Sankalp: working toward a more progressive India
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On any given Friday night, a group of 20 or more students gathers in Sweeney Hall. They gather to talk, laugh and work toward building a progressive India.
Sankalp, meaning “determination” in Hindi, is a volunteer-based organization providing financial and logistical support for projects set on improving the basis of life in India. What began in 1995 as the India Literacy Focus Group has expanded to promote worldwide causes raising more than $20,000 each year.
“We engage in funding activities with money we raise for socioeconomic projects back in India,” said Prem Ramesh, president of Sankalp and graduate student in electrical and computer engineering. “One of Sankalp’s main goals is to support and empower the illiterate and the poor and give them an opportunity to effect positive changes in their life.”
A core group of 50 volunteers work at ISU football games, sell hand-crafted items and host other events throughout the year to raise funds. Daawat, a dinner held each spring that focuses on a single project to support, is one event all members greatly anticipate. This spring’s dinner is scheduled for April 5.
Annually, two to three projects are supported by Sankalp’s funds. Numerous requests for funds are presented each year, but to be selected, a project undergoes a multistep process — one that can sometimes become heated as group members are directly impacting the areas in which their families live. Organizations in India contact Sankalp primarily through its Web site. As word of mouth spreads, Sankalp’s requests become more frequent.
Currently under deliberation is the “Backyard Poultry Farming” project. Centered in Angul in the Orissa state of India, the initiative is to give poor families a second source of income beyond agriculture. Specifically targeted by the project are nine villages with an estimated 6,000 people. One hundred women in the nine villages in the region would each be given 100 chicken hatchlings with hopes that they can sell them to generate a steady income. This area averages a total of $375 for annual income.
“Initially they create small groups and educate them. After the project, [we] do a survey to assess the socioeconomic conditions and see the impact of project after implemented.” said Bharath Karthik, project coordinator for the club and graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, describing the implementation.
After looking over the project description, members of the group debate its effectiveness. Some question the total of funds requested and others the reliability of this organization. A list of questions is collected and before a final decision is made, the “Backyard Poultry Farming” group must present full answers. Past projects have been successful and continually monitored by families of Sankalp participants who still live in India. These check-ups reassure the group that its funds are being used productively.
“Sankalp believes that literacy is a part of the overall development, but cannot be tackled in isolation,” Ramesh said. “Satisfying the basic food and drinking water requirements is a primary prerequisite to education, and until these demands have been satisfied, there will be no real development.”
With so many areas of development to be addressed, one project is not enough to create significant change, but Sankalp is not alone in its efforts. Across the Midwest, similar student groups are striving toward the same goals. Organizations on the campuses of Ohio State University and University of California at Berkley all raise funds for sustainable projects in India.
Pushing for a progressive India is the goal of the organization, and its members believe it is an achievable goal.
“I believe that progress has to happen at the level of the rural, urban poor. For that to happen, first we need to address the issues of basic survival. India today has the dubious dual distinction of being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, while still having one of the largest percentage of people living below poverty line,” said Misha Rajaram, vice president of the club and graduate in statistics. “As citizens who are on the other side of that line, giving back will definitely help bridge that gap.”
Funding a project:
First contact: basic information of proposal, Sankalp members decide if it fits within their organization’s goals
Second contact: A more descriptive proposal, including statistical information of the regions and population, along with how the project will be implemented in long- and short-term goals
Evaluation: follows up a selected project to view the success
Sankalp, meaning “determination” in Hindi, is a volunteer-based organization providing financial and logistical support for projects set on improving the basis of life in India. What began in 1995 as the India Literacy Focus Group has expanded to promote worldwide causes raising more than $20,000 each year.
“We engage in funding activities with money we raise for socioeconomic projects back in India,” said Prem Ramesh, president of Sankalp and graduate student in electrical and computer engineering. “One of Sankalp’s main goals is to support and empower the illiterate and the poor and give them an opportunity to effect positive changes in their life.”
A core group of 50 volunteers work at ISU football games, sell hand-crafted items and host other events throughout the year to raise funds. Daawat, a dinner held each spring that focuses on a single project to support, is one event all members greatly anticipate. This spring’s dinner is scheduled for April 5.
Annually, two to three projects are supported by Sankalp’s funds. Numerous requests for funds are presented each year, but to be selected, a project undergoes a multistep process — one that can sometimes become heated as group members are directly impacting the areas in which their families live. Organizations in India contact Sankalp primarily through its Web site. As word of mouth spreads, Sankalp’s requests become more frequent.
Currently under deliberation is the “Backyard Poultry Farming” project. Centered in Angul in the Orissa state of India, the initiative is to give poor families a second source of income beyond agriculture. Specifically targeted by the project are nine villages with an estimated 6,000 people. One hundred women in the nine villages in the region would each be given 100 chicken hatchlings with hopes that they can sell them to generate a steady income. This area averages a total of $375 for annual income.
“Initially they create small groups and educate them. After the project, [we] do a survey to assess the socioeconomic conditions and see the impact of project after implemented.” said Bharath Karthik, project coordinator for the club and graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, describing the implementation.
After looking over the project description, members of the group debate its effectiveness. Some question the total of funds requested and others the reliability of this organization. A list of questions is collected and before a final decision is made, the “Backyard Poultry Farming” group must present full answers. Past projects have been successful and continually monitored by families of Sankalp participants who still live in India. These check-ups reassure the group that its funds are being used productively.
“Sankalp believes that literacy is a part of the overall development, but cannot be tackled in isolation,” Ramesh said. “Satisfying the basic food and drinking water requirements is a primary prerequisite to education, and until these demands have been satisfied, there will be no real development.”
With so many areas of development to be addressed, one project is not enough to create significant change, but Sankalp is not alone in its efforts. Across the Midwest, similar student groups are striving toward the same goals. Organizations on the campuses of Ohio State University and University of California at Berkley all raise funds for sustainable projects in India.
Pushing for a progressive India is the goal of the organization, and its members believe it is an achievable goal.
“I believe that progress has to happen at the level of the rural, urban poor. For that to happen, first we need to address the issues of basic survival. India today has the dubious dual distinction of being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, while still having one of the largest percentage of people living below poverty line,” said Misha Rajaram, vice president of the club and graduate in statistics. “As citizens who are on the other side of that line, giving back will definitely help bridge that gap.”
Funding a project:
First contact: basic information of proposal, Sankalp members decide if it fits within their organization’s goals
Second contact: A more descriptive proposal, including statistical information of the regions and population, along with how the project will be implemented in long- and short-term goals
Evaluation: follows up a selected project to view the success
U copied the article here... what abt the photograph? ;-)
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