Spring has sprung and it means its time to dust off your saris and find your best tie because NetSAP DC’s 2008 Charity Gala is around the corner. We have chosen not two, but three worthwhile organizations to be NetSAP DC’s community partners for the year. These organizations educate and provide invaluable resources to those in need here in the US and in South Asia.

Touch India, Asha for Education, and Upakar- the Indo American Foundation will be this year’s Gala beneficiaries. Each of these organizations was chosen because they have three very different and focused mission statements. The powerful combination of these three and NetSAP DC would create the optimal machine to focus funds and energy to areas of need in our community. NetSAP DC looks forward to working intimately with Touch India, Asha for Education, and Upakar this year and we hope this is the beginning of a strong relationship.

We greatly thank our members for the nominations we received from our call for Charity Gala beneficiaries. We had a record number of 8 nominations and it shows that NetSAP DC members are highly involved and giving individuals. The NetSAP DC Board of Directors looks forward to celebrating our charity partners during this special evening!

2008 Monuments in the Moonlight Beneficiaries:

Asha for Education

Touch India

Upakar- The Indo-American Foundation

Asha for Education

Asha for Education is a secular organization dedicated to change in India by focusing on basic education in the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic change. Asha has supported over 385 projects and disbursed approximately $4 million dollars since it's inception in 1991. In 2006, we received a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator, a premier independent charity evaluator.

The DC chapter currently supports 9 projects which translates to a dollar value of approximately $75,000. Although the main focus of all our projects is education, it covers a wide audience including tribal children, children with special needs, those affected by violence in their community, slum kids and those who are socially disadvantaged. Our NGO partners also work with the communities they serve to increase awareness in areas such as Right to Education, Right to Information, eco-conservation, water harvesting, improved agricultural practices and so on. In addition, they often focus on the child and family's health and nutritional needs.

Touch India

Touch India’s long standing commitment has been to serve groups that have been deprived of opportunity – orphans, widows, victims of the caste system, and the rural poor. Initially formed as a Christian organization, Touch India has since evolved to do work among all religions, castes, and socio-economic groups in the communities where it operates. The organization runs three orphanages, two schools, and handles development programs in hundreds of rural villages. Each child at the orphanages is clothed, fed, given shelter, and educated in one of Touch India’s two private schools. The schools offer top-ranked nursery, primary, and secondary education for all in the community – despite their ability to pay. In often neglected villages, Touch India aims to increase education of girls and the lower castes of the Hindu religion. They donate bicycles to individuals to help them travel back and forth from work; they donate saris and school uniforms to widows and children; they organize medical camps for those living in slums and donate all medications free of cost. Each of these activities helps the rural poor get on their feet and provide for their own families. Were it not for this organization, hundreds of children would likely be on the streets begging for money or cleaning other people's homes. Instead, they are being educated in a high quality school so that they may one day have the same hopes and dreams as the rest of us.

Upakar- The Indo-American Foundation

Upakar is a non-profit community organization that provides merit- and need-based scholarships to Indian Americans who require financial assistance to pursue educational, artistic or athletic goals at a post-secondary institution. It is dedicated to recognizing, promoting, and advancing excellence through the support of the Indian community. Upakar, which literally means the act of showing kindness to someone in need, is one of only a handful of organizations focused on providing financial support for underprivileged Indians living in the United States. Contrary to the common misconception that Indians in India represent the only financially disadvantaged segment of the community, a large number of Indians in the United States need the same support—over 30% are service workers and 12% live below the poverty line.

This year, Upakar celebrated its 10th anniversary – 10 years of ensuring that the brightest Indian American students realize their dreams and secure education opportunities that many take for granted. In these 10 years, 144 annual scholarships have been provided to almost 40 students – a number which Upakar hopes to match in just the next four years. Currently Upakar is supporting 25 scholars for 4 years for a financial commitment of $75,000 per year. With the help of the community and, most importantly, the younger generation the organization hopes to continue and expand upon its mission by adding 2 new scholarships each year. As young professionals begin recognizing the needs and alleviating the burdens of many in our community, Upakar is guaranteed to continue to grow and support our youth in the coming years.