Bandhava
NAMARUPA BHANDAVA is helping KASHIKA educate poor children in Himalayan villages by building a community center and school. Namarupa’s initial donation of $18,000.00 has gone to lay the foundation, level the steep hillside, and build retaining walls. We have helped design a two-story community center which is in keeping with local and traditional buildings. Ram Chaitanya is working hard to make this dream come true. For this, more funds are needed. To help raise the needed money, Namarupa has created a special offer. You can Go to our STORE to buy downloadable digital files all the issues we have ever published—29 beautiful magazines— for only $108.00! All the proceeds will go to Kashika. You will have a full library of every Namarupa Issue published to date— Issues 1 through 27 plus 2 special issues, all filled with informative articles and astounding images.
If you would just like to make a donation instead: In India please donate directly to:
“Kashika” State Bank of India, Bhatwari Account No. 33489184123 IFSC Code SB1N0002316
Pan : AACTK3237D *Registered under Indian Trust Act* KASHIKA,
Sanglai (Tihar), P.0- Gangnani, Bhatwari, Uttarkashi Uttarakhand – 249135
Outside of India please donate via PayPal button below:
Scroll down this page to see photos.
EXPLORE WITH NAMARUPA BHANDAVA – Latest photos in the STILL gallery here
The EVERY NAMARUPA EVER campaign raised a whopping $4710.00 and today (May 18, 2017) we are overjoyed to send it to KASHIKA to help educate poor children in Himalayan villages by building a community center and school. Thank you everyone and we hope you enjoy reading all your NAMARUPA issues published to date. You did it!
Thank you and very best wishes,
Ram Chaitanya directing a backhoe on site after the spring thaw.
“NAMARUPA sends $18,000.00 to KASHIKA to help children in the Himalayas get an education.
“We are very happy and grateful to receive the support of your organization Namarupa for our seva for the poor of the Himalayas. We consider this a blessing of Ma Ganga that people such as yourself are providing a helping hand for Kashika.” Ram Chaitanya, KASHIKA. Scroll down and learn more…
KASHIKA has a dream to improve the quality of basic education in the remotest comers of Himalaya. Our vision is to build necessary infrastructure, engage good teachers and impart quality education in those areas where it is non-existent. We started this endeavour in Uttarakhand after the devastating floods of 2013 where life had come to absolute halt. After realizing that silent victims of that disaster were kids, we tried to help their families and support their education. Currently we are running tuition centres, computer centres and libraries to supplement their formal education. Motivation While working with children for a long time, we have witnessed many gaps in formal education provided by government run institutions. Most schools work in dilapidated buildings with few teachers and few amenities. Most teachers, often intimidated by wild terrain and difficult living conditions choose to avoid rigorous tenure by seeking transfers once they are posted. And some of them choose not to serve by engaging in absenteeism. Many similar problems obviously reflect upon children’s education and there are serious gaps in the education levels while comparing with students from other urban areas. Also there are many dropouts among children especially girls due to lack of toilets in government schools. These appalling standards in government run educational institutions are prime reasons of backwardness and unemployment in those regions.
Ram Chaitanya works incredibly hard to make this dream come true. He needs your help. Please donate generously.
Kashika has identified a location at Jaspoor, 68 km away from Uttarkashi on Uttarkashi – Gangotri Highway. This location is closer to Indo -Tibetan border and will be at the vicinity of seven villages covering around 900 families. These families are essentially from poor and lower middle class farmers. Kashika Trust is in possession of 1640 sq meters of land which will be used only for building school and associated amenities. Considering difficult terrain, Kashika intends to build basic lodging facilities for children and teachers. School We intend to build a primary school with 6 class rooms with community hall, kitchen, library, residential quarters, toilets, administrative office, and some sports facilities. Initially plan is to have classes from 1-4 and then scaling gradually up to 6th standard. Along with the best infrastructure, Kashika aims to engage teaching talents for the school. Teachers will be selected after rigorous selection process and will be continuously trained and evaluated.
Swami Kashi, Robert Moses, Swami Govindanandaji, Radha-kunda das and Ram Chaitanya on site of the future Kashi Community Center
Proposed Kashi Community Center: Ground Floor Plan
Proposed Kashi Community Center: Upper Floor Plan
Proposed Kashi Community Center: North East Elevation
In India please donate directly to:
“Kashika” State Bank of India, Bhatwari Account No. 33489184123 IFSC Code SB1N0002316
Pan : AACTK3237D *Registered under Indian Trust Act* KASHIKA,
Sanglai (Tihar), P.0- Gangnani, Bhatwari, Uttarkashi Uttarakhand – 249135
Outside of India please donate via PayPal button below:
Swami Janardhananda put us in touch with Ramchaitanya who sent us this email on February 7, 2016.
Please watch this VIDEO in full to understand the educational and relief work being done.
VIDEO: LUCI LIGHTS Heart-warming scenes from a volunteer flood relief trip to Ravada Village in India as shot by Eastern Mountain Sports photographer and videographer, Robert Moses. Thanks to a generous donation of solar-powered lamps, school children can do their homework whenever they want, not just when there’s daylight.
ON JUNE 16, 2013 DISASTER STRUCK IN UTTARAKHAND!
An early monsoon brought days of torrential rain, bursting dams, landslides and floods. To date the death toll is well over a thousand with many still missing. Whole villages washed away. Places that had existed for hundreds of years gone without a trace. Those who had not perished were left with the shreds of the clothes they were standing in. The papers have been filled with stories of the disaster and survivors are trickling home with harrowing tales. Much has been written about the terrible plight of the many pilgrims in the area.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE VILLAGERS AND HOW WE CAN HELP?
It is all very well to send some money and relief supplies after a tragedy on the scale of these floods. But what happens after that? What happens to the inhabitants of a village that has been cleared off the map? What happens to the children How do people pick up and resume their lives? Actions taken by people in far away places, leading to global warming, combined with local activities spurred by greed and hunger for power conspired suddenly in devastation. Local inhabitants had by and large been protesting against the construction of dams for years but their voices had gone unheeded. Now suddenly they were bearing the major brunt of this calamity. A group of small organizations (see below) has banded together to help with long term aid.
DONATIONS BY CHECK can be sent to:
Namarupa Bhandava
P.O. Box 271, Dublin, NH 03444 USA
DONATIONS WITHIN INDIA – PLEASE GO HERE
http://www.somashram.in/contribute.htm Tax exempt in India
THE ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN THIS AID EFFORT ARE:
NAMARUPA BANDHAVA
KASHIKA
QUERIES: robert@namarupa.org