Ekya Open House 2007

June 28, 2007

Informational Meeting

Contents

Section 1 Introduction to Ekya

Section 2 Representative Projects

Section 3 Proposed Activities

Section 4 Help Wanted!

Section 5 Next Steps

Introduction to Ekya

Section 1


What is Ekya?

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Ekya is a non-profit organization that is focused on the eradication of poverty and the promotion of literacy both locally and abroad

Ekya’s goal is to create, foster and expand relationships between civic-minded individuals and grassroots projects in Chicago and India, with the broader goal of funding projects throughout the world

Ekya means unity or oneness in Hindi

– Our goal is to embrace the idea that everyone, regardless of race, sex, or religion are equally treated and all human lives are valued

– We seek to improve the welfare of all individuals

Ekya will provide a forum for discussion and member education – to better understand the issues that are facing the World today

We aim to utilize the professional talents of our volunteer base to minimize administrative costs in order to insure that the maximum amount of donated monies will be used to fund projects

– All legal filings to be done by a volunteer who is an attorney on a pro bono basis

– Website was created by a volunteer who is a website developer at no charge

– Ekya’s logo was created by a volunteer who is a graphic designer for no fee

Ekya’s mission is to provide civic-minded, young professionals an effective and fun way to effectively donate time and money to projects that make a positive impact in our community


Why is there a need for an organization such as Ekya?

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Poverty is all around us - we want to provide a fun, effective, and easy way to help

India:

India is home to the largest population of people living under the poverty line in the world - 350-400 million out of the country’s nearly 1 billion inhabitants are currently living below the poverty line

One of the main causes of poverty is illiteracy - more than 40% of India’s population is illiterate, with women particularly affected (less than 50% of the country's females are literate)

47% of Indian children under the age of five are either malnourished or stunted

Only 10% of the entire Indian labor force works in the formal economy - of these fewer than half are in the private sector

The enrollment of 6-15 year olds in school has actually declined in recent years. Almost 40 million children who are supposed to be in school are not

Approximately 20% of India’s population is chronically hungry and approximately 50% of the world's hungry live in India

India has more people with HIV than any other country

Almost 25% of India’s population lives on less than $1 a day

Chicago:

1/3 of all Chicago area children live in poverty

Demand at food pantries in Chicago has tripled since 1996


The Power of ONE

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The world is full of examples of individuals making big impacts on the world around them:

Rosa Parks – December 1, 1955 (Alabama)

Mahatma Gandhi – March 12, 1930 (India)

Mother Teresa – September 10, 1946 (India)

Tiananmen Square (“Tank Man”) – June 5, 1989 (China)

Harriet Tubman – Underground Railroad, her achievements are celebrated in the U.S. annually every March 10th

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does” – Margaret Mead


The Ekya Difference

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There are countless organizations that exist to attempt to better society in many different ways, so what makes Ekya different?

Direct, low overhead, funding:

Little or no overhead between donated/raised monies and disbursements

Member Education:

We realize that we all have a lot to learn – by building contacts both here and abroad, we plan on continuously providing opportunities for members to listen and learn

Young Organization:

Only our guiding principles have been laid out – this is an opportunity for all of us to shape this into something that can really make a difference in the life of others (The Power of One)

No Affiliations:

We are a non-profit, secular, non-partisan organization - there are no hidden agendas

Representative Projects

Section 2


We aim to provide aid to organizations that are both accountable and transparent

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There are many current obstacles currently regarding service funding in India. Some of these obstacles include:

– Ambitious expectations, complex scales, activity diversity, vague objectives, incorrect tools of use, absence of baseline information, and absence of adequate monitoring systems.

– These obstacles are further complicated by corruption, misappropriation of funds, varying reasons for service, politics, language, racial, and religious racism (Source: Davies’ Monitoring and Evaluating NGO Achievements)

Ways to overcome these obstacles

– Personal experience

– Literature review

– Thorough evaluations

– Survey to be compiled pending lit review

Goal of project funding - while we recognize the cultural difference between the U.S. and Indian service sectors, we look to fund projects with our values and beliefs:

– Secular

– Apolitical

– Education, health, economic development sectors

Key to project funding via research and literature review:

– Accountability

– Transparency


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Local Examples that Ekya members have worked with:

Education:

Mahnav Sadhna (Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India)

– Continues to support and empower slum children

– 15 youth created Ekta and traveled the world spreading the message of empowerment and non-violence

Healthcare:

Sewa Rural (Jaghadeeya, Gujarat, India)

– Continues to support and heal the underprivileged

– Started by 3 India-born, US-trained physicians, every year, they see over 65,000 outpatients, 7,000 inpatients, deliver over 1,000 babies, and perform more than 7,500 operations.

Economic Development:

Magic Bus (Mumbai, MH, India)

– Continues to provide an outlet to impoverished street children and women

– Since 2001, they have allowed 3,500 women and children opportunities that would have seemed impossible

Proposed Activities

Section 3

Fundraising/Social Activities

Local Community Service Events

Proposed Activities

It’s not just about writing checks…

Fellowship Program

Invite speakers to address organization to increase awareness about important issues in health, education, politics, and other topics

1st speaker scheduled for July/August

Other ideas include a NGO panel, Movie Screenings, Book Readings, etc.

Monthly Speaker Series/Other Awareness Events

Mobilize Ekya members to participate in local community events:

– Chicago Cares

– Chicago Food Depository

– Literacy Chicago

– Chicago HOPES

– Horizons for Youth

1st community service event planned at the Chicago Food Depository planned for July 14, 2007 from 1pm-4pm

Bowl-a-thons

Concerts

Bar Events (flip cup tournament, dart tournament, etc.)

Casino Nights

Comedy Shows

Movie Nights

Book Club

Opportunity to sponsor individuals who desire to make a direct impact by taking a leadership position and role in India’s development

Current goal is to be able to sponsor 1-2 fellows per year in a variety of disciplines including medicine, education, and economic development

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Help Wanted!

Section 4

Help Wanted!

Marketing Committee

•Planning and executing fundraising activities

•Design of marketing documents to spread awareness of the Ekya organization

•Public relations

Outreach Committee•Project evaluation and

selection•Organization of monthly

speaker series and other awareness events

•Creation and oversight of fellowship program

Operations Committee

• Legal

•Finance

•Web design and programming

•General Management

“Be the Change that You Want to See in the World” – Mahatma Gandhi

Ekya is a new organization – we need help!

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More information

Contact Information

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General Inquiries: [email protected]

Project/Outreach: [email protected]

Service Events: [email protected]

Speaker Series: [email protected]

Legal Questions: [email protected]

Ekya Open House 2007

Education

Transcript of Ekya Open House 2007