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About Us
Founding
Board Members
Strategy
Sponsor List
What we do
Asha Kiran's goal is to provide children from poor or deprived families the financial aid and moral support required to
obtain their basic right to education. We firmly believe that the path to
economic independence is through education, and further, that there are many
around us who would willingly help. We aim to select suitable projects in
India that will help reach our objectives. In turn, we will provide
regular and detailed feedback to our sponsors about the effects of their
sponsorship. This can include detailed profiles of the specific children,
yearly report cards and updates about their progress and so on.
Who we are
Asha Kiran is an organization consisting purely of volunteer members who have come
together to help raise awareness of the plight of the poor in India. None of the volunteers or members are paid for their work. They have been part of the
organization as they share our guiding principle and obtain a sense of satisfaction from their work.
Our name, which means "A Ray of Hope" and is shared by our first supported
project in India, was chosen to convey the importance of an education for every
single child.
Zero administrative costs
As we have no salaried employees any minimal administrative costs are borne by members or volunteers themselves. All donations
made by sponsors go directly to deserving projects.
Founding of Asha Kiran
Founding of Asha Kiran
In 2006, Mendon, along with Prithvi Shetty, herself a sponsor of charities in
India, discussed setting up a charitable organization that would work with projects in India that are helping educate poor children.
They were joined by four other motivated and enthusiastic sponsors, Aarti Kumar, Praveen Herur, Arjun Seshadri and Varun Chandola to form
Asha Kiran in the same year. They came together in their understanding of the economic disparity in India and the need to raise awareness
among like-minded people to contribute towards alleviating it.
The founding members of Asha Kiran Inc. are also firm believers that education empowers the poor and gives them an
opportunity to break free from the cycle of poverty. They formed the board of directors, drew up the bylaws and registered the
organization in the state of Maryland and at the federal level. They successfully obtained 501c3 exempt status in November 2008.
Achievements
As of December 2009, our sponsors, 68 in number, had enabled our current project,
Asha Kiran India, to add 60 more children to their list of beneficiaries.
Asha Kiran India has now grown to cover families from Udupi(50 miles from
Mangalore), Puttur (30 miles from Mangalore), Kasargod (Kerala), New Delhi
(through Deepalaya), Bellary (Karnataka) and Rayadurga (Andhra Pradesh).
Board Members
Board Members, Officers and Volunteers
Prithvi Shetty, born 1980, is a board member and chairperson of Asha Kiran. A society without bias is her dream and she leads the Asha Kiran team in their efforts to make this a reality.
She lives and works in Boise, Idaho.
Aarti Sampath Kumar, born 1978, is a board member and holds the officer position of treasurer. A resident of Chicago, Illinois, she uses her financial acumen to handle Asha Kiran's accounts.
She is a firm believer in education, and is a big contributor to the expansion of Asha Kiran.
Arjun Seshadri, born 1979, is a board member and of website administrator. Apart from being dedicated to raising awareness, he uses his software engineering skills to manage Asha Kiran's home on the web.
Praveen Herur, born 1979, is a board member, secretary and correspondent. He uses his excellent organizational and communication skills to work with our sponsors. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
G L Y Mendon, born 1962, makes his home in Baltimore, MD, USA. His dedication to our cause and experience in its execution keep us always striving forward.
Partha Kempanna, born 1979, is a volunteer for Asha Kiran, and resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is a strong believer in social work and charity. Partha helps to manage sponsor affairs.
Strategy
Asha Kiran works towards bringing in sponsors to fund the education of poor children in India. We raise awareness and solicit funds by speaking to like-minded people and by providing information
through our website. Asha Kiran directs all its funds to deserving organizations
that meet the guidelines set forth in our bylaws. For more details on projects and selection criteria, please visit the Projects
page.
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