Miles to go before we sleep.......

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain. --- Emily Dickinson

I-Volunteer Hyderabad started on the above note to provide a meaning to .... to make a difference ....
Unbelievably, July 2007 marks 3 months since we Started I-Volunteer in Hyderabad. Looking back it seems as if we have just started, since 3 months is just a spec of time. But talk to the children of the high school or pay us a visit at our weekly meeting or least of all drop us a mail and the exuberance will tell it's tale. We started with a purpose in mind, brought together people from diverse background, age group, attitude and even perceptions of community service but having one thing in common: vision to make a positive contribution to society. The amalgamation has been phenomenal; we put in the best ingredients and got the best results, a group that has started ….

We started on a concept of providing help to any kind of community service that has bottlenecks due to lack of volunteers. Gradually we initiated contacts with some NGOs to take tasks on our own and in this process we came in contact with 'Naandi Foundation'. Naandi is an N.G.O working in varied fields from child education, nutritional programs, women empowerment to areas as diverse as water harvesting and safe drinking water project. Naandi provided us the ideal vehicle to do just that, but not before we had surveyed other possible avenues. I-Volunteer and Naandi has come together to share this common vision that ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’

I-Volunteer and Naandi are working together to create and prove the underprivileged access to opportunities in Education, Health and Livelihood - the three main factors that cause poverty when not accessible. To make this dream come true we are working directly with the communities at the grassroots level, which includes active and consistent participation of members of the community we are working for.

We have planned to accomplish 2-3 tasks simultaneously in the short run: These include

1. Improving Board exam results in govt. schools in Hyderabad

2. Mentoring underprivileged children.

3. Women empowerment

We have divided our small team into groups and started working upon these aforesaid tasks. But for bringing the vision into reality we need some enthusiastic volunteers in our group.

This short span of 3 months has been an incredible period in many ways and we feel privileged to have participated in the growth of the volunteer field. The progress has been inspiring and rewarding, if also at times frustrating and maddening. But it has never, ever been dull! And we look forward to what may lie around the next bend of this ongoing, curvy, up and down road.

I-Volunteer, a helping hand.

NICE FOUNDATION

Life goes on and on and on………….. and on!

Life cannot be more cruel........ For Kodi Bhaskar, a lad in his teens has suffered more than his lifetime and still the life for him goes on.

Bhaskar, born to a poor family of six, whose family migrated 17 yrs back to the city of Hyderabad expecting a fortune-of-good ended up in a story of mystery, misery and sorrow. Venaktaiah, a plumber by profession and Anjamma, a housewife, parents of Bhaskar died four years back – they both were tested positive for HIV. His youngest brother who too acquired HIV, died last year; but luck favoured Bhaskar, he was tested negative.
Bhaskar now survived by his two sisters and old grandmother; elder sister, Bagya, has got married and younger sister Bargavi is in class IV. Both, Bhaskar and sister Bargavi, stay in govt hostel and visit grandma’s place during school holidays.

Bhaskar has multiple congenital defects which are medically termed as microtia of right ear, right facial palsy and polydactyly of both upper and lower limbs that means, he has a deformed right ear pinnae and is partially deaf from his right ear, his hands and legs have six digits each and hence makes his life miserable. He does not get shoes that fit into his feet and he finds it difficult to hold things with his hands due to the additional fingers he has got, but with all this still life for him goes on.

Bhaskar, student of class VII at Govt High School Kulsumpura, is very fond of school and is one of the most regular students. He visited the school OP for getting his corrective surgery done and the doctors has referred him to the Base Hospital. Doctors after conducting several investigations along with other specialist surgeons have allotted date for his corrective surgery.


Hope the corrective surgery shall offer something to look upon and live…………for little Bhaskar!!!

NICE FOUNDATION