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ROBIN RAINA FOUNDATION
STARTS WORK ON 400 NEW HOMES FOR SLUM DWELLERS OF BAWANA,
NEW DELHI |
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725 Homes to be finished and handed over by 30th September 2009
May 13, 2009: Atlanta - Robin Raina Foundation (RRF) announced today that it has started work on building 400 new homes for the slum dwellers of Bawana - Delhi, in response to the recent fire that destroyed 675 grass huts in the slums of Bawana.
These concrete homes slated to be built by 30th of Sep. 2009, would provide a solid home to thousands of slum dwellers that have never had a home of their own in their entire life. It would also provide a huge relief from the misery imposed on them by the after effects of the recent fire that destroyed everything they had.
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The fire in the E-block of the Bawana slums two weeks back, caused extensive devastation in the area. All the 325 concrete homes built by the foundation were unscathed while 675 families whose houses have not yet been built by RRF, saw their grass huts completely destroyed.
RRF took the lead and launched immediate relief efforts. Starting with calling upon the Fire Brigade team, the RRF volunteers played a key role in the relief efforts. The RRF volunteers jumped into the fire to save the lives of people, organized immediate medical relief camp followed by distribution of necessary items among to the fire affected people like— Ration material, milk, bread, biscuits, bananas, new utensils, etc. RRF provided meals for a few days, with the RRF Founder Robin Raina personally leading the relief efforts to distribute food and utensils to the fire victims.
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Making the announcement about the building of these 400 new homes, RRF Founder Robin Raina said, “While the Govt. of India announces grandiose plans to spend $12 billion on organizing the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010, and showing the prowess of India, it cannot find any budgets to provide basic housing or healthcare for its own poor citizens, who it chose to throw away from the confines of the city in its bid to cleans Delhi for the Games. The recent fire in Bawana did not attract any attention from any elected official or the Government in any manner whatsoever. Is it fair in this day and age to have people go through this level of hardship? The recent fire has further strengthened the foundation’s resolve to build concrete homes for all slum owners in Delhi.”
Once these 400 homes are finished and handed over to the slum dwellers by 30th Sep. 2009, the foundation would have handed over possession of 725 homes to the slum dweller families of Bawana region in Delhi. The foundation intends to build 6000 homes in the area, with the project being seen today seen as the largest slum charity project undertaken by any organization in India, without government help.
Each of these homes is 4 sided brick and has a concrete roof done exactly the way as any other middle class house in Delhi would have been built. Each home is built on a solid brick foundation of 4 feet. The home has two rooms, four power points, two fans and an exhaust fan. The homes look aesthetically nice from outside having been painted in two colors – blue and light brown alternately, to give individuality to each home. Each home carries a nice granite nameplate outside the home. That is a big deal for the slum homeowners as till now they did not necessarily have an address. Each of these homes today has taken a legal electric connection in their home.
In their bid to cleanse Delhi and get ready for the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the Delhi Government in the year 2003 moved thousands of slum dweller families from the banks of river Yamuna to the barren land of Bawana district, on the outskirts of Delhi. Today Bawana has close to 30,000 families staying in inhuman conditions in grass huts. The area has little means of employment, education and healthcare. In the year 2004, the Robin Raina Foundation decided to set up base inside the slums of Bawana.
Today the foundation has emerged as the premier charity addressing the conditions in Bawana through many of its initiatives there -
- A $15 million project to build 6000 concrete homes for the slum dwellers of Bawana
- A school that has provided education, breakfast, lunch, clothes, healthcare, picnics, toys, extra-curricular activities to the children of more than 2000 families in Bawana
- A vocational training institute for women in Bawana
- A Self Help Group of women that has empowered thousands of women in the area.
- Wheel chairs for handicapped kids in the area
- Financial help and medical care on an as needed basis
- Emergency relief in times of fires that happen rather regularly.
At the occasion, Robin also released an appeal to all well-meaning people around the world to donate to the cause of building these homes at a cost of $1600 per home. Robin also issued an appeal to the general public around the world, to donate generously to the building efforts.
All donations (100% tax-exempt) payable to “Robin Raina Foundation” should be sent to:
Robin Raina Foundation – A $15 million Dream,
510 Covington Cove
Alpharetta, GA 30022
About the Robin Raina Foundation
A 501(c) charity, Raina foundation has been setup to raise funds for work to be carried out to empower under-privileged children and their parents, who need help around the world. The foundation has undertaken India’s largest private charity initiative to build 6000 free homes for the slum dwellers of Delhi. The foundation's focus is to make a difference in the lives of children - who are handicapped, blind, mentally challenged, sick or in need of urgent medical help and underprivileged kids who need education. All donations to the foundation are 100% tax-exempt.
RRF Contact: Sanjay Supehia, (678) 517-8688, ssupehia@rainafoundation.com
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A Call to Action to Address and End Domestic Violence
From Members of the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations
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February 26th, 2009- As community-based organizations that provide services to, advocate for, and organize South Asians in the United States, we are deeply saddened by recent tragic incidents of domestic violence that have affected South Asian families and communities over the past six months.
The tragic murder of Aasiya Hassan, a 37-year-old mother, who was brutally beheaded in Buffalo, New York, is the latest in a series of recent violent incidents that has received community-wide and public attention. Ms. Hassan had obtained an order of protection against her husband and filed for divorce before the murder, which occurred on February 12, 2009.
This incident comes on the heels of another tragedy that occurred in Clifton, New Jersey last November, when 24-year old Reshma James was murdered by her estranged husband at the church she attended. And, it follows two murders of family members, including children: one occurring in Novi, Michigan, where the bodies of 37-year-old Jayalakshmi Rao and her two children were found, and the other occurring in Sorrente Pointe, California, where the entire Rajaram family (mother-in-law, wife, three children, and the suicide of the husband) was found dead last October.
Beyond speaking out and condemning these tragedies, we as community members and organizations must strive to do even more. As members of the South Asian community, each of us has a role to play in ending violence.
Most importantly, we must move beyond the tendency to reduce acts of domestic violence to culture or religion, or any such characteristic. The epidemic of domestic violence affects families from all backgrounds and religious faiths; in fact, the incidents we describe here occurred in Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities. We must call domestic violence what it is, and work both within our community and externally, to create safe spaces and environments.
And, we must understand and empathize with victims and survivors of domestic violence. All victims and survivors of domestic violence face significant barriers in seeking and obtaining assistance, justice, and support. For South Asians, these barriers become even more exacerbated. Many South Asians feel uncomfortable reaching out to those within their own community for fear of being judged, questioned, isolated, blamed and stigmatized. When abuse occurs in non-marital or same-sex relationships, it can become an even more difficult topic to broach. Moreover, a lack of cultural and linguistic sensitivity and tangible legal protections can make survivors feel that they have little recourse in existing laws, the justice system, law enforcement and social service agencies.
Finally, we must be ready to address domestic violence publicly. Around the country, community members, religious leaders and social service agencies must take significant steps each day to ensure that victims and survivors of domestic violence receive the support and assistance they need. Our entire community must be prepared to speak out against violence and address it in our homes, places of worship, cultural centers, and social service organizations.
In light of the recent tragic incidents of domestic violence, we offer three concrete steps that you can take: first, create a safe space to talk about domestic violence with your family, friends, and support networks; second, encourage your religious, cultural and civic leaders to address the impact of domestic violence in public statements, remarks, prayers and sermons, and settings; and third, support organizations that strive to end domestic violence in our communities.
We send this call to action with the hope that community members, religious, cultural and civic organizations, policymakers, allies and media will all take on the task of ending domestic violence. For our part, we remain committed to continuing our efforts to advocate against violence in any form, to create safe spaces for all community members, and to press for policies that support and empower victims and survivors of violence.
The National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (NCSO), a network of community-based organizations in 12 regions around the United States, seeks to amplify a progressive voice on policy issues affecting South Asian communities. For more information about the NCSO, please contact South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) at 301-270-1855 or via email at saalt@saalt.org.
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Endorsed by:
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Adhikaar- New York, NY
Andolan - New York, NY
Apna Ghar - Chicago, IL
ASHA for Women - Washington DC Area
Chaya - Seattle, WA
Chhaya CDC - New York, NY
Council of Peoples Organization - New York, NY
Counselors Helping (South) Asian/Indians - Washington DC Area
Daya - Houston, TX
Hamdard Center - Chicago, IL
Indo-American Center - Chicago, IL
Maitri - San Jose, CA
Manavi - New Brunswick, NJ
Michigan Asian Indian Family Services - Livonia, MI
Narika - Berkeley, CA
Raksha - Atlanta, GA
Saathi of Rochester - Rochester, NY
Sakhi for South Asian Women - New York, NY
Satrang - Los Angeles, CA
Sneha - West Hartford, CT
South Asian Health Initiative - New York, NY
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund - Washington DC
South Asian Americans Leading Together - Washington DC Area
South Asian Youth Action - New York, NY
Trikone NW - Seattle, WA
Turning Point for Women and Families - New York, NY |
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