The needs of the underprivileged
A decade after its inauguration, the founding members of AADHAAR, a non-profit socio-charitable association, can say that they have surmounted all the odds, treading a path less traveled, and achieved most of their pre-defined targets. In all their charitable endeavors, the UT has been a source of inspiration and generous benefactor.
AADHAAR, an Association for the Development of Health and Academic Awareness in Rural India, now has over 125 active members, most of them UTers or ex-UTers. The association is registered at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce and has even managed to attract a few non-Indian members. As the association grew, so did the financial support from UT. In 2004, the Faculty of Science and Technology (TNW) was the first faculty to recognize and financially support the philanthropic undertakings of AADHAAR.
Years later, in 2008, the UT's involvement augmented considerably by the additions of the Faculty of Engineering Technology (CTW), the Faculty of Behavioral Sciences (GW), MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, the Institute for Biomedical Technology (BMTI) and the Faculty Club, which all donated substantial amounts of money towards the cause.
In the future, most of the contributors have promised long-term support to keep the lamp that dispels darkness glowing for thousands in rural India. This year, the Institute of Mechanics, Processes and Control Twente (IMPACT) has joined the growing list of benefactors.
Armed with donations from the faculties and institutes of UT, many welfare programs were initiated and sustained in 2008. A self-sustainable Knowledge Centre, the third of its kind, was inaugurated in western India with the goal of providing library and computer facilities to underprivileged children. It is unique in the sense that it is located inside the premises of a school, whose teachers and senior students operate the centre on a voluntarily basis, and services are also open to the general public.
Yet another landmark project for AADHAAR was the building of classrooms for the Parijat Academy, a school for tribal children in northeast India. Until a few months ago, when proper classrooms were built with the financial support of this organization, the students were protected from the elements by walls made of bamboo sheets and tin roofs.
Apart from its involvement in education-related activities, AADHAAR has diversified its portfolio last year and is actively collaborating with agencies involved in providing a ray of hope to children with disabilities, mentally challenged elderly and even sportspersons. With just 1000 euros, it was able to finance surgical procedures for 12 children who suffered from various disorders like facial cleft, and another 500 euros provided furniture and mattresses for the residents of a home for the mentally challenged.
It is a well-known fact that India does not produce enough quality sportspersons commensurate with its massive population and attributed to its lack of proper infrastructures. AADHAAR is playing its part in alleviating this gap by extending financial support to the Eklavya Archery Academy, which has produced many top level archers. The support allowed for the academy to purchase sports equipments which will go a long way to hone in the skills of its protégés.
Besides receiving donations, AADHAAR also earns a part of its income by executing projects for third parties. One such example was a successful project with the MESA+ Institute to design a brochure, for which it was financially rewarded and organizers say they are enthusiastic to work on more such projects.
Amidst these welfare activities, the organization managed to co-organize an academia-industry meet and panel discussion on the premises of the university, attended by the who's who of academia, industry and policy making in the Netherlands. With most of the activities materializing last year, 2008 could be called a red-letter year.
Dr. Pramod Agrawal, the chairman of AADHAAR, says, `The UT has been very generous to us, and we are extremely thankful. We would also like to bring other Dutch universities on-board. As a first step towards this, the Groningen chapter of AADHAAR was inaugurated last year. Let us hope that our success inspires students from other countries to think along the same lines and work for the betterment of their homeland.'
