Gujarat Earthquake - Aadariyana Project
Role in Earthquake Relief & Rehabilitation
| The
first few days of the relief work have brought in
donations of food, clothing and medicines to the
extent that they have been in excess of the need
in many of the quake hit areas. But this is just
the beginning. In the coming weeks when the media
glare is gone & fresher stories will occupy
our minds that is when the real challenges begin,
with the rebuilding being undertaken, a task that
will last not days or months, but years. But it is likely that by that time, we would all have gone back to our busy schedules and relief supplies local & international would have dried up, and our official machinery being what it is, the task of rebuilding cities and lives will be left to the very people whose houses have been shattered. The tragedy in Ahmedabad to that in Bhuj, Kutch, Anjar, Rapar etc it is 1 : 100. The help and infrastructure in Ahmedabad is 100 : 1. They are 10,000 times worse off, that is where help is needed. A team of IIM-Ahmedabad alumni and I run, Eklavya Education Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Ahmedabad working to bring about a new educational revolution in the country. Many of you would know me as a colleague, teacher, friend, from LEM, ERI and other programs at IIM-Ahmedabad. Eklavya has jumped into organising relief. Our students, teachers, employees are working in shifts round the clock. They are collecting food, clothes etc. One team had gone to Bhuj Kutch to identify where exactly we can send help, where good honest sincere work is happening. Meanwhile Eklavya/ Core House has also become an informal collection point. Almost from all over the world many people are sending in help, my old students, many well known entities and now the newspapers have publicized the fact that Eklavya is a place to send money and things and they will further direct it to the right places. But we sincerely believe the relief is needed in phases, soon the toughest phase will begin. The emergency will be over. The people who had to die would have died, all dead bodies will be burnt (today this is one big problem), all this will pass. A BIG BIG task, the most difficult, the most tiring one ,the most important one would remain: that of rebuilding. Thousands of homes will have to be built again, shops and schools and offices. Lacs of homeless people will need help to resettle and pull together their lives. Some without wives, some without husbands (such women will need training to earn a living with some skill )They will need jobs. Children whose limbs have been cut will need counselling and positive minded help for a long time to overcome the trauma and rebuild their life with positive self determination. Yeh sab kaise hoga,aur kaun karega? Can we therefore plan today to set in motion a process that will provide long term, sustainable assistance of an infrastructural kind (physical or human/social) that will help the quake victims rebuild their lives? That is what we at Eklavya Education Foundation are trying to do and seek your assistance in. |
Unselfishness is more
paying, only people have not the patience to
practice it. Do not stand on a high pedestal and
take five cents in your hand and say, "Here,
my poor man"; but be grateful that the poor
man is there, so that by making a gift to him you
are able to help yourself. It is not the receiver
that is blessed, but it is the giver. Be thankful
that you are allowed to exercise your power of
benevolence and mercy in the world, and thus
become pure and perfect.
-Swami Vivekananda Children playing and studying
at Eklavya Eklavya Education Foundation, Core House, Off CG Road, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad-380006, INDIA Phone: 0091-79-6461629, fax 079-6563681 Email: shanda@icenet.net or eklavya@ad1.vsnl.net.in Cheque to be in the name of: EKLAVYA EDUCATION FOUNDATION EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND Foreign Currency donations can be sent to the following: Name : Eklavya Education Foundation Account No. :351404 051 Instructions for remittance in USD Please
remit funds to account of IndusInd Bank Limited,
Ahmedabad with A/c.No. 101-WA-190829-000 CHIPS UID 376684<O:P</O:P Instructions for remittance in GBP Please
remit funds to account of IndusInd Bank Limited,
Ahmedabad with Instructions for remittance in CHF Please remit funds to account of IndusInd bank Limited, Ahmedabad with Union bank of Switzerland,Bahnhofstrasse 45,Zurich,CH -8001,Switzerland,ph +41 1 234 1111 A/c No. - 94250.05Y |
Beyond
its short term focused, relief work of collecting
and distributing food, medicines and relief
supplies, and running two day-care centres in
Ahmedabad free of cost, Eklavya has made a two
year commitment as described below (The Sri Ram
School, Delhi is our partner in this project):
1. Build up an earthquake victims relief fund for operationalising its objectives. A separate bank account in name of "Eklavya Education Foundation Earthquake Relief Fund" has already been created for this purpose, 80G is available. 2. Identity and focus on a small group of people and direct efforts to rebuild their lives and homes. 3. The criteria for directing such specific efforts will be:
4. If for any reason the above does not happen, the funds will automatically be transferred to an agency/NGO doing relief work of the same nature. 5. Complete transparency and auditing in the entire operation of this account will be maintained. Remains of a school
in Adariyana Village, Taluka Patdi Eklavya's strength lies in its understanding of the educational process, skills on adult training and overall organisational and management capabilities. The Eklavya team consists of professionals from institutes like IIM, TISS, NID, MSU ad others. Most probably in the immediate future one village to be "adopted", Eklavya will focus its efforts, help rebuild the local school, help run it, and in the evenings run special skills based training programmes for women (specially for widowed women) to enable them to earn their livelihood and live with dignity. |