Sep-Oct 2010 by ON-LYNE

Vol 7 Issue 5

Regn. no. M A H E N G/2004/15104

www.ngoconnect.org

A ‘SHAKTI’ PROJECT

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

Sept.-Oct. 2010

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop” – Mother Teresa

Human Rights activist S R Sankaran passes away

It isn’t a zero sum game wish to speak of -the apparent gap between those espousing the case for faster economic growth and those calling for greater attention to protection of the environment. ..Let us all accept the reality that there is undoubtedly a trade-off between growth and environment. In arriving at decisions to untangle the trade-off, three options present themselves -”yes”, “yes, but” and “no”. The real problem is that the growth constituency is used to “yes” and can live with “yes, but”. It cries foul with “no”. The environment constituency exults with a “no”, grudgingly accepts the “yes, but” but cries foul with a “yes”. Therefore, one clear lesson is this - maximise the “yes, but”, only where this is possible. ... For instance, we allowed a power project in Ratnagiri in the face of NGO objections but imposed strict conditions that would be monitored by local institutions. .. In such cases that have complex scientific, ecological and social dimensions, my approach has been to make decisions in the most consultative and transparent manner possible. This is what we did in the case of Bt-brinjal, and in the case of the Ve danta mining project in Orissa, where I consulted extensively, and shared a most detailed explanation for our decision with the public. Is the debate really environment versus development or is it one of adhering to rules, regulations and laws versus taking the rules, regulations and laws for granted? Are these laws to be enforced or are they to just adorn the statute books, honoured more in their breach than in their observance? I have to say that for too long a time, we have taken these laws and the discipline they enforce for granted. Industry has assumed that somehow these laws can be “managed” and governments too have not insisted that the laws be implemented both in letter and spirit. We have now reached a crucial juncture when fait accompli will not do any longer... There is a legitimate fear that this could end up being another source of what economists call “rent seeking” or what ordinary human beings would call “harassment” or “corruption” ... . .. Sunita Narain puts it well when she says that India’s environmental movement is about managing contradictions and complexities - and to this I would add, also, conflicts. This environmentalism of the poor, as she calls it, or livelihood environmentalism, as I would term it--as opposed to lifestyle environmentalism of the privileged sections - manifested itself with the birth and growth of the Chipko movement in the hills of Uttarakhand. Those women were asserting the rights of local communities over the use of local resources. Such assertions are visible in different parts of the country today. We misread such assertions as the conflict between environment and development when they actually are about establishing a fundamental right to livelihood security and a fundamental right to determine the nature of what we call development that impacts their daily lives ....(excerpts from a talk by Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Indian Express, 04/10/2010, PG.11)

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Hyderabad, Oct 7 : Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer S R Sankaran, who played a pivotal role in bringing the outlawed CPI (ML) to the table for the first-ever direct talks with the Andhra Pradesh Government in 2004, died at his residence here today.

compassion bound him to masses of India’s poorest people, disadvantaged by indigence, caste, gender and disability.

Sankaran, who was also the former Chief Secretary of Tripura, was known for his uprightness and vocal support for Dalits, tribals and landless poor, even at the cost of his career. He was even accused of being an open supporter of the banned CPI (ML) Naxalites. Undeterred, Sankaran went on to vigorously fend off any attempt to dilute the veritable 1/70 Act, under which land in the scheduled areas cannot be alienated to a non-tribal, giving protection to the tribals and prohibiting non-tribals from possessing land in the scheduled tribal notified areas. His documentation of tribal land records led to the Tripura government approaching the Centre for utilising the services of Sankaran to help in settling an age-old conflict between tribals and plainsmen in Tripura. —UNI

A Legacy of Goodness By Harsh Mander Crowds surged to join his funeral procession, as it wound its way through the busy streets of Hyderabad, on a warm afternoon on 8 October, 2010. Senior civil servants and human rights workers jostled with tens of anonymous indigent men and women, each of whom wished the privilege to carry his body in its

last journey for a few moments. Uniformed policemen lowered their eyes in tribute after offering an incongruous gun salute to a man the crowds extolled as a messenger of peace. Slogans continuously rent the air, hailing him to be the beloved son of dalits, tribal people, the poor and disabled persons. Few eyes were dry when his niece set aflame his funeral pier. I doubt if there has ever been such a funeral of any civil servant before him. The diverse multitude which surged to bid this diminutive, frail, under-stated man his final farewell, represented the extraordinary range of people whose lives he had touched. SR Sankaran set standards of integrity and service to the most disadvantaged, for a whole generation of public officials. His courage of convictions inspired human rights activists. Despite his uncompromising opposition to violence, he was revered by Maoists as much as by Gandhians. And a lifetime of egalitarian

Sankaran firmly believed lifelong that the foremost duty of the state was to uphold the dignity, rights and freedoms of India’s most oppressed people, and his life’s work demonstrated what a democratic government could indeed accomplish if it included persons like him. He drew up laws for land reforms, and pushed governments to implement these. He conceived of the Tribal Sub-Plan and SpecialComponent Plan, to compel governments to set aside significant proportions of the state budgets for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Tribes. He designed many programmes for justice and welfare of these socially most deprived communities, including thousands of residential schools for the education of tribal boys and girls. It was he who helped craft laws to release bonded workers. (When criticised by the AP government, he proceeded on long leave), it proved a fortuitous turning point in his life. The legendary Marxist Chief Minister of Tripura, Nripen Chakravarthy, invited him to shift to Tripura and serve there as Chief Secretary. They formed a unique partnership, leading the state for 6 years. Few governments in India earned such a reputation of integrity, service and justice for the under-privileged. Sankaran gained national fame when he was kidnapped by Naxalites from the jungles of Andhra Pradesh. It was due to his unique moral stature that both government and the Maoists felt compelled to respond

Maximum foreign funds for Education

he top ten recipients of foreign funds in India are all in the education sector. While the United States doles out the maximum funds to Indian NGOs working in the education sector, the other countries which make it to the top five list are United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Netherlands. According to the figures accessed by The Indian Express through RTI, the US sent Rs 170 crore to these NGOs in 2005-06. The figure went up to Rs 494.58 crore in 200708, despite the recession. The UK, which sent Rs 55 crore in 2005-06, hiked the amount to Rs 893 crore in 2006-07, but calibrated it down to Rs 477 crore in the year 2007-08. Among the NGOs, World Vision India, the India branch of the international Christian humanitarian organisation which advocates sponsoring education for needy children, gets the maximum funds: Rs 211 crore. Andhra Pradesh’s Rural Development Trust came a distant second with Rs 124 crore.

Supported by the US’s Gospel for Asia, Kerala’s Believers Church, which also runs a string of educational institutes and schemes, got Rs 101 crore in the same period, while Delhi-based Caritas India got Rs 89 crore. Incidentally, Indian NGOs across all sectors received over Rs 9,000 crore from foreign sources in 200708. With some of these transactions coming under the scanner of the Ministry for Home Affairs, as many as 41 NGOs have been banned from receiving foreign funds. Those banned from receiving any foreign contributions as in 2009 include the J&K Muslim Conference, Wazirabad (Srinagar); the Tibetan Culture & Education Foundation, Bangalore; Akandar Tryst and Public Relief Trust, both in Srinagar; Christ’s Helping Hand Chidren’s Home, Rajamundhry; Vikash Parishad, Koraput; Falah-e-Aam Trust, Baramulla; Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam, Chennai; Saraswati Charitable Trust, Delhi; Adima Jati Seva Samiti, Kandhamal; Haryanvi Organisation

for Progress and Ecology, Sonepat; Jamai Atul Falah, Azamgarh and Church of Christ Trust, Dindigul. A state-wise comparison of the funding shows that Delhi is on top of the list, with its NGOs getting Rs 1,716 crore in 2007-08. While Tamil Nadu comes second with Rs 1,670 crore, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are close on its heels. In fact, the figures reveal that NGOs in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Mahrashtra and Karnataka have got the maximum foreign funds since 2005, while most of the so-called BIMARU states lag far behind. However, NGOs in Uttar Pradesh manage to get about Rs 100-200 crore annually. A district-wise break-up shows that Chennai has been leading for years now, while Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad complete the top five list. Interestingly, besides the cities, Ananthpur, Pathanmthitta and Ernakulam also figure among the top ten districts where NGOs get maximum foreign funds.(www.indianexpress.com)

to his appeals, and defend to him their policies. He grieved until his end that he could not free his people from the mutually reinforcing cycles of violence, and reclaim for them enduring peace and justice. Another task to which he devoted a significant part of his time after he retired was to lead the Safai Karmchari Andolan, an exceptional campaign for ending the humiliating age-old practice of people of particular castes being forced to clean dry latrines with their bare hands, and carry human excreta in baskets on their heads. A decade of Sankaran’s leadership of the Andolan led to the substantial decimation of this centuries-old evil in many parts of India. This was through a combination of judicial interventions, compelling accountability of public officials, and a non-violent mass campaign for self-respect by people engaged in this vocation in which they burned their baskets and demolished dry latrines. His enduring legacy will be to demonstrate what true and authentic goodness in public and personal life can accomplish, to make this world a better, kinder place. The Prime Minister’s condolence message is as follows : “I am deeply grieved to learn of the passing away of Shri S.R. Sankaran. Shri Sankaran was a very fine human being and an outstanding civil servant. His commitment to public service, and to the disadvantaged sections of our society was deep and unswerving. His life and work, the very high moral standards he lived by and his simplicity will continue to inspire civil servants in the future. I offer my condolences to his family members and friends and pray for peace of his soul.”

Hush-hush, the Chief CIC is appointed Mumbai: The new head of the nation’s highest body for enforcement of the Right to Information Act has himself been appointed with little public awareness of the process or criteria used for his selection, In the first week of October, Central Information Commissioner A N Tiwari was appointed as the Chief CIC to replace Wajahat Habibullah. But it is worth noting that the press and public was kept in the dark about the date and time of the meeting of the Prime Minister’s selection committee when Tiwari was selected for this post. Tiwari was a Secretary to the Government of India. In breach of explicit DoPT guidelines, he selected himself for the post of Information Commissioner. “It is ironic that this (the CIC) is the body which is charged with ensuring transparent administration throughout the country, while the process of appointment to this body itself is highly non-transparent. ( Krishnaraj Rao.)

Sept - Oct 2010 ○

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NGO Connect ○

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NGO News India’s first Queer Books Exhibition Mumbai: The Queer Ink Book Fair was held at Candies, Pali Hill, Bandra from October 22-24 boasting of over 400 Queer titles and providing a Safe Space/venue. Programmes were held through the weekend : a ‘Meet the Authors’ event ‘”Bombay, Meri Jaan’”—a discussion with author and journalist, Jerry Pinto; a Talkfest with Minal Hajratwala, the award winning author of ‘Leaving India: My Family’s Journey From Five Villages to Five Continents’. The ‘Marathi Queer Hour’ with Bindumadhav Khire followed. Bindumadhav is the author of ‘Indradhanu’ and ‘Partner’ in Marathi & Hindi. He lives in Pune and is a Gay Rights and HIV/AIDs activist. Later, Parmesh Shahani discussed Gay Bombay within a Global-India context.

Commemorating 25 years of Narmada Bachao Andolan This year marks the 25th year of non-violent struggle by the people of the Narmada Valley. We witnessed thousands getting displaced from their homes, rampant environmental disaster, and destructive and unbalanced development in the name of dams. The Adivasis, farmers, fisher-folk and artisans in the densely populated villages of the hills and plains in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra still continue to assert their rights, demanding land and livelihood. It can’t be a mere celebration when the sword is still hanging, full justice is still to be achieved and large dams are still being pushed and challenged. The people of the Narmada valley along with activists and supporters came together in the valley on the occasion of ‘Reflections from Narmada:25 Years and Beyond’. The programmes were held in Dhadgaon (Maharashtra) on the 22 and Badwani (Madhya Pradesh) on Oct. 23. From Bangalore, 50 people comprising students, activists and supporters of the Narmada Bachao Andolan traveled to the valley to participate in this programme, and on Oct 20 a rally was held at the Gandhi statue before their departure. Contact www.pedestrianpictures.org

BLP talks on leprosy Mumbai: Can reactions in leprosy be controlled better and nerve damage be treated effectively? A Seminar on “Steroid regimens for Reaction management and Disability prevention” was held on the eve of the 35th Anniversary of Bombay Leprosy Project (BLP) to deliberate on how best reactions in leprosy can be controlled to minimize recurrences and how best early nerve damage can be treated effectively. The seminar was held on Oct. 6 at Lokmanya Municipal Medical College to commemorate the occasion. Dr V V Pai, Director BLP mentioned such academic activities would be organised during the 35th year of its leprosy relief work and emphasised that all activities are constantly aimed at improving services to leprosy patients. Dr R M Chaturvedi, Prof and Head, Dept of Preventive and Social Medicine, LTMMC and the Chairperson for the seminar while appreciating the efforts of BLP over the past more than three decades stressed that despite leprosy being declared eliminated, clinical problems related to nerve damage and disability add to disease burden

in the community and that ideal medical management with steroids can help to control reaction and treat nerve damage to prevent disability. Experts from the field of Leprosy, Dermatologists, Public Health Specialists, Laboratory scientists, representatives of NGOs and post graduates from the city medical colleges deliberated on what could be the optimum dosage and duration of steroids to minimize recurrences and also treat nerve damage effectively. Contact bombayleprosy@mtnl.net.in

Insurance policies to be available at post offices New Delhi. From Oct 17 Post offices can now distribute insurance products with IRDA, allowing each circle of the Department of Post (DOP) to act as a corporate agent of insurers. The DOP has divided the whole country into 22 postal circles for providing postal services. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) allowed each circle to tie up with two non-life insurance companies, two life insurance companies, one agricultural insurance company and one stand alone Health Insurance Company for this purpose. Corporate agents act as insurance agents for insurers and procure business on behalf of the insurance companies through its executives. The sector watchdog had last month sought views from insurers for granting corporate agency licence to the DoP to promote financial inclusion. An expert committee on ‘’Harnessing the India Post Network for Financial Inclusion’’ had earlier recommended that the low cost platform of India Post be used for strategic partners like microfinance institutions (MFIs), mutual funds and insurance companies. It also suggested expanding the role of Post Office Savings Bank as an agent of Ministry of Finance to play a larger and direct role in financial inclusion. However, IRDA has disallowed the head office of India Post to engage in the distribution of the insurance products.

A Palette for a cause Mumbai: At ‘’Palatte 2010’, the week-long art-for-a-cause annual fest from Oct 20-23, senior and upcoming artists from all over India painted, mentored, interacted and created masterpieces. The proceeds of the sale of artworks from this and the previous art camps will be disbursed to over 20 NGOs affiliated with EdelGive Foundation. Also on display for sale were works of renowned artists including Jatin Das, Samir Mondal, Jogen Chowdhury and Ajay De. The event was held at Fountainhead Leadership Centre, Alibaug. Contact:021 - 4124 7580

Photo Exhibition on Wild Tigers Delhi: A Photo exhibition on Wild Tigers was organised by Wildlife Savers Society from Oct 20-Nov 3 at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts ( IGNCA ). Exhibits showcased around 50-60 photographs by some of the best tiger wildlife photographers who collected amazing wildlife pictures of tigers.

Clearance for Western Ghats mining leases faulty Mumbai: Even before the dust could settle on Vedanta Resources’ bauxite mining lease controversy in BJD-led Orissa, another series of flashpoints have emerged. The

latest eco-tussle between the Maharashtra government and the people over mining leases has begun in full force after the Congress-led state cleared 49 leases for excavating iron and bauxite ores in the eco-fragile Sindhudurg region of the Western Ghats. Ironically, Sindhudurg has 49 per cent green cover, (the highest in Maharashtra). Moreover, 32 of these mining permits have been given in the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg zone, a part of the wildlife corridor between Koyna and Radhanagari wildlife sanctuaries in Maharashtra and the Anshi-Dandeli tiger reserve in Karnataka. The people of this area have also accused the authorities of not holding proper public hearings. Many villages, Kalane for example, have also alleged that the environmental impact assessments were faulty because they didn’t take into account the perennial water bodies, reserve forests and rivers. None of these accusations are new or specific to the fight in the Western Ghats.We have heard governments — irrespective of the party ruling the state — going against their own research studies to give the green signal to mining projects. In 2002, Maharashtra asked Shivaji University to do a report on the importance of the Ghats. When the report identified it as an ecosensitive area, the government dumped it. In 1997 in Goa, the government refused to accept a report from TERI on the perils of mining.

gone up and operational expenses have come down. As per the Microfinance Bill, which is now pending in Parliament, Nabard will become the regulator for MFIs that are registered as societies and trusts. However, MFIs registered as NBFCs (like SKS Microfinance) are regulated by the RBI. There are also non-profit NBFCs registered under Section 25 of the Companies Act. “We have already cut funding to MFIs that charge high rates,” a PSU bank official said. The RBI’s survey of MFIs has revealed a recovery rate of over 90 per cent in the MFI segment. “Then why should the MFIs charge higher interest rates?” PSU bankers ask. According to bankers, MFIs have been exploiting the inability of normal banks to reach out to poor households in the rural areas that are not in a position to offer any collateral. It is no wonder then that total outstanding loans portfolio rose from Rs 3,456 crore in 2007 to Rs 11,734 crore in 2009, indicating a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 84.3 per cent. For-profit MFIs have now gained in market share, both in terms of clients and total outstanding loan portfolio. (www.indianexpress.com)

Umang 2010 children express their talent

In certain other instances, for example in the Niyamgiri case, we saw the Union environment minister stepping in.

Jodhpur: Towards a commitment to society at large, for the last eight years Umang’s students have been organising a unique event “Umang” to provide a platform to the physically challenged and orphans to express their talent and give them an opportunity for them to learn with fun.

There is a clear system in place that evaluates such projects: a transparent public hearing and Environmental Impact Assessment are the two basic requirements. The fact that these basics are being tampered with on every single occasion shows that the instituted system has been broken down systematically by vested interests.

This year for “Umang 2010”on Oct.24 they decided to invite old age home persons (The event was earlier scheduled on 7 March but was postponed in view of death of a staff member a few days before the event). The venue was the 100 acres campus site, Aravali Nagar, on the Jodhpur-Jaipur National Highway (NH-112).

Policies need to be sacrosanct and not party/state specific. What is wrong in Orissa cannot be right in Maharashtra/Goa. Meanwhile, the people’s protests are gathering pace and turning India into, a nation of a million mutinies. (Source:www.hindustantimes.com)

The activities also help students to learn the dignity of labour, inculcate humility and develop interpersonal sensitivity; so essential for a good manager. Maharaja Gaj Singh of Marwar-Jodhpur, Chairman of the Board of Governors and members of the Board & Advisory Council joined the participants at Umang 2010. Contact:Umang 2010 Team,, Aravali Institute of Management. Jodhpur 342 006. Tel.:0291-2555356 E-mail : aravali@india.com Web : http://www.aravali.org,

MFI interest rate on loans likely to be capped It took farmer suicides related to their loans from micro-finance institutes to make the AP government and later the RBI to look into the high rates of interest being charged by some of those who allegedly help the poor. Currently, MFIs are charging 26-40 per cent on small loans extended to their rural customers — many of whom are yet to get even a bank account — while urban customers get personal loans at 12 per cent from commercial banks. Interest rates on loans from microfinance institutions (MFIs) are likely to be capped at around 24 per cent. Though neither the RBI nor the government has fixed any ceiling on MFI interest rates, the consensus among bankers and the regulator is that rates should not be more than 24 per cent. The finance ministry has already asked PSU banks to not extend funds to MFIs which are charging high interest rate. Nabard chairman U C Sarangi said MFIs are in a position to reduce interest rates as their margins have

Products for sale In Chennai: Mission For the Urban Poor serve the poor in the villages and inner city slums in Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode, Yercadu, Dharmapuri and Bhopal. Uplifting the women with skill development, helping the children with free tuition centres and uniforms, feeding programs and free medical clinics in selected villages is their primary work for the poor. The women’s empowerment project depends on the sale of the products produced in Chennai.” We undertake orders for any embroidery project ( we have a computerised multi headed machine operated by women) . We can make Logos, or emblems or any customised wordings on any type of garment like T shirts, Tote Bags, or Aprons, or Towels (for hospitals and Hotels) or sarees and Salwars, Ladies Tops, cushion covers.”

Products an be seen at Three Kings Store, G 24, phase I , Spencers Plaza, Chennai. Contact for orders: Sam Sunder at samprema@yahoo.com Mumbai:To support real life education at ‘School Without Walls” Syamantak has started a MiniBambu Studio where students have made Bambu diaries, Bambu Coasters, Bambu Wall clocks, Bambu trays and Bambu Bowls. They can be supplied in as many quantities and packing. This support would bring self-sustanaiblity to our real life education system and give an apportunity for our students to earn ‘N’ learn. Our bambu bowls can be catered to sweet shops, restaurants etc. Contact: Meenal Desai , Syamantak, Malvan. Email 1: admin@syamantak. org Email 2: volunteer@syamantak .org

Book Bazaar held Mumbai: The Welfare Of Stray Dogs(WSD) organised The WSD Book Bazaar of donated new and secondhand books from October 14-17, at Churchgate, Mumbai. A treasure trove of books for book lovers: thousands of books on cookery, self- help, best sellers, travel, humor, spirituality, philosophy, Indian and foreign fiction and non-fiction and children’s books at prices starting from Rs 10. All proceeds from the book sales will go towards sterilization and rabies prevention programmes. The Welfare Of Stray Dogs (WSD) is an animal welfare NGO that conducts a mass sterilization & immunization programme for stray dogs and has sterilized more than 39,000 stray dogs. WSD has impacted more than 1,00,000 strays through on-site first-aid, adoption and immunizations. Contact: The Welfare Of Stray Dogs(WSD), Mumbai. Tel : 64222838/23733433 Website : www.wsdindia.org E mail : wsdindia@gmail.com

Charitable Music Event Mumbai: SAMPARC held a musical concert by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan at NCPA on Oct. 15. Social Action for Manpower Creations – SAMPARC an NGO that has been working for over 20 years in care and development of orphans and community development is raising funds for an upcoming home. Contact: Ms Rajni S Shirsath: 9699696963 or email:rajni.samparc@gmail.com

5th Anniversary of RTI Mumbai: Samhita, Mumbai, celebrated the 5th Anniversary of RTI on Oct. 12 at Indian Merchants’ Chamber. The Keynote address was by Honorable Mr. Justice Suresh Hosbet , former Judge of the Bombay High Court, followed by a talk by Dr. Suresh Joshi, retired Chief Information Commissioner, Maharashtra on “Achievements of RTI in Maharashtra in the last 5 years.” This was followed by talks from Public Authorities:Mr. P. K. Hariharan, DGM - RTI coordinator of HPCL, Mr. V. V. Shankarwar, Asstt. Commissioner, BMC, K (East) Ward - Andheri (East). RTI Success Stories were recounted by Mr. Dhiren Nandu – Advocate & Solicitor. The concluding event was a Street play on RTI staged by UMANG—

Adoption to become online Delhi: In a bid to make the process of adoption simple and easy, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has developed an online system where applicants can register and select a child for

Sept - Oct 2010

NGO Connect ○

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NGO News Rupees. The Code of Conduct covered areas like Integrity, quality of service, transparency, Fair Practices, privacy of client information, integrating social values into operations, (????) and a feedback mechanism.

adoption. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has designed the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS), putting online information about children up for adoption and their photographs. The system will be launched soon by Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath. “This will end all paperwork and unending wait to adopt a child. Interested parents will not have to go hunting all around,” says Tirath. It currently takes at least six months to adopt a child. The portal, say officials, will contain information of both the interested parents. Once they register themselves online putting in personal information like ,they are given the choice of the adoption centre that they would want to deal with. Once the centre informs them about the children that can be adopted, the parents can list their preferences such as gender, age etc. Within minutes they would be sent information including, health along with comments of a physician and a photograph of the child. Based on this information, the interested parents will be allowed three choices. “The interested parents just can’t reject a child one after another and cannot approach two adoption centers at a time,” says Anu J Singh, Secretary, CARA. The online process will first be launched for domestic users and then extended to inter-country adoption. Sreedharan Nair, Director of Delhi Council for Child Welfare (DCCW), which runs adoption programme Palna says that an online facility will definitely make things easier. “There is a lot of paperwork which is required before proceeding for adoption. After the launch of this facility, all this paperwork will end making the process easier and hassle free,” he said.(www.indianexpress.com/ news)

Mining firms must spell out CSR plans Delhi: The metal and mineral PSUs aspiring captive mines would henceforth have to spell out the quantum of money they intend to spend annually in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to secure mineral concessions, if the Group of Ministers (GoM) approves a proposal of the mines ministry to this effect. The suggestion of the mines ministry is currently being deliberated by the GoM, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, which has been constituted to iron out the interministerial differences on the Draft Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Bill 2010. In the document the companies would have to spell out the measures for enabling and facilitating self employment opportunities for the populace impacted by their mining activities. Reacting to this move, a senior steel ministry official said that all profitable steel PSUs have earmarked at least 2 per cent of their distributable surplus for CSR activities since 2007-08. National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) has earmarked 5 per cent of its distributable surplus for CSR activities. In total a total of Rs. 290.11 crore had been allocated for carrying out CSR activities by the Steel Ministry PSUs during 200809.(www.indianexpress.com/news)

Sidbi lines up 350 cr for Bandhan’s women Kolkata: Small Industries Development Bank of India,or (Sidbi,) has extended a Rs. 350crore line of credit to Bandhan

According to Mathew Titus, Exec. Dir., Sa-Dhan, Sa-Dhan MFI members reach nearly 71 million of “the poorest districts of India”-76 lakh persons, of whom 93% were women. However, Mr. Titus was unable to explain adequately why the interest charged from these persons was in the range of 18-30% p.a. He did state that efforts were on to request their members to reduce the interest by 4-5 % . The maximum loan was Rs 50,000 per household and Rs. 1.25 lakhs for a house. Navratri was celebrated on 5th October, 2010 at ‘Home for the Crippled & the Blind” under Cheer Up by Friends Society, Baroda.. <jaya.anuj1@gmail.com> Financial Services to on-lend to poor women. Bandhan said it will use the fund to lend to 3.5 lakh new borrowers this fiscal. Sidbi has also committed to offer another Rs. 50 crore to Bandhan in the form of subscription to the latters proposed non-convertible debentures (NCD). “This is the largest funding support from Sidbi to us” ,Bandhan founder chairman and managing director Chandra Shekhar Ghosh said. Sidbi has pegged the rate of interest for the loan at 10.5% a year, for 3-5 years. Bandhan has 32-lakh borrowers at present and it plans to increase the tally to 40 lakh by March 2011.It has an outstanding exposure of Rs. 2,000 crore and it aims to grow it to 3,200 crore by the end of 2010-11. (lite.epaper.timesofindia.com).

Aid for poor people, or poor countries? Poor people— live in poor countries. That has been the central operating assumption of the aid business for a decade. The thesis was true in 1990: when, over 90 per cent of the world’s poor lived in the world’s poorest places. But it looks out of date now. Andy Sumner of Britain’s Institute of Development Studies reckons that almost three-quarters of the 1.3 billion-odd people existing below the $1.25 a day poverty line now live in middle-income countries. Only a quarter live in the poorest states (mostly in Africa). India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Nigeria all moved to middle-income status during that time (China passed the threshold earlier). But even excluding China and India, the share of global poverty accounted for by other middle-income countries tripled between 1990 and 2008, to 22 per cent. Other figures support Mr Sumner’s finding. Of the world’s undersized children (a good indicator of malnutrition), 70 per cent live in middle-income countries. It raises hard questions about whether foreign aid should be for poor people or poor countries. Britain, for example, has a rule that 90 per cent of aid is supposed to go to the poorest countries. Aid charities strongly support that focus. Donors have consigned programmes in middle-income countries to a “bonfire” says Alex Evans, a former adviser at Britain’s Department for International Development. Yet these are the countries where the vast majority of the poor live. On September 29th, Bob Zoellick of the World Bank called for a profound “change [in] how we conduct development research”. Poverty, Sumner says, may be turning from being an international

distribution problem into a national one. (www.indianexpress.com/ news)

Solar lamps for rural Maharashtra Mumbai: The state cabinet approved a proposal to use solar lights to light up streets in rural parts of Maharashtra,especially the tribal belts. In the first phase to be implemented this year,10,000 solar lights will be installed. The Centre will fund a portion of the cost incurred.An equal portion will be contributed by the state.The rest of the expenses will be taken from the Backward Region Grant Fund. (lite.epaper.timesofindia.com)

Focusing on crafts awards Kolkata: banglanatak.com is a social business working for propoor development. A flagship initiative by the organisation is `Making Art for Livelihood’ which targets developing grassroots creative industry. Various governmental and NGO institutions and individuals are working to revive the dying craft traditions and mobilising participation of new generation for sustaining traditional skills. To boost the crafts sector, awards are given at the local, state, national and international levels for revival and rejuvenation of craft forms. Some of the challenges faced by awarding processes are:What niche areas of craft development may be addressed by award systems so as to expand the benefits of awards? How? Who may be the new stakeholders in building a support mechanism? Can supporting crafts sector become a CSR activity? Inputs would help us in developing strategies to use awards as a tool to strengthen the handicrafts sector and share information on leading crafts business houses, exporters and designers. Contact: Ananya Bhattacharya, email <ananyabh@vsnl.net.in www. bangladatak.com, Kolkata

Sa-Dhan hopes to reduce interest rates for SHGs Bangalore: The Association of Community Development Finance Institutions- Sa-Dhanheld a workshop on ‘Strengthening a Code of Conduct and Advancing Social Performance’ of its 237 members which include Microfinance Institutions, capacity building institutions, networks, banks, and NGOs that promote SHGs. The institutions spread over 21 States work with nearly 22 million, (out of an estimated 86 million) people lending 120 billion

Chairperson of Sa-Dhan and MD of Sewa Bank, Ahmedabad, Ms. Jayashree Vyas said that their cooperative bank charged 18% interest but all the borrowers and depositors were members of the bank. Dr. Amiya Sharma, Exec. Dir. RGVN and co-chair, Sa-Dhan, presently working with 14 Eastern and N.Eastern States talked of the dismal penetration of funds to those states and hoped that would change. Contact Sa-Dhan,New delhi email: mservices@sadhan.org

Be a part of the Ganga Panchayat U.P.: On August 24, 2010, the GoI decided to scrap the LoharinagPala, Pala-Maneri and Bhaironghati Hydel projects on the River Bhagirathi and also declared approximately 135 km from Gaumukh (headwaters of the Ganga) to Uttarkashi as an ecosensitive zone under the Environment Protection Act (1986). Dr G.D. Agrawal’s tapasya, his third fast-unto-death, finally achieved the desired result. Since 2008, Dr Agrawal has been trying to persuade the Government of Uttarakhand and the Government of India that the River (Bhagirathi) Ganga must be allowed to flow in its natural state in the uppermost reach between Gangotri and Uttarkashi. The above initiatives by GoI have given hope to millions of river Ganga lovers who are actively working for its conservation. On August 28, 2010, Sri Jai Ram Ramesh (Minister of EoF) while addressing a workshop at IIT Kanpur announced the formation of The Ganga Panchayat to be led by Sri Rajendra Singh (Chairman; TBS). The process will start from Oct. 1 to Nov. 7 2010 when Sri Rajendra Singh will look for people who can devote time for the project. Any person can be a volunteer of the Ganga Panchayat at local level in Uttrakhand, Uttar-Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and W. Bengal. A consortium of seven IITs has been entrusted with the responsibility for preparing a comprehensive Ganga River Basin Management Plan. The consortium will engage in the widest possible public consultations in this work. (v) The above decisions of the GoI will be formally ratified at a meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) to be convened soon. Dr G.D. Agrawal and his selected supporters will address the Authority. Contact:Rajinder Singh <watermantbs@yahoo.com>

The Vedanta project scrapped at last! Orissa: Taking a significant step for environment and tribal rights the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India

publicly rejected the Vedanta project in Niyamgiri, Orissa, while presenting a scathing review of actions by Vedanta and the Orissa government as per the Saxena report. Min. Jairam Ramesh’s recommendations were based on the Saxena report. Excerpts: Ecological Impact of Mining Mining operations of the proposed intensity-spread of seven square kilometers would severely disturb the natural wildlife habitat that has been proposed as part of the Niyamgiri Wildlife Sanctuary; More than 1.2 lakh trees and shrubs and herbal fauna would need to be cleared, also destroying valuable grassland-forest land adversely affect the wildlife in this area. The Niyamgiri hill forests are part of the South Orissa Elephant Reserve. Mining would threaten the important task of elephant conservation in Orissa. The mining operations in the PML site involves stripping off more than 7 square kilometer of the hill top which would drastically alter the water supply of the region, severely affecting ecological systems and human communities dependent on water. Human Cost of Mining The PML area is intimately linked, by way of economic, religious, and cultural ties, to 28 Kondh villages affecting the well being of the entire community. The forest cover loss will cause a significant decline in their ecoonmic well-being. Landless Dalits who live in these villages and are dependent on the Kondh will be similarly affected. Mining related activity will deny them access to their hereditary lands and adversely affect the surrounding slopes and streams that are crucial for their agriculture. Violations of Forest Rights Act It is established beyond doubt that the area proposed for mining lease (PML) and the surrounding thick forests are the cultural religious and economic habitat of the Kondh Primitive Tribal Groups. Discouraging and denying the claims of the Primitive Tribal Groups without the due process of law is illegal on the part of district or subdivisional committees. Since the provisions of the FR act have not been followed by the state government, and the legitimate and well established rights of the Kondh Primitive Tribe Groups have been deliberately disregarded by the district administration and state government, the only course of action open before MOEF is to withdraw the stage 1 clearance under FCA for the said area. From the evidence collected by the Committee, we conclude that the Orissa Government is not likely to implement the FR Act in a fair and impartial manner as far as the PML area is concerned. Since it has gone to the extent of forwarding false certificates and may do so again in future, the MoEF should be well advised not to accept the contentions of the Orissa Government without independent verification. GoI should therefore engage a credible professional authority to assist people in filing the claims under the community clause for the PML area with the state administration. In sum, the MoEF cannot grant diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes unless: - the process of recognition of rights under the Forest Rights Act is satisfactory and complete, the consent of the concerned community is granted, - both points have been certified by the Gram Sabha of the area concerned. All of these conditions, not just any one, must be satisfied. The report also points out that the company is in illegal occupation of

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NGO News forest land, and have wilfully lied about access to this land by tribal communities. Further,it proceeded on expansion of its project without EIA filings. The Saxena committee has strongly recommended against the project.

NGO staff “forced” to undergo HIV tests Bangalore: Suraksha, an NGO that works with sex workers and sexual minorities in creating awareness among ‘high risk’ categories in Bangalore Rural and Ramanagara districts has been asking their workers to go through the HIV test, or else… .Krishna, one of their workers works with the MSM community (hijras, bisexuals), to get these ‘high risk’ category to go to an ICTC and undergo an HIV test. There was an announcement made that all employees have to undergo HIVtesting and submit a copy of the report to the executive director, Maggie Thomas. This announcement was met with opposition, primarily because, ”neither was there a reason given for insisting on the test norany action plan discussed,” says Karishma, a transgender who works as an outreach worker with Suraksha.(Under the NACO guideline, HIV testing is voluntary). However, staffers of Suraksha said: “There was no choice given.” Instead salaries were withheld. Members of Sandhane, a sister concern of Suraksha, sent out a letter on behalf of Suraksha staffers calling it “a violation of human rights”. Last year, on World Aids Day (December 1), Karnataka became the first state to come up with a charter on the rights of people living with HIV/Aids. Anyone going against the charterwould be penalised. Thomas was unavailable for comment. (DNAIndia.com, August 27, 2010)

SOSVA memorial lecture Mumbai: The annual Memorial address in honour of late Dr. (Mrs.) Mabelle Arole, organised by SOSVA (Society for Service to Voluntary Agencies) was given on Oct. 23 at Indian Merchants Chamber by Dr. Anant Pandhare, Medical Director of Dr. Hegdewar Hospital and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan, Aurangabad. Speaking on “Beyond Health CareHospital with a vision”, he gave an exciting insight into the various programmes undertaken by the Pratishthan and its unique preventive health care model, complementary and supplementary education, sanitation and hygeine, vocational guidance etc for the support and empowerment of children, adolescent girls, women and other underprivileged sections of the community in, and around, Marathwada.Contact SOSVA Mumbai Tel. 26555704 email: sosva@hotmail.com website: www.sosva.org

Lawyer for poor Bangalore: Ms. Mary John writes to say that she would be willing to take up cases pertaining to different courts for the poor at nominal cost. She is already taking up cases at the central jail with thehelp of jail authorities, regarding prisoners, undertrials, who cannot afford a lawyer. Organisations may contact Mary John at Tel: 64542687/ 9880539358

Solar ‘charkhas’ to produce ‘green clothes’ This is an ambitious project and the product spun from the solar

‘charkhas’ would be marketed as ‘green cloth’ in India and abroadMumbai :The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is finalising a project to introduce solar “charkhas” (spinning wheels) across the country and produce “green clothes”, a top official said here. A prototype of a solar “charkha” has been developed and is undergoing field trials by the KVIC in collaboration with the Gandhigram Urja Vikas Sanstha, Amravati and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialisation, Wardha, KVIC Chairperson Kumud Joshi said. ”This is an ambitious project and the product spun from the solar ‘charkhas’ would be marketed as ‘green cloth’ in India and abroad,” Joshi said. Khadi is essentially handspun, hand-woven cloth and will now have technological help to assist the production with solar power, Joshi explained. The project involves introduction of 100,000 such “charkhas”, each costing around Rs 20,000, every year.Ge nerally one spins the “charkha” wheel with the hand. In the new model, there would be solar panels, which would draw solar power. The solar panels are connected to a battery, which stores power. KVIC Chief Executive Officer JS Mishra said once implemented, the solar ‘charkhas’ would help not only to spin effortlessly but the spinners can also earn double their present earnings, from Rs 60 per day to Rs 150 per day. Make a video, tell your storyHyderabad: Mahita, an NGO that works in the slums of Old City area of Hyderabad hit upon an idea of providing alternative skills to girls in those areas. It held discussions with parents of several such girls to be taught how to produce video. Reshma, Haleema and 20 such other girls went through six months of training in participatory video with help from Video Volunteers, a Goa-based organization. The objective of the workshop was to provide an alternative skill to these girls and help them express themselves; tell stories of their own and their community members. The sixmonth training took them through the basics of shot sizes, the video camera, and researching, scripting and shooting stories. Significant among them are films on child, women trafficking and female infanticide.

Kapur Fdt. ‘Youth Excellence Awards’ Pune: The Kapur Foundation Canada Prize Distribution ceremony on Sept. 25 was attended by all the Maher children staying at Vadhu. Mr. Rajiv Gupta, president of the Indian operations of Fujitsu Consulting, the Chief Guest on the occasion distributed the prizes to the children. The prizes were given on the basis of assessment of the projects students had prepared for participating in the competition. The projects were assessed by Ms Susan Ramsundar Singh who represented the Kapur Foundation from Canada. The Kapur Foundation Canada gives the ‘Youth Excellence Awards’ to promote its mission of providing young people with skills they need to support themselves and help others. All the awards, in the form of cash or kind, were shared by the members of the winning teams . Contact Maher” <maherpune@gmail.com>

Celebration of 5th Anniversary of RTI The Right to Information Act completes 5 years of its existence in India on Oct.12.To commemorate the event, Public Concern for Governance Trust in association

with BCAS Foundation (Bombay Chartered Accountants’ Society) and Indian Merchants’ Chamber organized a public meeting at Indian Merchants’ Chamber, Churchgate. Justice Dhananjay Chandrachud delivered the keynote address. A street play on RTI and other interesting programmes. Contact publicconcern@gmail.com

IIT Madras Symposium on Rural Education Chennai: The IIT Madras Symposium is an annually held conference that, aims to introduce and excite students about current pressing problems that Indian society faces and how its solutions might be approached, in a multidisciplinary and holistic fashion.This year, the Symposium was held from Oct. 1-4 and looked to tackle the theme of Education in Rural India. The Symposium explored different angles to the issue such as the curriculum and infrastructure, lack of skilled teachers, and the use of technology.Work done at the IIT Madras Symposium will be compiled into a policy document and a comprehensive report that will be distributed to the participants, governmental organizations, and various other organizations working in the field.Contact: websitehttp:// symposium.shaastra.org/

Samajik Parivartan Yatra launched Delhi: The Samajik Parivartan Yatra (For Eradication of Manual Scavenging in India)was flagged off on Sept. 29 in New Delhi. The liberated safai karmacharis from various states released the route maps and demands to symbolise the beginning of Yatra. They narrated how they were inducted into the degrading jobs by their mothers or mother-in-laws, who were doing the same jobs from generation to generation. They explained how the dry latrine owners and users and the general public practised untouchability on them. Now that they have stopped doing the manual scavenging work, they feel liberated and are determined to carry the message to all other safai karamcharis in their respective districts and states. .Contact: Shiva Shankar” <sshankar@cmi.ac.in

‘Paid news’ to come under poll panel watch in Bihar For the first time ever, the Election Commission will monitor “paid news” in the print and electronic media, during the present Bihar assembly elections.Accordingly, it has rushed to the Bihar chief electoral officer and its media expenditure monitoring commission the revised formats of daily reports to be filed by candidates.Earlier, the monitoring team comprising observers posted by the commission in each district used to keep a tab only on advertisements in newspapers and television including cable TV and radio, but a new column has been added giving “details of paid news” and the cost of such paid news. The Press Council of India had expressed grave concern over the ordinary reader being taken for a ride as he takes the “paid news” to be a genuine assessment by the media of the candidates. The PCI, however, left it to the Election Commission to take remedial measures.

RTI Stalls at Ganesh Utsav Madal Mumbai:On the eve of the recent Ganesh Chaturthi festival, RTI awareness stalls were put up by the

PCGT at three Ganesh Utsav Mandals, viz., Dakshin Mumbaicha Raja , near C.P.Tank; at Khetwadi; and at Ganpati Mandal near Matunga Central from Sept.17-20. About 1500 people, including students from various colleges visited the stalls and interacted with the volunteers on the RTI Act and its application in day to day life. Many people also recounted their success stories of RTI. Contact publicconcern@gmail.com

Australian “Red Dust” in India New Delhi: The lAustralian cricketer Allan Border has become a brand ambassador for the Australia-based NGO.Red Dust works for underprivileged, disadvantaged children by delivering health and education programmes. Though the NGO has been working in India for the last three years, it has now accelerated its plan to spread its activities in India. John van Groningen, Managing Director of Red Dust, said, “We will start with establishing Red Dust office here, appoint an Indian manager and other staff to manage and co-ordinate Red Dust’s programmes here.”He also indicated that Red Dust is also open to collaborating and working with local NGOs to expand its reach. “We are also contacting large corporate houses with strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focus”. Red Dust uses the medium of sport and music to enrich children’s lives and bring greater opportunities. It is planning to utilise its several years of experience and strong global partnerships with Vodafone Group Foundation, Nike, Qantas and Macquarie Group Foundation to pilot a series of Lifestyle Education Programs in targeted regions of India. The NGO has been instrumental in rescuing nearly 100 children engaged in child labour, run de-addiction programmes for youth.

Three tribal radio stations coming up in MP Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to establish three radio stations in tribaldominated regions of the state— Khalwa region of Khandwa district, Chicholi (Betul district) and Tamia (Chhindwara district)The radio stations will start functioning from Nov. 1 to mark the foundation day of the State. All the radio stations will air programmes in the dialects of the tribals of the selected regions, official sources here said. The 9 FM radio channel has been given permission by the central government to run the radio stations. The programme content of the radio stations will be on health, education and issues of public importance aired in local dialects.

CONF. HELD *National Workshop for Young Leaders* was for 25 outstanding young leaders who hold position/s of responsibility in their institution or community to know how to bring about positive change in campus and local governance, how to activate participation and involve more leaders . The workshop was held from Oct 22 - 24 at Ghitorni, New Delhi. Contact eMail: contactus@lyfindia.org A talk - ‘Whale Shark Conservation In India’ was given by Dhiresh Joshi, Head of Marine Div., Wildlife Trust of India, at India Habitat Centre, Delhi on Oct 20.Contact : 43663333 habitatworld@oldworldhospitality.com International Conference ‘Ethical Framework for a Sustainable World’ was the major international event culminating the 10th Anniversary of the Earth Charter in the current year, organised by CEE India in partnership with the Earth Charter

WRITING & EDITING EXPERTISE Shakti has extensive experience in writing reports, documentation of workshops / seminars, production of newsletters; writing, publishing and editing of books and would be happy to offer these skill to NGOs who may need them. Contact 98203 39608 International Secretariat. This conference was held at CEE, Ahmedabad from November 1-3, 2010. The EC+10 Conference aims to ensure that the principles enshrined in the Earth Charter are accepted and implemented.. Participants included EC member associates, partners, users, UNESCO members / Education Ministries, NGOs, Youth, and Academic institutions, Research institutions, Religious groups and Business and CSR groups. Tel.: +079-2685 8002 - 05 Email: cee@ceeindia.org Website: www.earthcharterplus10.org, email info@earthchaterplus10.org International Conference on Schizophrenia (ICONS) – 2010 Organized by The Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai was held at Chennai from Oct. 2224. The main theme of the conference was ”Global trends in Schizophrenia care and research”. The conference covered several issues such as impacting care, rehabilitation and also policies and programs for the mentally ill and disabled. Bombay HUB had a workshop conducted by Green Kettle Consulting on Oct. 21 that taught participants to understand how best to manage corporate expectations when they are engaging in the social sector. The workshop will highlight how to achieve full potential from multi-sectoral engagement, understand the differing capacities and skill sets of corporates, and how to form long lasting relationships for sustainable development. Contact: bombay.hub@unltdindia.org or Tel.: 022 3222 0475. A full day Fundraising Workshop : How to Acquire Donors and Retain them at Low Cost? Was organized by South Asian Fund Raising Group was held on Oct.30 at India Habitat Centre, Delhi. It was a comprehensive one-day training on acquiring and maintaining donors for fundraisers and senior NGO staff. Contact: Rosaline Z. Mualchin Tele: +91 11 2613 2024 / 2086 Email: rosaline@safrg.org or programs@safrg.org Building Livable Cities 2010, Mumbai—was held on Oct. 20 at the Nehru Centre, Mumbai. The keynote address on ‘Sustainable Urbanism & Community Capital’ was delivered by Hank Dittmar, Chief Executive of The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment.The theme of Building Livable cities 2010 is EcoCities -- a multi city investigation to look at ideas to make Indian Cities Livable. As part of the initiative symposia took place across five cities – Bangalore , Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai,and Ahmedabad between Oct 18-22.The outcome will be presented in a book. titled ‘The Blueprint’ showcases the urban visions of a number of architects. www.theurbanvision.com/blc

Change of address Positive Women’s Network’s (PWN+) new address is: 29/13 Kumbalamman Koil Street,Tailors Road, Kilpauk, Chennai 600010 Tel.: 044-26472126/27. EMail: poswonet@hotmail.com

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A WARDS / CONFERENCES The World’s Children’s Honorary Awards go to the Prize Laureates who do not receive the WCPRC. All three Prize Laureates receive part of the prize money to use for their work on behalf of children who have experienced severe violations of their rights.

EOTO wins the Lakshya Best Project Award The contest was organised by the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) on Oct. 24. This year, EOTO had successfully completed their foray into the rural areas bu Going to the Grass roots, to rural villages and hamlets in Damote (near Nerul), Palgarh (where they gave educational assistance), Jambhelghar (near Badlapur) where they supported the local orphanage and held hobby classes in Panchgani. COntact EOTO Mumbai Tel. 24102555 email: deepak@eotoindia.org.

Asian Oceanian Epilepsy Award Bangalore: NIMHANS director, P. Satishchandra has been chosen to receive the Asian Oceanian Outstanding Achievement Epilepsy Award. The Commission of Asian and Oceanian Affairs of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILEA) which indtrouded the award this year, recognises and pays tribute to individuals who have contributed to epilepsy care. Dr. Satishchandra, with his team at NIMHANS and the Jawaharlal Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, recently discovered the gene responsible for hot water epilepsy. He pioneered a streetplay model in villages to create awareness and ward off myths about epilepsy in rural and semi-rural areas.

Aasra wins award Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has decided to honor “Aasara-GHMC” for this Year’s Vayoshrestha Samman in recognition of the organisation’s exemplary contribution in the field of ‘Ageing’ under Institutional Award for Service Category. The Award function was organized on 1st October,2010 at Kamani Auditorum, New Delhi. Sh.Mukul Wasnik, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Governament of India.

Fred H. Bixby Fellowship Program Deadline: 15 Jan 2011 The Population Council offers a fellowship program to expand training opportunities for social scientists and biomedical researchers in the health and population fields. This fellowship is geared toward developing-country nationals in the early stages of their careers, and to those with a demonstrated commitment to remaining in their home countries to build capacity in local institutions or returning home after working/studying abroad. Fellows work on projects in the following program areas:HIV and AIDS - Poverty, Gender, and Youth; Reproductive Health. Candidates must have recently completed (within the last five years) or anticipate completing by 30 June 2011, a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in the social sciences, public health, or biomedical sciences. Awards consist of a monthly stipend, health insurance, an allowance for relocation expenses, and attendance at one international professional meeting (including travel) per year./www.popcounc il.org/ what/ bixby.asp –

Forum for Fast Justices award for Judicial Reforms In an interactive meet on Oct. 10, at Mumbai with the Union Law Minister Dr.Veerappa Moily, Bhagvanji Raiyani, The Chairman and The Managing Trustee of Forum For Fast Justice (Forum) announced the award of Rs.1,00,000 to be given every year to a person or an organisation who has relentlessly worked in the field of judicial reforms among people, parliamentarians, lawyers, media, law departments and judiciary. The first such award will be given in November 2011 which is sponsored byShri Om Prakash Monga, a trustee of Forum. Any person or organisation irrespective of caste, colour, creed, sex ornationality is entitled to this award for making outstanding contribution in judicial reforms.The committee of eminent jurists and social activists drawn from across thecountry will scrutinise the nominations and decide the name of such awardee through consesus or by majority. Contact Bhagvanji Raiyani, Chairman and Managing Trustee,Forum For Fast Justice, 09820403912http:// www.janhitma nch.org/judicial delayssolutions. pdf

World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC) Deadline: January 5, 2011 The World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC) is awarded to three individuals or organisations for outstanding contributions on behalf of the rights of the child. It gives the world’s children an opportunity to present prizes for significant contributions to their rights. The prize sums are used in support of economically disadvantaged children. The children on the jury are selected as experts in the field of children’s rights through their own first-hand experiences as child soldiers, slaves, and refugees.

The World’s Children’s Prize is open to all schools and organisations in the world. People (children and adults) or organisations can be nominated for WCPRC. Contact:/ Magnus Bergmar, Executive Director, World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child, Sweden. Email: magnus.bergmar@worldschildrensprize.org, prize@worldschildrensprize.org

CONFERENCES ActionAid is pleased to announce the National Stepping Stones TOT 2010 in English to be held from 8th to 17th November 2010 at Ecumenical Christian Centre, Whitefield, Bangalore, Stepping Stones has been designated ‘Community Best Practice’ by UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO and International NGOs. Working with communities on the issues of gender, sexuality, HIV and AIDS and relationships Stepping Stones offers a unique opportunity to explore these aspects. The SSTOT for 2010 will focus on reaching out to youth, adolescents and children, with life skills through this participatory process. Contact: 9880206318 / +919035881491 / +91-80-43650656, +91-80-43650650, Mrs. Meghna Girish, ActionAid, Emailmeghna@actionaidind ia.org.in

The Role of Civil Society in Democratic Processes Pune-Dec 15, Hyderabad Dec.17 Civil Society Organizations, particularly NGOs, have always played a significant role in facilitating people’s participation in the process of governance and development. Their capacity to influence policy making has been demonstrated several times, most recently in the passing of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Right to Information Act. Given the potential, there is tremendous scope for NGOs to engage with elected representatives in a more focused and sustained manner. CSO Partners has organized a series of workshops to strengthen this process by providing inputs on how to engage with legislators and parliamentarians and influence policy development at a local level. CSO Partners invites you to participate in its IInd Annual NGO workshop series on the theme- ‘Parliamentary Procedure and Engaging effectively with State Legislators’.

Workshop on economic Reforms and the Evolution of Produtivity in Indian Manufacturing March 18-19, 2011 In 1991, the Indian economy underwent major economic reforms after several decades of following an inward looking

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development strategy. This workshop will examine the implications of economic reforms on the productivity performance of firms and industries in Indian manufacturing. We invite original and methodologically rigorous papers covering any area related to the theme of the workshop. …We are also interested in papers specifically dealing with the productivity and efficiency of the unorganized/ informal manufacturing sector. This workshop is hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, in conjunction with Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research, (CMDR) Dharwad and IDPM, University of Manchester, UK, and sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council, UK. The organizers will pay apex air fare *within *India and will take care of local hospitality

Social And Gender Analysis (SAGA- 2) Towards gender responsive and transformative leadership 8-12 November, 2010 at Visthar, Bangalore This training in SAGA is the second in the series of capacity building programmes planned for activists and staff of civil society organizations in Karnataka. The SAGA training aims at developing perspectives and skills for gender responsive and transformative leadership in the development sector. The social relations perspective to gender, and the changes in the concepts of gender relations and many more. The course fee is Rs. 3000 and covers board and lodging and course materialsl. A few scholarships are available for activists.For further details contact: Mercy Kappen, mercykappen@ yahoo.com,mail@visthar. org Visit: www.visthar. org

Announcement of Training Jyothi Jeevapoorna Trust - Archana Women’s Centre, Kottayam is organising a training in wood based crafts and utilities for girls and women . AWC a NGO working in women empowerment has been successfully training women in non traditional trades like masonry, carpentry, ferro- cemnet technology etc and helping them earn at par with men. Equal pay for equal job is their maxim. The centre has a track record over 15 years. Main features of the course: ☺ 3 month’s residential course ☺ Food and accommodation free ☺ Successful trainees will get Rs.7000.00 as scholarship ☺ Support and guidance egiven to establish own production anywhere ☺ Buy back arrangements for trained groups or individual’s products. Interested agencies or groups or individual can contact Thresiamma Mathew, Director, 0481-2717237; 9446941128. web site: AWCKottayam.org

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O P P O RTUNITIES Pragya, Gurgaon delivers integrated and holistic development projects in the areas of education, biodiversity conservation, renewable energy, agriculture and water management, women, and cultural heritage preservation through its eight field offices in the Himalayas. (http:// www.pragya.org), Pragya, an NGO working with the poorest and most vulnerable communities of the high altitude Himalayan region in India and Nepal, invites applications for the following positions: 1. Sr. Team Member, Research and Advocacy (posting: Gurgaon): PG from good institutes with a minimum of two years’ experience. Candidates should have excellent command over English language, conceptual depth and good writing skills. 2. Sr. Team Member, Social Development (posting: Gurgaon): PG in Humanities from good institutes with a minimum of two years’ experience. Candidates should be willing to travel extensively to the Himalayas.Please send your detailed CV including your work history, current salary drawn and telephone number by Nov.15 by email to prom@vsnl.com

Leaders’ Quest Programme Assistant-Mumbai Leaders’ Quest, a global social enterprise which runs programmes for senior leaders around the world for leaders looking to gain more complete world views, understand the interconnectedness of the world, and examine their own leadership and purpose (www.LeadersQuest.org.) is looking for a Programme Assistant. “The person we want may not have a lot of experience. What is important to us is a philosophical alignment to our mission, and most importantly, possess an outstanding attention to, and love of detail. We also want great people skills, very good English, the ability to write, and the humbleness to pitch in and do whatever is required. International exposure beneficial”. Salary:Rs 25,000+ pm. Apply by email with bio data and a letter about your interest in working with Leaders Quest to: jayma.pau@leadersquest.org

SWaCH (Pune area) Sewa Sahakari Sanstha Marayadith (SWaCH) is a fast growing cooperative of wastepickers in India that has bagged the contract of door-to-door collection of waste in 3 Prabhags of Pimpri Chinchwad Corporation (PCMC). SWaCH has the following vacancies: 1) Database Manager at Pimpri – Chinchwad Corporation limits. The candidate must be a graduate with 5 years exp. in database management and 3 years of work experience as team leader. The candidate should have knowledge of Access and other MS office database tools with experience of managing a huge database. H/she should be able to converse in Marathi / Hindi and have sound leadership skill and good communication. 2) Finance & Admin Manager (Solid Waste Management Sector) KKPKP/SWACHThe Kagad, Kach, Patra Kashtakari Panchayat, KKPKP, is a registered trade union of self-employed, unprotected and unrecognised waste-pickers and itinerant buyers who are the most marginalised

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(despite deadlines, you are advised to apply)

among poor urban workers. Its current membership stands at around 8,000. Qual: Graduate in Commerce with at least 8-10 years of experience and at least 3 years of experience in leading a team. Strong experience of managing budgets and finances of professionally managed organizations and in accounting software packages, basic computer knowledge, able to converse fluently in English / Marathi / Hindi required. Send your resume by Nov. 15 to: swachpcmc1@rediffmail.com

I-India (Rajasthan) I-India, an NGO working with street/ under-privileged children to provide shelter, education, food, vocational training (www.iindiaonline.com) requires the following personnel: 1) Programme Manager for the overall management of I-India projects, particularly Jhag Children’s village project. The position aims at overseeing the dayto-day activities and interventions in the best interest of poor and marginalized children. The person will ensure effective implementation of the project. Qual: Post graduates in social work, sociology etc, Candidates with 3-5 years of relevant work experience, having good writing skill with data analysis ability to develop project reports, and document in English and Hindi language. Should have ability to communicate and advocate the project at state level. Compensation; Rs. 3 - 3.60 Lakhs per annum Location Jaipur and Jhag village 2) Finance Manager responsible for the overall accounts management as per the requirements of different projects, national-international donors and accounting systems of I-India. The candidate should have good knowledge of NGO accounting, FCRA rules, income-tax act and statutary compliances for societies and trusts. S/he should be well versed with finalisation of accounts, budgeting and reporting. Qual: M.Com., MBA, CA (Inter) with 3-5 years of relevant work experience, good data analysis ability. Compensation Rs. 2.50-3 lakhs per annum. Send updated CV to jobs@i-indiaonline.com by Nov. 15 with two references, current & expected salary. Candidates based in Rajasthan preferred.

Dai-WAISP (Delhi) Since 1970, DAI has worked in 150 developing and transition countries, providing comprehensive development solutions in nearly all areas including governance, agriculture and agribusiness, HIV/ AIDS, avian influenza control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change. DAI seeks an Office Manager for the 2-year India Water Analysis, Innovations and Systems Program (WAISP) to manage all the financial and contractual functions including accounting, budgeting, subcontracting, procurement, banking and financial report. Qual: BA/BS in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; 5+ years of hands-on experience with international donors, especially USAID; effective verbal, written, and computer skills. Applicants should send cover letter and CV to: indiajobs@dai.com by Nov 12.

Healthpoint Healthpoint Services India Pvt. Ltd (www.e-healthpoint.net), a

pioneering rural healthcare enterprise is being considered as a potential game-changer for delivering basic healthcare through a social enterprise mode. It seeks highly self-motivated professionals as Project Managers and Business Managers having about 2-4 years work experience in any of the functional areas : Program Management, Healthcare Delivery, Business Operations, IT Applications, Social Marketing, Rural Marketing, Development Communication, Social Research, Supply-chain Management, Human Resources Development, Finance, Solar Power Applications, Project Management (Civil Engineering) . Equally important is willingness to responsibly bring about sustainable social change as a Social Entrepreneur. Candidates from business schools, corporate and social enterprises with energy and intent may send in resumes to jobs@e-healthpoint.net by Nov. 12

development, which include business and strategic planning, start-up activities and oversight of stabilised operations. The CEO will have several direct hire and reporting relationships, including the Chief Financial Officer. The CEO will act as the public face of the organisation.

Assoc. for Democratic Reforms (Delhi)

Educo is a refreshing, new charity which provides funds to India to not only eradicate child poverty, but crucially, educate the younger impoverished generation so that ultimately they can lift themselves out of poverty and grow and provide for their families.Educo (www.educo.ie) is a small group of working executives and volunteers operating with virtually no administrative support and with all costs borne by themselves.It practices the well known and approved Muktangan curriculum, based upon the HighScope model focusing on English medium and computer studies that Educo believes are key to the children’s education.

Last Date: Nov. 12, 2010 Email: hiring@adrindia.org Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), undertakes Election Watches in almost all State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and works towards strengthening democracy and governance. ADR seeks a Senior Project Associate to independently manage, design and implement projects in various stages on electoral and political reforms and other responsibilities. Candidates must be a postgraduate with 4 to 8 years of experience, have excellent documentation skills, proven track record of independently managing projects, and a strong interest in electoral and political issues. Send your CV to: hiring@adrindia.org with ‘Senior Project Associate’ in the subject line.

Rural Development Institute --Hyderabad RDI requires a State Legal Aid Manager for its international project to help poor, rural families obtain land rights and opportunity. The Legal Aid Manager will be responsible for developing and managing Project activities that further this objective in coordination with RDI’s Project team and statelevel partners, particularly SERP. Qual: Law degree with five years legal aid experience in India and project management experience. Other skills required include excellent writing, communication and research skills and working knowledge of budgets and financials, proficiency in computer use; fluency in English, Telegu and Hindi. Send applications by Nov.12 to: jobsrdiindia@gmail.com

SEWA Housing Finance CEO--Gujarat The mission of SEWA Housing Finance (SHF) is to deliver affordable and innovative financial services to improve access to basic infrastructure and affordable housing for all. Ultimately, SHF aspires to be the first nation-wide housing finance entity focused on serving the unique needs of the informal sector. To achieve this goal, Shri Mahila SEWA Sahakari Bank Ltd. (SEWA BANK; www.sewabank.org) and Gujarat Mahila Housing SEWA Trust (MHT; www.sewahousing.org) have decided to establish and promote a Housing Finance Company. To lead this organisation, we seek a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will be responsible for all major aspects of the organisation’s

Qual. / Exp.: At least four years in the banking or financial sectors, advanced degree in business administration, management, finance or other related field; advanced working knowledge of housing finance. i.e. developing new savings and/or loan products and some experience in housing or real estate development. Compensation: Upto 12 Lakh pa, Interested candidates may send their CVs Nov. 12, to: karthik.laxman@redcubegroup.in

Head School Teacher,Mumbai

Educo requires a Head School teacher who will be responsible for implementing and overseeing a new schooling development partnering with the Greater Mumbai Municipal Council and supervising its successful growth to maturity, driving the overall vision, direction, Muktangan curriculum and organisational management of the project, and managing staff on and day to day basis. The candidate will be strong in spoken and written English, Hindi and Marathi and have a good knowledge of the Microsoft Office software programs. Qual./Exp.: MSW or equivalent degree and proven track record of middle or senior schooling with working experience of 5 plus years. Apply to iainmcdonald1@gmail.com with a cover letter and CV.

Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation --Mumbai Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation is a grant making organisation which supports work in the areas of health, education and livelihood. For the vertical on health partners with public health institutions, private charitable hospitals and community health initiatives by NGOs the Foundation intends to recruit personnel to be based in Mumbai at middle and junior level. 1) Project Officer - The candidate should have an understanding of the emerging issues in the social sector, particularly health. S/he will be responsible for developing an overall understanding of the vertical; coordinating the administrative aspects, and documenting the projects supported by the Foundation. Qual.: Post graduate in social work, social sciences, human development, public health with three to five years relevant experience and must have good writing and documentation skills. 2) Project Coordinator is expected have an understanding about hospital system, services

delivered, human resource allocation, standards and norms practiced, issues related to free and paid facilities, MIS, medical products and technologies used at all levels of the health facilities; an understanding about private charitable trust hospitals; and implementation of Government programs through public hospitals. The candidate will be responsible for developing a plan for the Foundation’s engagement with the hospital system, liaising with hospitals and identify strategic opportunities for engagement, and participating actively in conceptualisation of the project support/ partnership. Qual: Candidates with post graduation in hospital administration and public health will be preferred ;six to eight years of experience in managing hospital support programs or working in and fluency in English and working knowledge of Marathi. Remuneration commensurate with qualification and experience. Send detailed CV as an attachment by Nov. 15 to jobs@nsfoundation.co.in

Program Officer, Trickle Up India -Kolkata Last Date: Nov. 15 Email: trickleupasia@yahoo.com Trickle Up (www.trickleup.org) empowers people living in extreme poverty to take the first steps out of poverty, providing them with resources to build livelihoods for a better quality of life. Trickle Up seeks committed, experienced personnel for the following posts to be based in Kolkata. The candidates should have some experience of working in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar or Orissa and a deep understanding of poverty in the region. 1) Program Officer having a postgraduate/graduate degree in engineering, agriculture, veterinary medicine and at least 4 years of experience in sustainable livelihoods or microenterprise development in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, or West Bengal. Experience with capacity building for grassroots NGOs or CBOs and with compiling and analysing monitoring and evaluation data, fluency in Hindi and English and a workable knowledge of at least one additional regional language (Oriya or Bengali). 2) Program Director having a postgraduate/ graduation degree in engineering, agriculture, veterinary medicine and at least 8 years’ experience in sustainable livelihoods or microenterprise development. Experience in financial management, training design and training would be an added qualification. Fluency in Hindi and English is required plus Oriya or Bengali.Send cover letter and resume (in English) to trickleupasia@yahoo.com with “Program Officer” or “Program Director” in the subject line. Please send a one page write up as an attachment, describing why you think you are suitable for this post.

Azim Premji Foundation (Shorapur/Bangalore) Azim Premji Foundation, an NGO operational since 2001, with a vision to significantly contribute to achieve quality universal education that facilitates a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society, has a vacancy for the following posts 1) Member- Documentation and research based in Shorapur. Responsibilities include coordinating and producing all the documents pertaining to CFSI; conceiving and conducting research for the team; and help teachers and CFSI Team

Sept - Oct 2010

NGO Connect

O P P O RTUNITIES develop research bent of mind. Qual: M.A/ M.Ed. /M. Phil/ PhD with 5 years experience in teaching or documentation and involved in research. S/he should have published articles and research papers. Fluency in Kannada and English is a must with working knowledge of computer 2) Teacher Educators (ICT aided learning) based in Bangalore but willing to travel. The primary role of this specialist will be to develop and train government school teachers and teacher educators in the use of ICTs and computer aided education tools and to explore use of specific educational software tools to develop and train government school teachers and teacher educators. Qual.: BEd / DEd / MEd, BSC (Mathematics, Science) with 2-5 yrs experience as Math and/or Science teachers and/or teacher educators (exceptionally talented fresh graduates could be considered); excellent communication skills, fluency in Kannada and proficiency in the use of Office Productivity Software. The candidate should be below 35 years. Email detailed resumes with the role title in the subject line by Nov.8 to: poonam@azimpremjifoundation.org

SEZ Vidya ChennaiManagement Trainees EZ Vidya (www.ezvidya.com) is an educational services provider headquartered in Chennai, with presence in over 300 schools across India. It also partners with Wipro, IBM, DELL, and American India Foundation in their socioeducational initiatives. Candidates with experience in school education, teaching, curriculum development and related domains are required for the post of “Management Trainees (freshers) / Associates / Senior Associates” for EZ Vidya’s consulting division. The job would involve strategising clientrelated projects in school education, conceptualising & implementing training programmes, client liaison and project Management. Ability to travel (5 to 6 days per month) is a must. Exposure to technology would be an added benefit. Email resumes by Nov.6 to bala@ezvidya.com

Ummeed, HR Director Mumbai Ummeed is an innovative, leadingedge non-profit healthcare clinic and community outreach not-for-profit company in Mumbai offering services for children with developmental disabilities and their families. Pediatricians and therapy professionals work across disciplines, The HR Director would forge a new position at Ummeed, working closely with the Medical Director and Chief Operating Officer. The HR Director will formulate and implement HR objectives and policies. .Qual. and Exp.: A postgraduate degree in Business (with an HR specialisation) with 5 years experience with at least 2 years in a senior position in the HR function and some experience in the not-forprofit sector will be valued. Apply by Nov.6 to ummeed.jobs@gmail.com

DKT India, Mumbai, Communications Mgr. DKT India is a leading social marketing organization that promotes the use of contraceptives (OCPs, Injections, IUDs) and condoms for prevention of STI/ HIV /AIDS and for family planning. It requires ‘Communications Manager’ at its head office in Mumbai. Qual:PG Degree in communications, public health or

(despite deadlines, you are advised to apply)

social work with an emphasis on health and 8 years experience in health message development, planning and implementation of IEC/ BCC activities related to HIV/AIDS/ FP/RH and at least 3 years at supervisory level; excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Hindi, strong computer skills and experience in proposal, report writing and in documentation. Experience in social marketing highly desirable. Send CV indicating current CTC/ Salary by Nov.5 at careers@dktindia.org Please mention the post applied for in the subject of your email

Smile Foundation,Mumbai Smile Foundation, a national level development organization working for children and youth through numerous education, healthcare, livelihood, and advocacy projects across India, has a vacancy for an Officer - Celebrity Relations. Responsibilities include dealing with production houses and channels for association and participation in reality shows as audience or participants, nurturing relevant celebrities and engaging them to leverage the organisation through association with them and organising small events for public and media sensitization. Experience of PR in Mumbai and knowledge of celebrity engagement and management preferred. Email resume by Nov.4 to: jobs@smilefoundationindia.org

IL&FS Ed. and Technology Services (New Delhi) 1) Practise Coordinator (Officer): with responsibilities of client interface with second level of officials, understanding client needs, fund availability, coordination activities for different programs in the state. This profile needs to have 2-3 years of experience as a Coordinator. 2) Assistant Manager/ Manager: as Academic resource for Good Governance Training Project Experience required as a trainer /in content development for Behavioural/Attitudinal training program for govt /state level employees. Must have good proposal writing skills and conceptualisation of programs. The candidate would be the Master trainer for Good Governance Training. Contact by Nov.3 2010 Riddhi.Desai@ilfsets.com www.ilfsets.com

SSA Rajasthan & UNICEF (Jaipur) The Gender Cell of SSA, Rajasthan is looking for experienced Gender Consultants assuming responsibility to support the SSA, Rajasthan to address the gender disparity in the state. The consultant will be based in SSA, Jaipur supported by UNICEF. The primary responsibilities of the consultants will be to conceptualise strategies and plans, ensure effective implementation, and monitoring of the various activities of the Gender UNIT of SSA. The candidate should be a postgraduate in Education and/or the social sciences with experience of working in the development sector, especially for education of girls, for at least 3 years. Good communication skills in Hindi and English is essential. Computer literacy will be an asset. Contact by Nov.10 Email: jaipur@unicef.org—

Organization (NACO) with its strategic communication on HIV. Specifically, the Trust is the creative agency for NACO’s mass media communication needs on condoms, blood donation and STIs. Three positions as Regional Communication Officers on fixed-term contract starting as soon as possible till 30 June 2012 reporting to: Project Manager (HIV), BBC World Service Trust, will be located at Mumbai for West region, Kolkata for East region and in Chandigarh for North-West region. (Chandigarh). The officers will work with the State AIDS Control Societies on the day-to-day implementation of the HIV portfolio in the specific region; also offer inputs for the Trust’s national high-profile campaigns to normalise condoms and promote STI services. Qual : Masters Degree/PG Diploma in Mass Communication, Development, Public Health or other relevant field from a recognised institute. Direct experience working with mass media (news, entertainment or advertising) and demonstrable experience working with the GoI, sound knowledge of HIV-related issues.Deadline: Nov.15 2010. Email CV and a 1page cover letter explaining why you should be considered for the position to: jobs@bbcwst.org. -clearly indicate the Position Title in the subject heading.

Oxfam India - Bangalore Oxfam India plays a strategic role in campaigns and advocacy, both domestically and internationally as a role model for promoting gender equality and diversity, it requires the following staff: 1) Major Donors Officer, Bangalore on a 3-year fixed term contract to help Oxfam India work on raising revenue through major contributions. Qual/ Exp: Graduation from any stream with 4 years experience in fundraising and 2 years in development sector. The candidate must have a social entrepreneur approach to nonprofit sustainability and an understanding of different fundraising channels like DRTV, Face 2 Face, Telemarketing, Direct Mail, online. 2) Donor Services Officers in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Bangalore, Jaipur, Hyderabad on a 3-year fixed term (renewable) contract to help Oxfam India to work on creating a long lasting and sustainable relationship with its donors.Qual/Exp: Graduation in any stream from any recognized university ( Post Graduates – Preferred) with 4 years experience; excellent organisational skills in a similar job. Must be computer literate and have experience of Donor database Management. Relocation possible.Applications should be sent by Nov.10 to: vacancies@oxfamindia.org with “Ref. Name of the Position” as the subject line. Applications should have a covering letter and the CV as a single document in MS Word

Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (Netrang)

BBC World Service Trust (Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh)

Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) seeks to contribute to rural poverty reduction through community involvement and empowerment. Today, over 100,000 beneficiaries across 900 villages in three states (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar) have organised themselves into more than 4000 village-level institutions. AKRSP requires a Development Organiser (Rural Marketing) in Netrang.

The BBC World Service Trust supports the National AIDS Control

Qual: MBA in marketing with 3-4 years of marketing experience in

development sector. Responsibilities include taking charge of established market, develop linkages with new markets and government marketing channels, undertaking strategic planning to maximise the selling of its products, and providing inputs to production manager and artisans for products with quality and designs as per market demand, Apply by Nov. 6 to: hr@akrspi.org

Swayam Krishi Sangam (Hyderabad) SKS NGO was established by Vikram Akula with a vision to “Eradicate Poverty in India” and presently works in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa with two flagship initiatives: Ultra Poor Programme and Education. SKS Micro Finance Ltd. offers micro loans and insurance to poor women in impoverished areas of India. SKS requires the following staff: Manager (Communications & Media) having expert knowledge of relevant communications environment, management of a network of relationships across a wide range of internal and external partnerships and alliances so as to ensure consistency of messaging across a range of information and communication needs (advocacy, media, marketing, internal communications). Executive Assistant to assist the office of the Executive Director with development programmes and operations on a day to day basis. The candidate must have a Bachelor’s degree, a least 3 to 5 years experience working in a fast paced environment with strong English, Telugu and Hindi skills. Apply by Nov. 19 to: rashmi.manwaktar@sksindia.com

Greenpeace India (Bangalore) Database Administrator. Salary: Rs. 285,600 per annum (ctc) Responsibilities include understanding Greenpeace’s fundraising model, donor recruitment and income processes, enabling the migration of our database from Access 97 to PostgreSQL, reconciling the database from time to time to ensure data integrity at all times, processing online donations using payment gateways and ensuring maintenance and regular update of donor information including checking for accuracy.Experience in MS Access is essential. We are looking for someone who has managed a large and complex data set and experience in SQL, RDBMS or any other database CRM products.Email CV by Nov. 19 to: hr.recruitment.in@greenpeace.org and include “Database Administrator” in the subject.

EngenderHealth India Program Officer M&E- UP EngenderHealth works to improve the health and well-being of people in the poorest communities by sharing our expertise in sexual and reproductive health. The RESPOND Project is a global health initiative funded by USAID and led by EngenderHealth in partnership with six other organizations. The job involves providing support for the performance monitoring, evaluation, maintenance of a database- the RESPOND Project’s NSV Initiative in UP and Quality Assurance Project in UP and Jharkhand. Qual./Exp.: PG/ graduate in health management; public health or relevant branch of social sciences; experience working for international organisations; understanding of Reproductive and Child Health;

Family Planning; No Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV) services, must have expertise in collecting and compiling data; analysing and preparing reports and be computer literate.To apply visit http:// www.engenderhealth.org --careers --“India” -- locate the job title and submit your application online along with your CV by Nov. 19 2010.

US Artists available for decorating schools “We are two fun filled artists from the USA travelling around India from Oct-Jan. We would like to paint murals in school, orphanages, hospitals and shelters. Anywhere where there is a blank wall, needing some color. I have been a mural artist/ kindergarten art teacher for 9 years. We can make any room into a Disney wonderland and the kids can help! We will bring all of the supplies needed for a day of fun and art!! We need help finding well-meaning organisations and for people that like to smile while they paint.” Contact:Ryan Katz, Compass Art, Chicago IL USA.Email 1: onefourthreality@ yahoo.com , ryantkatz@gmail. com

Rasta (Delhi and Noida) 1. School Coordinator. Eligibility: Graduate/ Post Graduate or degree/diploma in education sector. Female candidates will be preferred. Exp. 2- 5 years. Role involves planning and implementation of school curriculum, knowledge of innovative teaching methods. Hindi and English school management ability and in monitoring and evaluation. 2. Computer Teacher cum Trainer. Eligibility: BCA or diploma in computer applications with minimum one year teaching experience. Requirements: knowledge of MSs office, internet, Adobe and web applications, good in community mobilization. Apply by Nov. 30 to: Email: kcpant60@yahoo.co.in

Swanchetan Society for Mental Health Program Executive, (New Delhi) Swanchetan Society for Mental Health is an NGO engaged in support and research activities with victims of torture, oppression and violence. Swanchetan is conducting psycho-social studies and researches on effects of trauma on individual, large groups and whole populations. We are looking for someone with a post graduate degree in social science with 5 yrs experience of working with right based issues in a reputed organisation.He/She will be responsible for developing tools and mechanism for preventive violence, policy formulation for rehabilitation . Candidates should send their applications by Nov. 30 to: swanchetan2003@yahoo.co.in.

Mobile Creches (Delhi) Mobile Creches, a pioneer in early child care and development of children at construction sites and slums, requires a Resource Mobilisation Manager who would have the responsibility of increasing the donor base (High Net worth Individuals and corporate houses) through innovative approaches. Qual/Exp: A graduate/ PG diploma in Marketing /PR/Communication/ Social Sciences with 5 – 6 years of experience in sales/ marketing/ advertising. A sound knowledge of working with MS Office packages (Outlook, Office, Excel). Apply to: Email: rajni.p@mobilecreches.org

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NGO Connect ○

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Media FILMS UNDERMINING THE EARTH 3 Films on Mining in India The Real Face of Vedanta by Surya Shankar Dash | 33 min The Real Face of Vedanta draws attention to the plight of the communities from more than twenty villages suffering from the pollution caused by the one million tonne per annum aluminium refinery plant of Vedanta in Lanjigarh, Orissa. The film has shocking images of river pollution by the Vedanta refinery while it claims to be zero discharge factory. The impact of the pollution is explicit on the faces of little children and on the bodies of men and women afflicted by undiagnosed skin blisters. The film was used as evidence on how a Public Hearing by the State Pollution Control Board was disrupted by Vedanta’s supporters when people opposed the expansion of the refinery and thus contradicted the official statement which claims people support for the project. Iron is Hot by Biju Toppo and Meghnath | 35 min Loha Garam Hai (Iron is Hot) is the story of people surviving within the sponge iron industry in India. Though India began producing sponge iron only 20 years ago, today the country is the largest sponge iron manufacturer in the world: 225 factories are under construction and the number is anticipated to reach 450 spread over Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal and in Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The film is on this astonishing growth but the focus is on the little benefit it accrues to the local people. (It won the IDPA Award for the Best Film on Environment recently). Before Dark by Ajay TG | 33 min Not long ago filmmaker Ajay TG along with pediatrician Dr. Binayak Sen were behind bars in notorious Chhattisgarh, accused of being Naxalites. Thanks to public pressure both were released. His latest is a film on how Jindal Corporation has illegally usurped the land of adivasis and villagers, for its coal operations in Chhattisgarh. The Black Pamphlets Dir.Nitin K. Pamnani 84 Min., English and Hindi The place is Delhi University. The time is – Election Time!Now that the elections have been banned in most universities Delhi University, one of the largest universities in India, stands as an exception. ‘Black Pamphlets’ takes the viewer into the green and chirpy campus of Delhi University, where more than eighty thousand students directly elect their representatives for the students union.As the film follows the quickening pace of the twelve-day election campaign,( we meet a diverse, interesting cast of characters and follow an ironically funny, tellingly symbolic story that exposes the money and muscle-power in student politics and explores the mindset of youth in neo-liberal times.

NEWS Films invited for the Siliguri Short & Documentary Festival (17-21 November 2010). The Festival is being organized by the Siliguri Film Society, a non-profit voluntary organization affiliated to the Federation of Film Societies of India, dedicated to promote film culture. Members of the Siliguri Film Society and the students of the Mass Communication Department of the North Bengal University are the primary delegates of the festival. No tickets will be sold for this festival in any form whatsoever.Premendra Mazumder, Vice President, Federation of Film Societies of India. <pmfilm@gmail.com> Vigyan Prasar is organising Rashtriya Vigyan Chalchitra Mela (National Science Film Festival) and Competition during the Indian Science Congress in the first week of January 2011. Jahangirabad Media Institute is the organizing partner of the festival.It is open to all producers, individuals as well as production agencies, television channels, media schools. Award Categories: 1. Popular Science Programme (+ 20 mts); Short Film on Science and Technology ( - 20 mts);Animation and Graphic film/video on Science and Technology. Awards:There are three awards in each category: Rs. 50K,

30K, 25K. The video programme should have been produced between 01 October 2009 to 30 September 2010.Last Date for Receipt of Entries: To reach Science Film Festival Cell, Vigyan Prasar, A-50 Institutional Area, Sector 62, NOIDA, UP 201307 by 5 pm 03 December 2010.Contact: Biju Mohan, Jahangirabad Media Institute, 08953368486, gbijumohan@gmail.com; Dr.Arvind Ranade, Vigyan Prasar, 09871439594, arvind.c.ranade@gmail.com

Publisher: India HIV/AIDS Alliance. Tel. 91 11 41633081 Fax: +91 11 41633085 For copies email: info@allianceindia.org 53 pgs. Also available on the net.

A one day film festival and workshop on Masculinity was held at The Loyola College, Chennai on Oct. 6 organised by Marupakkam and Department of Visual Communication, The Loyola College, Chennaisupported by Aakar, New Delhi and Ekta, Madurai. Rahul Roy, filmmaker from New Delhi and Bimla Chandrasekar, activist from Madurai were the facilitators. Contact Amudhan R. P. Email : amudhanrp@rediffmail.com

The Magic Place is the second in a series of “flip” books developed for children affected by/living with HIV/AIDS. The flip book is designed with a story-telling format, colourful pictures, simple language, and engaging characters, with the objective of demystifying the Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) and the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre.

12th Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2010 on Dec.7 -11, 2010 at The Madura College, Madurai in association with Media Research Centre, Department of Philosophy, The Madura College, Madurai supported by SIRD, Ekta, Evidence, PEAL and IDEAS.We are planning to screen around 100 short films, documentaries and animation films from within and outside India. It is a noncompetitive festival with no entry fee. The festival will feature a Retrospective Section: films by Saba Dewan and Rahul Roy; International Section; Rest of India; Films from Tamilnadu* (competition for Sarat Chandran Memorial Awards); Country package: films curated by Paul Lee, a film maker from Canada; Under Construction: films distributed by Magic Lantern Foundation, New Delhi. Parallel art and literature events will be held. The festival package will be taken around to many cities, towns and villages of Tamilnadu over a period of six months between January and June 2011.visit www.maduraifilmfest.blogspot.com for further details.

In the story, a group of children are led by their class teacher to visit these sites. During the story, the teacher covers topics such as symptoms of HIV, why one should get tested, benefits of ART, importance of medicines, talking to a doctor, importance of nutrition, opportunistic infections, and treatment adherence.

The LIDF in association with the London Review of Books <http://www.lrb.co.uk/> is calling for submissions. The call is open and international. All subject matter is considered. Short and Feature length films are accepted. First time and established filmmakers all welcome. Films must be produced after January 1st 2009. The festival is competitive.The LIDF is the UK’s largest independent documentary festival. Our partners are the British Museum, the Barbican Centre, and the TATE Modern. The LIDF 2011 is scheduled to run from 5th May - 15th May 2011.For full details and the on-line Entry Form please go to: www.lidf.co.uk <http://www.lidf.co.uk> Patrick Hazard, Director, London International Documentary Festival (LIDF),M: 07706 160661,Skype: patrick.hazard

NGO Connect wishes you a Happy Diwali & New Y Year ear “I am the City Producer of the Mumbai 48 Hour Fim Project (48HFP) 2010 on Thursday Nov. 18 2010. The Project is actually a filmmaking competition where registered participants have to make a film from scratch within 48 hours. We have partnered with the leading film institutes Whistling Woods International and FX School to come on board as Event Partners to promote the event and elicit participation in the competition. see www.48hourfilm.com/mumbai Preeti Gopalkrishnan, Mumbai City Producer, 48HFP 2010, Cell: 98200 10052” th

VIBGYOR Collective announces the 6 Edition of ViBGYOR International Film Festival for short and documentary films at Thrissur, Kerala, from January 12-16 to be held in the Sangeet Nataka Academy Campus! This Edition is dedicated to the memory of late C.Saratchandran, the cofounder of the ViBGYOR Film Festival. In this context, we have chosen ‘Political Filmmaking and Media Activism in South Asia’ as the special focus theme for ViBGYOR2011. Anand Patwardhan has agreed to be the Festival Director for this 6th Edition.T contact our office: 9809477058 Sarath Cheloor Programme Coordinator, ViBGYOR Film Collective, Thrissur. Contact us: vibgyorfilmfest@gmail.com Mobile: 9809477058, http://vibgyorfilm.org For More Details : http://mazhavilmela.blogspot.com

Three men and a bulb

BOOKS The Magic Place at the ICTC and ART Centre

Nought Without Cause (Almost everyones’ guide to deforestation and forest degradation in the era of neoliberal globalization). Compiled by Milind Wani, this book seeks to understand the link between neoliberal globalization and deforestation. It tries to engage with the issue of deforestation at two levels, theoretical & empirical. While the thematic papers in this volume attempt to look at the theory, issues and impacts of neoliberal globalization through philosophical, legal & socioeconomic lenses, a set of case-studies inform the lay reader about the ground situations that arise as a result of adopting an ecologically unsustainable model of economic development based on neoliberal paradigms... Contact: Swati Arjunwadkar, Kalpavriksh. Email: kvbooks@vsnl.net

Negotiating Gender Justice Contesting Discrimination: Mapping Strategies that Intersect Culture, Women and Human Rights (2010) By Partners for Law in Development. Orders can be placed with PLD at pldindia@gmail.com This report documents diverse strategies adopted by community groups in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Nepal to negotiate women’s rights in the context of culture, while grounding the strategies in the specific political - historic local and national contexts. This documentation assumes significance, in that it gives content to the term cultural diversity and participation and contribution to cultural life, both integral part of Cultural Rights.

Rights in Intimate Relationships Towards an Inclusive and Just Framework of Women’s Rights and the Family The resource book ‘Rights in Intimate Relationships’ seeks to understand rights in intimate relationships within a framework that recognizes rights for all women regardless of their sexuality, marital status, or legality of relationship. Orders can be placed with PLD at pldindia@gmail.com

Women And Access to Justice This conference report consolidates the concerns of activists, judges, lawyers and academics on barriers to accessing the legal system for women. Documenting voices of women pursuing justice through the law, perspectives of support/ service providers, and the judiciary, the report identifies the structural, operational and substantive barriers to accessing gender justice. In doing so, it highlights the divergent of notions of justice – contrasting those of the women pursuing justice and the different actors in the legal process Partners for Law in Development, New Delhi. Tel. No.: 01124316832 / 33 Telefax: 011- 24316833 Email: pldindia@gmail.com Website: http://www.pldindia.org

Right to Food Primer

Dir: Pankaj Rishi Kumar 74 min. Hindi with English subtitles

53 Pgs. Rs. 15/Avaialable at: Secretariat Right to Food Campaign.

Far away, in a small village, in the foothills of the Himalayas, three men earn their livelihood from a gharat (watermill). The life these 3 men lead is meager, with access neither to electricity nor employment that brings regular income. Farming is very arduous, as supply of water is scarce. The gharat becomes a site, which each character wants to own and sometimes disown, in the quest for a better life.

This primer introduces to us the set of minimum demands that the Right to Food campaign has proposed in the context of the “National Food Security Act” announced by the United Progressive Alliance II Government.

This gentle and leisurely film documents the 3 men’s personal hopes,anxieties and dreams set against the rustic life in the mountains. The narrative traverses their changing relationships. 3 Men and a Bulb examines what happens when a rural economic system with a lot of promise is cracked up by administrative inconsistencies and individual enmity.

This version of the primer is the adaptation of the power point presentation “What the Government Says and What We Want” prepared by the campaign and presented at the concluding panel discussion of the Dharna cum Relay Fast staged outside the Parliament from 15th April to 19th April, 2010. This dharna saw the participation of more than 2500 people from across the country in opposition to the draft national food “insecurity” act prepared by the Empowered Group of Ministers (eGoM) on NFSA.. Contact Secretariat, Right to Food Campaign. New Delhi. email: righttofood@gmail.com.

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. W adia Bldg, 123 M G Road, Mumbai 400 001 Tel. 9820339608. E-mail : shaktisrc@yahoo.com Editor : Rima Kashyap. Design : Nagashree Girish 8