Providing 35 children with quality education, primary care, and nutritional meals
Total Project Time:
Immediate impact, provide 2 year budget needs
Citizen Philanthropist:
Seva, DC
SIs Involved:
40+
Investment Needed:
$5,500
Amount Raised to date:
$6,211
Fundraising Efforts:
DC Summer Happy Hours
Cape Henlopen Triathlon
Seva DC Partners with Vera Village
PROJECT UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2009
Congratulations to Gurinder, Heidi, and Maia of Seva DC, 1Well Citizen Philanthropist group, for completing their Vera Village Childcare Center project! They raised $2,255 from their Kickin' It for the Kids event at Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle in August, making their total raised $6,211.
Watch the 1Well Spotlight on Seva DC, and learn about how Seva DC organized their friends and family to partner with Vera Village:
AUGUST 2009
SEVA DC invites you to "Kickin' it for Kids!", a fundraiser to benefit the Vera Village Childcare Center. There will be music, a silent auction, raffle prizes, and activities for kids and adults!
Kickin' it for Kids!
WHEN: Sunday, August 30th 2009, 2 PM–6PM
WHERE: Flanagan’s Harp & Fiddle (4844 Cordell Ave in Bethesda, MD)
Join Heidi, Gurinder and Maia support the children of Vera!
JULY 2009
Funding for the first phase of the project has been wired to Vera to support the center from January–November 2009! This has provided about 30 children with pre-primary education while giving their parents the opportunity to work full-time. Maia, Heidi and Gurinder (SEVA DC) are working to finish fundraising for their project so that they can support the center for the 2010 school year.
To learn more about Seva DC's 1Well project, read the Vera Childcare Center Impact Report here
or by right-clicking the link and choosing "Save As".
From Seva DC
"Seva DC" is an SVC group comprised of three friends, Maia Daniels, Heidi K.Hansen and Gurinder S. Shinmar, from the Washington DC area, who mobilized after being inspired by the efforts of 1Well. Gurinder, who is in the specialty pharmaceutical distribution business by day, prides himself on being a avid footballer by night. Heidi, a government attorney, loves to travel in her free time, and has visited both the north and south of India. Maia, who is in business development at Marriott, can't wait to work on some hotel deals in Gujarat India!
We collectively decided to raise funds to assist a childcare center in Vera village as we realize that children are the future and that by helping them to thrive and providing them with education would be the best way to create lasting change. Moreover, we like the idea that education feeds off itself and that countries with an educated population develop the capacity to help themselves. By raising funds for the childcare center in Vera village we hope to give the children a good start in life in addition to allowing mothers a chance to work and gain a better income for their family's future.
Best,
Maia, Heidi, and Gurinder
Seva DC's Project
Vera is a small agricultural village in Gujarat, India that currently lacks full-time childcare facilities. As a result,
working mothers are forced to take their children with them to work in the tobacco fields and factories,
which harms the health of the children and the mother’s employment opportunities.
When a community cannot provide childcare for its children, women cannot attain full employment and
self-reliance. Therefore, Seva DC’s Vera Village childcare project is critical to both a child’s physical and
intellectual development as well as a mother’s opportunity to provide for her family.
1Well’s partner, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), believes a woman’s struggle to escape poverty through work and income security must be
supported by quality childcare. Since the mid-1970s, SEWA has supported working mothers by providing quality childcare to local communities. Seva DC, a group
of 1Well SVCs, is partnering with SEWA members in Vera village to improve the quality of their childcare center, giving children a better education and increased
nutrition, while allowing mothers the opportunity to work and gain a better income to improve their families' future.
Vera's SEWA supported childcare center began in 1993 and presently cares for 30 children from 0-6 years of age. The center is managed by co-operatives of
SEWA members. The center benefits the children and community in the following ways:
1. Basic childhood education and arts and crafts (alphabet, numerals, basic reading, etc.)
2. Nutritious meals and milk for infants
3. Weight and height records
4. Regular meetings with the mothers to discuss their children’s development
5. Childhood health and development training for mothers
6. Immunizations, antenatal and postnatal care (SEWA works closely with the government health programs for providing these services)
7. Holiday and festival celebrations
8. Cultural and social field trips
The project budget is $5,500 dollars, that will cover the childcare center’s expenses for 2 years. The budget breaks down as follows:
- Teachers' Salaries: $2,450
- Food Program: $1,700
- Furniture, supplies, etc.: $600
- Operational Costs: $350
- Medicine: $150
- Other: $250
The broader impact on the children’s, mother’s and community’s future includes:
- improved children’s health due to not being exposed to a nicotine environment at the mother’s place of work
- mother’s income increases with increased hours of work since children are cared for 8 hours a day
- mother’s mental health improves knowing her children are not at risk and being well cared for
- overall community health improves due to center’s basic health and sanitation training.
Join Seva DC and partner with Vera village to provide a healthy learning environment for Vera children, and give their mothers peace of mind as they explore
new income opportunities to help their families escape poverty.
SevaDC extends many thanks to all of its generous supporters who have funded the Vera Village Childcare Center for over two years, and sends a special thank you to:
Musicians Bryan Greene and Will Moore, Mehndi artist Sharmilla Paul face painting artist Duska Karsova, Dance Instructor Anushka Rai [phone: 202-390-6812], LC Rodriguez, Peter Loge, Raj and Sandra Purohit, and Harshsad Pandaya;
