satya.sainath@gmail.com
“He who opens a school door, closes a prison” – Victor Hugo.
I strongly feel that education is an essential part of intellectual freedom, and one of its main values is
improving how people view, exist in and participate in the world. It becomes imperative to provide basic
education to kids of all ages irrespective of their socio-economic status.
Asha for Education, a non-profit organization, is working to bring socio-economic change in India through
education of underprivileged children. In a humble effort to raise awareness of the philanthropic efforts of
Team Asha, I have decided to run full marathon in October 2019.
It is a lot of time commitment and a huge challenge to train for a marathon. But despite all the challenges, I
am constantly motivated knowing that the funds I raise could bring a difference in the lives of
underprivileged children by providing them avenues for education.
Why run for this cause?
We all are very fortunate to be in the place where we are today and to have choices in life. There are
millions of children in India who do not have a choice but to work as child laborers. Most of them grow up
without ever going to a school, not knowing what it would have been like to get an education. This is an
effort to give them a choice to get educated. A choice to experience a better life and a chance to be a
child again.
Here are some staggering facts:
– 1/6 of the humanity is illiterate. Nearly a billion people, two thirds of them women, entered the 21st
century unable to read a book or sign their names.
– There are more than 350+ million people in India alone who cannot read or write. That is greater
than the entire population of the US !!!
– According to the last census report, one-third of all children in India aged 6-14 years (55 million
total) are out of school.
Top 4 reasons why you should donate to Team Asha.
1. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
By educating underprivileged children, we can help them break out of the cycle of poverty and
experience a better life.
2. Asha is a 100% volunteer driven organization trying to keep the overhead low so that every dollar
donated goes directly to benefit the cause. Athletes cover all marathon related expenses.
3. Your contribution is tax-deductible(Tax ID: 77-0459884, Asha for Education).
4. Most employers will match contributions made to Asha for Education.
Corporate Matching: You can maximize the impact of your donation by getting it matched by your company. Most of the companies match donations from employees to Asha for Education. You can verify on the confirmation webpage after you donate to verify if your company matches the donation. All donations are 100% tax deductible (Tax ID: 770 45 9884).
Feel free to reach out to me or chicago@ashanet.org for any questions.
Thank you!