Deepam Financials 2009-10

Though we had these numbers in our newsletter issue of july 2010, financials required a seperate post.
Highlights
  • All the monies raised / donated were used to directly benefit the children
  • There is no admin expense – no money spent on activities that didn’t directly benefit children . For example : No salaries were paid to ‘volunteers’ / no cost of operating an office etc
  • The netbook fundraiser organised by Srini / Balaji / Meera and Vijay
  • Many small contributions that added up quite well, to end the year with a surplus
  • We bought 6 netbooks with the monies , to support the UK / KC centre
Thanks to our treasurer Bhargav, for patiently working through this one. Quietly, he works away in the background, to ensure all the activities go smooth without the glitches. Thanks buddy!

Thanks Round Table / TeamUSA (Indiateam.org)!!

When noble and munificent organizations or individuals come up with donations to strengthen and support Deepam in its continuous endeavour to light the spark in the child’s mind – and keep it glowing – it is with wide open arms and lot of gratitude that such gestures are received.



A sizeable fund was given to WM Center out of the donation received from Roundtable ( Madras Knights Round Table 181 ) / TeamUSA (Indiateam.org), and the co-ordinators wasted no time in inviting suggestions from volunteers on how best to utilize it. Equally quickly, mails were exchanged, needs discussed and the Center’s immediate requirements finalized.



The first was a 5.5’ steel almirah – a long-felt need at the Center. This was ordered, delivered and was in place at the Center and one set of keys was handed over to the School Head Mistress on 31/07/2010. The storage space in the cupboard will be shared between Deepam and the School.







Another immediate need was augmentation of WM Center’s Library. As many as 55 books, hand-picked with utmost care to suit WM Center children’s aptitude, were added. With this addition, the Center will now be able to fulfill its desire to give children more books to choose from, for reading in the class or at home.



15 learning-based games (e.g, Spell-O-Chess, Origami, Number Puzzles, Jigsaw Puzzles) were added to the Center for use under volunteer guidance. It is the Center’s idea to utilize these as occasional diversions to the children without, at the same time, straying much away from learning.



Deepam would like to thank Round Table (Madras Knights Round Table 181 ) and TEAM USA for its generous contribution and we look forward to their continued support to help improve infrastructure at other Deepam centers.

Internet & Stars – Our Way of Celebrating Independence day at Deepam :)

Since the ‘inception’ of Deepam, Internet access has been a dreamy ‘reality’ at Deepam. Internet access was hoped for / dreamt of / wished for in most of the meetings / discussions but we were ‘kick’ed back to reality, everytime. We came close to having the internet available in the centres last year, but we woke up to reality, again.


So, when Balaji of AIDIndia ‘formally’ launched internet access at Deepam West Mambalam centre this morning, it was a sense of ‘dream come true’. Hopes & Dreams were now ‘strengthened’ by DOing πŸ™‚
All of us at Deepam always dreamt of a ‘Deepam World’ where children had access to Information / Knowledge. So, watching the children revel in the excitement of ‘playing’ with the computers / Internet was euphoric for all of us , at the centre today.
Internet was now available at 5 of the 6 Deepam centres πŸ™‚

Clearly, these are children who are ‘hungry’ to learn and one can only wonder about the possibilities that Internet has to offer. But for all of us at Deepam, we have just begun what we set out for, 3 years ago – introduce the children to the world of internet πŸ™‚


Another significant progress is the launch of ‘STARS’ project at Deepam – Stars project shoots for the possibility of a deserving child not losing out on education because of lack of monies. That is the core belief that makes Deepam reach out to such students every year and help them do what they do well… excel in their studies and expand their knowledge. Stars project made a small beginning today, by awarding a ‘full’ scholarship for 2 deserving kids


Deepam would like to thank a few folks for making the 2 projects possible

Jayanthi – She leads the ‘Stars’ program for Deepam. She stands out through the sheer intensity / commitment she brings to any activity she does. My respect for her, just seemed to go higher, as i worked more , with her. She simply does things πŸ™‚ – thats it. Always ahead of time and always to a degree of perfection. A real DOer πŸ™‚

NIA : An awesome organisation that supports education of girl children in India. They have supported education of girl children for over 10 years. Over a 100 girls have benefitted from support for school & college education. Deepam is happy to work with NIA to support girls in Deepam πŸ™‚ . Thanks Priya / Vallabhi / Munish, for coming over.

Another donor who wishes to be anonymous – thanks a lot πŸ™‚

Balaji : The CTO of Deepam !! He was the ‘internet access’ evangelist at Deepam , never missing an opportunity to highlight the possibilities of internet access for children. He got the infrastructure up and running in no time at all, when we had the datacards. Thanks Balaji !!

And always, the energetic volunteers at the Deepam WM centre – thanks for the awesome time πŸ™‚

When people want to make something truly happen, the whole world conspires to make it happen.. I was rushing to the centre this morning and missed picking up an envelope, to keep the cash/cheque in, when handing over the prize to the ‘STARS’ . I hurriedly rang up Saye to get an envelope, but he seemed to be in control of things and asked me to just come over to the centre – When i went over to the center, i was told that one of the children at West Mambalam had made envelopes out of old newspapers and handed them to Saye , just this morning πŸ™‚

And this was our way of celebrating the Independence Day at Deepam πŸ™‚

STARS & Internet – New Possibilities

Hello Friends,

This saturday, we will be launching 2 projects that open up huge possibilities for children. The 2 ideas quite literally opens the ‘whole world’ for the kids.
STARS :
A deserving child should not lose out on education because of lack of funds. That is the core belief that makes Deepam reach out to such students every year and help them do what they do well… excel in their studies and expand their knowledge.
We are making a small beginning by awarding 2 children, a full scholarship for the academic year 2010-11. All their fees ( school fee / books / uniform / transport etc ) will be covered by this scholarship.
Internet :

The big idea at Deepam was always to expose the children to a world of opportunities through Internet. This is becoming a reality now. Beginning this saturday, Internet will be available at 5 of the 6 Deepam centres πŸ™‚
The 2 projects will be launched at our Deepam West Mambalam Centre .
Venue : Deepam West Mambalam Centre. Sri Venkata Nivasam Primary School, Thambiah Road, West Mambalam.
Time : 9:30 am
Date : 21st August , Saturday
Look forward to meeting you all, there.
thanks
karthik