NGOSep-Oct2011 by ON-LYNE

Vol 8 Issue 5 ●

Regn. no. MAHENG/2004/15104

www.ngoconnect.org

A ‘SHAKTI’ PROJECT

““Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.”

I n d i a ’ s Fi r s t N G O N e w s ta b l o i d CONNECTiNG A Larger definition of Corruption

number of secular-progressive social organizations and people’s movements struggling for the basic rights of common people in India prefer to give a larger definition of corruption. Corruption is defined as violation of accepted natural human values. Honesty is an accepted human value. Nobody in their right senses would support dishonesty. Hence illegal transaction of money is corruption. That society doesn’t approve of it can be seen from the response generated during Anna Hazare’s movement. Honesty is not just limited to money matters. In a larger definition of honesty violation of trust in any relationship is a form of corruption. A word given to a friend and not kept, is an example. Not fulfilling one’s expected duty – whether formal or informal – is corruption. Communalism is a kind of corruption. Accepted human value is living in harmony with nature. Hence all activity which pollutes the environment, puts human beings and their health to risk will fall under the definition of corruption, especially, if it is being done knowingly. Accepted natural human value is equality. But if we discriminate with people on the basis of caste, class, gender, nationality, race or any other artificial categories of division which have been the creation of human mind, then this is corruption. Accepted human value in a democracy is equity. But if a policy maker makes policies which help only the rich classes and continuously keeps out the less privileged poor then it is a form of corruption. (Compare the facilities at a modern airport and a railway station. The railway users would be lucky even if they get a clean toilet at the railway station or in their coach). Accepted human value is sharing of resources. The idea of making a profit on a natural resource like land, water, forest or mineral by a private company is corruption. Accepted human value is peace. Hence use of violence either in relationships or in organized form by non-State groups or the State is corruption. Accepted natural human value is cooperation. But the government andthe market have glorified competition. This has given rise to corruption. Competition promotes corruption whereas cooperation eliminates it. It is also interesting to note that all natural accepted values are compatible with each other. E.g. peace, cooperation, sharing, equity, equality, communal harmony, transparency in transactions and relationships all go along with each other. However, corruption will always result in conflict.--By Dr Sandeep Pandey (Magsaysay Awardee and senior social activist) Email: ashaashram@ yahoo.com Phone: 0522-2347365, 9415022772 (full article: Rediff News, Sept. 22 2011)

Sept-Oct. 2011

- Karl Kraus

Bill to protect children against sexual abuse

ndia is finally ready with a comprehensive Bill that will protect children from sexual abuse. But the Bill, says authoractivist Pinki Virani, has a major flaw regarding sexual consent that needs to be immediately addressed and the stakeholders consulted before it becomes law.

part of this Bill, Child prostitution has become pervasive. Children form a sickening chunk of the Rs. 40,000 crore commercial sex industry. Of this, 25 per cent of child prostitutes are between 15 and 18 years of age; this is bound to increase should the “consent” age be decreased.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011 is India’s first legislation, ever, to protect children sexually from predatory adults. Children here refer to minors, i.e. ranging from newly-born to 17 years, 11 months and 29 days. At 18, the child becomes a major. To date, there is no law in India to protect those under 18 from paedophiles. The few cases being reported have been tried in adult courts under adult laws and timeframes. The Bill, when it becomes law, will change this.

Given that 53 per cent of Indian children are subjected to sexual abuse, prevention is better than cure. The HRD ministry must formulate a graded module on sex education – (schools/colleges can call it whatever they want if they don’t want to use the word “sex” - ). The education-modules should include child sexual abuse and provide holistic information on the body, its rights and its responsibilities.

There are some points that need urgent attention. The Bill, bizarrely, introduces a clause that almost legalises child sexual abuse. The clause, paraphrased, says that should an adult sexually abuse a child between 16 and 18 years, it will be examined if the child “consented”. Stakeholders—parents, teachers and educationists. young adults above 18 and those in 16-18 age group right now must first be consulted before lowering the age. Here is how consent can be misconstrued if this clause is passed. A 16-year-old girl is being taught dance by an adult instructor. Like all perpetrators, he grooms her so that there will be no ongoing objection; slowly he moves in to perform several sexual acts with her. The onus to prove that she did not want “it” will be upon her. As it will on a 17-year-old-boy sodomised by an adult male known to him. The age of consent -16 yearsdiffers from country to country. In countries where it is 16, it is understood to mean “informed consent”. These nations also try to ensure that safeguards are in place for their young to fall back upon should they need immediate and sensitive legal assistance, starting with the police moving in to immediately stop the adult forcing himself/herself sexually upon the minor the moment there is a call for help, even if the minor falls in the consent-band. More so since child sex abusers rarely stop at one child/instance. Research indicates that adults can sexually abuse up to 35 children before being identified as paedophiles. There is also a very real concern about the appalling side-effects of child sexual abuse, which tend to criminalise the child and also carry over to future generations. Boys can become wife-beaters, girls indifferent mothers. Some grow to become child sexual abusers themselves. The consent-age should be decided by the stakeholders. Lowering of age requires a differentlyworded and independent law; it cannot be a

If government reduces the consent age from 18 to 16 without consulting stakeholders, the most vulnerable will be street children, young labour, and college freshers. Fifty per cent of the children are sexually assaulted in their own homes. Perpetrators frequently “groom” the child to ensure that it will be compliant. To reduce the age of consent from 18 to 16 is to increase the risk. College-going girls and boys would be seen as legally “consenting” when they give sex in exchange for money/drugs/ better report cards et al, thereby legalising the use of a young body as barter. This is the only Bill that, when it becomes law, will protect not only our current generation of children but every generation hereafter. Readers can send their letters to the Rajya Sabha’s committee currently examining the Bill, addressed to: Mr. Oscar Fernandes, Rajya Sabha MP, Head, Parliamentary Standing Committee, Human Resource Development, Rm 515, 5th floor, Parliament House Annexe, Delhi 110001.

India Philanthropy report 2011 Based on a survey of 300 HighNet individuals and meetings with philanthropists, and NGOs to discuss the evolution of Indian philanthropy in the context of the country’s “booming” economy, Bain & Company (Mumbai and Delhi) released its India Philanthropy Report-2011. The highlights of the report: Wealthy individuals are giving more and intend to give even more as major obstacles are addressed. As a percentage of the gross domestic product, private charitable giving has increased 50 percent since 2006; India is recognized as a nation of givers, but “quiet givers” compared to their US counterparts. Today private giving totals between 0.3-0.4 % of GDP. India is one of the leaders in charitable giving compared with China and Brazil-but still lags far behind US (private giving including bequests accounted for 2.2% of GDP in 2009) and UK (1.3% in 2010).

The Indian diaspora abroad Over USD 2.3 bn was received by some 12,400 NGOs from overseas sources in 2008-9- an increase of nearly 12%. Of this nearly USD 740 million came from the USA. Diaspora remittances to India are the highest in the world –an estimated USD49.3bn in 2009. Individual donations in India constitute only 26% of all private contributions (compared to 75% in USA and 60% in UK.) Individual donations still constitute only 26% of all private charitable donations. (compared to 75% in USA and 60% in UK). However overall annual private charitable giving is estimated to b e between USD 5-6 bn. Popular causes are education, housing, shelter and food. The wealthy are now giving away between 1.5-3% . The top 10 philantrophic commitments added to $US 2.5 bn- corporate giving totalled $US 1.5 bn (a fivefold increase since 2006). The no. of NGOs grew at an average of 10% between 2006and 2009. We now have 3.3mn NGOs. About 700 NGOs opened every day!!!! Give2Asia since its inception in 2001 has received over USD 150 mn for Asia with grants for 1000 organisations: Nearly 30% of these grants have gone to India with education being the most important issue- 58% of funds allocated to this sector.The problems faced in promoting philanthropy in India are considered to be: Lack of information about good organization to support, lack of trust in intermediaries as well as grantee organisations. So people prefer to give money to people they know rather than to organizations; (Excerpts from “Philanthropy JulyAug.2011)

Training citizen candidates for polls Mumbai: In a bid to push for independent citizen candidates for the forthcoming civic elections, a group of concerned Mumbaikars launched a new platform, Mumbai 227. ”The two basic traits Mumbai 227 looks for in independent candidates who want to contest the civic elections are integrity and a desire to serve the public. A corporator stands as the gatekeeper of the ward. But very few corporators have

included public within the framework of their governance. There comes the disconnect. We feel that the independent candidate is answerable to the ward and to Mumbai and not to higher authorities. Over the years, The name Mumbai 227 was coined after the 227 corporators who govern the workings of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The platform aims at getting maximum independent candidates who are not affiliated to any political party. If there is a reservation of seats in a ward, we will see to it that it conforms to the electoral requirements,” said Avatramani. Mumbai 227 panelists, include Julio Rebeiro, Anandini Thakoor, Bhagvanji Rayani of Janhit Manch, advocate Jamshed Mistry, Citispace co-convenor Nayana Kathpalia, Jayant Jain, Kishanbhai Goradia, V Ranganathan. The platform will provide the candidates intensive training to become a corporator and provide standardized campaign material. ”Training will be imparted in communication, code of conduct and the language of governance, Marathi. It will teach them to form a committee within the ward and bring out leadership skills. We know they require some material and will help them keep campaign costs down,”

Chattisgarh’s acts of harassment “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the arbitrary raid on Oct. 3 in Jaipur, on the house of Kavita Srivastava, General Secretary of PUCL and convenor of the Right to Food Campaign’s steering group, and the arrest and custodial torture of Soni Sori arrested in Delhi on Oct. 5. These are more instances of harassment of human rights workers under the cover of fighting Naxalism.The raids conducted at the behest of the Chhattisgarh police. Both the women had been harassed earlier for their fearless opposition to the criminal activities of the Chhattisgarh government .”(arbitrary detentions, encounter killings, false cases etc.) --Adv. Kamayani Bali Mahabal,+919820749204, and Members of the Steering Group, Right to Food Campaign and 25 orgs.

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NGO Connect ○

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NGO News New initiatives “GlobalQueerDesi” - a global South Asian queer webspace is a collaborative effort to document resources and movements across the South Asian sub-continent and the Diaspora. The blog is a one of its’ kind, with contributions from activists and thinkers all over. In fact, Globalqueerdesi is the only online blog dedicated to gathering South Asian queer voices across nationalities and geographical constraints. The blog lets you browse through the articles posted according to the various geographical locations; about the latest movements, advocacy campaigns and browse through resources in the geographic location of their interest. An updated list of LGBTQ organizations in South Asia and the Diaspora, a thorough list of filmography and bibliography in Resources section is a highlight. At this time, they are actively seeking writers to contribute to our blog and help from artists and designers for our home page logo . This initiative is supported by Trikone Advocacy, funded by QPIRG McGill and endorsed by QPIRG Concordia. Visit global queerdesi.wordpress.com/ advocacy@trikone.org or geita@riseup.net Smart Rural Aggregation PlatformDelhi: IBM India and Drishtee have collaborated to launch a joint project, called Smart Rural Aggregation Platform (SRAP). The goal of the Project is towards rural transformation through economic development. SRAP will implement IBM’s Smarter Planet concept to transform villages into Smarter Villages which are interconnected and Drishtee’s vision is to build sustainable communities in rural India using their 4 C Framework of Community, Channels, Capacity & Credit. They are looking for Interns for their Noida Office and Project Site for 9hours a day five days a week. Languages needed English / Hindi.A Laptop too; Qual:MBA (Prefer specialization in Marketing), 0-2 years exp., Knowledge of Rural India, Agriculture and Livelihood services No stipend, but Travel Allowance. Email Cvs along with covering letter to geeta.s@drishtee.in Project Jal Saar A group of students of Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi have designed a social entrepreneurship model to facilitate the provision of clean water across villages and slums of India. There are various potter communities in and around the outskirts of Delhi. These communities are low income groups, have poor health care facilities, lack of clean water supply and no scope for expansion and growth. Potters in Uttam Nagar will be trained how to make ceramic water filters by an NGO— Happy Hands Foundation. Ceramic water filters have been made before in America, Cambodia,Myanmar and so on. Consultancy is by the group who first started this project in America, Potters for Peace. The reason these filters could not be made in India before is the unavailability of colloidal silver, through which the bacteria is filtered. However, we have collaborated with students of Delhi College of Engineering to make a colloidal silver generator through which the

material can be produced easily. The water through such filters is free from 99% bacteria and turbidity [verified by WHO]. Also, these filters are inexpensive and easy to use. The filters per piece cost Rs.230. We have arranged for subsidies with the Ministry of Rural Development so that everybody can afford them. Help us to supply these filters to villages and slums. Contact. Srishti Khilnani srishti khilnani <srishti.k.92@gmail.com Photography offer Mumbai: As a photographer I would like to give my effort to bring a “Smile” on faces. I would be happy to photograph any function absolutely free of cost and give all the images on a CD. Contact: Sourabh Das, Lucky Sourabh <alwayslucky78@ rediffmail. com, Panvel, Navi Mumba

“I Try to Bring a Small Change’ Delhi: For 25-year-old Sonal Kapoor, empowerment is synonymous with education and that’s just what Protsahan, a notfor-profit organisation spearheaded by her, is facilitating Protsahan is only a year old, but it’s been one amazing run. “It seems like yesterday when we started this social-impact organisation (that’s what we like to call it). A chance visit to the nearby slums brought me face to face with reality. Most girls in the area had no exposure to education. I decided to open a school for them. A place was rented in Vikas Nagar. Since I had a regular job I met Sadhana the same day and she agreed to take on the challenge. We did a feasibility study — going around the slums, from house to house, and decided to work with the community. We decided to tap the creativity of the kids to give them vocational education. Today, we help them with a basic 8-10 month ‘connect’ course which is filled with colours, art, creativity and basic functional literacy, and put them back in class IV or V in a government school.. We also teach the mothers crafts to ensure their livelihood. As word got around, the number of students grew from the initial 19 to almost 80. We had to divide the class into batches. I quit my job to get involved with Protsahan full time. Today, I work as a consultant for a project for three days a week. I have never gone seeking funds. But we do get on and off support from corporate houses. If there is a sudden big expense, I meet it out of my pocket. We have held fundraisers in the city, set up stalls at corporate offices of Wipro, Panasonic, Airtel, Mudra, and sold products made by Protsahan children. We are almost 100% volunteer driven. The core team today consists of 15 committed people from diverse professions around the world. Evening Clinic for Disabled leprosy patients in Mumbai : Mumbai: The Bombay Leprosy project has been offering quality care for over 35years. Innumerable patients are being referred by dermatologists and services are free. Encouraged by the response they plan to expand the services to a Disability Clinic in the evening. It will include :Prefabricated low cost aids and appliances with physiotherapy, wax therapy by trained staff,, Grip aids

for mutilated hands, MCR footwear and moulded footwear for complicated deformity,-Dressing of Plantar Ulcers and dressing kits for home-self care, Pop cast application by trained physiotherapists, Selection of cases for reconstructive surgery and rarely amputation in specialised hospitals* Dr R Ganapati, Director Emeritus, BLP announced that the clinic has started on a trial basis at the Referral Center cum BLP Office in SionChunabhatti from 6 to 8 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays to start with. This experiment of LPRF is an off shoot of the success of the rural disability care to nearly 700 patients being offered by rural volunteers under the Shahapur Model.A small fee for services to patients who can afford it will meet the basic costs.Contact Bombay Leprosy Project, Mumbai 400 022, Tel. 2405 70 40 / 2407 4066 / 2407 0993, Mo: :98213 10131E-mail: rganapati @yahoo. com /Web: www.bombay leprosy. org

Home-made Tiffins Available Mumbai: Vithal Kalid Education & Welfare trust is the social wing of MK Group and is working for Children’s Education , Health of Senior Citizen and women empowerment. It now has 12000 members who can provide homemade hygienic tiffins ,snacks for office, factory , hospital ,for any organisation and also provide patient care services at home or hospitals. Help yourself by getting homemade foods and in turn help this self help group.Call Ms Deepali - 9223420235 or Prakash – 9702058930 Email deepak.kalid@ gmail.com

Wildlife Week October’s first week, is observed as Wildlife Week. Various activities were planned to draw attention to flora and fauna :The Bombay Natural History Society put together an exhibition that highlights our forest wealth (this year is also the International Year of Forests). The Sanjay Gandhi National Park introduced a scheme for those who wish to stay overnight in tents, close to nature. There was a rabies awareness drive by the Welfare of Stray Dogs that took place in the lead up to the Week. Pet owners took their furries to St Ignatius church, Jacob Circle, to be blessed. The 150-year-old Byculla Zoo is proposed to be moved to the Sanjay Gandhii park now.”The View From Here” a unique exhibition of photographs by the visually impaired opened at Gallery Art & Soul, Worli as a part of the Joy of Giving Week. Adaptive ways for the visually impaired visitors to access and enjoy the pictures and also a new way for sighted people to appreciate these photographs were introduced. Beyond Sight Foundation is a nonprofit organisation promoting social integration of people with visual impairment by building capacity for “Non-Retinal” Art culture in India. It provides training in art, development of creative skills, opportunity to exhibit artworks, equal access to art, economic opportunity for people with visual impairment.Contact Partho Bhowmick, Initiator of Blind With Camera project, Founder of Beyond Sight Foundation, Mumbai, Mobile: +91-9821474731 www.blind withcamera .org www.blindwith camera school.org

Women Wise Mumbai: From Sept. 19-25 , “Women Wise: Fabricated Sayings of Kutch” an exhibition was held at The Artists’ Center. The exhibition is a series of playful and humorous illustrations of KutchiKahevat- sayings of Kutch. The illustrations are on cloth, embroidered and appliqued with delightful details, recounting universal truths and reflections on human folly. The exhibition included tongue-in-cheek products as well as wall hangings. Bags, quilts, cushion covers, runners and tea cozies are among the range inspired by the sayings. The exhibition culminates several years of work by Kala Raksha who collected the sayings,The textile artists added another rich layer with their portrayal of Kutch village life. The show displays a growing sophistication in composition and technique. Kala Raksha strives to nurture the creativity of each individual artisan. The artisans never work on printed patterns. Each woman uses her whole capacity: judgment and design sensibility as well as technical skill —each piece is a genuine work of art. Contact NileshPriyadarshi at 098796-75583 or Judy Frater at 098252-28195

Working with Silk Weavers in TN ? “I am looking for the names of some NGOs in Tamil Nadu which work with the Silk Weaving communities in the areas of Microfinance, addressing Women’s Issues, Conservation of Traditional Crafts Practices and Worker Conditions.This is for a potential donor/volunteer match evaluation. Contact llsatyall” satyashree @yahoo.com

Seva Mela Hyderabad: Over 50 organisations participated in the Seva Mela at the Zorastrian Club, Secunderabad. on Oct 7/8, .A number of events like entertainment programs, music and dance performances, motivational speeches, games, quizzes and many others , Food stalls were put up by NGOs Entry was Free. NGOs which participated in the Seva Mela: Aadhar Registration ( This service is being organized by Lets Vote ); Aashray Home for Destitute Woman; Aathmeeya Foundation; Adhya Educational Society; Aim for Seva; Akshaya Patra; ANSWER Society; ASDS Agricultural and Social Development Society; Atlanta Foundation; Blind Help Welfare Association; Don Bosco NavJeevan; Goonj; Green Peace; HCHW; Hematology Foundation; I & Eye - Sharing Vision; IDC America; Ideal Women’s Association; India Literacy; Indian Grameen Services; Isha Foundation; Jyothi

Welfare Society; Karmayog; Kriti Social Initiatives; LED Foundation; Lets Vote; LSN Foundation ; Maataram Foundation; Make a Difference; Managalajodi Ecotourism Trust; Manavatha Navodaya Foundation; Medha Parents Association for Intellectually challenged; MESH; Mohan Foundation ; MV Foundation; Naandi; Nirmaan; O.Y.S.T.E.R; Prardhana Charitable Trust; Prayas Institute; Priyadarshini Seva Mandali; Project 511; Roshni; Rotaract Club of Hyderabad East; Rotary Club of Secbad West; Rural Development Foundation; Sadhana Institute for Mentally Challenged; SAFA; Sannihita; Serve the Needy; SEVA Free and Confidential Counseling Centre; Srividhya Centre for special children; Sukuki Exnora; Sveccha; Vivekananda Institute for Human Excellence; YouSee, Yuva Varadhi. Organised by A. Thiagarajan (www.karmayogsev amela.yolasite.com)

P.O. Scripts NREGA Success Story The hilly Melghat area in Vidarbha’s Amravati district may still conjure up images of malnourished people, but the region has also gained another image in recent years. Innovations by the Department of Post and the district administration have helped script an NREGA success story with few parallels, an effort that has come to be known as the Melghat pattern. Implemented in all 325 villages in the Chikhaldara and Dharni tahsils with a fresh approach in 2010-11, the scheme has clicked like nowhere else. Over the last 15 months, beneficiaries have earned enough not just for their basic needs, but also to buy motorbikes, mobile phones and gold. They have better crops and are no longer borrowing, and migration for jobs has dropped 50 per cent. The single biggest factor behind the success is the disbursal of wages within 15 days, thanks to the Melghat pattern. NREGA provides for post office payments . Deputy collector S N Mishra, the official credited with much of the success, says the Melghat pattern works in the region with its eight sub-post offices.”The post offices have contributed to the scheme’s success hugely,” says collector Richa Bagla. “Now, we are planning mobile banks equipped with biometric machines... the beneficiaries will get smart cards that can be swiped to withdraw money.” Another innovation is a dedicated set-up called guardian engineers, all civil engineers in government departments, to prepare estimates of works. The Maharashtra government has since institutionalised the arrangement.

NGO Connect ○

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Sept.-Oct.. 2011 ○

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NGO News Among beneficiaries, Birju Gopal Bachle of Doma says, “From my four acres I used to produce five sacks of soyabean. Now I get more than eight. Mangu Lingu Dhurve got twin assets, stone bunding near his farm to prevent erosion and a pucca well that he is now using to take two crops a year. The landscape is now dotted with stone bunds called loose boulder structures. Earthen dams, cement plugs, continuous contour trenches, plantations and nurseries are coming up; water bodies are being desilted; nullahs are being straightened. Says Mishrilal Jharkhande, former deputy chairman of Chikhaldara Panchayat Samiti: “NREGA has changed the lives of the people of Melghat. They are demanding more.” Kohama sarpanch Sobiram Kasdekar says the Rs 22 lakh that came to 2,369 people has brought down migration to virtually nil. NREGA expert Ashwini Kulkarni says, “NREGA has proved to be a game-changer for Melghat. Mishra monitored the progress of the scheme daily while then divisional commissioner Pravin Pardeshi visited Melghat every 15 days. “It was Pardeshi’s personal involvement from planning to implementation stages and his inspiring leadership that did the magic,” says Bagla. NGOs contribute by taking up the information, education and communication (IEC) initiative. ( http://www.expressi ndia.com)

RTI CIC sets norms to protect RTI activists: - If an activist is attacked, all info he sought will be released by dept concerned. India’s transparency watchdog -the Central Information Commission --has decided to take upon itself the task of safeguarding Right To Information (RTI) applicants who face harassment for seeking information. In 2010, 28 RTI activists were allegedly attacked after filing their applications and this year two activists Manglaram of Rajasthan and Amarnath Pandey of UP were badly injured in lethal attacks.In the past year RTI activists such Shehla Masood of MP, Amit Jetwa of Gujarat and Satish Shetty of Maharashtra have lost their lives fighting for the transparency cause. With no government policy on protection of information seekers, the commission at its last meeting decided to initiate some steps in a bid to assure RTI applications not to be deterred by any threats. Once the CIC receives a complaint of an assault or murder of an RTI applicant, it will first examine the pending RTI applications of the victim and will direct the concerned department to release the information on its website suomotto. Information Commission Shailesh Gandhi, who circulated the note on which the commission took the decision, said the move will act as a deterrent to harass RTI activists. “If the information seeker is attacked all the information will

Obituaries National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers deeply mourns theuntimely demise of Dr. Ram Dayal Munda, a great and respected friend of the indigenous peoples and struggling tribal communities. Mundaji epitomised tribal wisdom in a time that increasingly rejected indigneous values; he was a dedicated academic, an outstanding musicologist and an activist who had a life-long association with indigenous movements inside and outside the country. NFFPFW, its constituent groups and many other tribal movements andstruggling communities will miss an ardent supporter of their cause and a great visionary. Contact: ”National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW) *Ranchi, Jharkhand Tel: 0651 – 2532067 *E mail: nffpfwindia@ gmail.com* Rinchen Wangchuk: The founder and director of the Ladakh based Snow Leopard Conservancy-India Trust (SLC-IT), Wangchuk, was known as the ‘snow-leopard man’. He played a crucial role in changing local perception of predators like the Snow-leopard and the Tibetan wolf and in helping in the conservation of these endangered species. He passed away in March after three years of a deteriorating neurological condition. (PAU Oct 2011) BG Deshmukh: President of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Chairman of the Mohalla Committee Movement Trust which was striving for communal peace and harmony in Mumbai, and the Public Concern for Governance Trust that fights corruption. Besides, he was Chairman of AGNI and PRAJA, , the Chhatrapati Shivaji Sangrahalaya, Janvani and CASP in Pune. He was an IAS officer from the 1951 Maharashtra Cadre and held many important positions at the state and central level during his illustrious career, Mr BG Deshmukh was Chief Secretary to the Govt. Of Maharastra, and was Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India. After his retirement from the IAS, he was made the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “BG” passed away in Pune on August 7, at the age of 82.

automatically be available in the public domain and the purpose of the attack to prevent information to be made public will be defeated,” he said. The CIC believes that its decision will be emulated by the state information commissioners who will issue prompt orders on releasing the information suo-motto to the government offices when a complaint is received. The commission has also decided that it will seek information regarding the police investigations into any case of attack on the RTI activist in a bid to put some governmental pressure on the investigating agencies to act. The CIC’s decision is the first institutional framework to provide protection to RTI applicants.

Ms.Mehta highlighted some facts about online giving e.g While overall giving did not grow in 2010, online giving grew 8%; 20% was distributed to small NGOs and onethrid of all giving is done from OctDec. Some of the methods suggested were to networks through social networks like Facebook.

Slutwalk Bangalore

Check The Winter 2011 Open Challenge . www.globalgiving.org/ open-challenge-nomination/

Bangalore: Apart from organizing an actual “Slutwalk” event as part of the global chain, the idea is to start up a wholesome youth driven movement that speaks about sexual abuse and to raise awareness and tackle generic and uniquely Indian problems that breed sexual abuse.

GlobalGiving is a fundraising website that works with registered organizations to raise money and generate support for the work they do in communities all over the world. through their network of individuals and corporations.

Main “Slutwalk” – December 4th. All other events to be spread across the months of September, October and November include Education/outreach programs – Workshops in schools, colleges and communities that focus on sexuality, social attitudes, understanding of gender roles, sexual abuse and methods of dayto-day prevention; Open panel discussions ; Documentary film festival ; Art/Photography exhibition that showcases sexual abuse, sexuality, victim abuse and corresponding social attitudes; Concert – A stripped down acoustic folk type concert featuring musicians playing in support of the causes supported by the movement ;Street theatre/Flash mobs ; Theatre – A possible special rendition of “Lights out” for the movement, ;Media properties – A podcast, a blog and a viral-driven youtube channel ;Cultural festival – An inter-collegiate cultural festival centred on the theme of sexual abuse and social judgement; Vagina Monologues— is made up of a varying number of monologues read by a varying number of women. Take Back the Night— is an internationally held march and rally intended as a protest and direct action against rape and other forms of sexual violence. It was originated by the feminist movement. Contact Alternative Law Forum, Tel: 09686018042-

GlobalGiving Open Challenges have resulted in $7 million being raised by organizations in 2.5 years. and helps Inclusion in corporate employee giving programs with companies like HP, Dell, Nike, Intel, GAP, which totaled $5.2 million in 2010 alone. Contact: mmehta @globalgiving.org or Sonja slehner@globalgiving.org

Being Marginal in Nepal Bangalore: Praja Rajakiya Vedike held a public meeting on Oct. 5,at Vishranthi Nilaya on ‘’Marginalized people and Electoral Politics: Learning from Nepal Experience’.The Main Speaker: was Mr. Sunil Babu Panth, first gay Member of Parliament, Nepal, Nepal’s marginalized populations have used the electoral processes to access political spaces and greater inclusion into state system – an arena where long-term changes can be made. Sunil Panth will sketch the experiences in Nepal. contact: 9483950202, 8861436660

He authored several books about life in the Civil Service. Contact PCGT publicconcern@gmail.com

Web Donations

JC Daniel: Vice President of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and a doyen of conservation in India passed away in August. He was the recipient of a number of national and international awards for his contribution to wildlife conservation and has inspired many generations of wildlife researchers and conservationists in India.

Bangalore: GlobalGiving had workshops across five cities from Sept 8 - 23. In Bangalore they partnered with Bangalore Cares and in Bombay with CAP. The moderator, Meenal Mehta introducing the concept of GlobalGiving, headquartered in

R. I . P.

USA, said that NGOs with FCRA could use their website where their projects would get a webpage where details about the project and how it utilized funds could be accessed by donors, The Homepage of Globalgiving highlights a particular project. and donors could choose projects according to topics or region.

Sharing Resources Bangalore: Would like to share a resource that we used recently which conducting a research project. We availed the expert services of Knowledgeworks, www.knowledgew. com. They are a professional language services provider. And also transcription services and apparently India’s second largest language services provider, They specialise in translation, localisation and multimedia / voice over services. They are part of the Valuepoint Group.

Lawyers for change Academy Lawyers for Change (LFC) is a virtual leadership academy exclusively for lawyers. Its objective is to systematically work with young lawyers and help them build the identity and skills needed for Social Justice Lawyering. The Academy has a core staff and visiting faculty from amongst retired members of the judiciary, senior lawyers and practitioners from the field. It will carry out most of its learning activities over the internet and have brief bi-monthly contact sessions. The approach at the academy will be to build competencies and value systems in an intertwined manner of lawyers willing to undertake social justice lawyering, The programme is a two year engagement with an annual evaluation as a milestone for continuation.All participants to the programme will need to be associated with an organization which undertakes rights based work The programme is open to young men and women lawyers who have finished their 5 year or 3 year law degree and have had 2 years of demonstrated involvement in social justice lawyering*. Preference would be given to lawyers from disadvantaged backgrounds and to individuals who have faced discrimination, social or economic.

The upper age limit for the fellows is 32years.The candidates would have to either tie up with a host organization themselves or be sponsored by one. In case that is not possible, the academy would take the responsibility to match interest and need of the two. Contact: Satyajeet Mazumdar, Programme Anchor, Ph: (+91) 99099 63150 Email: leaders .law@gmail.com

Empowering Citizens Lok Satta Party celebrated its Fifth Anniversary at Ongole, Andhra Pradesh on Octt.8/9 Their plan is to focus on measures to empower citizens through devolution of powers and resources on local bodies and motivate citizens to participate in timely local body elections and to strengthen the party organization. People who have shunned politics for decades are now taking interest. The Lok Satta Party needs people who can spare their time and talent for building it up. The Lok Satta Party would contest elections in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. Dr. JP indicated that the Lok Satta would try to build a consensus on proportional representation and would make restriction on liquor consumption an important electoral plank in the 2104 general elections.

Survey of the Gibbon Meghalaya: Samrakshan Trust has initiated a study on the Hoolock Gibbon in the Balpakram Baghmara Landscape through research, community based conservation action and increased involvement, participation and awareness of the Forest Department and the Government. Detailed information on presence of the Hoolock Gibbon will be collected from across the landscape during winter i.e. between October and February.Contact: Samrakshan Trust Meghalaya Tel: 03639234187 Email: balpakram@gmail.com Visit: www.samrakshan.org

Study Gahiramatha fishermen’s livelihood can coexist with turtle conservation’, Orissa: Greenpeace India and United Artists’Association recently conducted a joint studyon the measures needed to improve the economic conditions of traditional fishing communities around the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. The study that covered 20,000 persons from 3,800 families in 15 villages around the sanctuary in Rajnagar and Mahakalpada blocks shows that most of the fisherfolk support the sanctuary in spite of its adverse impact on their livelihood. The report has suggested that the fisherfolk should be involved in, and not merely informed about the management of the sanctuary. Fisherfolk with traditional fishing nets should be allowed to fish in the area from 5 to 10 km from the coast while the area up to 5 km can continue to be a no fishing zone. The report has also highlighted the fact that more flexibility is needed in implementation of the government schemes which promote alternative livelihood activities for the fisherfolk. The National Fishworkers Federation (NFF) and Kerala Swathantra Matsya ThozhilaliFederation (KSMTF)

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NGO News have, however, flayed the report terming it as a misrepresentation of facts and an attempt to justify the infringement on traditional fishing rights. They have termed the study as an effort to legitimize a draconian conservation regime and have argued that the fishing community had not been consulted before declaration of the sanctuary and had suffered significantly on account of the restrictions that had been imposed on them. www.pragati vadi.com (Source: ‘PAU No. 93).Contact: Greenpeace India, Bangalore. Tel: 080-41154861. Email: areeba.hamid@greenpeace. org; Mangaraj Panda, United Artists Association Ganjam Orissa.Tel: 09437064314. Email:uaaorissa@gmail.com; Pradip Chatterjee, Secretary, NFF. Tel: 09874432773, Email:pradi pdisha@gmail.com

Blogging for Devpt. Winners of the Blogging on Development Policy contest, for posting to the collaborative blog Communication, Media, and Development Policy: http:// www.comminit.com/policy-blogs were announced The contest, run collaboratively by The Communication Initiative (The CI) and the BBC World Service Trust, a CI Partner, closed in March 2011. BBC World Service Trust and The CI chose winning bloggers Amongst the winners, from India:

State Govt Supports Concerns of Kudankulam The Tamil Nadu state government has, in principle, agreed to the concerns of people in Kudankulam, lwho are living next to Russian nuclear reactors being commissioned, and who are afraid of being cutoff in case of an accident at the reactor. The State Cabinet’s decision and resolution, if necessary on the floor of the Assembly, needs to follow. ‘Safety above energy’ should mean a complete review of the nuclear projects as well as the policy itself, declaring suspension of work on plants like Kudankulam, where the project is pushed ahead without people’s consent and due consideration of the severe impacts on live and livelihood, including land, water and fish. The MoEF should also record that there has been no proper public hearing conducted for Unit – I & II of Kudankulam NPP. NAPM is also in the process of constituting a People’s Commission of Inquiry to investigate the nuclear plants and policy in India, The world has witnessed, suffered and is more than aware of the threat of nuclearization and is coming out of the hazardous and disastrous form of energy.

.Kris: on “New Media, New Civil Society, and Politics in a New Age”

CSR:

“There is an emerging stream of discourse on the impact of new media on the civil society movement. It evokes cartoonistic images of an alliance of two powerful global forces for good - the media, and civil society - coming together, to defeat the evil of governments across the universe. The concept of a growing mass global movement of an entity called civil society, facilitated by new media, functioning as a virtual big brother watchdog over the misdemeanours of governments, businesses and others (who are these others?) is a notion I find to be increasingly problematic....”http://www. comminit.com/policy-blogs/content/ cloistered-virtue. See links to all of Kris’s blogs: http://www. comminit.compolicy-blogs/blogs/ kris

Start-up Hires the Differently- Abled

Shweta: “Crisis Management vs. Crisis Creation: The Reason Why Sushma Swaraj and N Rao Are Tweeting Like a Bird” “...Today an amazing number of people tweeting are the ones actually in a position to make a difference to policy and programs at local, national, or global levels. An equally amazing number of people are those whose voices would remain unheard, had it not been for the equalizing world of internet - let us call them the shakers and the fakers. The role Twitter plays continues to be the spread of information and information from a personal perspective, which I guess is a positive way to look at misinformation. Additionally, now you can get the judicious, genuine folks who read more than they write to weigh in on the slightly twisted world of people with sworn affiliations - let us call them the makers. Ultimately, these multiperspectives, expressed in brevity out of necessity (as the tweeting word limit is 140 characters) are no less than an editorial by a seasoned journalist. In addition, it is probably more accurate, as in the true philosophical tradition, it gives you the truth from multiple perspectives.... See links to all of Shweta’s blogs: http://www.

the band of the Speical Olympics, Rs. 10L to Special Olympics, Bharat, Karnataka (SOBK) an NGO headed by Air Marshall N. Menon and Rs. 2.5L to each successful athlete. But so far no felicitation function has been held.

comminit.com/policy-blogs/blogs/ shweta

Bangalore: Akhilesh Malani, a 24year-old literature graduate and technology geek, is a software tester and accessibility head at Bangalore-based software testing start-up Prakat Solutions is visually-challenged. Malani, who lost his eyesight in an accident as a teenager, is one among hundreds of full-time and part-time employees of Prakat. The company taps college students, academicians, scientists, researchers, home makers and people with disabilities like Malani, who can work from home. The brain behind this unusual workforce that specialises in cloud computing, virtualisation, open source and finding software bugs is Anuradha Biswas, co-founder of Prakat. Biswas, a former associate vice-president at Infosys Technologies, Prakat’s global clients are telcom firm Roamware, software-as- a-service company Jamcracker and Catalyst in its first year of operations. She started Prakat with a seed funding of $300,000, mostly her life savings and some angel investment. Prakat, which now has around 40 full-time employees, is growing at 50% compound annual growth rate and is expected to earn $1 million this year. Being a woman entrepreneur, Biswas has also gained respect from her colleagues who have been observing her dualrole of chief executive and mother of two young daughters. “They sense that warmth and good feeling,” says Biswas. Contact: Anuradha Biswas, CEO and cofounder, Prakat Solutions

EOTO News Bangalore: 28 students got scholarships to study further .Palghar: In partnershipwith Dr. ML Dhawale Memorial Trust, EOTO has an ingoing educational support rup to children of Palgahar who are fist generation learners,through

More Rural Banks in the Offing

Award Distribution Ceremony Right Jyothi Tanna of EOTO

distribution of books uniforms and achool accessoies. A teaching program is inplace for SSC students and this year, a “Health & Hygeine” project was started in two of the village schools. Water filtering units have been installed in the school. Vocational trip to the Sakwai Vocational Centre helped them observe the technical courses offered.A third school, Manor High School is part of the scale-up of the project. Dhamote: 180 children of the Zilla Parishad School are supported through academic support and developmental activties. Since 4 years the project has initiatied nutrition awareness programmes for local women through Prayas. Plans are afoot to set up a vocational training centre at Neral and a day care centre at Dhamote Mumbai: The Annual Function of EOTO was held on Sept.18, at Patkar Hall. Each of the schools of EOTO had their children put up dance performances showcasing a variety of talent. A great display of confidence prevailed and has been a motivating factor to the students and their teachers. The meritorious students were honored and given trophies, prizes and awards. Among others, were Motivational Awards, the Einstein Award to the best School for Science and Ex-students awards. Two of EOTO teachers , Ms. Deepa Ubhaykar and Ms. Bhavna Mhatre participated in a Mathematics Workshop organized by iVolunteer, on the techniques to perform faster mathematical calculations. A workshop on Gender Sensitization was conducted by Dr. Shraddha Shah and her colleagues from Tatwa Health Foundation for the students of Chunabhatti Municipal School. Contact Each One Teach One Charitable Foundation, Mumbai Tel: 02224102555

Pause for a Cause Mumbai: At the Pause for a Cause exhibition on Sept. 23 at the Coomaraswamy Hall Braille version of the Environment Oath. Paryavaran Mitra Phase I will run from 2010 to 2013. Schools wishing to join can fill in the enrolment form available on the Paryavran Mitra website (www.paryavaranmitra.in) or can get in touch with the nearest office of CEE (www.ceeindia.org).

Apathy to Disabled Athletes Bangalore: It’s nothing new. Only cricket matters in this country. First the hockey players felt insulted and now comes news that 12 differently abled athletes from Karnataka who won 14 medals at the 13th Speical Olympics World Summer Games held from June 25 to July 4 are still to be given the awards they were promised. The Pr. Sec. Youth Affairs and Sports had promised Rs. 2..5L to

Bangalore: Chairman of The State Level Banking Committee, Mr Bashant Seth said that all villages in the State with a population of more than 2000 should be covered by banking services by March 2012. Mr. Seth, MD of Syndicate Bank mentioned that this had been provided in 1713 villages out of the 3395 identified villages. Villages with a population of less than 2000 (6,029 villages identified so far) will be provided banking services in the next phase.

Maher Report Pune: Maher’s projects are listed here:Project Kishordham- Shelter, essential care and rehabilitation for children from broken homes: Project Mamtadhan: Shelter, essential care and rehabilitation of battered and destitute women; Gammat Shala: Day care for children of brick kiln workers; ; Project Vatsalyadham: for destitute and mentally disturbed women; Project Aashai: Shelter and medicare for indigent expectant mothers; Project Swachchhata: Promotion of environmental cleanliness and hygiene; Project Swavalamban: Promotion of self-help groups in rural areas; Project Vidyalaya: Supplementary help in studies and personal development for needy students; Ekata: Free provisions for poor families; Project Premalaya: Creche cum day care centre; Project Lokamangal: Outreach help; Project Pragati: Social awareness programmes across all projects; Project Parishram: Maher production unit; Sukh Sandhya: Shelter and essential care for aged destitute women; Aadhar: Placement for village youth; Project Ushalaya: setting up of rural kindergarten; Tantradnyan: Tailoring classes; Vidyadhan: Exploring opportunities for high school students. All the projects take place invillages around Pune. Plans for expansion to Ratnagiri where a Home for HIV Aids affected children is awaiting the donation of land; The foundation Stone for a girls Home was laid in April. (There is already a Boys Home); bringing the number of Hoes for Children to 26; In Jharkhand the Childrens Home functions from a rented house in Deorali. Contact Maher Pune, Tel 020-27033421, Mo: 09011086131/

CONF HELD ‘Exploring a Sustainable Future’ held from Sept. 4-10 introduced some of the Auroville technologies and explored an integral approach to sustainable practices.The workshop included theoretical sessions, practical demonstrations and site visits. In the classroom sessions, topics such as the environmental crisis, concepts of sustainability, water harvesting, wastewater treatment, solar energy, earth construction, food, communitybuilding and wellness with visits to see practical applications of sustainable principles. Cert . in Project Planning & Grant Writing Vth Batch IFT ˜ Residential Program, Sept.5-8 at Kathgodam/ Nainital. The IFT program focused more on practice of planning and writing the proposal for getting financial support for NGO managers, government executives and all others who are involved in project management.English & Hindi mix

http://www.grassrootsinstitute.in/ ift_programs.html All India Federation of Tax Practitioners,Bombay Chartered Accountants’ Society, The Chamber of Tax Consultants And The Sales Tax Practitioners’ Association of Maharashtra held a Public Meeting on “Crusade Against CorruptionWay forward”…On Sept. 8 at the K.C. College Auditorium, Churchgate. The meeting was addressed by:Padma Bhushan Shri Julio Ribeiro (retired IPS Officer and Executive Chairman of the Public Concern for Governance Trust), Honourable Justice Shri Vijay C. Daga(Retd.) (Former Judge, Bombay High Court) Shri Mayank Gandhi (Mumbai Coordinator of India Against Corruption) Padmashri Sucheta Dalal (A noted journalist and author)and was supported by:CVO Chartered and Cost Accountant AssociationDharma Bharathi Mission, Forum of Free Enterprise, Giants International: Federations, Investors’ Grievances Forum, M. R. Pai Foundation, Mahiti Adhikar Manch, Public Concern for Governance Trust, Tarun Mitra Mandal. Contact<publicconcern @gmail.com> A 4 day workshop from Sept. 6-9 in Mumbai on – ‘We CAN Deal with Child Sexual Abuse’ was organised by Arpan and conducted by Lois Engelbrecht (Lois has over 18 years of experience in the field of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and has helped set up centres working on CSA in cities across South East Asia) and Arpan. The workshop equipped participants with knowledge on CSA, critical skills and attitude to deal with the issue in their environments. It will also enable participants to make a conscious and sensitive effort in creating a safety and support net for children and help survivors of sexual abuse heal. Tel.: 2836 3120.email: pooja@arpan.org.in, mobile: 98190.51444 For counseling support – 98190.86444. website: www.arpan.org.in “In order to encourage and enable government agencies to make use of this dynamic medium of interaction, a basic framework and guidelines for use of Social Media by government agencies in India has been formulated.” The Indian Ministry of Info Tech (MIT) has prepared and issued a SocialMedia Framework Draft for Public Consultation on internet on Sept. 1 which is available at the url http:// mit.gov. in/sites/ upload_files/ dit/ files/ SocialMediaFrame workDraftforPubl icConsultation_ 192011.pdf The role of women in conflict resolution and peace keeping is a important topic for debate in recent ages, especially when ethnic conflicts and communal violence is on the rise today. In this context Indian Social Institute along with CSSS - Mumbai conducted a two day seminar on “The role of women in conflict resolution” on Sept. 19/ 20 in Bangalore. Contact:Indian Social Institute, Bangalore.Ph: 9980331471E-Mail : sagayashanthi@ gmail.com Second Odisha River Conference”Conflicts across borders: Rivers of South Odisha from Sept 24-26, in Koraput, Odisha.Organised by Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO), Indian River Network (IRN), Orissa Development Action Forum (ODAF)/Forum of Collective Forms of Cooperation (FCFC) They discussed a plethora of issues such as rivers flows, dams, IWRM, climate change, livelihood,interstate conflicts, role of IFIs in river basin planning and management, irrigation, ecology, river pollution, Contact Water Initiatives OdishaR-

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NGO News 3/A-4, J. M. Colony, Odisha, Mobile: +919437050103Email: ranjanpanda@ gmail.com, Deutsche Bank and Bittu Sahgal, held the first national GreenKarbon Debate at the St. Xavier’s Auditorium on Sept. 16, where a team of expert panelists talked of Environment vs. Development.”This House believes that exaggerated ecological and climate concerns are impeding India’s economic growth.” Usha Thorat, former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, chaired the debate. ICSW Kerala held a joint meeting of NGOs and organisations/ networks on State Policy on NGOsA common Agenda-Towards XII plan In Calicut on Sept. 23 for all voluntary sector organisations to come together and discuss and share their concerns. It is SANGAMAM. Contact: icsw kerala@gmail.com. Phone: 0484 4111358 On Sept. 23-25 in New Delhi, there was a discussion on the best practices in international fundraising. Presentations by NGO fundraisers and executives spotlighted successful strategies and tactics, and interactive discussions to learn how to make the most of the best tools to network and build relationships with other NGO leaders as well as corporate and foundation leaders from around the world. Contact: www.ics fundraising.org/india2011. All India Federation of Tax Practitioners,Bombay Chartered Accountants’ Society, The Chamber of Tax Consultants And The Sales Tax Practitioners’ Association of Maharashtra held a Public Meeting on “Crusade Against CorruptionWay forward”…On Sept. 8 at the K.C. College Auditorium, Churchgate. The meeting was addressed by:Padma Bhushan Shri Julio Ribeiro (retired IPS Officer and Executive Chairman of the Public Concern for Governance Trust), Honourable Justice Shri Vijay C. Daga(Retd.) (Former Judge, Bombay High Court) Shri Mayank Gandhi (Mumbai Coordinator of India Against Corruption) Padmashri Sucheta Dalal (A noted journalist and author). Contact: public concern@gmail.com Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, in association with TAG (Turtle Action Group), held the Marine Turtle Conservation Workshop on Oct. 15-16 at Ratnagiri. The workshop focused on training interested individuals in scientific methods on marine turtle conservation as part of SNM’s project ‘Marine Turtle Conservation through Community Email id: snmcpn@rediffmail. com, Contact number: 02355-253030 Sambodhi Research & Management Institute held a Training Programme on Monitoring & Evaluation of Development Interventions at New Delhi from Oct. 11-13, to provide conceptual understanding of M&E and dejargonize the subject for professionals working at the cutting edge of development. Between Cliché and Creativity Imagining alternatives to dominant models of development. Was a Talk By Shiv Visvanathan at National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru 560 052. on Oct. 8.events@apu.edu. in. Shiv Visvanathan is Professor of Social Science at Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Ahmedabad. HUB Event: Sankalp InvestorEntrepreneur Clinic on 15th Oct

2011 — an informal opportunity for promoters of emerging social enterprises to pitch their business models to a small and closed group of investors in 20 min. HUB also had a Workshop on Monitoring and evaluation onOct 12 to educate with techniques and guide using templates, and hone the skills/ and development of M&E process by Vaibhav Mathur. The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) North, as part of its Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Education programme, organized a three day national-level workshop for partner NGOs from four states viz. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam in collaboration with Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development (IESD), and the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, to develop strategies and build capacities of the partner NGOs to implement the conservation programme in their respective school clusters. NGOs will be forming clusters of 25 schools along the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers and their tributaries, thusreaching out to around 500 schools.

New Land Acquisition Bill is Dangerous New land bill will create more land conflicts in the country. More time required for a legislation dealing with historical injustices, says NAPM. NAPM along with many other movements from across the country under the banner of Sangharsh met Honourable Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on August 5th and 7th and reiterated its demand that Ministry must hold regional and national consultations before the Bill is introduced in the Parliament. But the revised draft was quickly to the Cabinet for its consideration and without much debate Cabinet recommends it for introduction to the parliament. It is extremely unfortunate that a key legislation is being pushed in such a hurry and Cabinet further dilutes some of the positive developments in the earlier draft. It is ironic that when the mood in the country is against the land acquisition the Cabinet has brought in the provision that if a private company is acquiring land over 100 acres for a public purpose, all the land will be acquired by the government!! Tthe draft Bill fails to take in account the concerns raised by the people’s movements including the serious issues with the resettlement and rehabilitation process in various projects. Our recommendation was that The Bill should be titled as ‘Development Planning, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill’ ensuring no forcible acquisition and protecting the rights of the communities over the land and everything attached to it including the mineral, aquatic and forest cover. Any acquisition should be done only in accordance with the democratically developed plans as per the provisions of Art 243 and PESA norms by involvement of Gram Sabha and Basti Sabha. Public Purpose definition should be limited to core functions of the government performed with public money and in no case acquisition should be made for the private corporations. Any project drawing private profit can’t be considered public purpose. Any arbitrary benchmark application of R&R provisions should be done away with and every single family

directly or indirectly affected by any kind of acquisition should be provided with the resettlement and rehabilitation benefits.

9958907799, Ravi Nitesh: 9958907799 (Delhi), Singhjeet : 9862696184, Onil: 879472009 (Imphal)

Without any ifs and buts appropriate provisions for alternative livelihood or mandatory employment be made for project affected people. The urgency clause should be done away with and be limited only to natural calamities and for defence purposes only in the time of war.

Mobility India

We would also like to reiterate that in order to expedite rehabilitation and ensure principle of minimum displacement it is necessary to put moratorium till the already displaced are rehabilitated and a new law made after wide consultation is enacted. —Medha Patkar Narmada Bachao Andolan,– NAPM, UP, and 20 other organisations

New BPL criteria not acceptable Mumbai:With the state government set to start the survey of below poverty line (BPL) families from October 2 to December 21, Anna Adhikar Abhiyan (AAA), a network of over 100 organisations in the state, protested at Azad Maidan against the new criteria to be used for estimation of the poor. “The new criteria proposed by the central ministry of rural development would exclude a lot of poor families from the BPL category. This will help the government to reduce budget allocation for BPL families and show that the percentage of poor has decreased,” said Ulka Mahajan, AAA member. “People owning a landline phone, refrigerator, bikes or cars, with a family member earning more than 10,000 per month, paying income or professional tax would be excluded from BPL. This is clear injustice because in rural areas, people own two wheelers, as there is no other mode of transport. The state should modify the criteria before starting the survey,” said Mahajan. The activists also complained that criteria for surveying the urban poor have not been released yet.

Irom Sharmila’s Fast continues Delhi: Irom Sharmila’s fast (since year 2000) has been ignored by government and civil society has ffailed to polarize citizens regarding her non violent protest which hasbecome world’s longest fast. To spread public awareness about Irom Sharmila and to generate support from public a journey from Srinagar to Imphal was held to spread the message of love & peace and to demand justice for Irom Sharmila.*The journey started on 16th Oct from Srinagar and reached Imphal on 26th oct via Jammu, Ludhiana, Panipat, New Delhi, Aligarh, Kanpur, Lucknow,Varanasi, Ranchi, Patna, Malda, Kolkata, Guwahati and Dibrugarh through10 states covering 4500 km. of jan karwan. During this journey, they organized public meetings, distributed pamphlets, held candle light vigils, nukkar natak, school/college meetings etc. AFSPA has already been regarded as a draconian law by various national/international organisations and it has been observed that such type of inhumane laws are not only responsible for human rights violations but also for creating anger againsta non-responsive government. Contact:Faisal Khan:

Bangalore: It has been an achieving six months for Mobility India’s urban community based Rehabilitation programme which covers 23 urban slums in Bangalore. The Womens International Network selected a few women achievers to honour-and Ashwini, a low vision child who lost her vision completely was one of those chosen. She is now in Class 12, participates in dance and speech competitions and has transformed her life. To engage children to bust myths and superstitions a summer camp was held at Maleyur village for 45 village children where unfolding the tricks behind witchcraft and black magic were shown. A summer Art camp was held for 250 children (including 75 children with disabilities.) from 44 villages in Anekal. Mobility India was also one of 88 NGOs who participated in the TCS World 10k on June 5. Many wheelchairs usesrs and people with disapbility were able to participate in the Wheel chair and Majja run. Accenture came forward to be the Corproate Care supporter.

India’s First ITEnabled Village Soda village in Rajasthan: When Chavvi Rajawat tried to bring water to her parched village, she hit the bureaucratic wall of inefficiency.The young, jeans-clad sarpanch of Soda village in Rajasthan was told that she had already spent more than the funds allocated to her, and that the fresh water reservoir she wanted to construct was now out of the question. Rajawat asked the district headquarters in Tonk to provide a detailed account of the funds sanctioned to her village. The file showed a calculation error. The error was fixed. But the episode left Rajawat disturbed over the lack of transparency and accountability that ails the administration. Keen to make a change, Rajawat decided to eenable her village panchayat. Soda village has now tied up with German software vendor SAP to develop an internet and intranet portal, complete with a technology education lab. The portal would give Soda’s 10,000 inhabitants 24x7 accessibility to the funds sanctioned for the village. It would also offer citizen services such as birth and death certificates, besides posting land records online Rajawat, says she sees computerization lifting the veil of illiteracy from her village.” We want to change that with e-education, “ After taking over as sarpanch in February, Rajawat launched a website, www.soda-india. in, where she regularly posts funds allocated for projects such as a village bank, community centre for weddings and cataract surgery for the needy. Though panchayats in Kolhapur , Ranchi, and Kanpur have websites, they maintain only basic information like the history of the village, names of the sarpanch and other sabha members, and basic demographics of the village. Soda and SAP plan to link the portal with the state government’s websites by the year-end, to make Soda the first fully computerized Panchayat in India.

Recycle Week Recycle Week is a national recycle (paper retrievel) drive to create awareness on recycling and to raise funds for girl child education. The goal of Recycle Week 2011 is to recycle 1,000 tonnes of paper. Through this movement, 17,000 trees will be saved and funds required for the education of 3,000 girl children can be raised. Recycle Week 2011 launched on July 18 -24 continued till Oct.1016.Organised by Paperman – a non-profit organisation to improve recycling in India by channelizing the informal sector of recycling, Recycle Week hopes to become the biggest recycling movement in the country. The official beneficiary of Recycle Week 2011 is Nanhi kali. (Started in 1996, Nanhi kali currently supports the education of over 70,000 girl children across India).

Be a Paryavaran Mitra Pune: Dr A P J Abdul Kalam former President and Paryavaran Ambassador of India launched the Paryavaran Mitra, a climate change and sustainability education initiative, aiming to reach 2 lakh schools in the country.. The program plans to create 2 million Paryavaran Mitra among children in schools. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), and Centre for Environment Education (CEE) with support from Arcelor Mittal. Children from four states— Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Maharashtra participated in this regional launch. Dr Kalam administered an Environmental Oath to the children and released a Braille version of the Environment Oath. Paryavaran Mitra Phase I will run from 2010 to 2013. Schools wishing to join can fill in the enrolment form on the Paryavran Mitra website (www.paryavaranmitra.in) or contact CEE (www.ceeindia.org).

Diabetes medical camps organised Helping Hand Foundation is a professionally managed NGO in the field of mass public healthcare awareness. They deliver by conducting health check-up camps and seminars that aim towards creating awareness about early detection and prevention of diabetes. Diabetic Life & Healthy Hearts helps generate public awareness on diabetes and heart disease on a national level—5 successful mega events in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Nagpur have been held. They have now offered to support medical expenses of poor children suffering from insulin dependent diabetes or Juvenile Diabetes. Contact info@helping handindia.org to organize a camp for patients of your area.Contact: Devrajan Nair, CEO Helping Hand, mail:ganesh@ helpinghandindia.org, dnair@ helpinghandindia.org . See www.help inghandindia.org

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AWARDS / CONFERENCES ToI Social Impact Awards Lifetime contribution: Babasaheb Pandurang Adhav…known in every alley of Pune’s working class areas, has been championing the cause of protection for unorganisesd labour since five decades, starting by organising a panchayat of head loaders in 1950s. He has gone on to secure rights not available to the unorganised sector in Pune…including medical insurance, provident fund, fixed hours of work and minimum wages. Global Contribution to India: Association for India’s Development (AID-USA) A fundraiser that works with grassroots organisations in India in education, livelihoods, natural resources, health, women’s empowerment and social justice. It raises USD1 million every year through concerts, walks and events which it contributes to 100 projects in 18 States. Education: (NGO sector) Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre, Ahmedabad which provides hands-on experience to lakhs of students in science and maths since 45 years, started the Science Express - a train which exhibits India’s science achievements. (No winners in Corporates or Govt. sectors) Livelihoods: (Corporate sector): Indian Farm Forestry Development Cooperative: Through watershed development, crop improvement methods, afforestation, etc., it has impacted livelihoods in Rajasthan,UP and MP benefitting 3.8 lakh villagers. (NGO sector): Shroffs Foundation Trust, Vadodara. Working in the tribal areas it initiated watershed development, improved agri-practices and watr management and gets govt. schemes implemented. It recently started a BPO centre. (No winners in Govt. sector) Advocacy &Empowerment: (Corporate sector): Srinivasan Services Trust: In over 1000 villages of TN, Karnataka, Maharashtra and HP, it empoweres rural women to get loans to start small businesses, helping some 4 lakh people. (NGO sector): Dhas Gramin Vikas Kendra,MP: In the remote tribal areas DGVK fights for entitlements like pattas and access to natural resoures like forest produce while improving agriculture and conserving the environment. (No winners in the Govt, sector) Health (Govt. sector): Collector’s Office, Kolhapur- where the district administration installed a device in all registered sonography centres to record obstetric scans and store them centrally. The sex ratio has since improved and is seen as a direct consequence of this initiative; and District Administration, Bahraich,UP where flood-proof hand pumps and toilets were installed at the initiative of Rigzin Samphel, the DM (till Feb 2011), and which have controlled the outbreak of diseases during and after the annual floods, benefitting 4.5 lakh villagers. (NGO sector): Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Ahmednagar: Started in 1970 the programme in Jamkhed, Maharastra pioneered the concept of the Village Health worker- a trained paramedic drawn from the women in the community. The VHWs have played a big role in bringing down infant/maternal mortality in the district and increased health awareness. (No winners in Corporate sector). Environment: (Govt. sector): 135th Infantry Battalion Territorial Army Ecological Assam: In Kokrajahar, part of the volatile Bodo area, 275 ex-servicemen organised under the territorial army have been motivating locals in the Chirang reserve to plant trees and over 2 million trees have been planted over 30,000 hecatres which have been sponsored by Corporates. (NGO sector): BAIF Development Research Foundation, Ahmednagar: through livestock and crop management, new products and marketing, villagers in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar and Gadchiroli districts have increased incomes reducing pressure on forestrs and water resources. (No winners in Corporate sector) The jury was headed by Bihar C, Nitish Kumar and consisted of Jairam Ramesh, Aruna Roy, Nandan Nilekani, Sunita Narain (CSE), Deepak Parekh (HDFC).

Right Livelihood Awards 2011 The 2011 Right Livelihood Award, also known as Alternative Nobel Prize, by the Sweden-based Right Livelihood Foundation was awarded to four recipients who would share 150,000 euros (205,100 U.S. dollars) cash prize . Chinese entrepreneur Huang Ming for harnessing solar energy. He set up the Solar Valley in the Chinese city of Dezhou, as a realistic alternative to fossil and nuclear energy. Jacqueline Moudeina from Chad, a leading human rights lawyer in Chad who worked fearlessly to bring the former

Chadian dictator Hissène Habré to justice making sure that those who commit crimes do not go unpunished. At the same time, she works on a wide range of human rights issues concerning Chad today Ina May Gaskin from the United States for her whole life’s work teaching and advocating safe, woman-centred childbirth that best promote the physical and mental health of mother and child”. The international organization GRAIN “for their worldwide work to protect the livelihoods and rights of farming communities and to expose the massive purchases of farmland in developing countries by foreign financial interests”.

Garo Hills Conservation Award The Garo Hills Conservation Award 2011 was presented to the Baghmara Range Forest Office (RFO) of Balpakram National Park (BNP) Division and the Garo Students’ Union – Ruga Unit for their commitment and contribution towards curbing wildlife hunting and combating the issue of wildlife pet keeping in South Garo Hills.CG Momin, the Baghmara RFO, and his staff have been carrying out field trips to combat illegal wildlife trade in the Garo hills. They have also booked a number of culprits under the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act1972. The Garo Students Union, Ruga unit, led by Matgrik Marak, got the award for their role in numerous conservation activities and also for raising their voice against haphazard coal mining in the region. Contact: Samrakshan Trust

Award for env. crime enforcement India’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has been selected for the Chief Dave Cameron Award 2010 for excellence in Environmental Crimes Enforcement and Education by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The award is presented to full-service law enforcement agencies that work to enforce environmental laws and educate the public.

ARDSI Conference The ARDSI Pune Chapter is organising The XVIth Annual National Conference of ARDSI with the theme “Alzheimer’s & Dementia Related Diseases- Emerging Challenges - joining hands to act locally and globally” on 26-27 November 2011 at Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA), Rajbhavan Complex, Baner Road, Pune-411 007. Contact: Rony George, Organizing Secretary, 9823435045/Brijesh.K.C, Prog.Coordinator 9923898982/020 26930060

Training in SPSS Indian Social Institute, Bangalore is organising a 3-days training on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) on Dec. 1-3, 2011. It is aimed at training NGOs and CBOs in the use of SPSS in analyzing and interpreting data, and to familiarize the participants with the use of basic statistical methods. SPSS is a popular software that is used all over the world to analyse social science data particularly useful for the analysis of questionnaire data. Registration Fee : Rs.500 Course Fee : Rs. 2000 rupees. The last date for applying is Nov. 20. email your application to: isiresearchbang@ gmail.com. Registration fee is to be sent as D.D drawn in favour of: Indian Social Institute,Bangalore. You may also send the registration fee through Money Order. Kindly contact Ms. Lakshmi Periyasamy the Research Associate at +919886973770, ISI tel. (080)23536189, 23536960, 23536364.

Intl. Entertainment Ed. Conf. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, along with The University of Texas at El Paso/Social Justice Initiative,Hollywood, Health and Society, and their international and local Collaborating Partners, are organising the 5th International Entertainment Education Conference (EE5) in New Delhi on Nov. 17-20 2011. The focus will be on reaching those most vulnerable, particularly women and children, with E-E strategies.

The WCCB is a statutory body of the Ministry of Environment and Forests,Government of India, for combating organized wildlife crime and trans-boundary illegal trade.This is the second international award won by the WCCB. Earlier the Bureau was awarded the Clark R.Bavin Award for excellence in Environmental Law Enforcement 2010. (Source: Press Information BureauGovernment of India,)

The conference will be rooted in oral traditions (song, dance, drama and story-telling), EE extends to mass media (television, radio, print) and is now crossing new boundaries with innovations in technology (social networking, mobile phones, internet and gaming). EE5 will explore the state-ofthe-art in Entertainment Education and position the field for the next generation of innovations.” The Conference registration and payment deadline has been extended to October 28th. Conference details at:http://comminit.com/

CONFERENCES

India Devt Coalition of America

TISS Platinum Jubilee Conference

The first South India Regional Conference in India will be held on Feb. 4-5, 2012 at Hyderabad with the theme: Working Together to Eradicate Poverty and Mitigate Climate Change. It covers: rural development, water, education, healthcare, livelihoods and climate change, renewable energy in various sessions. Reg.Fees: By Nov. 30: (Rs. 1500); by Dec. 20 (Rs. 2000) After Dec. 20: (Rs. 2500). More information can be found at www.idcamerica.org/upcoming.htm or Contact : Mr Mohan Jain at m.jain@idc-america.org or Mr Dileep Thatte Ph919618302597Email: dvthatte@yahoo.com, or Mr Porus Dadabhoy at porusdad@yahoo.com Website: www.idcamerica.org, http://idcoa.cloverpad.org

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences will organise a 3-day Conference on ‘Globalisation and Social Transformation: The Indian Experience’ February 17–19, 2012 at TISS campus in Mumbai. The Conference will provide a platform to discuss the challenges of globalisation and the ensuing social transformation within a multi-disciplinary framework. The Conference aims at enhancing knowledge, identifying newer areas and methods of policy advocacy and intervention. For more details about registration as a delegate and guidelines for submission of abstract please visit http:// www.tiss.edu/nationalconference/announcement.Contact: Amruta/Sangeeta on 022 25525135 pjnc@tiss.edu

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NGO Connect ○

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OPPORTUNITIES Education Officers, WWF The Andhra Pradesh State Office (APSO) of the World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-I) is looking for suitable candidates for two positions: a) Education Officer and B) Field Research and Education Officer. Contact: Farida Tampal, State Director, WWF India APSO. Email: ftampal@wwfindia.net

IT Professionals, Ahmedabad SPRAT a national award winning NGO based at Ahmedabad with projects in six cities of Gujarat requires the following IT professionals PHP Developer/s to develop different types of websites including E-commerce, Portal, etc preferably using Joomla or core PHP; to develop/ customize a variety of office utilities using existing libraries . Requirements: Must have a bachelor’s degree in IT and have identical hands-on industry experience of PHP/MySQL for at least 6+months, sound knowledge of PHP, MySQL, and of HTML, CSS, Java Script, XML, AJAX MOSS/SharePoint Administrator / Developer to develop sites and launch / expand on various modules, functionalities and utilities, develop and customize Lists, Workflow etc Requirements: Preferably be able to develop and expand various Components, Webparts, Controls etc such as Infopath, SSRS, KPI, Wikis, Blogs, Report Builder, Scorecard etc.,develop an intranet for project service centres, and achieve a paper-less environment appropriate for a NGO. Must have a bachelor’s degree in IT and identical hands-on experience of SharePoint/MOSS and SQL for at least 6 months Network / Hardware Engineer/s to install and maintain a robust intranet using broadband across six cities, to assemble PCs using donated components for gifting to deserving poor youth, maintain a flawless LAN of 20-25 PCs / thin clients with appropriate security / backup policies and to develop and install various office-friendly low-cost technologies such as using VOIP etc. Requirements: Must possess hands-on industry experience of at least one year and a degree or diploma in hardware/networking Research Analyst: Ad-hoc professional help for conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis of a ready 3500-record database using SPSS, draw inferences, validate them, answer various questions and write a report in English. Regular job also available. Pl write to info@sprat.in with subject line beginning SPSS. Salary: Competitive annual packages ranging between Rs 1.00 to 2.0 lakh. Send resume [including comprehensive narration of work experience, giving work references] to hro@sprat.in clearly defining the position/s in subject line. Contact: Leena Rao, HR Coordinator, Society for Promoting Rationality (SPRAT), Rajnagar Complex, Narayan Nagar Road, Paldi, Ahmedabad 380 007.Tel: 91-79-266 23 655 /66 77, Fax: 91-79-261 20 49, Email: mailto:hro@sprat.inWebsite: www.sprat.in / jowher.info

Capacity Building Team, New Delhi The ASER centre is offering a structured learning program which includes courses in Statistics, Research design, STATA and Communications. The program has recently been certified by IGNOU. Some ongoing courses are: Descriptive Statistics, Basic Communications, Basic Research Design, Human Development etc. Courses under conceptualization are: Basic English, Advanced Statistics Compile and maintain learning material on various topics of interest such as RTE, Policies and Plans etc The ASER Centre requires a capacity building team member who will be required to coordinate implementation of ongoing and future courses including development of reading material, assignments and assessments; running classroom sessions; evaluating assignments and project work and providing feedback. Qual: Graduate, with 65% marks in mathematics or statistics. Preferably a post graduate with at least 2 years work experience in the development sector. Salary: In the range of Rs.20,000-30,000 per month. E mail your CVs to: nirajiit@gmail.comandccto smriti.pahwa@asercentre.org. For enquiries contact: (011) 46023612

Manager / Senior Manager -CRY CRY, Maharashtra has vacancies in managerial positions with responsibilities in planning, monitoring and evaluation of supported initiatives, for CRY’s intervention and planning and supporting networking efforts. The candidate must be a PG in Social Work, Sociology or Rural Development from a reputed institute and 6-9 years experience in the field of urban or rural development, having experience in planning, monitoring and evaluating projects, interfacing with the government and other stakeholders. Strong written and oral communication skills in English & a working knowledge of the local language are essential.. Email application, mentioning the post applied for by 30 Oct. 2011, to: careers@crymail.org.

Assoc,– New Ventures, IIT Madras Rural Technology and Business Incubator (RTBI), based in IIT Madras holds the distinction of India’s first Incubator focused on technologies to enhance rural well being. The

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(despite deadlines, you are advised to apply)

Associate – New Ventures will be an integral part of the Incubation management team within RTBI. Requirements: Any engineering degree (Electrical, Electronics and Communication, CS, IT, Mechanical), and/ or a Masters in Business Administration/ PR/ Communications preferred with 2 plus years of experience in marketing and communications, with entrepreneurial mindset and knowledge of financial overview and planning is desired: Send CV and application by 3 Nov 2011 to: then(at)rtbi.in

Psychologist for ADAPT, Mumbai ADAPT: Able Disabled All People Together (formerly The Spastics Society of India), working in the disability sector for over 39 years, is looking for a Psychologist who will be responsible for conducting evaluation and counseling of children with developmental disabilities. Qual: Graduate or post-graduate in Psychology, Remuneration: Rs. 12,000 per month. Please email your CV with 2 references to: Ms Shahana Chatterjee: shahana.adapt@gmail.com

Tech. Experts – Sustainable Forests and Climate Adaptation project Tetra Tech ARD ( http://www.ardinc.com ), a leading international development consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., is currently accepting expressions of interest from qualified regional and local technical experts for a USAID-funded climate change adaptation and REDD+ project in India. The purpose of this multi-year project is to help improve the sustainability of forests in order to mitigate GHG emissions through carbon sequestration by forests, and to assist individuals and communities to adapt to climate change. These positions will be based in Delhi. Qual:: University degree in forestry, climate change, natural resource management, or other related field, 5 years of technical experience; experience working with USAID and other NGOs in South Asia/ India with fluency in English. Please email full, current CV in reverse chronological format to: sarah.hendel@tetratech.com with CC Forests TA in the subject line.

Executive Director, Pune National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS) is looking for a dynamic and motivated person committed to rights, equity and justice with specific experience in working with the marginalised sections, for the post of Executive Director, at its HQ in Pune.

Management Associate will also be in charge of managing all data security processes.. This is an entry-level job; college graduation or upto 3 years of experience and fluency in English are required. Contact: laura.litvine@ifmr.ac.in

Associate Coordinators-SMILE SMILE is looking for Associate coordinators for its Adolescent Intervention programme which aims to build leadership for social change among adolescents through lifeskills and active citizenship education. Responsibilities involve: mobilising youth participation, , creating and maintaining appropriate databases, mobilising resources and manage budget. Req.: a postgraduate degree in any discipline. A graduate working with youth like volunteering, theatre, music, puppetry etc may also apply. Please send the following to jobs@pravah.org , or by post to Pooja Prakash, Pravah, C24B, IInd Floor, Kalkaji, New Delhi – 110019 along with 1-pg. cover letter, highlighting your experience.

Comm. Mgr & Researchers IT for Change, Bangalore has a vacancy for following 2 posts: Communications Manager who will be expected to provide support to the research, advocacy and field teams of IT for Change and responsible for the following: Content management, Strategic Communications, Programmatic Management, Web and Social Media management and Knowledge creation. The candidate should be a postgraduate with interest in communication, and publication activities for the development sector. S/he must possess excellent writing skills in English, and have a flair for editing. Oral and written skills in one or more Indian languages is highly desirable. 2) Researchers: Applicants should have an appropriate qualification in social sciences/development studies/gender studies with appropriate research and project management skills with 2 to 10 years of experience. Demonstrated interest in governance/ democracy/ globalization/ women’s rights and feminist frameworks, is imperative. The candidate will be expected to take on programmatic responsibilities in the organisation, undertake desk research, prepare policy briefs and communication material, organise national and international meetings and workshops. Send your CV along with a writing sample (preferably published work) tojobs@ITforChange. net <mailto:jobs@ITforChange.net by Oct.31. Contact: Anita Gurumurthy, Executive Director, IT for Change. Tel:(080) 2665 4134, 2653 6890. www.ITforChange. net

Helpline Counsellor Mumbai, Delhi

NCAS is a membership-based social change resource centre that aims at strengthening rights-based and people-centred advocacy, to empower people for the creation of a just and humane society working with activists, social action groups, professionals, legislators and citizens. NCAS is also recognised as a premier centre for rights based and peoplecentred advocacy organisation in the Global South.

The Vandrevala foundation which has been efficiently running a 24x7 helpline has a 2- pronged planned activity:1. Expansion to Northern States, and All India Helpline. The helpline at Mumbai also has provisions for face to face counseling and plans to start support groups at various locations in the city. The operations will soon move to the eastern and southern India.

Eligibility: The applicant should be a committed and experienced social activist/development professional/scholar with a clear people-centred perspective on issues like just governance, social exclusion and livelihood rights, have a postgraduate degree in Social Sciences/Human Rights/Law or other related field, with significant experience of advocacy, capacity building, campaign initiatives, networking, research and working with the media. Preferred age will be below 60 years with good track record of fund raising. Compensation would be comparable to the Associate Professor’s scale of the UGC along with the usual PF, gratuity, health insurance etc. Send a detailed with a covering note articulating your interest and suitability for the position and a one-page note on “the Significance of People-Centred Advocacy” to: ncassecretary@gmail.com by October 31, 2011. For more details visit www.ncasindia.org

The Helpline counsellor will provide confidential crisis/ suicide intervention in three shift system (Morning, Evening and Night). Responsibilities include: crisis intervention and support and record keeping - accurate and confidential. Qual: Masters in Counselling Psychology or Clinical Psychology, MSW with specialization in Psychiatric Social Work or Counselling and skills required: Send resume to: help@vandrevalafoun dation.com, Website: www.vandre valafound ation.com

Communication Specialist, Delhi Chemonics International seeks a communication specialist for an anticipated USAID-funded sustainable forests and climate change mitigation project in India. Qual:: Bachelor’s degree/ master’s degree preferred in communications, public relations, English, literature, or a related field. Experience with projects in forestry, climate change adaptation, and natural resource management highly preferred, ability to write and verbally communicate clearly and concisely, Demonstrated experience designing strategic communication campaigns, conducting media outreach, organizing media events, and writing project reports and strong organizational and computer word-processing skills. Send electronic submissions to forestplusrecruit@gmail.com by October 31, 2011. Please submit CV and cover letter with the position in the subject line.

Data Management Associate The Centre for Micro Finance (CMF)Ahmedabad is a young, fast growing organization focusing on improving access to financial services for the poor through cuttingedge research, knowledge dissemination and outreach to policy makers and practitioners. The “Data Management Associate” will work with the CMF research teams to manage new and existing CMF datasets. He/she will assist other Research associates in cleaning the data obtained in the field, ensuring consistency with previous rounds of study, preparing the data for analysis and dissemination, and performing preliminary stages of analysis. The Data

To dev. database on Disability Technical support to governments to develop a comprehensive data base on disability based on UNCRPD principles is being made available by CBR NETWORK (South Asia). It has developed software and tools which provides holistic information about the individual person which also includes rights and needs assessment. The smart cards issued to persons with disability helps monitoring government programmes and measuring its efficacy. Contact: Dr Indumathi Rao, CBR NETWORK (South Asia), , 134,1st Block, 6th Main, BSK III Stage, Bangalore-560085. Tel.(080) 26724273, 26724221.Email-cbrnet@ airtelmail. in Webhttp\\www. cbrnetworksouthasia.org.in

CEO/Programme Head, Mumbai Nathani Charitable Trust is looking for CEO/Programme Head in Mumbai to lead the Project. This professionally managed NGO is involved in Education Sponsorship Project for the underprivileged section of the Memon community across India. Contact: Ejaz Kutchi, Manager, Human Resource, Nathani Group of Companies, 1st Floor, Rangoonwala building, 91, Mohammed Ali Road, Mumbai 400 003. Tel. 022 2345 3333 Ext – 106. Cell : 0091 9324427703. Email: hr@nathanigroup.in

Free Care for phys. disabled girls Cheshire Homes, Bangalore has residency vacancies for girl children with physical disabilities. The Home provides medical care including corrective surgery, education,boarding and lodging for girls with physical disabilities. All these facilities are provided free of cost. The entry age for the girls is 5 years to 12 years. Contact: Mrs.Rani Murthy, or Mr. R.S. Phanindra, Cheshire Homes, Bangalore-560017. Tel. (080) 25266970 & 25202386

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Media FILMS NEWS The 11th Göttingen International Ethnographic Film Festival to be held on 9 – 13 May 2012 promotes documentary cinema with a special emphasis on new films, videos or interactive media (published after 1.1.2009) dealing with sociocultural processes in a wide sense of the term. The festival is open to all filmmakers, The festival specially supports student films with the Student Film Award 2010. A special award is given in 2010 by the Centro Incontri Umani inAscona/ Switzerland for the best film on crises and their consequences – . GIEFF 2012 also presents a special program on participatory practices in filmmaking. For more information visit: http://www.gieff.de/ Contact: Beate Engelbrecht, Göttingen International Ethnographic Film Festival Germany. Email:event @gieff.de The 6th international competitive edition of CMS VATAVARAN India’s best known Environment and Wildlife film festival will be organised from Dec 6-10, 2011 at New Delhi. Completing ten glorious year of the CMS VATAVARAN movement the festival will showcase an eclectic mix of Indian and international films introduce a whole lot of new programmes and events this year. For more information visit website: www.cmsvatavaran.org. Delegate Registration is now open, register online to participate in the festival: http://cmsvatavaran.org/delegates. php. Contact: Mr Avinash Ujjwal, Delegate Registration Incharge, CMS VATAVARAN. Cell: +91-95822 54612, Tel. (011) 2686 4020 Fax: 2696 8282. Email: delegates@cm svatavaran.org The 7th Edition of ViBGYOR International Film Festival for Short & Documentary films, will be held in Thrissur, Kerala on 25-29 January 2012. ‘South Asia: Lives and Livelihoods’ is the special focus theme of ViBGYOR-2012. With seven theme packages: There are three zonal divisions -- International/ National/ Kerala Spectrum. One may enter films under ‘Focus of the Year’ package, ‘ViBGYOR’ Theme package and ‘Kerala Spectrum’ package (films made by filmmakers residing in Kerala) for documentaries, short fiction and ‘Focus-Children’. Deadline for film submissions: 15 November 2011. Entry Fee of INR.300 for National/ Kerala Spectrum entries and $10 for entries from overseas. Film entries should be submitted online; visit www.vibgyorfilm.org Contact:: ViBGYOR, Thrissur, Tel. 04872323590/ 9809477058. Send queries to: info@vibgyorfilmfe st.org or contact us at: 09447441621. Films on mental health: The Kriti Film Club in collaboration with India Habitat Centre organised Mind Reels… films on mental health, an event to mark the World Mental Health Week on 3 October 2011. Contact for list of films: Kirti Film Club: mail.krititea@gmail.com http:/ /krititeam. blogspot. com

Cotton for my Shroud Dirs. Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl. Produced by: Top Quark Films Pvt Ltd. nandansaxena @gmail.com, kavitabahl9@gmail.com 9810367244 Duration: 82 min

Since 1995, a quarter of a million Indian farmers, most of them were cotton farmers from Vidarbha in Maharashtra, have committed suicide -once known for its fine cotton, it is now called the ‘graveyard of farmers’. The film tries to understand from a grass-roots perspective what is driving the cotton farmers to despair - is it a crisis of farm credit or are they victims of faulty paradigms of development. The film was shot over two visits to the hinterlands of Vidarbha. Narrated in the first person, the film looks at the macro picture while following the lives of three families. It gives us a window into the drama and despair that forms the warp and weft of life at Vidarbha.

Teen Behenein Dir: Kundan Shah; Assoc. Dir: Shekhar Hattangadi There are many tragic news stories of multiple suicides of three/four sisters in India due to dowry. This film opens with three sisters about to commit suicide when they are interrupted and forced to postpone their deaths. What happens in this gratuitous period of six hours is the subject matter of the film. Without any flashbacks, the film brings out the essence of their lives which has led them to this decision. It explores all their joys and sorrows and mainly their zest for life even when death is virtually knocking at their door. How these tragedies can be avoided is the hope and the vision of this film.

BOM/ aka One Day ahead of emocracy 117 min/Hindi/ English/ Kanashi, Subtitled English Dir /Cinematographer /Editor: Amlan Dutta Producer: Anirban Datta; Supported by Sundance DFP, Jan Vrijman Fund (IDFA);Co-produced with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp) Malana, a remote village in the Himalayas, isolated from outsidecivilization for thousands of years has been fostering a primitive existencein harmony with nature and a unique model of democracy of consensus. The inhabitants have also been producing some of the best quality hashish in the world. It is a real life story of transition, this ancient civilization being invaded and obliterated by the modern democracy. Narrated in an epic structure, a visual essay from the edge of the world with an eternal mesage of trust, peace and unity.

Shaala Dir. Sujay S. Dahake Marathi Film with English Subtitles In turbulent India of the Emergency in the 1970’s, four teenaged friends from a small Indian school, gather in their beloved adda (hangout place) to deliberate on the vagaries of school and life. Little do they know, that by the end of this academic year, their lives will take a turn they never expected it to. Shala is a story of love, circumstance, passion, friendship and freedom.

Balgandharva —Sound of Heaven-—The Story of Balgandharva Marathi Film with English Subtitles

Blgandharva is the never-beforetold, musical biographical drama of Indian theatre legend Narayan Rajhans alias ‘Balgandharva’ meaning ‘Singer from the Heaven’ (1888-1967). Born in a poor town in Pune, Maharashtra, he was famous for his roles of female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not allowed to act on stage during his time. Narayanrao Bal Gandharva acted in numerous classic Marathi plays and was one of those who were responsible for making Sangeet-Natak (musicals) and Natya-Sangeet (the music in those musicals) popular among common masses. Balgandharva provides an unflinching portrait of Narayan’s musical genius as he overcomes all hurdles while transforming into one of this country’s most beloved artists

Made in India Dirs: Rebecca Haimowitz & Vaishali Sinha. Producers: Rebecca Haimowitz & Vaishali Sinha. Co-Executive Producer: The Fledgling Fund, Chicken & EggPictures. 97 Minutes, Hindi and English(USA/ INDIA, 2010 www.madeinindia movie.com/ This film is about the human experiences behind the phenomena of“outsourcing” surrogate mothers to India. It shows the physical, moral, and emotional risks that middle-class Westerners and poor Indian women take when they sign a surrogacy contract. The film traces the journey of an infertile American couple, an Indian surrogate and the reproductive outsourcing business that brings them together. Weaving together these personal stories within the context of a growing international industry, Made In India explores a complicated clash of families in crisis, reproductive technology, and choice from a global perspective.

Blood and Iron Dir. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta 93 minutes This documentary film in three overlapping segments highlights the political, economic and ecological consequences of iron ore mining in and around the Bellary district of Karnataka and Ananthapur district of Andhra Pradesh. New Republic of Bellary – Among the promoters of privately owned mining companies in Bellary/ Ananthapur are the Gali Reddy brothers, two of whom held ministerial positions in Karnataka. and have been accused of illegal extraction during mining operations. Red Gold - In July 2010, The CM acknowledged in the state assembly that over 30 million tonnes of iron ore had been illegally exported from Karnataka between April 2003 and March 2010. Windfall profits were earned by miners and exporters and ministers. Red Earth - The third part of the film highlights how iron ore mining, most of it illegal, has resulted in lopsided development in Bellary and Ananthapur. While some ride helicopters and luxury cars, large sections of the people of the area live in abject poverty. The film documents a story of greed and devastation that has influenced the politics of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and ravaged the ecology of the region.

Sengadal – The Dead Sea Duration: 100 min, 2010 This is a “factual feature film”, which captures the fragments of simple lives beaten by an ethnic war in Sri Lanka that lasted three decades. The Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka arrive in Indian mainland in an unending stream of people dispossessed of their lands. Dhanushkodi, the Indo-Sri Lankan border town, is the crucible wherein history is brewing this concoction of defeated lives and exhausted dreams. Leena Manimekalai, the filmmaker, Munusamy, the fisherman, and Rosemary, the social worker in Jesuit Christian Refugee Servicesr interact with the dead or living refugees, their skirmishes with the Indian and Sri Lankan States, their personal lives overrun by external events - form the kernel of this narration. Documentary films on NGO work The Mumbai-based Vithal Kalid Education & Welfare Trust offers its services to NGOs which want to make documentaries or short films on work done by them. The films can be produced as per NGO budgets. Contact: + 91-9702385978

BOOKS Gandhi - Patel Letters & Speeches Compiled by Neerja Singh Published by : National Book Trust, India Pages : 204, Price : Rs. 60/The relationship between Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Mahatma Gandhi has often been portrayed as a complex one. Through a balanced and historically relevant perspective, this collection of some of their significant corres pondences, not only brings out the mutual respect each had for the other but also the differences between the two on various matters of policies and strategies. Available from: Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal / Gandhi Book Centre, , Mumbai -Tel: 22 23872061 / 23884527 Email: info@mkgandhi.org Website: www.mkgandhi.org

Managing NGO Staff As NGOs employ staff, they are required to maintain administrative policies for their management. Such policies not only contribute towards effective governance but also open up opportunities of support from different funding organisations. The Employee Manual (taken from an organisation in Zambia) outlines various elements of NGO employee managemen and gives an overview of employment terms and conditions and proper classification of different levels of staffing. Additionally, there is information about performance evaluations to assess the progress made by an individual staff It also covers information about allowances, leave & holidays, termination notices, workplace conduct, disciplinary action, grievance procedure etc. This manual can be downloaded: http://www.funds forngos.org/

Making Sense of Ayodhya Verdict: Towards Efforts for Peaceful Solution Eds, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer and Prof. Ram Puniyani Publisher: Vitasta Publi. Pvt. Ltd. Pages: 246, Price 425/Making Sense of the Ayodhya Issue captures the background of archaeological, historical and political aspects of the issue. Tracing the evolution of the dispute and its political implications, the book goes on to present the intellectual atmosphere in the country postjudgement and gives a perspective about different facets of the consequences of the verdict and incorporates the chronology of events related to the dispute. Available from: Vitasta Publishing Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi: - 110 002. info@vitastapublishing.com

The Journey of Indian MicroFinanceLessons for the Future”, by Prof Ramesh S Arunachalam published by Aapti Publications, Pages:960 After the spate of suicides that hit rural Andhra Pradesh, forcing the state government to promulgate an ordinance, to most people, it was a shock to discover, that microfinanciers, who were seen as the saviours and benefactors of the rural poor were, at best, a shade better than moneylenders. Things reached a stage where the Andhra Pradesh government hit back with a legislation that stopped the industry in its tracks. The RBI has now been charged with regulating microfinance. Prof Arunachalam goes on to examine the story of “an industry gone horribly wrong” and ends by suggesting practical steps that could help the industry regain its credibility and be the prime mover for inclusive growth.

All matter in the newsletter is published with the best of intentions. Printed, Published and owned by Rima Kashyap. Printed at W Q Judge Press, 97, Residency Road, Bangalore - 560 025, Published by : Shakti C/o ERA, N. M. Wadia Bldg, 123 M G Road, Mumbai 400 001 Tel. 09341867487 E-mail : shaktisrc@yahoo.com Editor : Rima Kashyap. Design : Rajeshwari 8

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