My goal: To climb a 10,781-foot glaciated volcano: Mount Baker, about 3 hours North of my new home in Seattle. And with this climb, I hope I can continue to create change. Change through Asha for Education which I’ve been volunteering with since 1999.
Over the years I have visited projects in India and have seen first-hand the impact that Asha makes, the careful, thorough and thoughtful consideration of projects, each school’s budget, teacher’s salaries and more. Asha isn’t just sending money, it is carefully ensuring grass roots change for entire communities. Project “stewards” connect with each project to play the role of a “consultant”, connecting school leadership with others in the domain, and brainstorming ideas and solutions for the challenges they face.
{Photo on the right is me making pooris with the teachers of Asha Rajatalab (near Varanasi) for the community}
In 2007, I began running & training others for half and full marathons in return for fundraising. Here in Seattle, Asha not only trains runners, but cyclists and mountaineers as well. So this year, I trained to climb mountains to help support children’s education.
I needed community, therapy and a cause to connect with. The Seattle chapter is one of Asha’s biggest. Project Stewards here invest in projects with the same work-ethic demanded of them by Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing. They know the teachers, custodians and staff of their schools by name. They ask probing questions about how the school utilizes every Rupee. They follow up on the success stories from the schools.
Having seen Asha’s work, not just in St. Louis, but in Bangalore and now Seattle, I was thrilled to see that the efficiency, transparency and transformative power of Asha is deeply a part of the culture of the organization. It is not an accident that Asha continues to score a 100% rating on Charity Navigator, a well-established database that evaluates non-profit organizations on the basis of transparency, accountability and financial parameters.
I love sharing my experiences from Asha projects & the transformations I’ve seen! But you can save yourself 😊 by learning more about Asha Seattle’s projects here .
I hope that you will, once again, support my cause with your virtual pat on my back for my effort. I would love to share with you my journey with this program and the challenges and learnings of mountaineering.
🎯 My goal: raise (at least) $1700 to support these amazing programs.
💥 Double your impact: This year, I intend to personally match every dollar up to $1700
Whether it’s the equivalent of 2 meals out, or 2 vacations, Asha is a low-overheads organization, where >95% of your donation goes to the projects, to teacher’s salaries, resources, books, meals, uniforms, art supplies and more. Each child carries their sense of hope to their entire family, which spreads in the communities that they are a part of.
👉 Donate here, or the “Donate Now” link on the right.
📌 Please add the note: “Team Asha Climber 2025 Anjana Mohan”
Thank you for your faith in me and your support.