For the past 20 years ASTI has sent funds or equipment
to India from private donations in the United States. Support is
provided in the areas of education, medical assistance, and disaster
relief. Since ASTI is a donor driven organization it depends entirely
on the public for support of qualifying programs.
The programs selected at nonprofit institutions are noteworthy
because of the efficiency and dedication of staff. ASTI Board Members
travel to India annually, at their own expense, to assess, evaluate
and report to board members and donors results of their evaluation.
In education the focus is in four areas:
- Scholastic Fundamentals and prep for advanced studies;
- Education on healthcare for tribal families;
- Vocational and skill training for men and women;
- Vocational and skill training for the mentally and physically
challenged.
Thirty endowments are providing nurse's training for young women
at five teaching hospitals. Hospitals and Dispensaries in India
and Bangladesh receive support in cash and in kind. Shipments of
hospital supplies and equipment went to three hospitals. The equipment
includes a medical lab, ultra sound, x-ray and dialysis machine,
some new and some used, but fully operational. Mobile Medical Units
at eight hospitals and/or dispensaries are guaranteed continued
maintenance and/or eventual replacement when ASTI provided a permanent
fund with the understanding that the interest only be used for the
above.
Model Projects, some of which have received international and national
awards receive support from ASTI. These populations have created
sustainable economy in villages and remote mountain areas.
Two-thirds of ASTI's support comes from generous Indian American
benefactors in the US. The remaining one-third comes from the Americans
sympathetic to India's problems. |
