The Beacon

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From the Editor’s desk

Dear Beacon Readers,

New Beginnings in the New Year!  We are glad to bring you a guest editorial by Sreedhara Alavattam, in-coming coordinator of the CA chapter.  We also take this moment to acknowledge the tireless work of Rajesh Chandran & Rajesh Rajamani, the outgoing coordinators of DC & CA chapters respectively.  There efforts have positioned ILP-US for bigger & better things in the immediate and long-term future.

Over 4 years of non-stop action by people on the ground & ILP volunteers and the passionate support of donors have brought 100% literacy to Yallandur Taluk in Karnataka – the first integrated total literacy model supported & developed by ILP in partnership with Karuna Trust.  The project Focus section of this edition of The Beacon is a summary of the program, the challenges faced and the innovative solutions developed to reach the 100% literacy goal.

Such mass-scale programs are not possible without commensurate fundraising efforts.  Ten Dollars for Literacy, called TDL in short, is such an effort.  While the moniker may be short, the potential of the program or the hard work of the volunteers promoting the program are anything, but.

Thank you for your continued support to the cause of literacy in India

Regards,

The Editor

Guest Editorial

As another year becomes a memory and forges way to a new one, let us take a moment to give kudos to our volunteers without whose passion 2006 would not have been the exciting year it was. During the past year ILP has made progress on many fronts, especially on the ground in projects such as Paraspara, Puraskara, Kalike and the Integrated Literacy Project by Karuna Trust. Important projects were launched in the tsunami affected regions in Tamil Nadu, and advocacy efforts for the Right to Education Bill were put forward. During the past year ILP-CA chapter was very fortunate to have Dr. Sudharshan of Karuna Trust and Ms. Inderjit Khurana of Ruchika Social Service Organization as distinguished guests at various events.

A successful year such as 2006 is a hard act to follow, but we at ILP believe that bigger and better things are truly within our realm. We have challenged ourselves in 2007 to raise almost twice our budget as in 2006. This reflects in the ILP vision to have a fully literate India in our lifetimes.

We need to take pride in our achievements and look forward to managing new challenges. At the same time we need to focus on our core strengths – the dauntless ILP volunteers, both in India and in the US. Every step we take to remove illiteracy will be a giant step towards empowering families to lead a successful and meaningful life.

Sincerely hoping to have your support every step of the way.

Sreedhara Alavattam

ILP-CA Chapter Coordinator

Ten Dollars is all it takes – A TDL Program Overview

Subhash Pochareddy

India Literacy Project launched the “Ten Dollars for Literacy (TDL)” (www.tendollarsforliteracy.org) program in December 2006.  “Why a special program? Are you strapped for funds?” was one prospective donor’s question. As the volunteers at ILP start generating increasing levels of excitement around this program all over the United States, this question creates a great segue to elaborate on the concept of the TDL program.

Having worked on successful projects in India for the past 16 years, ILP has gained the experience to understand what it takes financially & programmatically to support literacy projects in India. And when we knew that all it takes to educate a mother and a child in India is for someone to donate $10 per month for one year, the TDL program was a natural consequence. TDL simply explains the power of every individual to have an impact on many lives in India.

While the Indian government had allocated ~$4Billion dollars for education in 2006-07, educationists and economists claim twice as much is needed.  While continuing its advocacy efforts to increase the education budget by the Central Government, ILP has embarked on raising funds to increase the effective utilization of funds already allocated in the pursuit to make India 100% literate.  With nearly 70 contributors signing up for TDL in a little over a month, this program is already proving that many Indians living in America are taking up the cudgels to chip away at that unwanted malady called illiteracy. We are looking forward to more people supporting the cause of literacy in India through the TDL program to make literacy a people’s movement!

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