INTRODUCTION

AMAIDI Foundation, founded at daybreak of January 1, 2010 by Dutchman Camille van Neer and his Indian wife Jansi Rani, is an Indian charitable trust with the mission to assist local communities to help themselves out of poverty. AMAIDI Foundation does this by supporting local people's initiatives in the field of education, healthcare, livelihood and ecology through financial means and – in collaboration with sister organization AMAIDI Volunteering in India – by sending volunteers. AMAIDI Foundation networks with other organizations that work for the same cause, linking people with people whenever and wherever it makes sense in the light of sustainable development. AMAIDI Volunteering in India – founded by the same couple in July 2006 – maintains a growing network of Indian organizations supporting sustainable development 'at the grassroots level': NGOs, schools, hospitals and care-homes. Another way of doing what it wants to do/be is building bridges between Indian organizations and (potential) donors, bringing together those seeking and offering funding opportunities in a common platform. With all of this in mind and leveraging the power of social networking, AMAIDI Foundation has set up a ning-site at http://amaidifoundation.ning.com for all stakeholders involved and those interested to see 'development in action'.

PROJECTS

AMAIDI Child Care Center

In the slum area of Cuddalore OT, the older part of Cuddalore, a fishermen's town bordering the Bay of Bengal in the South-Indian State of Tamil Nadu, some 200 families are packed closely together with minimal sanitary amenities. Only recently the open sewer system has been improved. High rates of poverty, alcoholism, sexual abuse and domestic violence and a lethargic government, make living conditions for the children and their parents hazardous to a healthy physical, emotional, social and intellectual development. The land on which the hall and two small rooms were constructed, belonged to Jansi's grandmother, Tangaponnu. The building which houses the ACCC is named after her: Tangaponne Illam or 'place of Tangaponne'.

A Child Care Center for children in the age group of 3-5 years old, where they are being taken care of, educated of and fed between 9.30 am and 12.30 pm (3 hours) every day, except Sundays. At present there is Malathi (25) who teaches and Divishiya (21) who cooks the snack and mid-day meal for the children and keeps the premises clean. The Child Care Center does not charge parents any fee, as they are all from a very poor background. The children are being taught to express themselves freely, without the fear of being punished or isolated. They have access to new and modern games and plays, songs and other 'play-way' learning material. AMAIDI Child Care Center in Cuddalore wants to become a model of a day care center where 'children are free to learn and learn to be free ..'.

The ACCC is supported in the Netherlands by the Dutch Support Group: Lisanne- and Miriam van Zwol and Machteld Wit. Lisanne is ACCC's first volunteer. DSG helps Dutch volunteers to prepare for their work at ACCC and successfully sources sponsors, specifically to support the ACCC children and their families. The volunteers working at ACCC stay in the guest-rooms on the first floor or with an Indian family ('home stay') closeby. Part of the revenue from the guests is used by the child care center to pay for recurrent expenses such as electricity and water. Since Lisanne left the project (and India), a number of volunteers (students, nurses, social workers) have been and still are working at ACCC to improve its overall quality and inspire teachers, children and the wider community for a healthy and happy development.

For more information:

ACCC's weblog
Lisanne's weblog
AMAIDI Foundation India - jansi@amaidi.org or 0091-904709758
Dutch Support Group - accc-india@hotmail.com or 0031-(0)181615619

AMAIDI Child Activity Center

On second floor of the same building where the ACCC is located, some 35 children studying from 1st till 8th standard in the age-group of 6 till 14 years come together from 5.30 till 8 pm to receive home-work guidance and games/songs to relax after a day of hard studies. These children literally don't have the space and the guidance at home to make their home-work as a result of which they lag behind and are punished for their 'lack of discipline to work hard'. The ACAC is supported by a Dutch teacher trainee, Mariska Meijboom. Staying as a paying guest in a guest-room above the ACCC from February 2010 onwards, the idea of starting an evening school (as the ACAC was called back then) very much appealed to her. As a result, she and four fellow students decided to sponsor the making of a palmleaf roof on the second floor, including a small room to keep the teaching- and other materials and – when necessary – to be used as an extra guest-room for extra income for the ACAC. Mariska has taken up the task in the Netherlands to sponsor the ACAC.

For more information:

AMAIDI Foundation India - jansi@amaidi.org
Mariska Meijboom (Netherlands) - mariskameijboom@gmail.com

AMAIDI School4All ('Ishaan')

      At best the Indian school-system serves young students with a balanced value system and meticulous academic skills. Unfortunately this is only reachable for the lucky few who's parents can afford first class education. Most of the children in 'mainstream' Indian education are put up with at best average teachers with a lack of basic understanding in pedagogics and didactics, low quality teaching material and child-unfriendly schools. In short: education for most children (and teachers) is a boring event, devout of anything that inspires 'to give the best of yourself' and sometimes right-out detrimental to the children's physical, emotional and mental health. This all the more so for children 'with special needs', as they are often euphemistically called. Inspired by the fate of Ishaan, the child actor in Amir Khan's film 'Tarre Zameen Par', AMAIDI Foundation wants to create a place where everyone feels included, accepted and happy; where 'teacher' and 'learner' are roles that apply to everyone, changing over time; and where children and adults (teachers, parents or whoever happens to be around) feel free to interact without being affected by limiting social conventions; where the actual outcome of these interactions is meaningful and joyful, leading to a more fulfilling life as an individual within the limits of each' capabilities; where differences between children are not seen as a handicap but as an individual starting point for effective collaboration and communication with others.

Fore more information:

AMAIDI School4All's weblog
AMAIDI Foundation India - info@amaidi.org

Future plans

• AMAIDI Foundation is currently investigating the possibility to start a cycle courier service in Pondicherry to employ jobless youth and a mobile food bank for poor families in the slums of Cuddalore Old Town.
• AMAIDI Foundation wants to organize women in so called 'Women Self Help Groups' to reap the benefit of groups' saving and micro-credit. For this AMAIDI Foundation seeks linkage to donor agencies in the field of microfinance and guidance from expert NGOs in India in the field of micro-finance, micro-enterprise and livelihood promotion.
• AMAIDI Foundation wants to promote the use of 'social media' by its Indian partners; for this it has planned a seminar with the working title 'social networking and non-profit organizations' later this year.
• In general AMAIDI Foundation wants to create replicable models of all of its projects that can be transplanted to other towns and villages, adapted to the local social and cultural needs.

Other Links

Photos ACCC (AMAIDI Foundation)
Photos ACCC (Peter Harmsen)
Photos ACAC