal infections, and parasites kill many of the residents each year, 85 per cent of them “children”. This causes a desperate search for water, especially for the women, girls, and boys, who are responsible for obtaining water for the household and livestock. Boys and girls have to drop out of school and walk eight to nine miles in deep down valleys a day to get water that the family needs

Clean water is obtained through drilling of boreholes. This requires the drilling of bore holes, pumping systems, building of water tank and other expenses.

Partnership with Circle Of Women

Project Profile:

Circle of Women: Reach and Teach Across Borders was founded in 2006 as a nonprofit organization to promote education for girls in the developing world through collaborative school building projects. Its mission is to equip girls with self-reliance, knowledge, and increased capacities to both enhance their own lives and to become active, contributing members of their changing societies. Circle of Women also raises public awareness about these girls’ education and interests to facilitate a global exchange of information and resources.  If you are interested in contributing either human or financial resources to Circle of Women we encourage you to visit their website, http://www.circleofwomen.org,  or email an inquiry to info@circleofwomen.org. If you have a question for Circle of Women’s contact with Omprakash please email nick@omprakash.org.

Partnership History: 

Circle of Women created a partnership with Omprakash in July, 2008.  The partnership was created in light of shared goals and similar efforts at the proliferation of education.  Like Omprakash, Circle of Women believes that the world houses an increasingly global community, which features a circle of exchange: exchange through dialogue, through support, through actions, through admiration, and through understanding. Circle of Women strives to create a channel for positive cross-cultural exchange. Therefore, they look to find both financial and volunteer support through the Omprakash network.  

Need for Volunteers:

Circle of Women is looking for volunteers who are interested in its cause and who looking to help add momentum to the organization and its goals. Volunteers can get involved through the Circumference Program by starting a new Circle of Women project, starting a Circle of Women branch, or supporting Circle of Women’s existing programs. You can support an existing program by volunteering your time, sharing your network, or by sharing your ideas, expertises, or resouces. If you are interested joining the circle, please contact info@circleofwomen.org to learn more about its Circumference Program.

Need for Material Resources:

Circle of Women is looking for financial support for the construction and maintenance of the Wonkhai School in Afghanistan and the subsequent education to girls that it will provide.

“Project Wonkhai”, is Circle of Women’s first project.  It involves the construction of a 600-person girls’ school and a health clinic, the maintenance of school supplies, and the support of supplemental salaries for teachers in Wonkhai, Afghanistan.  In total, the project will cost $115,000. Fahima Vorgetts, a board member of Women for Afghan Women, collaborates with Circle of Women by serving as an in-country contractor during frequent trips between the US and Afghanistan. 

$ 15 buys a blackboard for a classroom.
$ 20 pays the lead teacher’s salary for one month or buys 15 textbooks.
$ 50 buys 150 desks.
$ 100 covers the cost of educating one girl for one year or buys access to healthcare for 10 girls on the school site.
$ 200 covers the annual cost of bus transportation for the girls or the training of one teacher.
$ 600 buys lunch for all the girls for one day.
$ 1000 buys the school supplies for all 600 students for one year.
$5,000 covers the cost of an electrical power generator and internet access.
$15,000 covers the construction costs of a women’s healthcare clinic.

Partnership with Sphoorti Foundation

Project Profile: SPHOORTI (http://www.sphoorti.org) is a simple grassroots organization working for underprivileged children - homeless, orphaned, abandoned and other at-risk groups. It was formed in Aug 2006.  Its mission is to change lives of children belonging to such underprivileged groups by providing them with long-term care and skills, and transform them into responsible citizens.  Children at SPHOORTI are in their complete care and custody and SPHOORTI is committed to impacting their lives 24×7, 365 days a year.  To learn more, please contact willy@omprakash.org or srivyalv@yahoo.com.

Photos

Videos

Partnership with MORE

MORE

The reconstruction path of MORE includes (a) Education (b) Health (c) Livelihoods and (d) Leadership Development.  It focuses on the most vulnerable and marginalised sections of society with a view to include them in all spheres of development process.  The organisation believes that inclusive growth and development will be a reality only when the most marginalised sections occupy the centre stage of development. This is possible only by community based approaches with a “bottom-up” orientation. Community based reconstruction or Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) is the philosophy of MORE.

MORE keeps constant touch with marginalised and vulnerable people such as Persons with Disabilities (PWD), Persons Living with HIV and AIDS, dalits, religious and ethnic minorities, women and most importantly children. Through CBR means MORE aims to bring an end to discriminatory attitudes within communities and help develop an inclusive society.

Since inception MORE has been putting its efforts on supporting children from poor and excluded families to access school education. In 1997 it broadened its focus to Community Development through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques. MORE carried out a novel conscientisation programmein 30 villages (for 2 years) in Gurramkonda mandal (mandal is a sub unit of a district) with adolescent girls and women.  This programme resulted in profiling MORE as an agency engaged in rights and development action in the district.

MORE initiated a CBR project in 300 villages (Madanapalle, Vayalapadu and Kurabalakota mandals) with support from ActionAid in 1999. A mid term review of this project was carried out in 2004 with technical support from Asia-Pacific Development Centre on Disability (APCD), Bangkok. The review findings were positive and led the project to gear itself up for another 5year extension.  A Withdrawal Plan has been finalised for the period 2007-09 according to which ActionAid support will come to an end in 2009. MORE is actively looking for new partnerships in this context.

Over the years MORE has been able to develop a system of therapeutic and educational services for PWD at their doorsteps. These services are provided by CBR Workers (CBRWs) who are identified and trained by the project. Each CBRW covers a cluster of 6 to 8 villages known as a Panchayat. Panchayat is the lowest rung of political and administrative structure in India.

The CBR Panchayats consists of 15 to 30 PWD depending on the size of the Gram Panchayat. The members elect a CBR President and 5 Disability Activists (one each for loco motor,  intellectual impairments, cerebral palsy, speech and hearing and visual disabilities) for a two-year term. The CBR President and the Disability Activists form a core group at the CBR Panchayat level. This Core Group appoints a CBRW in consultation with the project staff. CBRW is constantly trained by the project so that he/ she is in a position to provide therapeutic and educational inputs for PWD.

The Disability Activists elect their Spokespersons who operate at the mandal level. Each mandal has 5 disability-specific Spokespersons. These Spokespersons in turn elect Disability Leaders to represent PWD at the district level.  The Activists, the Spokespersons and the Leaders have critical engagement with Panchayat Raj Institutions (local self-governance institutions) at different levels.

CBRWs

CBRWs are identified and trained by the project. They visit homes of PWD and initiate discussion amongst family members and neighbours on the barriers they face. Needs assessment of the person concerned is made through group discussion taking into account local resources available. The project has been able to identify 45 rehabilitation goals that are necessary for different PWD in the area. These least common goals fall under 3 categories namely therapy (20), ADLS (15) and pedagogue (10). CBRWs are trained to work with PWD and other family members on these goals on a 3-month time frame basis.  As far as possible family members and neighbours take responsibility for the necessary action. The CBRW acts as a facilitator and gives expert inputs. Once a goal is set for PWD it becomes a collective responsibility of the household members while CBRW assumes the catalyst role. The CBRW commits to visit the household 4 times a month spending 2 hours with PWD on each visit. It is generally expected that a “CBR goal” is achieved over a period of 3 months. Hence the CBRW visits the household 12 times with clear tasks and objectives. The payment for CBRW is made on the basis each visit.

MORE believes that CBRWs are common denominators who can fit into either a development scheme or function as freelance workers. During the past 5 years the project has trained more than 100 CBRWs who are providing “CBR deliverables” in their respective villages. Some of them operate in freelance mode while some work in a project framework.

A system is in place where achievement of goals is reviewed at the end of 3 months to decide whether the families then can continue the process on their own or not. Clear task analysis with house visit schedules will be worked out in consultation with family members and activists. CBRWs will be paid fees based on these schedules with due endorsement by the CBR Panchayat.

PROPAGATING CBR

With the experience of training and promoting more than 100 CBRWs MORE would like to request prospective supporters/ partners for popularising a cadre of CBRWs.  The reason why MORE wants to promote CBR is because it brings rehabilitation know-how to rural and slum communities’ thereby enabling people to take responsibility for their own lives.  MORE is keen to highlight the need for CBRW at every panchayat level. If a panchayat can afford to have a teacher, a health worker, a revenue collector or any other community functionaries then why not have a CBRW as well?

PARTICIPATORY TRAINING

MORE has a rural training facility that can accommodate 25 persons at a time. Over the years the project has developed a system of CBR training that is based on community resources. It has put together a training curriculum with 120 clearly defined sessions. Please contact for details. These sessions have been developed keeping in mind the CBRW profile that has emerged out of the project experience. Each session is planned for 1.5 hours with a combination of lectures, role plays, practical inputs and other group exercises. These sessions focus on the (45) CBR deliverables apart from other essential elements. The training will be provided in 3 phases with 10 days duration each. During the inter phase periods the trainees will be oriented to field work in their respective villages. Thus the 30 day training programme is scheduled to culminate over a span of 3 months. By this time the CBRW trainees will have been graduated into their works.

An important aspect of the training is that it is totally participatory. As the sessions have emerged from the community experiences the faculty too is mostly from the community. Disability Spokespersons play a key role complementing the project staff who lead the sessions. Where necessary the training co-opts external faculty drawing from other CSOs in the area.

COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS

The Governing Board meetings take place regularly. The minutes of these meetings are filed with the Registrar of Societies on annual basis. Filing of FC and IT returns are complied as per law. The staff is covered under PF and gratuity schemes. Asset registers are maintained and major items insured. Regular depreciation of the respective values is notified in the audited statements.

The Executive Committed receives quarterly reports on the management of the project. Gender Cell has been constituted at the board level. The members of the Cell interact with project staff periodically. Major decisions in relation to the project are taken in consultation with Board members and funding agencies. 

MORE has clearly written down rules and regulations on (a) staff matters (b) accounting procedures (c) statutory requirements (d) code of conduct etc.  This has been followed since 2000.  This written document is updated as and when required.

Helping Hands– More Information

INTRODUCTION

We founded Grupo “Yanapaq Maki Kuna” in 2005 on the first of August, and therefore we are still quite a young organization. Grupo “Yanapaq Maki Kuna” means “Helping Hands” in Quechua, the original Inca language.

Our object is to help the children and single mothers who are in a state of poverty, abandonment, physical and emotional violence, malnutrition, and discrimination. At the moment our main location is in the San Sebastian district of Cusco.

The volunteers that have assisted our organization over the past few years have come from countries all over the world, including Holland, the United States, Germany, and many others. If you help us, on any level, you are working to improve many peoples’ lives and will forever be a part of this project.

THE LOGO

Our organization’s logo expresses exactly what we are about: to give and at the same time receive.

In the logo’s photo the small hand is giving to the larger hand; the significance being that even the poorest people of the world have something to give.Both hands need each other, because without one the other can neither give nor receive.

We can all be represented by both hands, the larger or the smaller, depending on the circumstances. The social situation in Peru is still rapidly deteriorating, both economically and educationally. Human misconduct and exploitation is a daily occurrence. The drive of our society, as it is in all others, is to survive and to work towards a comfortable life. However, here in Peru opportunities for happiness and prosperity seem destined for the few blessed with economic power. Over the past ten to twelve years, the problem of socio-economic difference has grown to appalling proportions. Many are experiencing poverty and the misery that accompanies it; this is the reality we live with. Ignoring the poor seems to be the easiest solution for many, including the government; however, we know it only makes the problem worse.