Hello all,
During July/August of this year, I will be participating once again in the long distance bike ride from Seattle to Portland (STP), which is 206 miles long. This will be my 10th time participating in this event. Due to the continuing Covid restrictions though this year the traditional outdoor biking event is replaced with a virtual one where I will be riding indoor to complete the ride (the same ~206 miles with ~5000ft elevation).
I have been volunteering with Asha for Education since 2007 and using these events to raise awareness as well as to raise funds for this awesome organization. Asha for Education is a non-political secular organization dedicated to driving change in India by focusing on the basic education of underprivileged children. At Asha, we work with a variety of project partners NGOs and community groups in many education and development related endeavors. Each year with the help of local volunteers, we disburse around $800,000 to these 26 NGOs across India. Together we study their proposals, budgets, past performance etc. and take a decision on funding them for each successive year. After the money is remitted, we follow up in depth to verify that the funds are being used for the intended purpose through regular reports. Once a year, one of us personally visits the project location for hands-on follow-up and confirmation. This is as close as one can get to the grassroot level while being here in the USA.
While being closely connected with the NGOs in India, locally through these endurance training groups, we also try to build a community of fitness enthusiasts with social awareness. Together we raise about 10% of the total donations every year.
Another great thing is that Asha being a volunteer driven organization with no paid staff, has one of the lowest overhead expense ratios. For every dollar you donate, 95¢ go to programs, 5¢ go to admin expenses and fundraising efforts. It is well-renowned for its transparency and accountability and consistently receiving a Perfect 4/4 rating on Charity Navigator year over year.
I understand that most of us have been pitching in for various Covid relief efforts. Asha also is active on that front working closely with our partner NGOs to understand the needs in their local communities and helping wherever it is needed the most. We hope the dire situation becomes manageable soon but the underprivileged families will be struggling far beyond that and children’s education will be way too low on their priority for a considerable time. Asha’s partner NGOs are already facing an uphill battle to continue the kids’ learning in the socially distanced environment. It will most likely continue for the coming year or two.
Let us lend them a hand by donating towards their continued education. You can help by contributing towards my modest goal of raising $550 for this cause. Every dollar you donate will go a long way in making a huge positive impact in the lives of underprivileged children.
Note that Asha is a registered 501(c) organization and all donations are tax deductible.