Annual Report

2014

INDEX

"Sometimes we feel thatwhat we do is onlyadrop of water in theocean, but the oceanwould be less without

the drop"

(Mother Teresa ofCalcuta)

1/ Letter from Akshy´sChairwoman 04

2/ What is Akshy? 05 2.1/ Our Association 05 2.2/ How Akshy was born? 05 2.3/ Objectives and Values 06 2.4/ Our team 07

3/ Where are we? 103.1/ Who benefits from our work? 10

3/ How we work and what wedo 12 3.1/ How do we work? 13 3.2/ Integral Programme 14

4/ New projects 2014 244.1/ A Project to develop and empowerthe woman 26

4.2/ Project for social aid and welfare 27

5/ Achievements 2014

28

6/ Origin and destination ofour resources 31

7/ Promotion and awarenesscampaigns 32

8/ Acknowledgements 34

01/A LETTER FROMAKSHY´S CHAIRWOMAN

Raquel Mason Palomeque: Presidenta de Akshy

Dear Sponsors, Members, Friends and supporting businesses:

Many of you have accompanied us from the birth of Association Akshy (8 years ago!) when we firstopened a little school in the village of Amwan. I was keen to learn how, with your help, we coulddevelop a project to improve the life of so many people living in infra­human conditions. Now wehave many more friends willing to lend a hand so we have been able to increase and extend our helpfurther afield.

Ever since 2008 when I decided to come to live in India, I have been able to share the problems ofthe dalits or untouchables, getting to know them better and, above all, and most important, learningto listen to them, to understand why some times everything is far more complicated if they belong tothis sector of the Indian population. Although it has not been easy and we have had to face manyobstacles common to life in the State of Bihar, even so we have advanced and made progress overthese last few years.

My experience in situ has led me to an interest not only in the children but also in the women andthe old people, with special emphasis on the human rights of the dalits or untouchables to ensurethat they are not ignored. As a result, Akshy Association´s plans not only included establishing aschool but also a set of projects essential for the dalit or untouchable community to make anyprogress at all. Undoubtedly the school is of prime importance, education being the basis for anydevelopment or progress while, at the same time, it is the link via which we reach the rest of thepopulation. Now, however, Akshy Association has extended its scope of activity so that part of the veryimportant aid which you our friends provide is assigned to other people also in need of it.

No words can express the satisfaction we see in the smile on a child´s face or the words of gratitude ofan old or disabled person in need or the happiness in the eyes of a woman. When this occurs I alwaysremember how this has only been made possible thanks to you placing your trust in us and givingus your financial support.

The Akshy team has grown over the years; some people have accepted to support our project in amore direct manner. To these men and women I wish to give my sincere thanks for voluntarily offeringtheir time and work as well as to all the volunteers who have accompanied and supported us in thedifferent events throughout the year. For all of you ­ sponsors, members, supporters and businesses ­we have prepared this 2014 Report, a summary of all that, by your joint efforts, we have managed toattain. To all of you, therefore, we express our deepest gratitude.

In hopes that you enjoy reading it, once more MANY, MANY THANKS FOR BEING WITH US!

Akshy4

WHAT IS AKSHY?

Our Association

Akshy­India consists of a groupof people ­ sponsors, members,supporters and friends ­ wishingto con t r i bu te vo l un ta r i l y t oalleviating some of the povertyand misery in which a large partof Indian society exists.

We are a non­ lucrat ive NGOwhich has as its main objectivethe improvement, by means ofour different projects, of livingconditions for the most i l l ­treated children, women andold people in India, known as dalits or untouchables. I nc o n f o r m i t y w i t h p r e s e n tlegislation, AKSHY­INDIA is anNGO r e g i s t e r e d o n 2 1 o fJanuary 2007 as a non­lucrativeAssoc ia t ion in the Na t iona lRegister of Associations at theSpanish Home Office, number588315, CIF V­84965912, andrecogn i zed by t he Span i shA g e n c y f o r I n t e r n a t i o n a lCooperation and Development(AECID) having its seat in SanLorenzo de El Escorial. Akshy­India respects the multiplicity of

traditions, cultures and religionsof India, as well as its spiritualityand customs.

How Akshy was born

Akshy­India was started whenRaque l Mason (Founder andDirector) visited Bodhgaya, in theState of Bihar, in the winter of2005. She began to recognizein greater depth the realities ofrural India, the lack of equalityexisting among the castes andthe needs o f the popu la t ion ,espec ia l ly o f ch i ldren. In thevillage she visited where dalits oruntouchables live, Rachel wasimpressed by seeing a sick childwhose name was Akshay. Thepoo r boy l ooked sad , d i r t y ,uncared for and surrounded bymisery. Rachel found a doctor tocure him.

She knew its was impossible toturn away and do nothing. Shehad to take action and began torea l i ze t ha t t he on l y way t oimprove the living conditions ofthese l i t t le ones was througheducation in its widest

Akshy 5

sense, offering them in thisw a y a n o p p o r t u n i t y t obecome adults with dignity.

R a q u e l b e g a n t o s e n dfinancial aid to cover the firstneeds of materials and, in thes umme r o f 2 0 06 , a l i t t l es c h o o l w a s o p e n e d i nAmwan. In January 2007,the Akshy Association wasformally registered and, littleb y l i t t l e , m o r e p e o p l einterested in of fer ing thei rd r o p o f wa t e r j o i n ed , a l lwishing to help set up what istoday the Akshy Asssociation.

W i t h t h e c omm i tme n t o fsponsors and supporters, thet e am b e g a n t o d e v e l o pd i f f e r e n t p r o g r a mm e s . Although our Association hasgrown and new projects havearisen, we have always basedo u r d e c i s i o n s o n t h o s eprinciples on which our NGOwas f ounded ; Akshy i s adirect, humane associationaccessible to al l those whowish to join us.

WHAT IS AKSHY?

We g ive g rea t impor tance tol i s t en i ng t o t he needs o findividual persons, respectingthe i r t rad i t ions and customs,trying to understand the difficultconditions and circumstances inwhich they exist.

We are committed to continuesupport ing them regularly andseriously, and this encouragesthem to trust us in our work sothat step by step we can increaseour projects.

We wo r k w i t h values: ethics,w i s d om , r e s p on s i b i l i t y a n daltruism which, being universal,can be shared by a l l personsregardless of their age, culture,race or religion, and are basedon the Programme of UniversalEducation.

Objectives and Values ofAkshy

O u r a i m t o i s promote thedevelopment o f t h e mo s t i l l ­t rea ted ru ra l communi t ies inIndia, with special emphasis onthe untouchables, by means ofeducation a n d improving thesta tus o f women, i n fo rmingthem of their rights, defendingthem, assuring and watching thatthe appropriate laws are applied.

We work to a l lev iate extremepoverty, fight injustice and assisti n t h e o b t a i n i n g o f a moreequitable society with the sameopportunities for this ostracizedsector of India, known as thedalits or untouchables.

Akshy6

Our aim is to educate for ameaningful life t o de ve l opthe individual´s potential forr e a c h i n g h a p p i n e s s a n dpersonal excellence, in turncontributing to the welfare ofothers, t o a n i m p r o v e ds o c i e t y a n d t o a m o r epeaceful world. The valuesand at t i tudes stated in theUniversal Education Act andwhich we take into account inour programmes are essentialto the honest character of ourproject. For more informationon the programme, pleaseb r o w s e w e b s i t e :http://educacionuniversal.org/

Our Team

" I am Raquel Mason, the Founder and Director of the AkshyAssociation. I have lived in India since 2008 and I manageour projects in the field with the help of both the team in Spainand that in India. I wanted my life to have true meaning. I amconvinced that we should feel universal responsibility withinourselves towards others also living in this world. For thisreason, I gave up my comfortable life in Spain to follow mydream of a more fair world. Every success here gives mehappiness"

"My name is Catalino Giraldo but everyone knows me as Tinoand I am a member of the board of the Association. I becameacquainted with this project through my wife in 2009. I waspleasantly surprised by the work being done and made up mymind to collaborate and involve my work colleagues as well. Ithink I´m getting there! My trip to India to see the work beingdone by our Founder Rachel with the scarce means at herdisposal made me even more enthusiastic"

Our team consists of people wishing to help others by giving up some of their free timeto assist voluntarily in our enterprise.

"My name is Diego; I am the secretary and responsible forevents. My relationship with Akshy commenced as a member in2011 and since then a solid friendship has been built up with theAssociation and the values it represents. In 2013 on a tr iporganized by Akshy, I visited the project in India. Seeing theschool and walking around the vi l lage of Amwan made meunderstand at once the reasons for Akshy´s very existence"

"Namaste. I am Ana De las Heras. Some years ago I went as avolunteer to the Akshay Educational Centre. The pupils gave melessons on life that I could never have imagined and, since then, Icooperate whenever I can in the area of communications"

Akshy 7

Our Team

"Hi everybody! My name is Rosa. I d iscovered this NGOthrough a workmate who is very involved in works of charity. Ibegan to attend Akshy meetings now and again and metRachel. My husband Tino gave me a surprise present with thetrip to the Centre in India and I began to fall in love with thisincredible project which is being carried out with such scarcityof means but which has motivated me to continue working forAkshy in any way I can"

"I am Julia and my commitment to Life has led me to lend ahand in the Akshy projects, helping with accounts and its littlemarkets in favour of the neediest people in this part of India"

Hilary Lunn:"Wherever possible I have always helped children i ndifficult situations but when a friend explained how her daughterwished to improve the life of dalit children in Bihar, India, i tsounded a wonderful idea and one i n wh i ch I wan ted tocooperate with my translations into English"

Silvia: "I think it´s very important to collaborate with an NGO suchas Akshy which helps by offering hope for the future to childrenwho, otherwise, would be excluded from society. This help isreciprocal, when we give some of our time and work to a project ofthis type, we feel we are fulf i l l ing what should be the socialresponsibility of those with sufficient resources to live a dignifiedlife in the place where they were born. I am in charge of thewebsite."

8 Akshy

Our Team

"My name i s Pilar, I have been col laborat ing with Akshybecause I need to do something for other people. I know myhelp is very small for so much poverty, but it is also true thatwith you and with many other people many important thingsare being done. I feel good collaborating with this small andclose association in the north of India. When I visited the schoolin Amwan I reaffirm myself that love has no boarders."

Isabel Porres: "My work in the NGO started 3 and a half yearsago. I have travelled twice to Bodhgaya to share with teachersand students different educational new tools, showing how it isalso possible to learn playing and having fun. With the ideaof reaffirming my work I made tattoos and solidarity jewellery tobe able to buy material for equipping classrooms".

Nerea Daza y Alejo Izuzquiza: "What you don't give, is lost. Ifthere is something which we have learnt collaborating in Akshy'scommunication projects is, exactly, that there is no biggersatisfaction that the one you obtain giving what you have tothose who need it. As advertisers we hope to have contributed(and hope to contribute) with our drop in the sea"

Akshy 9

Marie Conesa; "Since a long t ime I have been th inking inwanting to do something useful during my holidays and that ishow I met Raquel, a woman who was doing something with herlive, for the live of others...For me it was an open door towards aworld, which I would have never found by myself. I don't know if Icontribute a lot, but I know that it does enrich me personally tohelp these people w i th such a d i f f e ren t way o f l i v i ng . Ico l laborate as a designer in the Sewing school and wi thwhatever other things I can help"

02/WHERE DO WE WORK?T h e Akshay Educat ionalCentre is located in the villageo f Amwan, 4 k m s . f r o mBodhgaya, a city in the North ofIndia belonging to the State ofBihar, the most backward statein the whole of India, with thelowest l i teracy and per capitaincome rates. The populationlives mainly from its agriculturalactivity with no industry or anyother alternative means of work.

T h e Kamal School ( L o t u sSchool) is situated in Jaitiya, avillage of 1,700 inhabitants, inthe district of Gaya, where morethan ha l f the popula t ion are"dalits" or untouchables; amongthem are some 200 children ofschoo l age . G iven the poorconditions of the local road (inMonsoon t imes comp l e t e l yimpassable) and i ts distancef rom the ma in h ighway , thevillage is on the whole isolated.

10Akshy

Who benefits from our work? Akshy works in India where 220 million people suffer hunger and one third of the infant populationweighs less than average. 44% of Indian children are under­nourished and 80% of those between 6and 35 months old suffer anemia. The State of Bihar is situated to the North East of India, 450 kms.West of Calcutta and is the state with the highest population at 83 million in habitants.

It is also the most backward State in the whole of India, with an annual per capita income in2008/2009 of 235 euros (that of all India for the same year was 646 euros). 53% of the population isilliterate (41% men and 67% women), of which 95% are dalits or untouchables. Owing to the direpoverty and social inequality, the State is submerged in economic chaos . It inhabitants are oftenforced to emigrate to other states to earn 200 rupees per day (2 euros approx.) in temporal jobs(harvesting, the construction sector, etc.)

15% of the population of Bihar are dalits who own less than 2% of the cultivated land. In Bihar´srural villages the caste system is still in force and there is significant discrimination with regard tothese people.

Akshy´s aim is to give particular support to the weakest, ostracized caste, the dalits, who live inextreme poverty and suffer as both social and financial outcasts.

The dalits or untouchables are the members of a caste born with the "untouchable" stigma as aresult of the impurity or uncleanliness of their traditional occupations.

They represent a community of some 170 million people in India. In Bihar there are almost 13mill ion dalits who have to face being ignored, discriminated and suffering violence f rom thedominating castes which do not allow them to possess one of the basic human rights, their ownpersonal dignity. The Indian Constitution prohibits "untouchability", meaning that the superior castescannot oblige the dalits to take the unclean jobs but road sweeping, corpse removing, toiletcleaning etc. are still carried out by them.

The dalit children have to sit apart in schools; in police stations no one listens to them and they are treated badly; social workers refuse to visit dalit homes; access to the houses of other castes isrefused them and they can never sit at the same table to eat; in coffee bars they have different cupsand other utensils. In some towns they are not allowed to enter the temples or cremate theirdeceased in the town's crematorium. They must keep their head down, work longer hours with lowerwages and take insults and physical punishment. Their women are raped by their bosses as a formof punishment or humiliation.

We work in the districts set aside expressly for the "untouchables", in the villages close to Bodhgayasuch as Amwan, Nautapur and Amwan Colony, as well as in remote rural villages which becomeisolated during the Monsoon season such as Jaitiya and Laxmipur. These village districts have nosanitary infrastructure or access by road. The dwellers there live in mud and straw huts, with one or

11Akshy

Who benefits from ourwork?

03/HOW WE WORK ANDWHAT WE DO

We have an integral programme which consists in different projects, starting with education a ndhealth awareness and finishing with environmental awareness.

All our projects are directed to the most needed sector of the Indian society.

12 Akshy

To this purpose, we have ani n t e g r a l p r o g r a m m ec o m p o s e d o f d i f f e r e n tprojects adapted to the areain which Akshy operates :Bodhgaya and surroundingvillages in the State of Bihar(North East India).

Akshy Assoc ia t ion worksdirectly on its projects in thef ie ld in India wi th no localc o u n t e r p a r t , p e r s o n a l l ydeveloping and managingthe ac t i v i t y . I n t h i s waym a n a g em e n t c o s t s a r ereduced. Each project issupervised from start tofinish, e n s u r i n g c o r r e c thandl ing in a part of Indiawhere corruption is rife.

W e o b t a i n f i r s t ­ h a n di n f o rma t i o n f r om d i r e c tcontact with the people andthis helps us to manage theprojects correctly and a lsoremain fa i thfu l to our ownvalues.

WHAT WE DOHow we work?Aware o f the fac t tha t thefuture of a country dependson its schools, our mode ofaction is always focused oneducation. We be l ieve tha tthis is the best way for thosemo s t i n n e e d t o r e a c h am i n i m u m s t a n d a r d o fwellbeing w h i c h c o u l d b eperpetuated in time.

Firstly, we develop the area ofchild education. In additionto providing schooling, food,medical attention, emotionalsupport, e t c . f o r t h e mos tvulnerable children, we alsowork on projects favour ingdevelopment and the healthof the communi ty in whichthey l ive. These ch i ldren,o n c e taught to read andwrite, w i l l c o n t r i b u t e t oimprove the living conditionsof those around them. Forth is reason we p lace verys p e c i a l emph a s i s o f t h eeducation of girls. They arethe future mothers who w i l lbe in charge of transmitting totheir sons and daughters theimp o r t a n c e o f a t t e n d i n gs c h o o l a n d r e c e i v i n g a neducation. In this connection,A k s h y ´ s e d u c a t i o nprogramme a t t e m p t s t oconvince the children of theimpor tance o f deve lop ingbeha v i o u r a l a n d h e a l t h yhabits which will endow themwith the dignity due to themas human beings.

We bel ieve, therefore, thatthe care and education of theboys and gir ls wi l l not onlydignify future generations butwill give a position of greaterrelevance to women and alsoteach the chi ldren to valuethe importance of respectingand ass is t ing the old a n ddisabled w h o h a v e n oprotection.

The relevance of our projectis social and for communityintegration, d e r i v i n g f r omeducation as the instrumentof change.

The establishing of schoolsc r e a t e s a s t r o n g b o n dbetween the population andour Association, at the sametime giving rise to a trust in uswhich draws us nearer to thewomen and o l d peop l e . Th is a lso a l lows us bet teraccess to their problems, tosee more easily their needsand s o be able to act b yl a y i n g d o w n a b a s e o rstructure which will make itpossible for both the womenand t he i r c h i l d r en i n t h ef u t u re t o en j oy imp roveds o c i a l a n d e c o n o m i copportunities, perhaps beingable to generate their owns o u r c e o f i n c om e , t h u sbreaking down the v ic iouscircle of poverty.

As will be explained in laterchapters, our prime objectivesare to improve the conditionsof the da l i t boys and g i r lsthrough education, raise theirrate of l i teracy, dignify theposition of the woman withinI n d i a n r u r a l society a n dencourage attent ion to theold and disabled.

13Akshy

INTEGRAL PROGRAMME

The Akshay School inAmwan, Bodhaya:

I t was star ted in 2006. Theboys and girls attending ourschool are the first generationof the "untouchable" caste tobecome literate in Amwan. The school is located in ourE d u c a t i o n a l C e n t r ei n augu ra ted i n 2012 w h e r evarious different programmesare developed.

At the present time around 155ch i ld ren a t tend the AkshaySchool in 7 different classes.We teach up to 5th Grade, theend o f the p r imary cyc le inIndia, and follow the curriculumof subjects st ipulated by theGovernment.

The Kamal Infant Center,in the village of Jaitiya:

Opened i n 2013 a n d a s o ftoday has 38 children in twoc l a s ses . The s choo l i s i nJaitiya, a rural vi l lage distant from Bodhgaya where moret h a n h a l f t h e p o p u l a t i o nbelongs to the "untouchables".

With this Infant Centre our ideais to encourage an interest ineducation both in the childrenand the parents in this isolatedv i l l age . W i th regu la r da i l yc l a s se s impa r t e d b y twoteache rs , pa ren ts beg in t or e a l i z e t h a t o u r p r o j e c t i sse r i ous and they becomemore interested.

Primary Education Project

Akshy14

W e h a v e t w o primaryeducation schools. T h echildren´s ages range from4 to 12 years old.

In the Centre as well as theofficial subjects, theyl e a r n t o e x p r e s sthemselves, to take part inthe programme of ethicalvalues, h a v e a nopportunity in the plastica r t s , v a l u e t h eenvironment and grow upw i t h d i g n i t y , I n o u rEnvironment programmew e i n c l u d e d i f f e r e n tactivities for the children sothey become aware of the importance of living insu r round ings f r ee f r omplast ic rubbish and f i l th.They are also taught theimpo r t a n c e o f n o twasting but taking care oftheir natural resources.

INTEGRAL PROGRAMME

in their studies by daily sessionsin t he Akshay Educa t i ona lCentre.

It must be mentioned here thatthe secondary education of ourgirls represents a true challengei f w e b e a r i n m i n d t h etradit ional obstacles of childmarriages a n d w o r k i n t h ehome. The fact that girls canhave access t o seconda r ye d u c a t i o n i s e x t r e m e l yimportant since, whi le beingreally hard to get them to theprimary level, access to asecondary school signif ies adrastic change a n d e f f o r t swhich must be given their full

due.

V e r y f e w f a m i l i e s o f"untouchable" girls a l l o wt h e m t o c o n t i n u e w i t hsecondary studies once theycomplete primary; they have totake charge of the houseworko r p r epa re t hemse l ves f o rmarriage.

With the support we provide forsecondary education, the girlsand the i r fami l i es accep t as h o r t d e l a y i n ma r r y i n gthem which in tu rn enab lesthem to continue their learningprocess for a few more years.

Secondary Education Project

Education of girlsrepresents a true

challege, if we bearin mind the

traditional obstaclesof child marrieges

and work in thehome

Akshy 15

W e f i n a n c e SecondaryEducation for those childrenwho wish to continue oncethey have completed Year 5Iin the Akshay School andwhen their parents agree. W i t h ou r he l p t h e y haveaccess to more advancedstudies.

A t p resent we are pay ingsecondary education for 21pupils at various schools inBodhgaya. T h e y a r e n owmixing with boys and gir lsf rom a l l d i f ferent castes. The i r academ ic l i f e i s i ndi f ferent surroundings butt h e y c o n t i n u e t h e i reducation in ethical valuesa n d environmentalawareness as well as support

INTEGRAL PROGRAMMEPhoto gallery: Education

Akshy16

INTEGRAL PROGRAMME

In the Akshay Education Centreprivate classes and study hoursa r e p r o v i d e d e a c h d a y f o rchildren at primary level whoneed extra help as well as forthose with special educationalneeds.

The primary school children withlearning problems receive helpin private classes with a teacherin the afternoons.

Once the children complete theirprimary education, it is importantt ha t t hey have suppo r t andencouragement to continue theirs tud ies w i th tutors t o g u i d ethem.

W i t h ou r Support Project,the children can continue their secondary educationand rece ive he lp i n da i l yprivate classes during which the teachers can clari fy d o u b t s a n d r e v i s e t h esubjects studied at school.

By means of this project thechildren/adolescents r eacha bet ter understanding ofthe i r sub jec ts and can enter their exams adequatelyprepared.

The primaryschool chlidrenhave morelearningproblems

Akshy 17

Study Revision and Support Project

INTEGRAL PROGRAMME Nutrition Project

Many children have onlyone meal per day and

most of them are suffering under­

nourishment

The nutritional needs of theboys and g i r ls are o f v i ta limportance.

Many of them have only onemeal per day and most o ft h em h a v e a n unbalanceddiet w h i c h h a s a c l e a rrepercussion in inadequategrowth and development. For this reason, our NutritionProject provides a meal eachday in school for all students.

We introduced this project sothat the children could havea ful l , balanced dai ly mealsince we had seen that manyof them were suffering under­nourishment and a lack o fvitamins.

Eating the appropriate foodnot only helps to strengthent h e m w h e n f a c e d w i t hi l l ness but also increasestheir intellectual capacity.

Each day we make sure theyrece i ve a po r t i on o f r i ce ,legumes and vegetables witha hard­boiled egg t w i c e aweek to cover their proteinand vitamins needs.

18 Akshy

Medical Attention and Preventive Care It is also of vital importance that the children have access to qualified medical attention. Sincetheir families cannot afford to pay for a doctor and medicines they have resort to witch doctors orrural medical men with no qualifications and this often causes an aggravation of the illness evento the point of death.

We have a nurse who provides first aid and also explains to parents how they should

administer the medicines to their children.

We finance visits to qualified doctors and the relevant medicines, vaccination campaigns,

every day sickness care and first aid, as well as giving informative health talks in school

hours to stress to pupils the importance of hygiene or tell them about changes during

puberty and other typical matters of adolescence.

Preventive healthcare. We hold talks and practical workshops for the village communities

we visit in which health representatives inform them of how to prevent illness or how and

where they can receive free treatment. They are given information on the most common of

their illnesses such as malaria, diarrhea, dehydration, sunstroke, burns, tuberculosis and

VIH.

Furthermore, talks and informative activities are arranged with regard to problems caused

by child marriages, alcoholism, under­nourishment, the inappropriate care of babies or

pregnancy.

19Akshy

INTEGRAL PROGRAMME

INTEGRAL PROGRAMME

This project is designed to meetour objective of reaching out toother sectors of society as wellas to the children, in such a waythat the Akshay Educat ionalCentre act as a pilar of supportfor the weakest members.

I t i s d i r e c t e d t o t h e a d u l tc o m m u n i t i e s o f Amwan,Nautapur, a n d Amway Colonywho have been abandoned byt h e i r f a m i l i e s a n d e x i s tu n p r o t e c t e d i n s u b h uma nconditions.

T h e precarious economies ofthe families in rural areastogether with the fact that theyb e l o n g t o t h e "untouchable"c a s t e , p l a c e t h em i n a n a t r o c i o u s l y vulnerableposition.

When families have nothing tos p a r e , i n o r d e r t h a t o t h e rmembers can survive, the olda n d disabled a re sepa ra tedfrom the family circle, relegatedto i so la t ion a n d e x t r em epoverty.

W i t h o u r p r o g r a m m e w eguarantee that they can have aroof over the i r head, a mea le a c h d a y , b e c l o t h e d a n dattended by a doctor, in shorthave the minimum necessary forsurvival.

We build or repair their huts sothey have a roo f , g ive themdoors so they feel safe, bunks sothey do not have to sleep on the g round , clothes so the i rbod ies a re cove red and , i nwinter, blankets to keep themwarm.

The pr imary and secondarypupils help in developing thisprogramme by attending to theold and disabled. In this waythey learn solidarity, respect forolder and weaker persons ort h o s e w i t h p h y s i c a limpediments, to be generouswith their time, to open theirhearts and be kind.

The "Dada­Dadi" Project of attention to the old anddisabled

Akshy20

In addition they also receivemedical care and medicineswhen they a re i l l and a idwith cremation expenses at the time of death.

Twice a month they come toour Centre where we givethem a special meal.

We listen to them and staywith them so they can tell ustheir needs. They also joinour students in celebrations held in the Centre.

INTEGRAL PROGRAMMEPhoto gallery: Nutrition, Health and Dada­Dadi

Akshy 21

INTEGRAL PROGRAMMEThe Water Pump Project

The shortage of water orcontaminated water are

the main causes ofgastrointestinalproblems in the

population

T h e shortage of water o rcontaminated water are them a i n c a u s e s o f gastro­intestinal problems in thepopulation.

Many villages have to sharea water pump among over200 inhabitants.

We build water pumps in ruralvillages of this area and showthe people how to maintainthem.

Our p lan is that they haveclean water t o d r i n k , f o rpersonal hygiene or cookinga n d s o avoid Illness a n dgastric problems.

22 Akshy

INTEGRAL PROGRAMME

The groups are mixed, marriedw o m e n a n d youngadolescents together so thatthey share space and activity.

Women from different castesa l so j o i n and t h i s i s a f i neopportunity for encouraging afeeling of unity and integrationamong them regardless of thecaste to which they belong.

The women´s course lasts for sixmonths on an everyday basisand when completed and thefinal exam passed they obtaina diploma. They al l learn tomake clothes for their family.

L a t e r t h e y c a n t a k e a nadvanced course where theyare taught other techniques,s u c h a s t e x t i l e p a i n t i n g ,embroidery, making uniforms,bags, purses, tablecloths etc. a l l o f wh i ch g i v e t hem t heopportunity to receive paymentfor their work and so help in thedomestic economy.

The Sewing Centre Project "Women United" (MahilaEkta Silae Khendre)

Akshy 23

This project is available fora l l women ­ adults, younggirls and adolescents ­ int h e v i l l a g e s o f Amwan,Nautapur a n d AmwanColony t o l e a r n a t r a d e( e v e n h a v e t h e i r o w nworkshop in the future) orsimply learn to sew or makeclothes for their families.

The workshop i s a l so ap l a c e w h e r e t h e y c a nmeet, chat and share theirexperiences and problems.

T h e w o m e n w h o a r eilliterate have some basicclasses f i rst so they canfollow the course.

04/NEW PROJECTS 2014Project for developmment and raising the status of thewoman

on the loan somet imes at arate of 20%.

B e i n g illiterate t h e y a r echeated and f ind themselvesbound to this lender in such away that, not being able to paythe debt, they have to work forh i m f o r y e a r s , e n d u r i n gexploi tat ion to the extent ofslavery. Furthermore this typeof debt is inher i ted by the i rchildren.

We lend urgent personal loanswith no interest to women whof ind themse lves in d i f f i cu l tfinancial situations so that theydo no t have to fa l l i n to thehands of the lenders.

We h e l p women t o s e t u pg roups among t hemse l veswhere they deposit a sum ofm o n e y e a c h m o n t h ; t h i steaches them how to save andhold a reserve for unexpected

t h e y o p e n t h e i r o w n smallbusinesses they will have ourhelp and that of he group.

He l p s f o r w i dows o rabandoned women:

We g i v e s u p p o r t t o t h o s ewidows who are left alone onthe death of their husbands withno help from the family of thehusband or their own parents, orto women whose husbandshave left them.

There is no kind of pension andthey are obl iged to br ing uptheir children on their own. Weadmit t h e c h i l d r e n i n o u rschool, help them with basicneeds (food and clothing for thech i l d ren ) wh i l e we p repa rethem and shows them whatsteps they must take to opentheir own business, and a regu ided by us un t i l they canbecome fully independent and

24 Akshy

We would like the women tob e c o m e a strong g r o u pbased on the idea of "unity"as this could help them toface problems both on thesocial level as well as withintheir famil ies. They coulda l so con t r i bu t e t o t he i rdomestic economy and, as aresult, be more respected byt h e i r f a m i l i e s a n dneighbours.

Microcredits:

This programme is for thedalit or untouchable womenof all the villages where wework.

I n s i t u a t i o n s whe r e t h echildren are ill, the husbando u t o f w o r k a n d a nu n f o r e s e e n e x p e n s earises, they are forced toborrow money from a lenderwho ob l i ges them to pay

The social care and welfare project

We visit the villages nearby aswell as those more isolated toinform them of the programmesthe Government is developingfor the "untouchable" or dal i tc a s t e . I n s p i t e o f t h eGove r nmen t ´ s a t t emp t s t oimprove the conditions of thesep o o r p e o p l e v i a s p e c i a lprogrammes for them, they arenot too successful in rural areasbecause the information doesn o t r e a c h t h e m o r t h einhab i tants , be ing i l l i te ra te ,have no knowledge of how toaccess the programmes. Wetalk to them about the a idwhich they are ent i t led toclaim and o f wh ich they a retotally unaware.

W e h e l p t h e m t o f i l l o u tapplications, a c c ompan y i n gthem in some cases ­ widows ordisabled­ to the relevant officest o c l a i m t h e i r w i d o w ´ s o rdisabi l i ty or old age pension,even though the amounts aresmall.

W h e n t h e r e i s a danger ofworking in centres where theyare exploited, especially if theyare taken to other States. Insuch cases they can apply forhelp.

Informat ion on how to avoidchild labour.

We hold workshops for womenfrom isolated villages and givethem genera l t a l ks on the i rr i g h t s a n d t h e s o c i a lprogrammes available to them. We t a l k t o t h em abou t t h eimportance of education, chi ldmarriage problems, why theys h o u l d p u t a n e n d t o t h et rad i t i on o f pay ing a dowrywhen t hey ge t ma r r i ed ,e t c .There alre also workshops o nhyg iene, p regnanc ies , ch i ldcare, how to save money, whatto do

Ind iv iduals wi th personalproblems ­ by regularly visitingthe villages in which we workwe can detect those who needto join one of our programmesfor assistance to the old andinfirm, or the school or medicalcare, etc.

Akshy 25

when faced wi th abuse ordomestic violence, w h e n they are being exploited inthe i r work , i f , because o fb e l o n g i n g t o t h e"untouchable" caste, theya re be i ng bad l y t r ea ted ,women´s rights, e t c . Weencou rage t hem t o f o rmwomen´s self­help groups.

Talks to the young people ofour Association so that theycan understand the problemsinherent in belongingto thedal i t or untouchable casteand how to cons ide r andso lve them Ther are a lsotalks on adolescence.

05/OUR 2014ACHIEVEMENTS

In addi t ion to cont inuing the projects ment ioned ear l ier in th is report and the new projectsestablished, following are the most noteworthy of our activities.

26 Akshy

OUR 2014 ACHIEVEMENTS

The Sewing Center

D o n a t i o n s b y t h e BoutiqueAtelier for the f inancing of thiscentre.

50 women have completed the 6months course during this year and a new "advanced" courseb e g a n , g i v i n g w o m e n t h ep o s s i b i l i t y t o l e a r n n e wtechniques and improve on theprevious year in order to makeother garments which may bringthem financial profit.

T h e p u r c h a s e o f a sewingmachine for a woman who cannow provide for her children byher sewing work, thanks to theLux Mundi association.

Medical Care

We have taken care of al l thech i l d r en i n t h e p r ima r y andsecondary schools as well as theold and disabled giv ing themfirst aid and paying special istdoctors.

W e h a v e p r o v i d e d vitamincomplexes for 191 ch i ldren inour primary schools to alleviateunder­nourishment and anemiain our pupils as well as to avoidfuture illness.

All the primary school childrenhave been vaccinated againstchicken pox.

Specialized medical attention foran o ld lady who had suf feredserious burns.

Vaccination against Hepatitis Bfor our primary and secondarys c h o o l c h i l d r e n a n d t h e i rteachers ­ a total of 223 persons.

Our boys and gir ls have takenanti­parasite t a b l e t s o n t w ooccasions this year to cure gastro­intestinal problems.

A n appendicitis opera t ion fo rone girl student.

"50 womenhave completedthe sewingcourse duringthis year"

Akshy 27

OUR 2014 ACHIEVEMENTS

Akshay School

We admitted 30 ch i ld ren w i thages between 4 and 5 years oldin our pre­nursery B Group at thestart of the new school year i nApril.

Kamal Infant Centre

Classes in the Kamal schoolwe r e h e l d i n t h e v i l l a g e ´ scommunity bui ld ing and werebeing constantly interrupted. Th i s yea r we ren ted a smallbuilding with two rooms for theschool so

pupils can study in peace.

A f u r t h e r 2 0 untouchablechi ldren were admi t ted toth i s schoo l thanks to thesupport of Condor Blanco o fChile.

We distributed uniforms t o40 ch i l d ren i n t he Kama lschool.

"20 new pupilsare enrolled inKamal InfantCentre"

Akshy28

OUR 2014 ACHIEVEMENTS

Social Programme

We obtained pension books so10 old ladies could col lect apension.

A self­defense c o u r s e w a sim p a r t e d t o 2 5 w ome n t oprotect them and increase theirself­confidence, establishing amutual support group for helpthrough feelings of unity.

Talks with young girls on theirproblems.

W e o b t a i n e d a d i s a b l e dpens ion book and care a n dc o n t i n u e d p h y s i o t h e r a p ytreatment for this person for 5months.

Talks in the villages to the dalitcommunities on their rights ascitizens to avoid them beingtrodden upon and cheated.

The Construction of WaterPumps

A new water pump was built inthe vi l lage of Nautapur where80 people had to share onep um p . T h i s n e w o n e w i l lguarantee drinking water andclean water for cooking andw a s h i n g . T h a n k s t o t h edonation of Zahara Susi and family.

"A self­defensecourse was imparted

to 25 women toprotect them and

increase their self­confidance"

Akshy 29

"Dada­Dadi": aid for theold and disabled

We bu i l t a hut for Upendraa n d Gaha n i , a d i s a b l e dcoup le who had no homeand lived without a roof overtheir heads.

T h e roofs o f f o u r h u t sbelonging to old or disabledpersons were repaired w i t hnew materials and straw.

We gave "chapoys" (Indianbeds) to all individuals in thisprogramme so that they dono t have t o s l eep on t heground.

W e p r e s e n t e d saris t ow om e n a n d c lo thes ands h i r t s t o m e n o n t w ooccasions.

Blankets were handed out inwinter.

OUR 2014 ACHIEVEMENTSPhoto Gallery

Akshy30

06/ORIGIN Y DESTINATIONOF RESOURCES

31Akshy

07/PUBLICITY ANDAWARENESS

We have various promotional activities directed towards the different types of public (from children toadults) aimed at making them aware of the needs of the poorer countries.

We propose alternatives for reconsidering and contemplating generosity and compassion andstimulating a social and humane conscience. We give talks on the present and historic situation ofIndia as also on the particular needs of Amwan and its community. We do this in order to havechildren and adults become more aware of the importance of the most universal of human values:education and respect.

To carry out this work of awareness and information we organize presentations and workshops i nvarious scenarios (town halls, universities, companies, yoga centres, etc.), prepare reunions in privatehouses, hold photography exhibitions on Akshy and India´s reality, arrange charity concerts andsuppers in the houses of friends, take part in different solidarity fairs and give interviews on the radio,all aimed at making the general public more aware of what happens "there" with a better life "here".

32 Akshy

PUBLICITY AND AWARENESSEvents held in 2014Cultural Events

W e h e l d a photographyexhibition w i t h p h o t o s b yLaurence Toussa in t i n theCasa de Cultura in Alcala deHena r e s and t h e Pa l a z zoReale in Madrid, the latter witht h e C o l l a b o r a t i o n o f t h eFundacion Reale. The photosshow the different projects wea r e p r e s e n t l y w o r k i n go n . C e r t a i n p r e s s m e d i areported on our exhibition andinterviews.

An audiovisual exhibition andtalk was given by Isabel Porresi n t h e CEIP Col lege SanLorenzo Ezcaray, in Logroñoon the l i fe of the chi ldren ofour Association.

A solidarity performance wasgiven by the Rusiñol TheatreGroup in the Catalan Circle.

Conferences

A presentation o f o u rAssociation was also held int h e Eco l e M a t e r n e l l eFrancaise Pomme d´Api, aFrench nursery school. Ourvo lunteers Ana, Debla andJorge brought the two culturest o g e t h e r b y s h ow i n g t h echildren in the French nurseryschool how ch i ld ren l i ve inIndia.

We took part in a round tablediscussion e n t i t l e d "Infancyand Human Rights in India"organ ized by Ind ia House ,Valladolid, together with theVicente Ferrer Foundation andt h e C o l o u r s o f C a l c u t t aFoundation.

Press

Fundación Reale Interview

Festivals

W e t o o k p a r t i n t h eBollymadrid Festival i nMadrid (a festival of Indiancu l t u r e ) , whe r e we ga ve i n f o r m a t i o n o n o u rAssociation and projects.

W e p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h eSolidaritySaturday organized by theExcel lent Town Counci l ofSan Lorenzo de El Escorial,offering information on ourprojects and new plans.

Others

Isabel and Ana made certaintrinkets to sell among friendsand family, their profits goingt owa rd s t h e pu r chase o fteaching materials f o r t h eschools. Isabel and Iani rea lso d id voluntary work i nIndia, supporting the teachersin our pr imary school wi thn e w m e t h o d o l o g y a n dphysical education activities.

Giv ing Presents of yourPresents is how Thiago gaveh i s p r e s e n t s , m a k i n g i tpossib le for 29 chi ldren inInd ia to have je rseys andscarves for winter.

A charity dinner i n t h eEcocen t r o Res t au r an t i nMadrid.

L a u r e n c e a n d I s a b e lcollaborated with their workon a fabulous photographicfile on our different projectsfor showing at exhibit ions. They also did a number ofvideos of the projects whichh a v e b e e n u p l o a d e d o nYoutube and Akshy´s website.

T h e veterinary scientistsDiki and Kathleen gave a talki n t he Akshay Schoo l on"Compassion for Animals".

33Akshy

Thanks for support us We wish to offer our gratitude to all the sponsors, members, supporters, companies, associations andfriends of the Akshy Association who have taken part with their generous help in the different projectswhich were carried out during 2014. In the month of December 2014 the Akshy Association had 201sponsors and members.

Businesses, supporting associations and private persons:

Fundacion Reale (Madrid) collaborating in our projects for Nutrition, School Revision and

Support, Care for the Old and Disabled (Dada­Dadi), House of Shelter and Sewing Workshop.

Atelier Concept (Madrid) collaborating with the Sewing Centre "Women United"

Condor Blanco Association in Chile, collaborating with the Kamal Infant Centre

Eirene Editorial, Ecus Education in Madrid and Lux Mundi in Malaga, collaborating in

various of our Association´s projects

Antonio Viñuela Alonso and Fernando Estevez collaborating in our Health Care and

Prevention Project

Zahara Susi and family collaborating with the photographic archive and project videos

Other supporters: Asociacion Cultural Tierno Galvan, Rotary Club Uruvela, Town Hall of San

Lorenzo de El Escorial, helping and taking a part in different events

34 Akshy

08/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SUPPORTERS

Akshy 35

Office in Spain:

Asociación Akshy

Patriarca San José, 2bis­1ºD. 28200. San Lorenzo deEl Escorial, Madrid

Telephones: 91 2420721 / 619792834

Office in India:

Akshy Educational Centre Amwan Village

Bodhgaya. 824231 Distt. Gaya. Bihar

Telephones: +919771531061 / 8521156842

www.akshy.org

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Asociación­AKSHY/122724824406799

https://twitter.com/akshyindia

https://plus.google.com/108274196779543499617