Jasmine Sandhu | Asha Seattle

Jasmine Sandhu

I’m volunteering with the Climb for Asha program in 2016. This is an annual charity climb for Mt. Rainier where we run a training program and organize the final climb for aspirants who wish to climb Rainier. Our goal is to raise funds for programs supported by the Seattle Chapter of Asha for Education. I’ve climbed the DC route and Emmons routes on Rainier and would love to climb again; however, my primary role this year is to coordinate hikes, climbs, gear discussions and support the efforts of the 2016 climbers in their quest. This requires a great deal of family support since I have a 2 yr old who spends time with Papa, his family or my parents while I’m out hiking with the team every Saturday or climbing over the weekend.

Asha is a secular, non-profit, and an all volunteer driven organization working towards socio-economic change in India. Their main focus is to empower the marginalized communities through education primarily for women and children. The GRAVIS project is one such project supported by Asha and the climbing program, for which I’m also a steward.

– GRAVIS project:
http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=925
http://www.gravis.org.in/

Here’s an independent evaluation of the Asha supported work done by GRAVIS since 2008: http://www.ashanet.org/projects-new/documents/925/GRAVIS-EvaluationReport-2015.pdf

– Here’s a small excerpt about harsh mining conditions in the Rajasthan area also showing a little bit of the work done by GRAVIS in supporting healthcare for them: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/dusty-mining-conditions-trap-indian-workers-with-deadly-lung-disease/

100% of the donations to Asha go directly to funding projects in India. Asha volunteers pick up the administrative cost and act as stewards for projects which Asha supports. Volunteers make site visits to the rural communities in India to learn about the impact the project is having in the local community. Check out the Asha links to learn more about the Asha’s work. Also check out the pages of other climbers. Thank you for visiting and thank you for supporting Asha!”