Team Asha Chicago

• Upcoming Races: New York Marathon 2011, Chicago Marathon 2011, Chicago Half Marathon 2011, Rock and Roll Half Marathon 2011, Mumbai Marathon 2012

• Previous Races: Chicago Marathon (2008, 2009, 2010), Chicago Half Marathon (2008,2009, 2010), BOA Half Marathon (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), Rock & Roll Chicago Half Marathon 2009, Madison to Chicago 200 Mile Relay 2009, Gasperilla Tampa 2005 and many others…

• Projects Supported: Aralu, Asmita, Gramya, Navjyoti
• Miles run this season: – 200+ miles

Namaste!!

Thanks for visiting my webpage to support this noble cause of providing education to unprivileged children in India.

With your help I was able to raise $1,257 in 2008, $900 in 2009, $800 in 2010. My goal for 2011 is to raise $1400 for Asha. I ask for your support again. Suggested sponsorship levels are:

• Sponsor Full Marathon: $100
• Sponsor $3 A Mile: $78
• Sponsor $2 A Mile: $52
• Sponsor $1 A Mile: $26

I am a zero overhead runner with ASHA that means all the donations made will go to ASHA.  All donations are tax deductible. Again, thanks a lot for your generous donation.

To Pledge, please click on “Donate”

Why Donate!! Education is a right not privilege of every human being. Education for underprivileged children is the key whether we are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control or human rights issues in developing countries like India. Here are some of the facts on status of education in India -

• Less than half of India’s children between the age 6 and 14 go to school. • A little over one-third of all children who enroll in grade one reach grade eight. • 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate. • In India, only 53% of habitation has a primary school. • In India, only 20% of habitation has a secondary school. • On an average an upper primary school is 3 km away in 22% of areas under habitations. • In nearly 60% of schools, there are less than two teachers to teach Classes I to V. • On an average, there are less than three teachers per primary school. They have to manage classes from I to V every day. • High cost of private education and need to work to support their families and little interest in studies are the reasons given by 3 in every four drop-outs • Dropout rates increase alarmingly in class III to V, its 50% for boys, 58% for girls. • 1 in 40, primary school in India is conducted in open spaces or tents. • More than 50 per cent of girls fail to enroll in school; those that do are likely to drop out by the age of 12. • 50% of Indian children aged 6-18 do not go to school

About running with Asha Asha for Education is an action group with a primary focus on basic education in India. The broader mission is to catalyze socio-economic change in India through the education of underprivileged children. The objectives of this group in India are:

• To provide access to education for underprivileged children in India
• To promote universal education and decrease child labor
• To support grass roots initiatives in deprived and marginalized communities in India
• To address, whenever possible, other issues affecting human life such as health care, environmental and socio-economic issues, women’s issues, human rights issues, etc.

The objectives of this group in the United States are:

• Raise resources & awareness
• Encourage volunteer learning & leadership
• Provide opportunities to contribute to socio-economic change in India

In line with the objectives above, the Chicago Chapter of Asha for Education currently supports 8 projects : Aralu Pre-primary centers, Aralu Belaku residential home, Gramya, Navjyoti, Asmita, Swadhar, Jyotirgamaya and a fellowship to a grassroot healthcare activist Manish. As a Team Asha runner, I endeavor to raise funds towards supporting these projects and making a difference in the lives of approximately 1000 children and their community.