NGO: Janaagraha Center for Citizenship & Democracy

NGO: Janaagraha Center for Citizenship & Democracy

Janaagraha was co-founded by Swati and Ramesh Ramanathan in 2001, who returned back to India from the United States with a dream to improve urban living. This organization focuses on pan-India campaigns encouraging Indians to implement social changes in their local urban communities by enabling citizen participation in public governance. Janaagraha’s web-based and physical campaigns target youths and everyday people to make necessary changes, rather than accept many institutional realities, like corruption. Today, Janaagraha has grown into one of the leading institutions for systematic urban change in India.

IDRF partner since: 2012

I Paid A Bribe: became a very popular pan-India campaign that encouraged Indians to engage in a dialogue regarding their everyday and institutional experiences with corruption in India. Janaagraha’s I Paid A Bribe campaign is largely web-based and focuses on educating the public on ways to move beyond corruption as a form of interaction, commerce, etc. This campaign became so popular that, NGOs and government agencies from at least 17 countries had contacted Janaagraha to ask about obtaining the source code and setting up a site of their own.

I Change My City: is another web-based governance campaign that gives locals an opportunity to file grievances regarding institutional failures that have impacted their daily lives. This campaign provides advocacy and training resources to empower several local communities and has led to greater governmental transparency on both the local and national levels.

IDRF is continuing its mission of good-governance with Janaagraha to improve quality of life in urban centers through citizen empowerment. The success of this mission requires a multilevel approach that brings together school childrencorporate employees and heads of urban local bodies by launching the following campaigns under civil learning and civil participation:

Bala Janaagraha: is a civic learning program that aims to transform today’s children into informed, responsible and active citizens that focus on addressing local civic issues. The program covered over 40,000 eighth grade students across 527 schools in 25 cities of India.

Imatter: is an innovative civic learning intervention for corporate employees. It intends to increase citizen participation in local governance through civic awareness. This program has reached 114 employees from 9 corporates and has received widespread support and recognition.

Community policing: a civil participation campaign, was launched in 2013 by the Bengaluru City Police in partnership with Janaagraha to enhance neighborhood safety and security perceptions through police-public partnership. This program has reached 236,882 citizens through various platforms of citizen interfacing with the police, like awareness programs and activity campaigns.

Janagraaha has been approached by NITI Aayog,* the think tank of the Government of India to seek their help and support in drafting the ‘15 year Urban Vision Document’, that will be accompanied by a ‘7 year Strategy’ and a ‘3 year Action Plan’.  I Change My City – the world’s largest online hyper local civic change platform was approached by the Swachh Bharat Mission, Ministry of Urban Development to launch “Swachhata Solutions” a 4th Generation Complaint Redressal mobile platform, to fulfil the key Swacch Bharat Mission objectives of a Clean India. The MOU with the Mission mandated Janaagraha to develop, host and maintain Swachhata Apps in 4,041Cities and Towns across India.   Swachhata App was launched in August, 2016 and in a span of 10 months able to have on board 1,405 cities, with one million plus registered users, and, more than 6 million complaints.

Student Participants of Bala Janaagraha

Co-founder Swati Ramanathan at the Community Policing Campaign Launch

Swachhata App

New Swachhata App Helped a Citizen Get Rid of a Garbage Dump in His Area in Just a Few Hours

*NITI Aayog (National Institute for Transforming India) Government of India. http://niti.gov.in/

Please click on the links to learn more about Janaagraha’s various campaigns launched in pan-India.

http://www.janaagraha.org/about-us/, http://www.ipaidabribe.com/#gsc.tab=0, www.ichangemycity.com ,
http://swachh.city/

NGO: World Teacher Trust (WTT)

NGO: World Teacher Trust (WTT)

The World Teacher Trust (WTT), is an organization inspired by the life and teachings of Dr. Ekkirala Krishnamacharya and founded in 1971. WTT collaborates with social and cultural organization to promote education, alleviate human suffering, and improve the general welfare of the disadvantaged. It also promotes ancient Indian culture and upholds traditional values relating to human society. The groups associated with WTT comprise members from all walks of life and are spread all over the planet. The various groups function with the main idea of goodwill in the different fields of life.

IDRF partner since: 2010

Free medical care provided to poor and needy people

Homoeopathic Dispensary in Vishakhapatnam

Please click on the link to learn more about the Homoeopathic and Medical services provided in India by World Teacher Trust.
http://www.worldteachertrust.org/en/web/service/healing/homoeo_services_in_india

NGO: Vivekananda Kendra

NGO: Vivekananda Kendra

Vivekananda Kendra is a pan-India organization working for the overall advancement of marginalized communities.

IDRF partner since: 2000

 

Mobile Clinic, OPD Path-lab

IDRF has been supporting mobile medical clinics over the past two decades, in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The latest medical van was inaugurated in July 2014, in order to continue serving the medical needs of over 50,000 marginalized people from 35-40 of the most remote villages across Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The van is used for free medical care for these villages, as well as conducting free medical camps several times a year. With the new van, the medical team is trying to reach out to even more remote villages, along the Indo-Myanmar borders of Arunachal Pradesh.

Within one year of getting the new van,  the team was able to achieve tremendous success in conducting the following activities: 62 Medical camps benefitting 6,400 people; 69 basic health camps by health workers benefitting 1200 people; health workers’ orientation and training programs for 15 workers; 22 School Outreach Programs; village visits, malaria tests, administering deworming medicines to children and medicines for various ailments distribution by health workers; health awareness meetings benefitting more than 5,500 people; eye camps to detect cataract and glaucoma for 241 people and operating 13 patients so far, and dental camps to treat 103 patients.

Since then the mobile medical van has been regularly able to visit more remotely situated villages and offer medical services to the poor and impoverished villagers. These achievements have been highly commendable because of the tough geographical conditions of this area. Due to heavy landslides some of the roads are closed for several months and the health workers have to visit the villages on foot to provide basic medicines to the patients.

The medical needs of this region have been so dire, that IDRF established a new program called Rural Area Medical Aid (RAMA), whereby, medical doctors in the United States, donate $1,000/year to cover the annual operating costs of the van.  IDRF is also working with them to make the program sustainable by charging nominal fees for medical services provided. Two members of IDRF’s RAMA group have also served in a free surgical camp organized at Tinsukia in Assam. These doctors made use of the IDRF van to serve the patients in the area, but faced acute scarcity of diagnostic equipment and instruments. The experience of these doctors has inspired IDRF to raise $ 55,000 to support a fixed location OPD-path lab with modern medical equipment, in Tinsukia.

Medical Camps organized by Vivekananda Kendra in Arunachal Pradesh

IDRF funded Mobile Medical Clinic

Donor and Volunteer Testimonial:

Dr. Arti Gehani, is a member of IDRF’s RAMA group and has served in a free surgical camp jointly sponsored by Vivekananda Kendra and other organizations in Arunachal Pradesh. According to Arti, “As physicians, it was joyful to share our skills, but it was also very difficult and frustrating due to lack of medical equipment. Despite the challenges, the experience was wonderful but heartbreaking at the same time. The people were humble and kind and very grateful for our services. I believe that I gained much more from this experience than the patients did”.

Please click on the web link given below to get more information on Vivekananda Kendra.
http://www.vivekanandakendra.org/

NGO: Sri Ram Grameen Kshetra Vikas Samiti

NGO: Sri Ram Grameen Kshetra Vikas Samiti

Sri Ram Grameen Kshetra Vikas Samiti provides a hospital with low-cost but- quality medical access for the population of villages around Nagauri, Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh.

IDRF partner since: 2008

Mrs. Saraswati Jain attending to a leprosy patient

NGO: Sree Kasturibai Mahila Samajam

NGO: Sree Kasturibai Mahila Samajam

Background:

A social service organization founded by the renowned scholar Swamini Lalitananda, Sree Kasturibai Mahila Samajam provides disabled, elderly, and disadvantaged people with a variety of services.

IDRF Partner Since: 2005

Focus Area: Health

Location: Andhra Pradesh

Project: Charla Susila Old Age Home

Details:

The home serves the elderly, many of whom were living in abject poverty, abandoned or abused by their families, and people who suffer from serious physical or mental illness. IDRF and Sree Katuribai Mahila Samajam provide these individuals with a comfortable living and medical care in a home-like environment.

Mrs. Saraswati Jain attending to a leprosy patient

NGO: Shyamprasad Institute for Social Service (SISS)

NGO: Shyamprasad Institute for Social Service (SISS)

Shyamprasad Institute for Social Service (SISS), is a non-profit voluntary social service and research institute established in 1999. SISS has been devising and successfully implementing programs for encouraging rural population to develop independent thinking and mutual cooperation. The organization is also committed to the holistic development of tribal villages, with a specific focus on eco-friendly development and healthcare

IDRF partner since: 2013

Village Committees were constituted in every village, and development activities were carried out through them. Some of these activities are as follows:

  • People have been encouraged to construct toilets, soak pits and motivated to adhere to maintain clean surroundings (3,205 soak pits have been completed in 25 villages).
  • Horticulture and backyard plantation has been propagated in 4,500 households.
  • Health awareness programs for women and young girls have been organized in villages and schools.
  • Eye checkup camps have also been conducted in villages and various schools.
  • Vocational training camps for unemployed youth have been organized.
  • Homeopathic medicines have been distributed to 9,500 households to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

SISS also works closely with local government bodies through co-financing and capacity building, to ensure that governments will continue this work long after SISS has left. This ensures a major multiplier effect, and sustainability of this project into the long-term.

Villagers digging soak pits

Toilets in Mutnuru village

NGO: Saraswati Jain Sewa Samiti

NGO: Saraswati Jain Sewa Samiti

Saraswati Jain Sewa Samiti, was established in 2002 by Late Shri C.L. Jain and his wife Smt. Saraswati Jain. The Sewa Samiti is a non-governmental organization based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, with a mission of helping the most impoverished and ailing members of the society, especially leprosy patients who have been shunned by the society for ages. This NGO has two distinct objectives: (i) medical help for leprosy patients, mostly abandoned by their families, at the Mahatma Gandhi Kushtha Ashram located on the outskirts of Jaipur (ii) provides food, medications, blankets and other daily items to poor patients admitted to the local government hospital (Sawai Mansingh Hospital).

IDRF partner since: 2004

Donor Testimonial:

Dr. Lucky Jain says: Few organizations, Shabnam and I know are so steeped in caring for others as is the India Development Relief Fund. Guided by the singular vision and dedication of Mr. Vinod Prakash, IDRF has created uncountable opportunities for the less fortunate. My own association with IDRF goes back for more than a decade and has steadily grown over time. IDRF has helped bring much-needed resources for sick patients at the Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur India and leprosy patients at the Mahatma Gandhi Leprosy Ashram in Jaipur……

Mrs. Saraswati Jain visiting patients at the general ward in the hospital

Mrs. Saraswati Jain attending to a leprosy patient

NGO: Sahaj Seva Samsthan

NGO: Sahaj Seva Samsthan

Sahaj Seva Samsthan (SSS) is formed by followers of a spiritual way of living propounded by Mahatma Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. This society is focused on propagating the philosophies of selfless service, sacrifice, moderation, and co-operation. They have been working on uplifting the impoverished people of Telangana by providing them low-cost or free medical care and education.

IDRF partner since: 2005

Please click to know more about Sahaj Seva Samasthan’s programs.

NGO: phect-NEPAL

NGO: phect-NEPAL

Background:

Public Health Concern Trust (phect-NEPAL) is a not-for-profit national level Nongovernment Organization (NGO) committed to health development with the overall objective of developing a model of sustainable community health care throughout rural Nepal.

IDRF Partner Since: 2012

Focus Area: Health

Location: Nepal

Project Title: Kirtipur Teaching Hospital

Details:

IDRF helped PHECT complete the construction and design of both the hospital and academic buildings at Kirtipur. Kirtipur Teaching Hospital trains skilled and compassionate doctors to serve the marginalized Nepalese populations in remote areas. PHECT is also currently working towards becoming the first environmentally sustainable hospital in Nepal.

NGO: Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan

NGO: Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan

Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan (MBUP) is a social service organization dedicated to promoting the advancement of rural women and families through education, health, justice, and economic empowerment. The educated women of Sangola, led by the town’s first woman doctor Dr. Sanjeevani Kelkar , formed Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan in 1978. MBUP employed a multi thronged approach to address the problems faced by rural women, and therefore, since inception, it worked in every possible area that could be used to reach and address the plight of these women. For example, it started pre-primary school, Self Help Groups, conducted myriad programs to create conducive environment on educational and cultural fronts

IDRF partner since: 2001

Free prenatal checkup of an expectant mother

Arogyadoot: Mobile Medical Care Project’s free checkup camp

Mobile Medical Clinic

Please click on the link to know more about Mata Balak Utkarsha Pratishathan’s programs.

http://www.matabalak.org/