Give a girl a bike: help her to go to school

Dear Mann Deshi Donors and Supporters,

Mann Deshi is very much thankful for your continued support to Bicycle program.

Madhuri is the oldest sister within her eight member’s family. She applied to the program after Mann Deshi Foundation informed the school she is attending that the foundation would have provided bicycles to girls who found it hard to go to school. She says, “her life has improved for the better: being able to get to school faster avoids any time wasting and gives her the chance to concentrate even more on her studies.”  Her grades have improved considerably since she entered the program and, although she is just in the 7^th grade, she has already started to think about her future, considering the option of enrolling into university and pursuing an engineering degree. Her family is very satisfied too. Without Mann Deshi’s donation they would not have been able to provide such means to Madhuri.  She used to spend two hours walking from home to school and then back again. Her father, who is a farmer and occasionally works in constructions, thinks that the program has had a positive effect on his daughter and that in general it is a good program. Her mother, a housewife, while worried for the safety of Madhuri and requiring her to cycle safely, views positively the fact that her daughter spends less time in going to school and can finally use this time to focus on the studies. The two younger sisters of Madhuri, although they are too young for a bicycle now, are considering the idea of applying to Mann Deshi’s program in the future: at this point in time they still walk every morning from home to school, and every evening they walk all the way back.

Mann Deshi greatly appreciates its donors support.

                                                       US Treasury Undersecretary visit to

                                         Freedom Ride Program of Mann Deshi :  (02 March, 2011)

 Dear Mann Deshi Friends and Supporters,

 Chetna Sinha, Founder of Mann Deshi Foundation and Mann Deshi Cooperative Bank, is pleased and honored to have official program for the visit by U.S. Treasury under Secretary to Mann Deshi Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation. 

 Under Secretary Lael Brainard in her visit address the press that “when Chetna Sinha had met US president Mr. Barack Obama during his Mumbai visit at Hotel Trident and she managed to explain the principles of Mann Deshi Bank to him. Soon after that US President Office began to display interest in the innovative remote doorstep banking model”. The US undersecretary was in Satara on 2^nd March, 2011 as a follow-up to the visit of US president Mr. Barack Obama. 

 The objective for this visit was to learn more about the innovative work Mann Deshi is spearheading in rural India, including the door step service with e-card technology through rural banks

 In her visit agenda for the day also included flagging off bicycles for girls.  In this event Freedom Ride bicycle program for young girls was explained. This included meeting girls who have taken advantage of the free bicycle program to continue their education. Ms. Brainard asks 14 YEAR OLD Sujata who want to become engineer. In this program 20 bicycles donated to young school girls.  Ms. Lael was extremely amazed with Mann Deshi’s Bicycle Program. 

 Mann Deshi Foundation with the support of Funds provided by Global Giving, Washington D.C., USA arranged a function on 02-03-2011 where bi-cycles, free of cost, were given to the needy and academically brilliant girl students of rural areas to enable them to continue their studies and pursue their aim and dreams.

The function was held at Ramnagar, Satara.  At the end, a bi-cycle rally was flagged off by the Ms. Lael Brainard & Mrs Chetna Sinha.

The function was attended by more than 800 persons of the area which not only included the recipient girl students but local people of the area who cheered the students during rally. 

The girl students were very excited and pleased to own a bi- cycle of their own. Broad smiles and confidence which reflected on their faces, made the whole atmosphere very bubbly, chirpy and divine.

Heartful of thanks to those who thought about these young girls who aspire for higher education and supported Mann Deshi Foundation’s cause by providing financial support to make the dream of these children to own a bi- cycle of their own come true.

Mann Deshi appreciates our donors support. 

Affectionately,

Chetna Sinha

Links:

• TOI US Officials to visit Mann Deshi

• Review Report of US Treasury Undersecretary Visit (PDF)
  

Dear Mann Deshi Friends and Supporters,

Steering to School, Pedaling to Prosperity

In rural areas of India, more than 50% of girls enrolled in primary schools drop out by Class 5. Although school tuition is free, transportation costs deter rural families from sending girls to school. These families seek a mobile solution to make education a reality for their daughters.

“I want to become an engineer”.  This was the aspiration of Ms. Swapa Bhandare.  Mann Deshi started Freedom Ride program in support of girls who wish to continue higher education.  Under this program young girl’s get bicycle to continue higher education.  Lack of transport facilities force girls to drop out from school after 7^th grade.  Mann Deshi Foundation has provided bicycles free of cost to thousands of girls.  Bicycle program helps them to travel and continue high school.  After high school they also entered graduate program.  Mann Deshi also organizes career development workshop for these girls.  In one of the workshop Ms. Bhandare said, “Without bicycle I would have dropped out of the school and would have become wage laborers in fields.  I want to become an engineer”.  High schools education brought aspiration to these young girls.

Through a partnership between Mann Deshi Bank, Mann Deshi Foundation, and the SHG Federation, Freedom Ride provides bicycles to rural girls.  Mann Deshi has provided more than 2,400 girls a bicycle since the start of the program.

Jaishree Chavan & Varsha Narale of Panvan High school:

14 KM from Mhaswad are proud recipient of free bicycles from Mann Deshi Mahila Sahkari Bank.  Jaishree & Varsha used to walk 4 Km distance from their home to school and back home each day.  Their School days were long and lots of missed and late arrivals at school and home.

Jaishree with four other siblings and Varsha with two were also in real danger of dropping out of school sans reliable transportation.Then Came Mann Deshi in the beginning of year 2010 when reliable efficient transportation to school became truth for both jaishree and Varsha.

Jaishree dream of becoming a police woman and Varsha dream of a carrier in nursing field.
Mann Deshi has helped these girls of farmer's family to ride bike to success.

Mann Deshi appreciates our donors support. 

Dear Mann Deshi Friends and Supporters,

Thank you for your continued support of the Bicycle Project.

Under the Bicycle Project girls, who wish to continue higher education, get a bicycle. This bike makes it able for them to continue to go to school, while they otherwise would have dropped out from school. The bicycle project helps them to travel to school, which saves transportation costs.

Madhuri is 10 years old, in the 6^th standard and got her bike last January. When she got the bike, she didn’t know how to cycle. Her teacher was of a great help to her, and learned her how to cycle. Her effort to learn cycling, shows that she is really eager on going to school. Her dream is continue studying and become a teacher.

The bike does not only help girls to go to school quicker, but the bike is also useful for other things. Varsha is a 12 year old girl, who is in the  7^th  standard. She got her bike in January 2010. Varsha lives 3 km away from her school. Before she had the bike she used to go to school by feet. She uses the bike also for the distribution of milk. Every morning, before she goes to school, she distribute milk through her village. In this way the bike is also a help for a family.

Varsha is not the only example. Also Jyoti, 13 years old and in the 7^th standard, uses her bike for different purposes. When she wants to go to buy some grocery (to help her mum) she can take the bike. This saves time, as it otherwise would have been a 3 km walk.

You can help girls like Madhuri, Varsha and Jyoti by providing seed money for bicycles. Mann Deshi can send you information and pictures of the specific girl you’ve helped and provide you the opportunity to keep up with her progress in school.

 Again thanks!

Dear Mann Deshi Friends and Supporters,

Thank you for your continued support of the Bicycle Project. Under this program Mann Deshi provides bicycles to rural girls, making it possible for them to attend school.

Mann Deshi enabled life-saving heart surgery:

This is a story about the little Swapnali Shivaji Pise, who is still alive because Mann Deshi provides her family with a loan for her life saving heart operation.

Swapnali's father is a fruit vendor and her mother a daily field worker. Aside from Swapnali the parents have two more children. Since the parent's income is low and discontinuous, this brings them in a poor economical situation. Two years ago, the little Swapnali came down with a severe heart disease. Due to the difficult economical situation, they didn’t have the money for the operation. With 10 years she was severely underweight, and if she can’t get the treatment she must die. It was the last chance for her mother to go to the Mann Deshi Bank and ask for a loan. The family is really poor but the mother was a member in a Self Help Group and so she got the loan for all the expenses which are connected with the operation. Thanks to the loan Swapnali could go to the 15 hours away state hospital in Bangalore, which is specializes in heart problems. Because of her work the mother couldn’t go with her, and so her uncle accompanied her to the hospital. She stood there for two weeks long which were really hard weeks for her family. Fortunately the operation went well and today Swapnali is totally cured. She had luck it was a good hospital and the doctors did a good job and were really kind to the small girl. It took her four month till she could visit the school again because she was not strong enough and had to take medicine. Now she can laugh again and is in a good shape. MANN DESHI DONATED BICYCLE TO SWAPNALI. Today she studies hard in school to catch up the lost year. Swapnali already has plans for the future: One day she wants to be a Doctor and serve the poor people in rural area. Her family is really happy that she is physically fit again and the mother praises her, because she always works so hard in the household and helps her family wherever she can. Meanwhile even the loan of Mann Deshi is repaid. Only a large scar on the chest reminds of the bad times. So in the end, everything went well for the little Swapnali and her family.

This year in 2010 we have donated 220 more bicycles to the school girls in Mhaswad, Vaduj, Dahiwadi and Satara. I am thankful to the donors who have supported theses young girls to dream whatever they wish to. We greatly appreciate all the support you have given us so far and hope that you will be able to help us in for our future projects.

Again thanks!! Vanita Shinde