Over the past several months Dr Martin has been meeting with many of the high school and college students. In extensive one-to-one and group sessions, she has spoken to all the children about the difficulties they are facing at home and in their studies in order that Asha may be able to help them through our Higher Education Programme.
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It was an exciting day for Asha on Saturday March 31st, when Dr Kiran Martin formally launched the Asha Mentorship Programme, the first large scale organised effort to link students from slums with professionals.
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Dr Elaine C Smith, a rheumatologist from Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in the UK recently volunteered with us for a week. She operated clinics in the slums and at the Asha polyclinic and saw patients in their homes as well. Here's a summary of the time she spent at Asha.
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To honour the women from the slums, Asha has been organising events at different slums where it works throughout the week preceding the 101st Women’s Day on March 8th. Asha invited various local leaders and officials to honour the women from the slums and acknowledge their contributions in the development of their community.
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On 29th February, a group of 8th grade students accompanied by three teachers from the American Embassy School visited the Asha centre in Kakaji slum colony.
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On Monday 27th February, 2012, India’s Home Minister Hon Mr P Chidambaram met with seven Class 12 and College children from Asha slum areas in Delhi. Accompanied by Dr Martin and Asha staff member Sweeta Jacob, the children spoke to Mr Chidambaram for quite some time about the challenges they faced in their studies while growing up and the hopes they have for the future.
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During the last two weeks, Asha was glad to welcome once again teams from Methodist College Belfast and St Stephen’s Church, Twickenham. Both the teams visit Asha on a regular basis to work in the slums.
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Last year, competition to enter Delhi University was greater than ever before. This increases the pressure on the students from the slums to compete with those with better academic and social backgrounds. Being from poor families, the students are not able to afford any of the additional tutoring classes which gives more well-off children an advantage.
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Being exposed to harmful environmental conditions on a daily basis along with the additional risks of a poor immune system resulting from inadequate nutrition has made individuals in slum communities become vulnerable to cancer. Asha, through various initiatives, had been working to raise awareness about cancer in the slums of Delhi.
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The temperature in Delhi dropped to as low as 2°C (36° F) during the last month. As many people in the slums struggled with the cold, Asha distributed blankets to help them keep warm.
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In the past week, Asha has been organizing Christmas celebrations at our resource centres in different slums. The celebrations comprised of song and dance performances by Asha children’s group members and the attendees were community members, women’s groups, CHVs and Asha college students.
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With the final exams for class XII students approaching in March, the students from the slums can struggle with exam stress. To help them through this, Asha recently organised workshops on time management and study preparation at our centres in the slums.
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Since 1992, the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed on December 3 with an aim to increase the understanding of the issues around disabilities and attention to the dignity and rights of persons with disabilities.
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The last month has been very busy at Asha, with four different teams from parts of Ireland and the UK visiting and volunteering with us. From school students to builders to doctors, the teams came from all ages and backgrounds, and did a wide variety during their time with us.
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On Thursday 5th October, Dr Martin was very warmly received by New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key at a private meeting in Wellington.
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Dr Martin's address on the occasion of Asha slum children meeting the Prime Minister of New Zealand
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Asha slum children meet the New Zealand Prime Minister
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On April 13th, Dr Martin delivered the distinguished Greeley Lecture at the Centre for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School at Harvard University.
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Asha was honoured to welcome a visit from the Hon. Alex Chernov, the Chancellor of Melbourne University.
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Asha Founder Director Dr Kiran Martin's address at the launch of a new India Australia partnership to support the aspirations of Delhi's urban poor.
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Today is International Women's Day, a global celebration of women. On this day we acknowledge and appreciate the accomplishments of women the world over.
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Kapil Sibal was the chief guest at an event entitled ‘A new India Australia partnership to support the aspirations of Delhi’s urban poor,’ hosted by Asha and the Australia India Institute on Wednesday March 2nd at India Habitat Centre.
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On 12th February, over 120 people gathered at First Ballymena Presbyterian Church to celebrate 10 years of Friends of Asha Ireland. It was incredible to see supporters coming from all over Ireland and Northern Ireland.
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On February 18th, a group of 8th grade students from the American Embassey School in Delhi visited the Asha centre in Kusumpur slum.
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Asha was honoured to have long time supporter Dr Chris Paxton with us for three weeks this February.
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On March 2nd, Asha will celebrate the launch of a new India Australia Partnership to support the aspirations of Delhi's urban poor.
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The first Asha Scotland Celebration was held at on Saturday 5th February at Holyrood Abbey Church, Edinburgh.
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On 7th February, Dr Kiran Martin visited with CrossReach, a Church of Scotland organisation supporting social care and responsibility in Scotland.
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In January, Asha was privileged to welcome Jack Van Ham for a weeklong visit. Jack has generously agreed to become an advisor to Asha and an Asha Ambassador to the Netherlands. He has pledged to help Asha through this next stage of our development and especially to achieve our goal of sending 5000 slum children to university.
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Asha was thrilled to welcome Dr Elaine Smith, from Gloucestershire in the UK as a volunteer. Dr Smith is a practicing rheumatologist and she took time away from her clinics in England to come to the slums of Delhi to treat patients suffering from musculoskeletal complaints.
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Children from Asha slums enjoyed Christmas celebrations at the Polyclinic and Slum Resource Centres
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HE Mr Kenneth Thompson, Ambassador of Ireland to India supports Asha’s work
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Dr Kiran Martin recounts her life journey, work with NGO Asha on behalf of Delhi slum-dwellers, and what others can learn from Asha’s model of human rights in action, in conversation with the Nossal Institute for Global Health’s Elizabeth Morrow.
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Asha Founder Director Dr Kiran Martin's address at Celebration of Learning 2010, honouring the students from Asha slums accepted at University.
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On Monday, 15th November, a large audience gathered at the India Habitat Centre for the Celebration of Learning 2010. 170 students have been successful in gaining places at Delhi University and in other institutes of higher education.
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On Friday, 12th November, Asha students were welcomed by the Australian Higher Commission at a reception on the residential lawns.
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On Thursday 4th October, Asha was honoured to receive Dr Kim Hames, the Deputy Premier of Western Australia, for a visit to Dr Ambedkar Basti slum.
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Dr Martin was honoured to be present at Jack van Ham's retirement ceremony from ICCO. Here is a the tribute she paid to him.
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Asha is so proud of the teams from Methodist College and Rainey Endowed School of Northern Ireland. In just 10 short days, they managed to adjust to Indian life, brighten the lives of slum children and beautify the Asha Resource Centres of Kalkaji and Kusumpur.
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Inspired by the Commonwealth Games motto 'humanity-equality-destiny', the Australian athletes Friday donated Rs.4 lakh to NGOs working for Delhi's underprivileged children before leaving for ho
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Dr Martin gave a presentation at the Nossal Institute of the University of Melbourne.
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During her recent trip to Melbourne, Dr Martin attended a lunch hosted in her honour by the The Australia India Business Council, Victoria Chapter.
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Kiran Martin made a very powerful and lasting impression during the University of Melbourne Chancellor’s Human Rights Oration.
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On October 6th, 17 college students from Asha slums met the New Zealand Governor General, the Rt Hon Sir Anand Satyanand for tea at the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi.
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Dr Kiran Martin met with the Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry, during her recent visit to the UK.
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Everyone at Asha was delighted to see Mahesh and Mahinder - both involved with Asha for many years and dedicated students - succeed against stiff competition and enter top engineering colleges.
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I was suffering from Tuberculosis and my son couldn't cope with looking after me so he moved out. The TB got worse and I relapsed. An Asha community health volunteer noticed my illness, made sure I took my medicine and gave me rations of nutritious food. If Asha was not here I would have died by now.
Arshafilal, Mayapuri
