The idiom ‘many a little makes a mickle’, holds true for a group of people in our country who are making constant efforts to improve the condition of the underprivileged sections.

They are working in villages and slums, trying to boost the confidence of those living in the lower strata and making every possible effort to give them a new lease of life. Supporting this Non-Government Organisation (NGOs), the Australian High Commission recently organised a programme for them.

The commission brought together 17 Indian NGOs to show how Australia’s Direct Aid Programme (DAP) has helped improve the lives of the poor and downtrodden. From workshops to master classes and exhibition, the programme reflected the work done by these NGOs in uplifting the socio-economical position of the people in the society. It included groups from Jammu to Rajasthan, Manipur, West Bengal and Odisha. A few Citybased NGOs like Stop, Tanrey, Dr Shroff Hospitals, Asha, Adi Gram Samiti were also
present.

Vidushi Sharma of Tanrey made a presentation on how she is working with women living in a village of Dwarka. “We have been giving vocational training to village women and specially challenged men in stitching, hand embroidery and crochet. Considering that health of women is a concerning issue we also set up camps with volunteer doctors who explain to them about personal hygiene, HIV/AIDS and other STDs.”

Similarly, Kiran Mehta of Dr Shroff Hospital explained as to how they are providing eye care facilities to people at the village level. The NGOs presented their experiences of the benefits delivered by the DAP and joined master classes on fundraising and promotional campaigns conducted by experts in the field. An exhibition ‘Echoes’ of drawings and photographs by the participating NGOs was inaugurated by Australia’s deputy high commissioner, Bernard Philip.

“The Direct Aid Programme has funded projects across the length and breadth of India covering a range of issues from livelihood projects for women in Jammu and Kashmir to bio-kitchen gardens in Tamil Nadu. We hope that DAP continues to touch the lives of Indian people,” says Philip congratulating the NGOs on their work.