Bread 1.15, juice 1.77, vegetables 4.50, fruits 3.05...hmm, spent around 12 euros. Reads like one of your regular expense bills? To an underpriveleged child in rural India, 12 euros represents food, clothing and education...a different and better life. Six years back, the UT was the breeding ground for an idea to transform lives. In 'Aadhaar', Hindi for support, a group of people at the UT works towards supporting poor people in India achieving a better life.
U. Parasu Veera working in the faculty of TNW explains, 'started in 1997 by two Indian students studying here it has grown to 20 volunteers today. Students find it difficult to devote time to meet and discuss ideas due to work pressures. I think therefore that our current volunteers are a highly committed lot. Expanding our membership is a continuous challenge.' Aadhaar receives a sizeable contribution from Indians as well as others. Parasu adds: 'We are grateful to people like professor. Heesink and professor Versteeg (TNW) who donated the entire prize money they received at UDCT in India to Adhaar. We also have couples donating their marriage gifts to us!'
Aadhaar supports a variety of schemes a Child Adoption Scheme aims to emancipate 26 children from the evil of illiteracy. It invests 12 euros a month towards the cost of food, clothing, accommodation and primary education of a single child.
It also supports organisations like Vivekanand Seva Mandal (VSM): walking a few kilometers barefoot to the nearest health center is common in rural India. VSM is responsible for setting up medical centres and providing free medicine as far as possible.
Among the underprivileged, women suffer the worst fate with respect to education and opportunities. Aadhaar aligns them with mainstream society by providing vocational training in nursing, tailoring, knitting, setting up small scale businesses in, for example, horticulture.
Another organisation supported by Aadhaar is Asha Jyoti. Promoting independence and self-sufficiency among mentally-challenged people is their strength. Aadhaar supports three specially trained teachers who help these people to lead a dignified life.
Vishwas Dindore (TNW) is in the midst of writing his thesis. He says, 'alumni of the UT continue to play a significant role in our mission. One of the founding members is working in India and provides feedback on the progress and financial state of affairs. On a personal level, it is tremendously satisfying to provide the blessing of education to those deprived.' His colleagues Pranay Darda and Pramod Agrawal echo similar feelings, 'this is our way of connecting with India.'
For more information go to www.aadhaar.com
