Asha for Education - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Asha for Education is a volunteer-run action group dedicated to radical change in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

by focusing on basic education

Education

Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

, in the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic

Socioeconomics

Socioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...

change. It is a not-for-profit voluntary secular organization.

The objectives of the organisation are:

To provide education to underprivileged children in India.
To encourage the formation of various local groups across the world to reach out to larger sections of the population.
To support and cooperate with people and groups already engaged in similar activities.
To raise the required human and other resources to achieve the group objectives.
To provide opportunities to individuals living outside India who wish to participate in Asha activities in India.
To address, whenever possible, other issues affecting human life such as health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...

, the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....

, socio-economics, and women's issues.

History

In the summer of 1991, a few students including V.J.P.Srivatsavoy, D. Gupta, and S. Pandey

Sandeep Pandey

Sandeep Pandey is an Indian social activist. He co-founded Asha for Education with Dr. Deepak Gupta and V.J.P Srivatsoy while working on his Ph...

got together to think of ways in which they could play a role in the development of India, the country of their origin. These young people shared the belief that education is a critical requisite and an effective catalyst for social and economic change in India. The group was named Asha to represent the hope that had brought these individuals together and the hope that they aimed to bring into the lives of children in India. In that summer of 1991, Asha was born at the University of California in Berkeley.

Legal status

United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

: donations are fully tax deductible under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...

code.
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

: Asha is an independent organization in India registered under the name Asha Trust.
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

: Asha is registered as Steuerbefreiung Vereine under Kantonales Steueramt Zurich.
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

: Donations from UK tax payers are tax deductible and fetch an additional 28% under Gift Aid
Gift Aid
Gift Aid is a UK tax incentive that enables tax-effective giving by individuals to charities in the United Kingdom. Gift Aid was originally introduced in Finance Act 1990 for donation from 1 October 1990, but was originally limited to cash gifts of £600 or more...

.
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

: donations are 50% deductible ( you get 50% back with your tax declaration)
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

: Asha is registered as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency
Canada Revenue Agency
The Canada Revenue Agency is a federal agency that administers tax laws for the Government of Canada and for most provinces and territories, international trade legislation, and various social and economic benefit and incentive programs delivered through the tax system...

; donations are fully tax deductible.

Activities & Chapters

Asha has number of chapters spread around the world.

Total number of Asha for Education chapters worldwide - 67
US - 48
Europe - 6 (Eindhoven, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Sheffield, Zurich)
India - 12 (Ballia, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kanpur,Lalpur,
Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Rajatalab, Varanasi)
Canada - 1

There are over 316 active projects which are helping the under privileged
Total $$s disbursed in 2010 - $3 millions (approx)
Total $$s disbursed from 2001 to May 2011 - $20 millions (approx)

Work An Hour campaign

Work An Hour is Asha for Education's annual fundraiser campaign. Work An Hour, or WAH, as it is popularly known, is a summer-long, global, online fundraising campaign based on the concept:
"Donors are requested to symbolically Work An Hour towards the cause of children's education by donating an hour's worth or more of their salary." The event begins on July 15 and concludes on September 15 spanning through India's Independence Day on August 15 and Teachers' Day on September 5.

Reviews

Asha for Education topped Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...

's lists of 10 Slam Dunk Charities and 10 Charities Worth Watching. The rating was based not only on the organization's fiscal health, but also for its respecting the rights of donors.

External links

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