Note: If you are not able to see the image below, you need to click on 'Display images' in your mail
Empowering slum dwellers of Delhi
‘Udaan’ also known as the ‘Empowers’ Project, is a truly path breaking initiative started in Delhi & NCR. Launched on March 4th 2012 with a satsang attended by hundreds of slum dwellers, the project aims to empower the inhabitants of the slums in Delhi & NCR. Beginning with a team of 30 volunteers, ‘Udaan’ now boasts of more than 500 volunteers working in 10 slums within the National Capital Region. The plan is to take this initiative to other slums as well.
‘Empowers’ covers the following aspects: E for Education, M for Meditation, P for Poverty alleviation, O for Ownership of Health, W for Women’s development, E for Employment, R for Rehabilitation of street children and ageing people & S for Skills development.
‘Udaan’ offers a holistic and strategic approach to community development and team development, based on the guiding principles of love and compassion propagated by H.H.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The support offered to the slums is based on the need assessment that is done by the volunteers. Since its launch in March 2012, ‘Udaan’ has benefitted the inhabitants of slums like Govindpuri and Kusumpur Pahari in South Delhi, Rajiv Nagar and Rahul Colony in Faridabad, Hoshiarpur in NOIDA, Mongolpuri and Jehangirpuri in North Delhi, Matiani in West Delhi, Baljit Nagar in Central Delhi, Silohkara in Gurgaon and Dajana in Ghaziabad. Some of these slums, which are among the largest in Delhi, have more than 1 lakh inhabitants. The activities in these slums include nav chetna shivirs, bal chetna shivirs, rural part-I courses, YLTP sessions, computer training, medical camps, street plays about health, immunization camps, cleaning of parks, temples and streets, employment counseling, remedial classes, formal education by facilitating admissions in schools for children, funding university education and counseling for higher education, awareness about family planning, generating sources of income through skill development and rehabilitating street children and old people. Volunteers work at the grass roots, directly interacting with the people. Inspired by the wonderful work that is being done, many people who are not members of the Art of Living have also volunteered to contribute and participate in their own way. As a result of the dedicated effort that has been put in, many of these slum dwellers are beginning to feel a sense of belonging with Guruji and the Art of Living.
The first immunization camp under the ‘Udaan’ project was held on May 5th, 2012 in Govindpuri. Around 100 children were immunized for Typhoid prevention and were given Vitamin A in collaboration with Max hospitals. Prior to the camp, a door to door sampling survey was conducted in order to underscore the importance of immunization in saving lives and to encourage slum dwellers to vaccinate their children against deadly diseases. The survey revealed that many children had not received any vaccinations till then. Many of the parents, who had recently migrated from villages, were not even aware that vaccination is essential for the prevention of disease. Their children have not undergone any vaccination, and for them a separate plan has been made to cover all essential vaccinations. For many volunteers it was an eye opener to learn that in this era of globalization, the dividing line between urban settings and villages prevents people from reaching out and availing of health facilities. Nutritional disorders can be caused by an insufficient intake of food or of certain nutrients and by an inability of the body to absorb and use nutrients. Examples include anaemia caused by insufficient intake of iron, and impaired sight because of inadequate intake of vitamin A. Nutrition disorders can be particularly serious in children, since they interfere with growth and development. Studies reveal that in India alone, 52,000 children go blind every year on account of vitamin A deficiency. This problem is more prevalent in slum areas, where conditions such as poverty, overcrowding, infections, malnutrition and improper diet are common. Due to lack of vaccination, diseases like diphtheria, measles and polio are making a comeback and diseases such as typhoid affect many. The volunteers of ‘Udaan’ are dealing with this on a war footing.
It is truly inspiring to see the dedication of the ‘seva warriors’ working in the extreme heat of Delhi’s summer, without fans and Air-conditioners, with an unshakeable resolve. Many of them walk for hours in and through the slums, to generate awareness about the initiatives and collect sample data for need assessment. Some special initiatives like medical camps were also planned to celebrate Guruji’s birthday on May 13th. Speaking on behalf of the ‘Udaan’ team, Ms.Indu Sinha, who is heading the project said, “We all feel that this is the way that we can help the real India, the majority of which is still in the villages & the slums. Working towards their upliftment makes us feel the true spirit of seva.” The work continues with ever increasing enthusiasm.
*National Documentation Team, the Art of Living Bureau of Communication.
JaiGurudev,
Sonali Chaudhari
National Documentation Coordinator
Art of Living Bureau of Communication
Mobile: 91-9871677331
Tel (Res): 91-011-41660974
www.artofliving.org
www.artoflivingprojects.org
‘Udaan’ also known as the ‘Empowers’ Project, is a truly path breaking initiative started in Delhi & NCR. Launched on March 4th 2012 with a satsang attended by hundreds of slum dwellers, the project aims to empower the inhabitants of the slums in Delhi & NCR. Beginning with a team of 30 volunteers, ‘Udaan’ now boasts of more than 500 volunteers working in 10 slums within the National Capital Region. The plan is to take this initiative to other slums as well.
‘Empowers’ covers the following aspects: E for Education, M for Meditation, P for Poverty alleviation, O for Ownership of Health, W for Women’s development, E for Employment, R for Rehabilitation of street children and ageing people & S for Skills development.
‘Udaan’ offers a holistic and strategic approach to community development and team development, based on the guiding principles of love and compassion propagated by H.H.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The support offered to the slums is based on the need assessment that is done by the volunteers. Since its launch in March 2012, ‘Udaan’ has benefitted the inhabitants of slums like Govindpuri and Kusumpur Pahari in South Delhi, Rajiv Nagar and Rahul Colony in Faridabad, Hoshiarpur in NOIDA, Mongolpuri and Jehangirpuri in North Delhi, Matiani in West Delhi, Baljit Nagar in Central Delhi, Silohkara in Gurgaon and Dajana in Ghaziabad. Some of these slums, which are among the largest in Delhi, have more than 1 lakh inhabitants. The activities in these slums include nav chetna shivirs, bal chetna shivirs, rural part-I courses, YLTP sessions, computer training, medical camps, street plays about health, immunization camps, cleaning of parks, temples and streets, employment counseling, remedial classes, formal education by facilitating admissions in schools for children, funding university education and counseling for higher education, awareness about family planning, generating sources of income through skill development and rehabilitating street children and old people. Volunteers work at the grass roots, directly interacting with the people. Inspired by the wonderful work that is being done, many people who are not members of the Art of Living have also volunteered to contribute and participate in their own way. As a result of the dedicated effort that has been put in, many of these slum dwellers are beginning to feel a sense of belonging with Guruji and the Art of Living.
The first immunization camp under the ‘Udaan’ project was held on May 5th, 2012 in Govindpuri. Around 100 children were immunized for Typhoid prevention and were given Vitamin A in collaboration with Max hospitals. Prior to the camp, a door to door sampling survey was conducted in order to underscore the importance of immunization in saving lives and to encourage slum dwellers to vaccinate their children against deadly diseases. The survey revealed that many children had not received any vaccinations till then. Many of the parents, who had recently migrated from villages, were not even aware that vaccination is essential for the prevention of disease. Their children have not undergone any vaccination, and for them a separate plan has been made to cover all essential vaccinations. For many volunteers it was an eye opener to learn that in this era of globalization, the dividing line between urban settings and villages prevents people from reaching out and availing of health facilities. Nutritional disorders can be caused by an insufficient intake of food or of certain nutrients and by an inability of the body to absorb and use nutrients. Examples include anaemia caused by insufficient intake of iron, and impaired sight because of inadequate intake of vitamin A. Nutrition disorders can be particularly serious in children, since they interfere with growth and development. Studies reveal that in India alone, 52,000 children go blind every year on account of vitamin A deficiency. This problem is more prevalent in slum areas, where conditions such as poverty, overcrowding, infections, malnutrition and improper diet are common. Due to lack of vaccination, diseases like diphtheria, measles and polio are making a comeback and diseases such as typhoid affect many. The volunteers of ‘Udaan’ are dealing with this on a war footing.
It is truly inspiring to see the dedication of the ‘seva warriors’ working in the extreme heat of Delhi’s summer, without fans and Air-conditioners, with an unshakeable resolve. Many of them walk for hours in and through the slums, to generate awareness about the initiatives and collect sample data for need assessment. Some special initiatives like medical camps were also planned to celebrate Guruji’s birthday on May 13th. Speaking on behalf of the ‘Udaan’ team, Ms.Indu Sinha, who is heading the project said, “We all feel that this is the way that we can help the real India, the majority of which is still in the villages & the slums. Working towards their upliftment makes us feel the true spirit of seva.” The work continues with ever increasing enthusiasm.
*National Documentation Team, the Art of Living Bureau of Communication.
JaiGurudev,
Sonali Chaudhari
National Documentation Coordinator
Art of Living Bureau of Communication
Mobile: 91-9871677331
Tel (Res): 91-011-41660974
www.artofliving.org
www.artoflivingprojects.org
No comments:
Post a Comment