I’m a marathon runner who decided the next challenge was going up instead of forward. This summer, I’m climbing Mount Rainier with Team Asha Seattle.
Training started in February – progressive hikes with increasingly heavy packs, snow skills classes, and early mornings on trails across the Cascades. By summit day in June, I’ll have logged thousands of feet of elevation gain preparing for this climb.
But the climb is only half the commitment. Every Team Asha climber raises funds for Asha for Education, a nonprofit supporting education programs for children in India. The money I raise goes directly to projects like Vikasana, a bridge school that helps 25 kids – children of migrant laborers – get back into the classroom to continue their formal education.
Your donation – any amount – goes directly to this work. Asha operates with near-zero overhead, and every dollar reaches the kids who need it.
Encourage me with your contribution!
Your donation will create life-long changes for a child and their entire network. I am asking you to make whatever contribution you think is appropriate. All donations are tax-deductible.
With your donation, please add a comment that includes my name:
“Team Asha 2026 Ashwin Appiah”.
Thank you so much for your support!
Click on the “Donate Now” link below my picture.
If you work for an employer that matches donations, please submit your donation for a match to double your impact.
You can also choose “Asha for Education, Seattle chapter” on your company’s donation platform (Ex: Benevity / Give etc) and choose to have your contribution matched. Please save a screenshot of your match submission and send it to me for it to count against my fundraising commitment.
What is Asha ?
Asha is a non-profit that supports education for underprivileged children. Their work is meaningful and genuine. Good work making solid impact to improve lives. Charity Navigator is a 3rd party that ranks non-profit organizations, and they have given Asha a perfect 100% score for 7 straight years: 4 on 4 on the scales of accountability, transparency, leadership & culture.
“Candid” is another 3rd party that is a leading provider of data and insights on the social sector. Candid awards Asha a “Gold” seal of transparency.
Why Asha for Education ?
Asha is a “minimal overhead” organization, driven entirely by volunteers (including administrative expenses), ensuring that more than 95% of your donations are sent to our partner groups in India.
Asha has been around since 1996 and consistently focuses on impact. Work to vet projects in India, keep up with the work they do and follow up each year to audit the impact is all done by volunteers. The organization is non-hierarchical, non-sectarian and secular. American Airlines magazine did an article on Asha and called it a “Slam Dunk charity” to indicate that anyone can contribute to it with high confidence that money will be well used towards high impact.
Where will the money go ?
What I raise will support Vikasana in India. This school focuses on children of migrant daily-wager laborers. The kids begin to work early (child labor) alongside their parents to make ends meet. Vikasana helps them break out of their cycle of poverty and find meaning and aspiration. Every year 25 children are re-habilitated back into formal schools.
Every dollar donated will go to the project, Asha is a near-zero overhead organization (3% overhead to cover the credit card fee).
How much should I give ?
Choose any amount that feels generous yet affordable to you.
You can also choose the kind of impact you would like to make:
Whether it’s a $8 latte, or $35 dinner or a $120 family meal out… anything counts and no amount is too small.
Each dollar educates someone needy in India and can help transform more than one life.
| $1 covers the nutritional needs (3 meals, including a snack) of a child for a day ($30 can feed a child for a month) |
| $10 can provide education materials and 1 uniform set for 1 child for an entire year. ($50 provides educational materials & 1 uniform set for 5 children for a year) |
| $450 covers the entire contribution of Asha* for 1 child annually ($225 covers Asha’s support for 1 child for 6 months) |
Asha Seattle’s contribution covers food and medical costs for children, uniforms, educational & play materials, exposure trips & travel expenses, electricity & water expenses, teacher, cooks, counsellors and security honorariums, computer maintenance, and some administrative expenses (auditing, some repair etc).some repair etc).