National : IndiaAsha Foundation, the non-profit organisation operating in health, education, & social welfare sectors in several states of India, on Thursday announced the appointment of Sujata Borkar as the Executive Director of the Northwest Maharashtra branch of the organisation.
Borkar has worked at the grassroot level for more than two decades on various social issues and has been associated with IndiaAsha Foundation for more than one decade. With her passion for social change, IndiaAsha Foundation has successfully implemented many programmes with high social impact.
Appointment of Sujata Borkar as Executive Director of Northwest Maharashtra branch will give renewed thrust to various social activities of IndiaAsha Foundation that has been disrupted during the COVID pandemic period.
“I am honoured to take the new role of Executive Director of Northwest Maharashtra branch at India Asha Foundation that has been doing many pioneering works in the field of health, education and other related fields. Our efforts in rural and tribal areas of various states touch the lives of local communities deeply. Especially, reskilling initiatives for youth and overcoming learning disabilities of students in rural and tribal areas are some of the initiatives, we take pride. With an efficient team and encouraging ecosystem, India Asha Foundation will strive to serve the underprivileged of the society with passion and care,” said Sujata Borkar, newly appointed Executive Director of Northwest branch of Maharashtra at IndiaAsha Foundation.
She said that the organisation would resume many of its social activities that had been severely disrupted due to the COVID pandemic.
“The COVID pandemic has disrupted social intervention measures worldwide and India is no exception. However, we are resuming our activities with renewed vigour a laser sharp-focus on helping children from rural & tribal areas in overcoming learning disabilities apart from ensuring overall personality development. Given that school dropout rates have been high owing to COVID, we aim to minimise school dropout rates and help children to cope with mainstream education,” Borkar added.
Established in 2001, IndiaAsha Foundation has been working relentlessly to uplift the quality-of-life of people living in rural and tribal areas. In the last two decades, the Foundation is deeply involved in in promoting education, civic duties, healthcare, sustainable livelihood, social causes and civic duties among rural citizens.
In education sector, IndiaAsha’s ‘Indeea’ project has been instrumental in imparting soft skill development and career-oriented computer courses to students in rural areas of Maharashtra. The project also promotes STEM activities through collaboration with Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Innovation Centre in the rural areas.
Similarly, the 7-year old Project SHARP (School and Home Applicable Remedial Programme] is another flagship project of IndiaAsha Foundation. Under this initiative, the Foundation facilitates normal development of children with any learning difficulty through specialized remedial coaching. ‘SHARP’ has conducted 5,613 hours of sessions in average 15 schools constituting 5,379 students in which 15 trainers had run various awareness campaigns, participative workshops, proactive competitions, psychological counselling and remedial coaching. Out of 5,379 participants, 3,139 students were passed out their final examinations and joined the mainstream education.
IndiaAsha Foundation has been running various healthcare interventions like building AIDs awareness campaign, blood group checkup and nutritional counselling among others. The Foundation has also been promoting environmental awareness programmes, voting rights, no to bribe among others under its civic duties’ initiatives. It also promotes literature & art related activities by organizing various cultural group activities, promotion of books by new artists, running of a magazine that spreads knowledge-based articles among others.
Currently, it has embarked on a journey to establish an exploratory lab for young children, rare books reprinting, and a learning disabilities school for upliftment of rural people. The Foundation is actively seeking patrons and donors, who can generously contribute towards these noble causes.
Commenting on the appointment and various initiatives of IndiaAsha Foundation, Chief Patron of IndiaAsha Foundation, Sanjeev Dahiwadkar said, “India’s prosperity lies in equitable growth, which can only be achieved through upliftment of rural youth and children. All our initiatives are directed at serving rural communities across the spectrum to achieve these goals. With appointment of Sujata Borkar, all our social interventions will resume with new determination. We are confident that the organisation will serve the community better under her leadership and guidance.”
