iGive challenge 2010

Give India is a charitable portal dedicated to support the NGOs like Sandnya who are registered with them, to raise funds on line. It not only helps to raise funds but insists for a minimum standard in respect of transparency and conduct of the registered NGO is concerned. It ensures before registering that the NGO is following these minimum standard. In fact it thus takes guarantee on behalf of the NGO that the money donated reaches to the beneficiary for whom it is intended. There are various ways through which Give India helps raise funds. During this time every year there is iGive challenge. Under this scheme any individual can form a iGive page for any NGO of his choice and any amount he decides to raise through this page. Of course NGO themselves can also do this themselves. But the idea of a individual is to encourage people in large to give for the less fortunate people. When a individual person choose a cause or a NGO, there can be more than on person for the same NGO. Like my daughter Riddhi has her own iGive page and she is appealing to her friends and professional contacts. It is a simple logic that her contacts will respond more positively to her appeal rather than me or Sandnya. Further, in todays world the younger generation does have a desire to help. But unfortunately they do not have time to move physically. On line donations for these younger generation come handy. They are already used to on line banking and credit card or debit card usage.

This is a unique opportunity for young people to help the less fortunate by not moving from the chair. Go to this link directly and make small donation like Rs.250 or 500 and make difference in some ones life.

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/navindeshpande

By:Navin Deshpande,Secretary,SSS

email:navindesh@gmail.com

website:www.sandnya.org

Gen Set sponsored for SSS

Three four days back I received a mail from Mr. Jeetendra Nayak, it said that he is happy to announce that a 5KW gen set with canopy will be donated by him to Sandnya. It so happened that last month Mr.Jeetendra had brought his uncle to Sandnya Srushti. Coincidently it was Wednesday and there was no power in our campus. It was a hot and humid day. Our mentally challenged students also get irritated because of the heat. Jeetendra and his uncle were also feeling stuffy and uncomfortable. He said Sandnya needs a gen set since you have no power on each Wednesday from 6am to 10 pm. It must be very uncomfortable for the students. Dr.Uttarwar said though we need one but it is not a priority. Mr.Jeetendra commented that, you may say so but I feel it is priority at least for people like me. At that point only he phoned one of his contacts and asked him to visit Sandnya Srushti and estimate the energy need. In couple of days it was done and he in next two days he along with a specialist electrical engineer took me to a place where gen set was working. I thought he must be trying to locate a sponsor for this, but now I have received a mail where he says it is sponsored by him. I have no idea how much this gen set should cost, but must not be less than Rs.1.5 lacks. Anyway, that is how we are going to get a gen set and problem of power on Wednesday will be solved. GOD is great!!

By:Navin Deshpande, Secretary, SSS

email:navindesh@gmail.com

website: www.sandnya.org

Lift is sponsored - a good news indeed!!

About ten days back I received a official quotation from M/s Johnson Lifts. This was for a lift which we had asked for, that is which will accommodate two wheel chairs at a time. The price quoted was Rs.11.00 lacks all inclusive. I simply did not go through the whole quotation because I knew we can not afford such a high cost. I thought it is out of question to ask donation for this. I immediately convinced myself that probably we do not need this lift for our mentally challenged children and that is why I am getting this exorbitant figure in quotation. With this thought I got settled mentally and conveyed this fact to my friend and our chairman Dr.Uttarwar. Both of us agreed that, God has decided against the lift requirement. This was in the first half of the day. Around noon, I received a telephone call from our Principal, Mr.Alok. He inquired, weather I got the quotation file and have I gone through it. I said, there is nothing to read more since I have gone through the cost page. He said, a gentleman from M/s Jonhsons had come here and was inquiring in detail about the requirement of lift, its size, our disabled students etc. Alok said, on asking him why he is so inquisitive, the gentleman replied that he has received a message from his owner that this lift is to be fully sponsored by the company. It is in this regard he has come to ascertain the facts about the NGO and its need.

I simply could not believe this. Thus phoned immediately to Mr.Jeetendra Nayak, the one who had initiated this matter. He said he is not sure about this total sponsorship but the owner at Chennai had promised to do the best. However, Jeetendra said that he will confirm the fact and shall revert back to me. That is what he did in less then ten minutes. Jeetendra told me that the owner of M/s Jonhsons has confirmed that they are really sponsoring the whole lift equipment free of cost and we only have to provide civil works and power supply. Thus the thing came from the horses mouth directly.

Is it not a great NEWS? I think, it is! by all means!! And is it not true as we always say at Sandnya, that there are more number of good people in this world than otherwise. We at Sandnya genuinely believe that it is a Divine work, and "HE" takes care of all our needs. How else can we explain that a man sitting at 1100 km at Chennai, whom we have never met, who has not seen our work should sponsor a lift which was quoted at Rs.11 lacks?

People may call it a miracle. But for us, right from day one, at Sandnya such so called miracles occur every now and than.

I personally feel that our need for lift was genuine and GOD has responded through Mr. john K John and the mediator is of course Mr. Jeetendra Nayak.

By: Navin Deshpande, Secretary, SSS

email: navindesh@gmail.com

website: www.sandnya.org

Dahi Handi - Krishna Janma

On 4th September at Sandnya Srushti campus we celebrated Dahi Handi programme.This was celebrated after teachers day programme. Dahi handi is a earthenware pot in which there is butter. It is said that Krishna was fond of butter, which he used to steel from his own house with out the knowledge of his mother Yashoda ma. This dahi handi is hanged at a hight from the ground where it is not possible to reach with out making a human pyramid. There every time the group makes a attempt and fails, there is a loud laughter amongst the watchers who enjoy this so called Krishna lila. In our school also we celebrate this dahi handi. It is not only fun but it gives good opportunity to our mentally challenged children to get socialized and a chance to make a attempt physically also. This opportunity they can never get in their locality or neighborhood. After starting this event in our open ground, it started raining heavily. We all were forced to get in to the building. But our children got opportunity to get wet in to the rain water, this opportunity is also not available to them like their normal peers.
By: Navin Deshpande, Secretary,SSS

email:navindesh@gmail.com

website:www.sandnya.org

Teachers Day at SSS

On 4th of September we celebrated teachers day at Sandnya Srushti. There were about 25 parents present for this programe. In case of us at Sandnya it is a typical case. Our students are mentally challenged and autistic. They do not understand the concepts like teachers day. So there is no question of them being participating actually. The agenda of the event was, few parents talked and showed there gratitude towards our staff in total. One of them said that, teachers in this case are really 'GURU'. Because they try there best to teach the mentally challenged child irrespective of the fact that how many attempts or how much time it takes for the child to accomplish the task or targeted goal, and this is true also. It is not only teachers but our all staff strive hard to see that the student does get opportunity to learn. What is teaching? It is in fact the knowledge that the teacher imparts to the student. But in case of mentally challenged, in many instances, our student by his response shows the way of approach to his teacher. In case of mentally challenged, it is less of teaching and more of training as a matter of fact. Since in mental disability the cognitive factor is affected and thus it becomes almost impossible for the person to make decision.

Parents gave small gifts to all staff members as token of appreciation for the services rendered to their ward. These small gifts were given with the hands of students. They did not of course understand the meaning behind it, but by clapping they showed their happiness. When parents talk, the whole atmosphere becomes emotional. There are few volunteers and well wishers also attending this programme which was for about an hour.

By: Navin Deshpande, Secretary, SSS

email; navindesh@gmail.com

website: www.sandnya.org

New way of raising funds

It is now more than 17 years that we have been running Sandnya Sanwardhan Sanstha with out financial aid from government. I vividly recall that our first month budget in 1993 was just Rs.3200. And now our monthly expense is more than Rs.2.5 lacks. Apart from this, we have a infrastructure were we must have invested not less than Rs.50-60 lacks. What is the source of funds? Most of the people do not believe that the only funding source for us is donations from philanthropic people and organizations. In spite of the fact that our only funding source is donation, we were never late by even one day in our payment schedule to our employees and any other deters as well. We have always and firmly believed that there are more number of good people in this world than otherwise. We have always felt from the bottom of our heart that, Sandnya Sanwardhan Sanstha's work is the divine work and we are only the means to serve the cause. GOD has always given us wisdom to carry this work in right direction and that is what really matters. With GOD blessed wisdom we carry our responsibility and the rest is left to the divine power.

As far as funds are concerned, we have monthly small amount donors. They have volunteered a small amount as per their wish. Our man goes every month to this donor and collects this small amount which is from rupees 20 to 12000 per month. It is amazing to see that people donate this amount with remarkable consistency month after month and year after year. This monthly committed donation amount is about 35% of our monthly expense. The remaining amount comes as a ad hoc donation which is difficult to anticipate. But surprisingly this non anticipated amount also comes regularly and it has never failed us in the past. And we are sure with the divine power in absolute command it will come in future also.

In spite of all this divine intervention, one has to put his efforts also. We at Sandnya Sanwardhan Sanstha, are appealing to people to donate news paper scrap to us. Our man is collecting this news paper scrap from the house of the donor. This scrap donation of news paper is used for paper bags in our rehab unit and the remaining is sold to generate funds. As it is, disposing off of news parer scrap is a headache to most of the families. So in a way, we are helping them to keep clean of this wast material otherwise. So the families do not mind donating this scrap to us, we in turn get small amount by selling this scrap to recycle chain. Though this scrap sale amount for each family is pretty small, but when the donor number is large enough than the amount is also quite sizable.

We have one more dimension to this novel fund raising scheme. This gives us opportunity to contact additional people in the society. While we reach them we have to explain to them the whole purpose and the cause for which we are working. It does gives us a golden opportunity to make people aware about mentally challenged and their problems.In this process we not only create awareness but we are likely to get customer for our products produced in our rehab units. Thus this shall help us in rehabilitation process also. We at Sandnya Sanwardhan Sanstha always believed that rehabilitation of mentally challenged and autistics is not possible with out active support from all sections of the society.

We therefore request every one who is in Nagpur to donate the News paper scrap to us. You can phone on one of these numbers and our man volunteer will come and collect from your house. Contact No.Mrs.Joshi- 9766788932, Mr. Ingole- 0712-2236043, Dr.Uttarwar-9822932031, Mr.Badkas-9890585005.

By: Navin Deshpande, Secretary, SSS

email: navindesh@gmail.com

website: www.sandnya.org

Star Circlip job

On 26th of August factory manager of Star Circlip called me to their office. Mr. manager praised our students for their disciplined work. He told me that they have some problem with factory inspector. He told me that factory inspector is harassing for having these children in factory with out proper registration under ESIS etc. These children were still on trial. They were in fact working for only 5 hours a day. Their production was also much below par. In fact, we together thought that it will take at least 6 months for the children to get settled. It is unfortunate that government officials are not only corrupt but are most apathetic in this regard. It is no surprise for us that the factory inspector has not co operated in this instance.

During this same meeting, factory manager offered, that this same work can be done from our premises i.e. in Sandnya Srushti campus. Thus our children could work only for 22 working days in this new atmosphere. We have already started working on the same job from our campus. This is a sort of small setback considering opportunity in open employment for mentally challenged. We at Sandnya know very well that the rehabilitation of mentally challenged is a very difficult job. The limitation is not from our mentally challenged children but it is the attitude of the different constituents of our society.

By: Navin Deshpande,Secretary, SSS

email:navindesh@gmail.com

website: www.sandnya.org