Images of India 2008
Saturday, November 8th, 2008, 7-9pm International House Auditorium
Asha for Education, Berkeley presents the 18th Annual Images of India, an evening of music and dance showcasing the richness, depth and diversity of Indian culture. Images of India has become a legacy and well-known in the Bay Area for Indian ethnic and folk music and classical dance forms presented by some of the finest talent in this region.
Images of India (IOI) is Asha Berkeley’s biggest fund raising event and we typically raise over $10,000, which is used entirely to support education of poor children in India. Asha-Berkeley is currently supporting 7 projects in India and disburses more than $30,000 each year. As in the past, the diverse projects supported by Asha-Berkeley mainly belong to most neglected parts of India. The impact made by Asha-Berkeley is evident from the success of projects such as Sahyog, which is located in slums of Mumbai. Since its inception, Sahyog has expanded into three core programs: 'Sahyog School Without Walls’ is aimed at providing education for out of school adolescent girls, Sahyog Sangarsh is community based rehabilitation and training program and Sahyog Ekta aims at providing basic health in the community. Another project, AHEAD, is a school in Kolkata, working for the education and rehabilitation of children who have severe mental disabilities or are autistic and are also economically challenged. Asha-Berkeley also supports the ARPAN Society, an NGO based in Bhopal, which runs Awantika Vidya Bhawan, a K-8 school that specifically targets the children of farmers and laborers in the region. Asha-Berkeley also works with several NGOs in influencing government policies related to education such as RTE bill. Thus, Asha-Berkeley continues to provide opportunities for education and growth to children with physical, economic and social challenges.
For more than a decade, Asha for Education has managed to live up to the dreams of its founders and demonstrated that it is possible for a few dedicated individuals to improve the lives of many others to a great extent, and make the world a better place to live in. Our success is evident from the studies of Charity Navigator, an independent organization evaluating the performance of more than 5000 charities world wide, has ranked us the Best Charity in the world. If you like to know more about our activities and ways you can help, please follow this link. Your help and constant encouragement has played a significant role in realizing our goals and we certainly hope would continue doing so in the future.