We are delighted to announce that Asha for Education has been awarded the ‘2015 Times of India Social Impact Award‘ in the International Category.
When a powerful idea fuels youthful energies, futures are formed. Asha for education, this year’s Social Impact Award winner in the International category, began as an Ivy League discussion group set up by three Indian students in their mid-20s at Berkeley in April 1991.Today, Asha involves 500 people around the world who’ve helped shape more than 50,000 lives through 316 educational projects across India in 24 years. From preprimary schooling to professional education in slums and rural patches, Asha works with stakeholders and community groups, and catalyzes social and economic change by schooling unprivileged children.Social activist Aruna Roy, jury member at the Social Impact Awards, said: “Asha has Indians abroad doing something for the country. They collect small amounts from people concerned about the marginalized and the poor, and offer finance and fellowships. There are only two institutes I know that are working from abroad, Asha is one of them. It’s a commendable way of helping India.”Read more about the announcement on the Times of India website here.
We Walk Together
A unique feature of Asha for Education is our relationship with our project partners. We share a deep passion for creating better opportunities for the children of India and are united in our commitment to make it happen. The relationship is not just a business partnership – over the years it deepens into friendship and true collaboration where Asha volunteers embrace the opportunity to get involved in every detail of the project activities and the partners welcome it. Though many of us are located geographically distant from our project partners, we keep in touch over email, Skype, phone calls, and letters (to remote areas), visiting regularly and immersing ourselves in all aspects of the project.
The Times of India Social Impact Award 2015 (International category) for Asha cited in part this unique feature of ours where we have a deep relationship with our project partners. This announcement has brought an outpouring of heart-felt congratulations from them. In some ways, these were even more rewarding than the award itself – it is real testament that we must be doing something right. We share some of the comments here, from across the length and breadth of India.
Congratulatory Messages:
Hearty Congratulations to the entire Asha for Education team across the US. We work with one of their chapters, and are amazed at the commitment they show in supporting causes in India. Must say, it is an extremely well-deserved award!
Best wishes for a higher impact,
Ajita Panshikar
Vice President
V-Excel Educational Trust
Children at Thulir
Congratulations to all of you at Asha for Education. This award is long overdue and justly earned and deserved. Asha for Education is surely an inspiring and true social movement for change.
It’s been our privilege to be partners of Asha. We have had a 11 year long excellent partnership with Asha Princeton and then a similar one with Asha Bangalore. Many of them have become personal friends and we cherish the relationships. We feel a lot of hope for the future when we see so many young, sincere volunteers wanting to give back to society.
Warm wishes,
Anu and Krishna
Thulir, Sittlingi village
Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu
Advocacy program at ACRD, Assam
Congratulations to all the Volunteers of Asha For Education. This is a great inspiration to us all!
Sunita Changkakati
Assam Centre For Rural Development
Kampur district, Assam
Students at Payir Trust
Dear friends in Asha,
From the days that we started forming this friendship and partner in efforts, always felt so nice, warm and above all self respecting with each on of the Asha volunteers. You bring in so maturity in joining hands with your partners. For Payir, Asha has been our firmest supporter through our ups and downs and for me and my family, a number of you have become friends for life.
Kudos to each and all of you for receiving the TOI award a recognition for all the children who are part of your (and humbly ours too) life.
Take care.
With loads of love to the entire team,
Senthil
Payir Trust
Door Step School
Congratulations to the entire Asha for Education Team. We are Asha’s partners for a long time now and are proud to be associated with them. It is really amazing to see the network working not only across US but across countries with the same dedication and commitment as a team.
It is a well deserved award.
Wish you all the success in future as well.
Rajani Paranjpe & Door Step School team
Kalyania Prayas Center
Brilliant! Asha for Education fully deserves this laurel and more. Congratulations. We expect more such laurels for Asha.
Chitreshwar Sen
Kalyania Prayas Center, West Bengal
Congratulations Asha team…
We are happy for this news…
From
Borderless World Foundation, Pune
Viswa Bharati Vidyodaya Trust
We have been supported by Asha Colorado chapter for the last few years….and it has been a wonderful association. Yes, I have no doubt that Asha deserves all the awards it gets.
Working with Asha has been a greatly endearing experience because it is a way of giving back what you got. Nothing could be better than that. We, all of us, owe so much to society but forget in a moment of elation at our achievements assuming that we made it by ourselves. It also helps to remember that we have left some behind and we need to to go back every now and then to take them along.
Good show and let us keep this going ….
B. Ramdas
Viswa Bharati Vidyodaya Trust
Gudalur, Nilgiris
ETASHA Society
Dear Asha Team,
Congratulations!!! This award only endorses what we have always known – you people are AWESOME!!!
It’s been a real pleasure working with the San Francisco Chapter. I’m sure all of you wonderful people in all the other chapters are just as good.
Here’s wishing all strength to you
Meenakshi
ETASHA Society
Trinita Education Centers
Dear Friends,
It is a great Joy for us in Trinita and we congratulate the Team for this big recognition and a great honour for us to be part of Asha for Education.
With best wishes to all
In solidarity
Trinita & Team
Trinita Society for Social and Health Research-Education Centers
Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha, West Bengal
Dear All
It’s really a moment of joy and thanks giving to all of you to achieve such a great award … we are feeling great to be a partner of this journey for a couple of years with Asha for Education
Thanks and wishing you all for such another awards as recognition
Susanta Giri
BTS-Sunderban
Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha, West Bengal
JKSMS ILM School
Congratulations to the Asha for Education team for receiving ‘Times of India Social Impact Award 2015’ in the International category.
We are working with the one of chapter in Jaipur (Rajasthan). The volunteer’s team of Asha for Education is highly committed and devoted.
Best wishes for a higher impact,
Kamal Kishor & All members of JKSMS
Jan Kala Sahitya Manch Sanstha, Jaipur