Social India Conference Photo's

https://picasaweb.google.com/113100615307145088060/SocialIndiaConference2011

Akshaya Patra Foundation online success story.

It has been now more than 3 years of illustrious career in The Akshaya Patra Foundation. When i was initially assigned to take up Internet marketing for Akshaya Patra Website , which had a website with improper navigation and information.

The website did not even have a payment gate way to raise funds online. This was my first job experience with the Charity. I had a desire to work for a social cause and was inspired to dedicate my time and skills to a charity which can really bring change and add value to country progress. I was totally convinced with the cause and mission. 

When i started research and implementing the Internet marketing Strategies, it was a bouncer for most of the people in the management, and they thought all this strategies are crazy and will be effective. With a thin chance of hope that i will be successful with the SEO, SEM strategies, I started the web development and marketing for Akshaya Patra Website. 

 I still remember the number of children before i took over the internet Initiatives, it was close to 9 lakh children fed daily. Now its 13 lakh children who are benefited from this mid day meal program and its make me really proud to be associated with a Charity which is really creatinga impact on the development of the society. The Centralized kitchen set up which we call it as a "Food Factory" is a amazing encyclopedia of its own. 

Precise set up, maintenance and delivery makes this organization a complete a niche in the non profit sector. Akshaya patra has been a source of encouragement which kept me to innovate new internet marketing Strategy which is really helping to raise Funds online Globally.

Find me on bloggers.com

Vote for Akshaya Patra

Akshaya Patra competing for a prize money of $ 500,000 which is organized by the chase community on Facebook. the Voting has started on 19th may 2011 and ends on 25th may 2011, I request all the indbloggers and the blogger community to vote for The Akshaya patra Foundation. Akshaya patra needs 200,000 votes to win this prize money. i appeal and request to Vote For Akshaya patra Foundation.

Madhu Pandit Dasa : Poverty is the primary cause for lack of education

Nelson Mandela, once said “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”

Education not only gives people the means to a better life but also something more profound: the ability to grow and learn through one’s own experiences. The strength of a nation can often be determined by the education of its people.

India, with nearly one sixth of the world’s population, is a booming economy poised to take over as one of the world’s superpowers. Yet this glittering fact goes hand in hand with the harsh truth of abject poverty facing nearly half of the nation’s people. With 42% of the country’s population living below the international poverty line, the nation is struggling to keep up with many of the rapidly growing countries in the world.

So what can be done? Just how far can India go before it is forced to deal with these facts? Madhu Pandit Dasa, the Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, one of India’s leading non-profits believes that educating the nations’ children is the only answer.

“We need to make sure that every child is well nourished, educated and enabled to become productive. India has the youngest population in the world and it is Her children who will shape the future of the country.”

But the solution may not be as simple as that. With over 700 million people in the country living a hand-to-mouth existence education is a luxury that few have access to.

“Poverty is the primary cause for lack of education,” says Madhu Pandit Dasa. “When children do not even have access to food, there is no possibility for education. Poverty and hunger go hand in hand in this complex problem. If we are to change the face of India, we must get to the root of the problem: hunger.”

In fact, Madhu Pandit Dasa says, Akshaya Patra’s vision: ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger’ reflects this two-pronged strategy to solving the problem. Himself a graduate of one of India’s leading universities, IIT, Madhu Pandit Dasa has been involved in Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal program since its beginning. He firmly believes this scheme will bring about the lasting change that India needs.

By providing children with freshly cooked mid-day meals on school days, the organization not only hopes to combat this problem of hunger, but also encourage them to continue their education. For nearly a decade this children’s charity has been dedicated to this cause. As Madhu Pandit Dasa puts it, “At The Akshaya Patra Foundation we strive to build an educated India. We believe that reducing hunger will change the future of our country’s children.”

But does it really work? Is it as simple as providing food? After all, it’s better to teach a man to fish than give him a fish.

According to an independent study conducted by A.C Nielson ORG MARG Pvt. Ltd. India’s leading survey firm, the program has worked wonders. In some areas, such as Baran where the program is being conducted, school enrolment in Class I has increased by 41.3%. There have also been marked improvements in attendance, retention rates, classroom performance and most importantly, the health of the children.

When asked if he believes the problem is too complex for any lasting solution, Madhu Pandit Dasa had this to say

“One thing is certain from this experience: there is boundless compassion in this world. We must involve more and more willing human hearts. It is possible, but only when we work together.”

Madhu Pandit Dasa

Madhu Pandit Dasa (former name Madhusudan S) was born in 1956 in Trivandrum, India. As a pre-degree student, he was selected by the National Science Talent search program of the country. He completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT-Mumbai in the year 1980. During his days in IIT, he became interested in the books of Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON. While he was doing his M.Tech course in IIT-Mumbai in 1981, he dedicated himself to the service of humanity by becoming a full-time member of ISKCON.

He began to travel all over South India organizing programs to increase the awareness of ISKCON and its mission. Seeing his potential as a leader, he was soon made the President of ISKCON, Trivandrum. In 1983, he became involved in overseeing the activities of ISKCON, Bangalore along with his responsibilities in Trivandrum temple. At that time a small fledgling centre in a rented apartment in an inconspicuous neighborhood of the city. Under his leadership, soon the popularity and activities of ISKCON-Bangalore began to blossom. In 1988, the Government of Karnataka allotted 6.5 acres of a rocky abandoned hillock in the city to set up a cultural complex. Being dissatisfied with what the commissioned architects were proposing for the cultural complex, he took upon himself to design the complex according to what he had envisioned. Soon he also started organizing efforts to raise funds for the construction of the complex. The next ten years unfolded an unprecedented scale of development on the hillock, now called the Hare Krishna Hill: the design and construction of a colossal cultural complex, mobilization of support and fund raising to a tune of Rs. 38 crores (Rs.380 million or $ 9.5 million) and recruiting and training nearly 100 full-time dedicated members of ISKCON. The monumental Cultural Complex was inaugurated in 1997 by the then President of India Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma.

In 1994, he initiated an integrated social development project for the benefit of the rural people of Mysore and Mandya districts. A model, prototype organic farm based on natural and earth-friendly farming methods along with an internationally accredited farmer-training center ha