Recent Updates – October
1. Free Mammography
2. Potluck Dashain Celebration
3. Immigrant Youth and College Education - Workshop
4. Matching Gift Challenge – Goal Met
5. Union Square Award
6. We need your help!
1. Free Mammography
In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, we organized a free mammogram event for uninsured women over 40 years. Nurse and technicians from Multi Diagnostics provided the service. The event took place in Jackson Heights at the Diversity Center of Queens. 37 women benefited from free mammogram and clinical breast exam. The participants were also trained to do their own detailed self breast exam with the help of Nepali doctors Ashwata Pokhrel and Rosy Joshi. Adhikaar Youth Group members provided logistical support, including intake and interpretation.
It was a first mammogram for most of the participants. Participants expressed joy in being able to get mammography done for free on their day off, and at a convenient location. Additionally, they were happy to have Nepali doctors explain in simple terms about breast cancer and importance of mammography and self breast exam. The event was scheduled from 9am to 4pm, but lasted till 7pm to accommodate all the women.
Sakhi for South Asian Women also attended the event to talk about domestic violence and the services offered by the organization.
October is both Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
2. Potluck Dashain Celebration
On the third Sunday of October, we celebrated a Nepali festival, Dashain, at Adhikaar. It was a lot of fun. We were about 40 people, of which only four were men and the rest were women. Some of our friends brought different kinds of delicious food. First we gave out tika and jamara with blessings. After that we ate food, and the group broke out into spontaneous singing and dancing.
Dashain is the most important religious festival for the Hindus, but is also celebrated as a national festival by all other groups. This is festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil, and is also a time for forgiveness. While this event reminded us of our family in Nepal, it was also a good opportunity to get over our homesickness and celebrate with friends, who have become de-facto families here.
3. Immigrant Youth and College Education - Workshop
Adhikaar Youth Group successfully conducted a college planning workshop on October 23, 2008. The one hour workshop was on the rights of undocumented youth and the college planning process. It was a workshop for immigrant students, educators, and parents discussing the process of applying to college, filling out a CUNY (City University of New York) application and scholarships search for immigrant students. The workshop was facilitated by the New York State Leadership Council
Representatives, Martin and Kiran.
The workshop enabled the participants to understand that college education is possible regardless of their economic, social, and even immigration status. The participants were a mixture of college and
high school students. They asked questions about college planning materials and the steps needed to pursue further education.
Aside from discussing about college preparation, the facilitators also talked about the New York State Leadership Council's DREAM Act Project. The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, which is also known as DREAM Act, is a piece of proposed bill in the United States Congress, which would allow undocumented immigrant who attended high school here the opportunity to get permanent residency. The participants asked many questions, and learned about the importance of the DREAM Act. DREAM Act could provide a solution to many undocumented young adults, however, the bill has limitations and would not help all the undocumented students.
The participants found the workshop very useful and informative. At the end of the session, participants felt more confident about college preparation process, and also gained information relevant to immigration status and DREAM Act.
4. Matching Gift Challenge – Goal Met
During our third annual award ceremony and fundraiser, one of Adhikaar's long-term supporter gave us an incentive to step up our fundraising goal by promising to match up to $6,000 for the money received within three weeks after the event. We are happy to report that we went over our goal. Including the funds raised prior to the event, institutional matching gifts, pledges, and our supporter's matching gift, we were able to raise almost $17,000.
5. Union Square Award
We are very happy to announce that Adhikaar co-founders have been selected for this year's Union Square Award. The Union Square Awards program was established in 1998 to recognize and support community activists working throughout New York City. The recognition comes with a monetary award of $50,000.
Adhikaar is one of the seven organizations selected this year, and the first Nepali organization to receive Union Square Award.
6. We need your help!
a. Please help us identify a Nepali-speaking counselor
As in other months, we have continued to provide support to individuals facing many different problems, including survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. We have referred them to various agencies. However, none of the agencies we work with have Nepali-speaking counselors, and we have had to depend on Hindi-speaking counselors.
We have been on a lookout for a Nepali-speaking counselor in or around New York City. If you know of anyone, please help us get connected.
b. Facilitate English classes
We are looking for individuals with fluent English to facilitate our weekly English classes, starting early 2009. Ten-week commitment required.
c. Make a tax-deductible contribution
As always, we need your financial contribution. No gift is too small or too big! With our growing programs, our financial needs have gone up as well. Please make a tax-deductible contribution to help support our growth.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Last month at Adhikaar - September 2008
Last month at Adhikaar - September 2008
We are back, after a break last month, with our monthly updates. Summer went by quickly preparing for our Third Annual Fundraiser, which was very successful. Now that the fundraiser is behind us, we hope to be more regular with our updates. Please stay tuned and send us feedback.
1. Expressions for Justice: 3rd Annual Fundraiser
Adhikaar successfully organized its third annual award ceremony and fundraiser on September 13, 2008. The event was a tremendous success with the participation of 200 supporters and over $4,000 raised in cash and pledges. Adhikaar took this opportunity to honor two individuals Nani Bhandari and Sapnya Pandya for their significant contributions to the Nepali community.
Adhikaar also received a matching grant challenge from an anonymous donor who has agreed to match up to $6,000, if raised by October 8th. So far we have raised $5,925 with $75 more to go to hit the $6,000 mark for the matching contribution. Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters who made this program successful.
2. Nepali Prime Minister's Visit
Adhikaar co-sponsored a series of talk programs organized for the Nepali Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) in New York on September 26th and 27th. Our Executive Director Luna Ranjit and Community Organizer Narbada Chettri represented Adhikaar at various events. Luna participated in a round table discussion with other prominent Nepali leaders and scholars, and put forth labor issues that need major attention in Nepal and elsewhere for Nepali migrant workers. Narbada delivered speech demanding an emergency fund be set up for Nepalis in foreign countries who face sudden illness or death.
3. 9/11 Seven Years Later: A Message from South Asian Organizations
Adhikaar, along with other South Asian organizations, put out a statement on September 11th. The text of the statement follows.
Today, members of the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO) join the country in marking the seventh anniversary of the tragedies of September 11th, 2001. We solemnly remember and honor those who lost their lives or loved ones on that day.
Like everyone in America, South Asians in the United States were deeply affected by the events on and after September 11th. From the days and months after the tragedy to now, our organizations have addressed a range of issues in our communities related to the post-September 11th environment - from helping individuals who lost family members or their livelihoods to advocating on behalf of those who continue to face discrimination, hate crimes, profiling, and arbitrary detentions and interrogations.
Today, as we pause to remember the tragedy of September 11th, we also renew our pledge to work towards public policies and community-based efforts that will preserve human rights, justice, and equality for all.
4. Men's Health Fair
Adhikaar in collaboration with America Nepal Medical Foundation organized the second health fair of the year, on August 30, 2008. This was organized targeting the male population in the Nepali community. Tuoro College Medical student Himal Shrestha coordinated the event in partnership with SAHI. The event provided the participants with general health screening and consultation with Nepali doctors Binod Shah and Bijay Acharya. About 15 community members benefited from the health fair and consultation.
5. Selected for NYWF Site Visit
Adhikaar has been chosen for a site visit by New York Women's Foundation. It is a local foundation in New York that aims to improve lives of low income women and girls in the five boroughs. Last year, the New York Women's Foundation also honored Adhikaar Executive Director Luna Ranjit with the Queens Neighborhood Leadership Award in September 2007. If funded, the grant will be used to hire a community organizer to help Adhikaar reach out to more Nepalis.
6. Received Internship Grant
We have received another internship grant from the New York Foundation to allow one of our summer interns to continue with Adhikaar for the entire academic year. Our intern Swechhya Pant, a senior at Hunter College, has been provided the opportunity to continue with Adhikaar until May 2009. Swechhya's primary responsibility is to expand Adhikaar's new youth group and conduct surveys for our research project. She also helps out with our other programs, including adult English literacy program and access to healthcare program, and provides administrative assistance in the office, as needed. She is majoring in Women and Gender studies.
Announcements - Events and Activities in October
1. English Classes
Basic level: Sundays and Wednesdays (1-3pm)
Intermediate level: Sundays (11-1pm)
2. Adhikaar Youth Group Meeting
Thursdays 3:00pm & Sundays 4:30pm @ Adhikaar office
3. Free Mammogram
Date: October 5th Sunday
Venue: Diversity Center of Queens, 76-11 37 Avenue
Time: 9-3pm
4. Dashain Celebration Potluck
Date: October 12, Sunday
Venue: Adhikaar Office
Time: afternoon
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Team Adhikaar at the first Nepali Women's Conference
Adhikaar participated in the first Nepali Women's Conference organized by NWGN at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, CT, on August 9th.
Adhikaar had a the biggest and most diverse contingent that included staff, board, interns, and adult and youth members. For most of the participants, this was the first conference experience.
Adhikaar Board Chair Malabika Das talked about human trafficking during luncheon, and also led a workshop on domestic violence. Executive Director Luna Ranjit presented the findings from Adhikaar's ongoing community needs assessment project, and during the evening plenary spoke about building bridges, and emphasized the need to look beyond the Nepali community and learn from and create partnerships with other immigrant communities.
The pictures are here.
Adhikaar had a the biggest and most diverse contingent that included staff, board, interns, and adult and youth members. For most of the participants, this was the first conference experience.
Adhikaar Board Chair Malabika Das talked about human trafficking during luncheon, and also led a workshop on domestic violence. Executive Director Luna Ranjit presented the findings from Adhikaar's ongoing community needs assessment project, and during the evening plenary spoke about building bridges, and emphasized the need to look beyond the Nepali community and learn from and create partnerships with other immigrant communities.
The pictures are here.
Monday, July 07, 2008
This month at Adhikaar – June 2008
1. "Lunch Matters" partnership with RMA
2. Two interns @ Adhikaar
3. Successful Matching Gift Campaign
4. Adhikaar joined NCSO
5. Parent's Workshop
6. Individual Assistance
7. Ongoing English classes for two groups every Sunday
8. Beauty Salon Focus Group
1 Adhikaar in partnership with Rubin Museum of Art is screening series of films that highlight Nepali Social, Cultural and Health Issues.This Lunch Matters series is every Wednesday until July 30th at the RMA. For more information please go to:
(http://www.rmanyc.org/programsevents/lunchmatters.xml?context=programs-events/lunch-matters.xml).
2. Adhikaar hired two interns, Dawa Gyaltsen Sherpa and Swechhya Pant with funding from New York Foundation and North Star Fund. The interns will be helping out with the Community Assessment Project mainly focusing on the youth population in New York area.
3. Adhikaar successfully completed its matching grant campaign with the donations exceeding the initial match amount of $3500. The total amount exceeded 7,500 with generous contribution from our supporters within and outside New York. Thanks to the pool of donors who promised to match every dollar up to $3500 and our supporters who jumped in to help Adhikaar reach it's goal. The contributions will be used to keep Adhikaar's current program running and develop news programs based on community needs.
4. Adhikaar has joined the National Coalition of South Asian organizations (NCSO) as a founding member. The NCSO is comprised of 31 organizations that empower South Asian communities in 12 metropolitan areas around the United States through social service provision, community education, advocacy and organizing.
5. Adhikaar in collaboration with Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) successfully conducted a Parent's workshop "Raising safe and healthy children in New York City". 15 community members with children in the U.S. and/or working as babysitters participated in the workshop that mainly focused on educating immigrant parents around know-your-rights on child discipline and the child welfare system in New York City. This is part of our know-your-rights workshop series, and the first on on this topic.
6. Adhikaar assisted 10 individuals in the month of June, many of whom we have worked with for a long-term. The assistance provided includes translations, lawyer referrals, medical bill negotiations and immigration assistance.
7. Adhikaar successfully completed two 10 week English classes by June. There are basic and intermediate level English classes ongoing for women every Sunday. There are plans on the way to provide English classes for men in the community by demand.
8. Adhikaar conducted a focus group with beauty parlor and nail salon workers as a part of the community assessment project in order to bring out issues facing community members involved in different occupations. The results of the focus group will be incorporated and published with the survey report at the end of this year.
2. Two interns @ Adhikaar
3. Successful Matching Gift Campaign
4. Adhikaar joined NCSO
5. Parent's Workshop
6. Individual Assistance
7. Ongoing English classes for two groups every Sunday
8. Beauty Salon Focus Group
1 Adhikaar in partnership with Rubin Museum of Art is screening series of films that highlight Nepali Social, Cultural and Health Issues.This Lunch Matters series is every Wednesday until July 30th at the RMA. For more information please go to:
(http://www.rmanyc.org/programsevents/lunchmatters.xml?context=programs-events/lunch-matters.xml).
2. Adhikaar hired two interns, Dawa Gyaltsen Sherpa and Swechhya Pant with funding from New York Foundation and North Star Fund. The interns will be helping out with the Community Assessment Project mainly focusing on the youth population in New York area.
3. Adhikaar successfully completed its matching grant campaign with the donations exceeding the initial match amount of $3500. The total amount exceeded 7,500 with generous contribution from our supporters within and outside New York. Thanks to the pool of donors who promised to match every dollar up to $3500 and our supporters who jumped in to help Adhikaar reach it's goal. The contributions will be used to keep Adhikaar's current program running and develop news programs based on community needs.
4. Adhikaar has joined the National Coalition of South Asian organizations (NCSO) as a founding member. The NCSO is comprised of 31 organizations that empower South Asian communities in 12 metropolitan areas around the United States through social service provision, community education, advocacy and organizing.
5. Adhikaar in collaboration with Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) successfully conducted a Parent's workshop "Raising safe and healthy children in New York City". 15 community members with children in the U.S. and/or working as babysitters participated in the workshop that mainly focused on educating immigrant parents around know-your-rights on child discipline and the child welfare system in New York City. This is part of our know-your-rights workshop series, and the first on on this topic.
6. Adhikaar assisted 10 individuals in the month of June, many of whom we have worked with for a long-term. The assistance provided includes translations, lawyer referrals, medical bill negotiations and immigration assistance.
7. Adhikaar successfully completed two 10 week English classes by June. There are basic and intermediate level English classes ongoing for women every Sunday. There are plans on the way to provide English classes for men in the community by demand.
8. Adhikaar conducted a focus group with beauty parlor and nail salon workers as a part of the community assessment project in order to bring out issues facing community members involved in different occupations. The results of the focus group will be incorporated and published with the survey report at the end of this year.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Matching Gift Program Successful
In March, Adhikaar has received a generous offer from a group of anonymous donors to match one-to-one every dollar we raised – up to $3,500 - by June 30th. We set out to raise $7,000 to support Adhikaar's programs. We are happy to share with you that we exceeded our goal -- we raised almost $8,000 ($4,500 from you and $$3,500 matched).
Contributions ranged from $10 to $250, with most of the gifts on the lower end.
Thank you to all of you for your contributions.
Contributions ranged from $10 to $250, with most of the gifts on the lower end.
Thank you to all of you for your contributions.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
National Coalition of South Asian Organizations formed
Thirty one organizations across United States have come together to form the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO). The National Coalition is a vehicle and forum through which community-based organizations can enhance their individual work and develop collective partnerships in order to bring about social change. The National Coalition will develop the strength of the community's voice in social change movements at the local and national levels.
The National Coalition was officially launched on June 24, 2008 at a Community and Media briefing in New York. Adhikaar is a founding member of the National Coalition, and Adhikaar Executive Director, Luna Ranjit, spoke about how Adhikaar hopes to benefit from and give back to the Coalition. Some pictures from the community and media briefing are here.
The National Coalition was officially launched on June 24, 2008 at a Community and Media briefing in New York. Adhikaar is a founding member of the National Coalition, and Adhikaar Executive Director, Luna Ranjit, spoke about how Adhikaar hopes to benefit from and give back to the Coalition. Some pictures from the community and media briefing are here.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Parents' Workshop at Adhikaar
Adhikaar held a successful Parents’ Workshop in June 1st 2008. Wendy Cheung, Youth and Parents Program Coordinator from the Coalition for Asian American Children & Families facilitated the workshop. The event was interpreted by Luna Ranjit, (Executive Director of Adhikaar). The workshop commenced with introduction of the participants, a brief inquiry session, reflecting upon the challenges as immigrants in United States, and how does one define child abuse. The agenda also comprised of the goals of the workshop, how the child welfare system works, child disciplining activities and related matters.
The objective of the workshop was to raise awareness, and bridge the gaps among parents and children. Parents were encouraged to participate and voice their opinions. The workshop conveyed the message for children to cultivate a positive attitude, while also emphasizing the need to encourage the family to nurture children in an enabling environment. One of the participants stated that proper communication played an important role in the healthy development of a child. Another participant requested everyone who attended the workshop to go back and share the information with at least one other parent who can benefit from it.
pictures from the event are here!
The objective of the workshop was to raise awareness, and bridge the gaps among parents and children. Parents were encouraged to participate and voice their opinions. The workshop conveyed the message for children to cultivate a positive attitude, while also emphasizing the need to encourage the family to nurture children in an enabling environment. One of the participants stated that proper communication played an important role in the healthy development of a child. Another participant requested everyone who attended the workshop to go back and share the information with at least one other parent who can benefit from it.
pictures from the event are here!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
KTM vs. NYC SoundClash II Nepali and Desi remixes
by DJ Samir of Ghintang Kollective
Door opens:
Music:
Papillon Bistro and Bar
22 E 54th Street (between 5th and Madison)
$10 at the door/cash bar (no one turned away for lack of funds)
All proceeds will benefit Adhikaar, a nonprofit organization promoting human rights and social justice in Nepali communities. For more information, please visit: www.adhikaar.org
Brought to you by Friends of Adhikaar
DJ Samir
Sameer Maskey and Prerana Shrestha
Tina Shrestha and Himal Shrestha
Anuj Shrestha & Naz Kazi
Kapil Mishra & Pratikshya Bohara
Prity & Pinky Pun
Rabindra & Shailendra Karki
Kedar Koirala
Dikshya Mudbhary
Gautam Malla
Rushil Shakya
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Women's Health Fair Completed
Adhikaar organized its first Women's Health Fair on
No. of referrals to South Asian Outreach Project at
Mammogram registration: 11
No. of Volunteers: 15 (including Adhikaar team, SAHI representative, nurses and doctors)
News about the event and pictures are here.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Adhikaar receives two grants
Adhikaar has been selected by the New York Foundation (www.nyf.org) as one of the recipients of the Spring 2008 grant. The general operating grant of $42,500 will be used to hire the first full time staff and to maintain our community center in Woodside. New York Foundation supports emerging organizations in the five boroughs, with strong emphasis on advocacy and organizing.
Adhikaar also received another grant of $5,000 from the North Star Fund (www.northstarfund.org). "North Star Fund provides resources to the creative risk-takers who are building individual and community power to achieve social justice for all New Yorkers."
Luna Ranjit, who has been serving as an unpaid director has transitioned into her role as a paid Executive Director. Luna is the first paid full time staff at a Nepali organization outside Nepal. Adhikaar has also hired Narbada Chhetri as a part-time community organizer. Adhikaar's day-to-day work is also supported by our volunteer Program Coordinator, Rinku Bastola, and a part-time outreach worker, Satendra Shah.
Adhikaar Board would like to thank the New York Foundation, the NorthStar Fund, and all our individual supporters for making our work possible.
Adhikaar also received another grant of $5,000 from the North Star Fund (www.northstarfund.org). "North Star Fund provides resources to the creative risk-takers who are building individual and community power to achieve social justice for all New Yorkers."
Luna Ranjit, who has been serving as an unpaid director has transitioned into her role as a paid Executive Director. Luna is the first paid full time staff at a Nepali organization outside Nepal. Adhikaar has also hired Narbada Chhetri as a part-time community organizer. Adhikaar's day-to-day work is also supported by our volunteer Program Coordinator, Rinku Bastola, and a part-time outreach worker, Satendra Shah.
Adhikaar Board would like to thank the New York Foundation, the NorthStar Fund, and all our individual supporters for making our work possible.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Tax Workshop
Tax Filing Deadline is April 15th
Do you have questions about tax filing?
§ How Do I File My Tax Return?
§ Are
§ What is Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)?
§ What Can I Do if I Do Not Have an SS Number?
§ How Can I Get Tax Payer ID Number?
Adhikaar in collaboration with
United Nepalese Democratic Forum & Langhali Association,
invite you to a
Free Workshop on Tax Filing
Presenter: Biraj Rijal
When:
Where: Adhikaar Office
If you have questions, please contact:
Adhikaar – 718.937.1117
Tek Gurung, United Nepalese Democratic Forum – 917.2918901
Lab Magar, Langhali Association,
Monday, January 07, 2008
KTM vs. NYC SoundClash
Adhikaar presents
KTM vs. NYC SoundClash
Nepali and Desi remixes
by DJ Samir of Ghintang Kollective
(with DJ Jon & Vedic Munkeys)
Saturday, January 19, 2008
10pm onwards...
Papillon Bistro and Bar
22 E 54th Street (between 5th and Madison)
$10 at the door/cash bar
(no one will be turned away for lack of funds...)
All proceeds will benefit Adhikaar, a nonprofit organization promoting human rights and social justice in Nepali communities. For more information, please visit: www.adhikaar.org
Friday, January 04, 2008
Happy New Year!!
Dear Friends,
Namaste and Happy New Year! Hope you're enjoying the new year and excited to start new projects. So are we, here at Adhikaar. We've had a really good year, and we would like to take this opportunity to reflect, share our achievements with you, and thank YOU for making Adhikaar successful.
As many of you already know, we were able to work with over 500 individuals last year through our health fairs, workshops, classes, and other programs, and thousands more through our website and newsletters.
We had some changes within our team. Rajani became the Board Chair, and I changed my position from President to Executive Director. Rinku joined as a summer volunteer, and stayed on as a Program Coordinator. Shanti left her position as an Outreach Worker after 15 months, but continues to be a supporter. And we have hired Narbada Chhetri as a new outreach worker/community organizer, to work along with Satendra Shah who has been with Adhikaar since 2006.
Our team has won numerous awards and recognitions, including the New York Women's Foundation's Helen LaKelly Hunt Neighborhood Leadership Award (Luna), Community Leadership Award from Ridgewood Nepalese Society (Adhikaar), Annapurna Deo Activism Award (Misty), Hope for Women Award (Narbada), and most recently Rinku as selected as a Junior Fellow at the United Way of New York City's Nonprofit Leadership Program. Adhikaar was also selected for a grant from the NorthStar Fund.
Our work would not have been possible without YOU -- our board members, outreach workers, advisers, volunteers, donors, allies, consultants, and supporters. Many of you have spent weekends and evenings helping us set up, break down, plan events, and run errands. Some of you have given us even more. A special shout out to: Rinku Bastola, who has been staffing our office every day since August; Shweta Parmar, who helped us organize our bookkeeping for the very first time; and Celeste Frye of The Public Good, who is currently helping us with financial and management planning. Also, a big thank you to the Worldly SoundClash folks -- Dr. Das, Ramjac, Sukhawat Ali Khan, and Janaka Selekta for being great musicians and amazing people. And thank you to Amisha Khemani for working with us under tight deadline and multiple changes and producing a beautiful poster that you saw in your emails and around town. I have to acknowledge one more person -- he has volunteered with Adhikaar since its inception, attended (almost) every Adhikaar event, and solved all of Adhikaar's big and small technology crises -- my partner, Rushil Shakya.
We have also received many small and large individual financial contributions, as well as in-kind donations. We thank all of you for your generosity, and look forward to another year of partnership.
We are excited about the upcoming year. We are:
--starting English for Action and Empowerment classes again in January.
--organizing First Women's Health Fair on February 10th, with another planned for March and Men's Health Fair planned for June
--creating a health manual that we can share with everyone.
--starting a new youth creative workshop in January
--organizing workshops on taxation and workers' rights and other issues
--organizing a monthly "Chautari" to catch up with friends, meet new people, and discuss issues that are important to our community
--working with other organizations to create a municipal ID for everyone, and continuing to work for drivers' license
--and we're planning some fun fundraising events (save the date for a dance party on Jan 19th -- details to follow soon!)
Please come visit us. Volunteer with us if you would like to share your time and expertise. Please send us an email if you are interested.
If you were planning to make a year-end contribution, but missed the opportunity, it's not too early to start for the new year!! The donation button is right on our website: www.adhikaar.org or you can mail us a check payable to Adhikaar to our new address: 39-06 62nd Street, #BL, Woodside, NY 11377.
You can also help raise money for Adhikaar by just surfing the internet by using GoodSearch.com and typing Adhikaar under "Who do you goodsearch for?". Last year we earned $32. Every little bit helps!
Thank you! And Happy New Year!
Luna, on behalf of the Adhikaar Team
Namaste and Happy New Year! Hope you're enjoying the new year and excited to start new projects. So are we, here at Adhikaar. We've had a really good year, and we would like to take this opportunity to reflect, share our achievements with you, and thank YOU for making Adhikaar successful.
As many of you already know, we were able to work with over 500 individuals last year through our health fairs, workshops, classes, and other programs, and thousands more through our website and newsletters.
We had some changes within our team. Rajani became the Board Chair, and I changed my position from President to Executive Director. Rinku joined as a summer volunteer, and stayed on as a Program Coordinator. Shanti left her position as an Outreach Worker after 15 months, but continues to be a supporter. And we have hired Narbada Chhetri as a new outreach worker/community organizer, to work along with Satendra Shah who has been with Adhikaar since 2006.
Our team has won numerous awards and recognitions, including the New York Women's Foundation's Helen LaKelly Hunt Neighborhood Leadership Award (Luna), Community Leadership Award from Ridgewood Nepalese Society (Adhikaar), Annapurna Deo Activism Award (Misty), Hope for Women Award (Narbada), and most recently Rinku as selected as a Junior Fellow at the United Way of New York City's Nonprofit Leadership Program. Adhikaar was also selected for a grant from the NorthStar Fund.
Our work would not have been possible without YOU -- our board members, outreach workers, advisers, volunteers, donors, allies, consultants, and supporters. Many of you have spent weekends and evenings helping us set up, break down, plan events, and run errands. Some of you have given us even more. A special shout out to: Rinku Bastola, who has been staffing our office every day since August; Shweta Parmar, who helped us organize our bookkeeping for the very first time; and Celeste Frye of The Public Good, who is currently helping us with financial and management planning. Also, a big thank you to the Worldly SoundClash folks -- Dr. Das, Ramjac, Sukhawat Ali Khan, and Janaka Selekta for being great musicians and amazing people. And thank you to Amisha Khemani for working with us under tight deadline and multiple changes and producing a beautiful poster that you saw in your emails and around town. I have to acknowledge one more person -- he has volunteered with Adhikaar since its inception, attended (almost) every Adhikaar event, and solved all of Adhikaar's big and small technology crises -- my partner, Rushil Shakya.
We have also received many small and large individual financial contributions, as well as in-kind donations. We thank all of you for your generosity, and look forward to another year of partnership.
We are excited about the upcoming year. We are:
--starting English for Action and Empowerment classes again in January.
--organizing First Women's Health Fair on February 10th, with another planned for March and Men's Health Fair planned for June
--creating a health manual that we can share with everyone.
--starting a new youth creative workshop in January
--organizing workshops on taxation and workers' rights and other issues
--organizing a monthly "Chautari" to catch up with friends, meet new people, and discuss issues that are important to our community
--working with other organizations to create a municipal ID for everyone, and continuing to work for drivers' license
--and we're planning some fun fundraising events (save the date for a dance party on Jan 19th -- details to follow soon!)
Please come visit us. Volunteer with us if you would like to share your time and expertise. Please send us an email if you are interested.
If you were planning to make a year-end contribution, but missed the opportunity, it's not too early to start for the new year!! The donation button is right on our website: www.adhikaar.org or you can mail us a check payable to Adhikaar to our new address: 39-06 62nd Street, #BL, Woodside, NY 11377.
You can also help raise money for Adhikaar by just surfing the internet by using GoodSearch.com and typing Adhikaar under "Who do you goodsearch for?". Last year we earned $32. Every little bit helps!
Thank you! And Happy New Year!
Luna, on behalf of the Adhikaar Team