I have always enjoyed the outdoors and spending time in the confines of nature. When I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2017, I was enthralled by the sheer number and diversity of hiking opportunities this beautiful region of the world affords us. After a couple of years of hiking the trails, I felt the desire to expand my horizons by taking up slightly more technical mountaineering goals. I had run a 10k for Asha with a friend in 2019, and it was then that I was informed that they have a climbing program too. The opportunity to pursue something I love while also contributing to a worthy cause was too good to pass, and thus I am climbing a few mountains in Washington with Asha in 2020-21.
2020 has been a tough year all around, with many new challenges being faced by people around the world. Even aside from the special circumstances this year, countless people around the world face untold hardships on a daily basis arising from poverty, disability and lack of access to a proper education. To contribute in a very small way, I am partnering with Asha to raise funds for them. Please visit https://ashanet.org/about/ to learn about some of the work that Asha volunteers do. The funds that are raised for Asha are disbursed to worthy initiatives in India. The Asha Seattle chapter primarily focuses on providing support to groups trying to improve the state of education in rural and economically backward areas in India. I would encourage you to look at some of the projects here: https://ashanet.org/projects-list/?status=1&chapter=29.
Lastly, I would like to clarify that the funds being raised here are not financing my treks in any way. I have provided the finances for the gear and guide services for those myself. These funds are meant for the cause that all of us climbers are donating to. Please feel free to reach out to me if you wish to know more. Thanks for reading through the post, and even if you don’t end up contributing, thanks for learning about Asha!
COVID-19 Relief Efforts
In this time of unprecedented crisis, our volunteers on the ground, at great risk to themselves, are taking enormous efforts to help the needy. Some of these include:
- Our volunteers in Varanasi are distributing survival essentials to hundreds of families under lockdown! They also ensure the government schemes reach the most rural communities.
- 250+ families belonging to the Musahar, Dalit and other backward communities in Nagepur, Uttar Pradesh were provided with essential supplies for one month.
- 300+ underprivileged communities in Bhilai, Chattisgarh were provided with dry ration and several people who were on the road walking to their villages were provided with meals.
- 100+ families mostly comprising of daily wage laborers, transgender communities in Tirlokpuri, Delhi who do not have a ration card were provided with dry ration for 1 month.
- 500+ families of migrant laborers in Kanpur were provided with dry ration for a month.
About Asha for Education:
Asha for Education is among the top 1% of nonprofits in the USA which are rated 4-on-4 stars and received a perfect score of 100 on Charity Navigator. Asha operates with very minimal overhead. 97% of your donations go to benefit the education of underprivileged children in India.
Education in India comes with a lot of diverse issues. The problems in this sector esp in under-served communities need local solutions. Asha for Education works closely with multiple grass-root level projects in India striving to bring a change in the local communities. The projects include
- home and education for orphaned children
- improving the quality of education in government schools using innovative teaching-learning methods incl technology
- support for the education of special needs children
- care and education for children rescued from or at-risk of child trafficking
and more.
How can you help?
Our volunteers and projects need our support now more than ever to continue to help these families. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THOSE IN DESPERATE NEED: An amount of 40$ – will help provide dry ration for a family of 4 for 1 month.
- Credit Card: Please click the ‘Donate’ button on this page
- Check: Please write the check, in favor of “Asha For Education” and mention 2020 Climbing, Seattle in the memo field. Please send the check directly to:Asha for Education, Seattle Chapter,
PO Box 398080
San Francisco, CA 94139 – 8080and drop me an email
Company Matching: You can double the impact of your donation by getting it matched from your company. Most of the companies match donations by employees to Asha for Education. Please check with your company and let us know. Asha will then contact your company. All donations are 100% tax-deductible (Tax Id 770 45 9884).