Association for India's Development is a volunteer movement promoting sustainable, equitable and just development. AID supports grassroots organizations in India and initiates efforts in various interconnected spheres such as education, livelihoods, natural resources including land, water and energy, agriculture, health, women's empowerment and social justice.
AID is effective
AID's holistic vision enables it to address underlying causes rather than just responding to symptoms, by using powerful tools for bringing out change, such as campaigning against corrupton, in addition to constructive and creative work through various projects.
To give an example, AID has supported alternate energy projects such as solar, wind, micro-hydro and pedal power to light up homes and schools in remote tribal villages. Typically it costs AID about $100-$200 to bring electricity to an unelectrified household through such project work. Thus to create infrastructure and bring lights to 1000 households, it takes $150,000 or so.
On the other hand in Srikakulam district villages at a cost of only about $3000, nearly a 1000 households got electricity via AID, after people fought the Rs 1000-2000 bribes that officials in the electricity department were taking per connection. A day wage labourers earning Rs 60-80 per day can pay their monthly electricity bill, but not bribes to get the initial connection, and this was the bottle neck that AID understood, fought and got rid off. Thus while alternate energy projects are needed for tribal villages where there is no grid, fighting corruption is cost effective and addresses the causes behind lack of access to electricity, in villages in the plains where there is grid infrastructure.
By realizing that nearly 50% of school going children, even in the 5th grade, are not able to read, starting with Tamil Nadu and expanding to other states, AID is improving reading skills of children in tens of thousands of schools by creating interesting reading material, working with government schools by providing training to teachers and creating libraries as well as enabling group learning of children from one another through creative activities.
Through out the AID site you will find a deeper understanding of issues, courage to face injustice and commitment for change through projects and campaigns, an approach that causes large scale transformation, due to its sheer efficiency. Your support as donors and involvement as volunteers goes a much longer distnce the AID way.
AID at a glance
Founded: 1991
Incorported: 2003
Chapters in the US: 36
# of Volunteers: ~1000
AID-India Chapters: 6
Total Projects: 365
Ongoing: ~100
Indian States with AID projects : 18
Projects Visited by AID volunteers: All
Inspired by AID, volunteers across the globe have started the following independent organizations:
AID-India with 80-G tax deductible status in India, AID-Aus in Australia and AID-Canada in Canada. Smaller volunteer groups have also mushroomed in UK and other countries.
Compassion wherever there is suffering
Conviction that the compassion is strong enough to eliminate suffering
Courage to make this conviction a reality
This is AID...
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Aid Jhu followed this page 2014-03-31 03:45:42 -0400
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Aid Jhu published this page 2012-04-29 22:27:00 -0400