New Year New Beginnings!!

Every day is a chance to begin again. Don’t focus on the failures of yesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations. ~ CatherinePulsifer

2020 is literally knocking on the door.I am sure most of you must have started to think about what your New Year's resolutions will be for the upcoming year. While you might have already started filling your resolution list there is one more choice you might want to include at the top of your list.

Yes, you guessed it right. I am talking about volunteering in your community.

If you are thinking of making a change in your life this year and you’re looking for motivation, we’ve got your back.

Here are the Reasons to Have Volunteering as a New Year's Resolution:

·         Destress - There can be nothing more satiating than the joy of giving.Yes, it’s a secret barter where you give something that you have and receive happiness without asking for it. It is the best way to destress yourself.Volunteering has been linked with increased levels of happiness and decreased depression.

·         Meet great people -One of the best parts of volunteering is meeting other great people like yourself who share similar interest.Volunteers help create and support healthy communities.

·         Learn new skills – Volunteering can help you learn new skills.It is a good start to finding an opportunity that's right for you.Through volunteering you can challenge yourself to try something different and explore your latent potential.

The next question which might come to your mind is how and where do I start.

Starting over can be challenging, but also it can be a great opportunity to do things differently.

Here are a few steps you will want to take:

#1.Think about the causes that you are passionate about devoting your time to.

For example- You might want to support a child’s education or you might want to work towards a cleaner environment

#2.Make a list of the opportunities you are interested in filling and the skills you can provide as a volunteer.

For example - You might like to teach kids or provideassistance in coordinating workshops, and seminars.

#3.Look for volunteer opportunities in your local community.To make things fairly easy for you I would like to mention about the wonderful volunteering opportunities available at HEEALS.

For example- You can work either as an online volunteer or as an intern or simply as a social worker.

To know more visit - http://heeals.org/volunteer-zone-

I would like to end with the words of Martin Luther Jr. -

Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year from the entire HEEALS Community.

Contributed by – Priyanka Dalmia.

Say No To Child Labour !

“Only the worst thief can steal someone’s   childhood”.  They call it best phase of life. They call it childhood for the rest it is just chide hood. The pain behind the statement can be felt by every child found working in homes,hotels,factories and all possible places where they can be exploited.

A school boy once complained “If child labour is a crime then why does our teacher gives us homework?”. What about those who will never get a chance to see the face of a school in their entire lifetime, who are sold into the hands of their masters even before they understand the ways of the world. These young soldiers are sent to war even without proper equipment.

Sitting in our well-furnished houses we often complain that child labour exists, no strict laws are implemented by government to curb this crime and at the next moment we walk into a local restaurant where a small boy comes to clean our table. What do we do then? Crib about government not implementing ban and we continue eating. Imagine what can happen if we refuse to eat at such places. Change should start from us. 

It is however important to realize that child labour cannot be fully abolished in page of India where one child is the sole breadwinner of his page of family. Although it is most undesirable where a child has to work rather than go to school, denying option of working to him would be even more disastrous and might force the child into illegal activities for survival. A child activist correctly remarked “Teach him to chop an onion before he learns to chop a head.” Next time when you happen to find any child labour case prevailing in your area try to find out the reason. Help them get back the most beautiful phase of their life – childhood.

Written By – Priyanka Dalmia

World Toilet Day ! 19th November 2019

World Toilet Day, celebrated on 19th November every year, is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which promises sanitation for all by 2030.

Theme of World Toilet Day -2019 is Leaving no one behind.

A toilet is not just a toilet. It’s a life-saver, dignity-protector and opportunity-maker.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, sanitation is your human right. And yet, today, 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation.

How can anyone lift themselves out of poverty without sanitation? We must expand access to safe toilets and leave no one behind.

Key Facts !

4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation – more than half the global population.

673 million people still practise open defecation worldwide.

Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces.

Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 432,000 diarrhoeal deaths every year and is a major factor in diseases such as intestinal worms and trachoma.

Children under the age of five living in countries affected by protracted conflict are, on average, nearly 20 times more likely to die from diarrhoeal diseases caused by a lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene than by direct violence. (UNICEF )

We welcome our New Intern From #Italy

We welcome our New Intern From #Italy.She is working on #wash & #menstrualhygiene
Interested Candidate Looking For #Internship #Volunteering #Volunteer #travel program At #HEEALS Please Contact Us At : communications@heeals.org

Please Come Join Us!
#FacebookPage :https://www.facebook.com/Heeals/
#TwitterPage:http://www.twitter.com/heeals

IMPORTANCE OF VOLUNTEERING

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” - Elizabeth Andrew

Volunteering is one of the most effective ways to gain meaningful, hands-on experience in the social work field.Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” Last month, I started working as an online volunteer for HEEALS.I have realized that it has enormous benefits. Volunteering helps bring a difference as it feels good to help other people and enact changeand give back to the community. Volunteering helps us make friends, learn new skills, advance our career, and even feel happier and healthier.The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others is the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.

Benefits of volunteering:

·         Volunteering connects you to others and helps to gain new insights.

·         Volunteering is good for your mind and body

·         Volunteering can advance your career

·         Volunteering brings a sense of accomplishment to your life

There are wonderfulVolunteering opportunities available at HEEALShttp://heeals.org/volunteer-zone-

Internship:

Experience as an intern is an incredible way to discover India and to work for an NGO. As an intern you will be treated as an employee so it could be the way for you to have a job experience abroad and to practice the skills you’ve learnt in your studies.

http://heeals.org/entries/general/for-internship-engagement-program-

Online Volunteering:

As an online volunteer with us, you could do a variety of things in the comfort of your home or office.

http://heeals.org/entries/general/for-online-volunteering-

Volunteers:

HEEALS is a growing organization which offers volunteers the unique ability & mechanism to have a truly significant role in organizational and program development.

During a volunteer program, you become deeply involved with local community, immersed in a new culture and a different way of life.

http://heeals.org/entries/general/for-volunteers

Gap Year:

During your Gap year volunteering with HEEALS allows you to do something a bit more constructive with your time. This will hone your skills, help you learn a language, immerse in another culture, build long lasting bonds, and provide vital services to a local community. Your gap year is a chance, where you can utilize your existing skills in excellent practice.

http://heeals.org/entries/general/for-gap-year

I would like to end this with the words of Mahatma Gandhi - “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Written by – Priyanka Dalmia

HEEALS Intern Requesting To Support Wonder Girl Project

To support wonder girl project ,please click below link

https://bit.ly/32ZhHVO

Wonder Girls ! An Initiative To Make Our Girls More Stronger Smarter & Inspiring

Wonder Girls - Self Defence & Self Confidence Project ,We need your Kind Support!

"Wonder Girl" A Self defense & Self confidence project.

Your kind support will help to make our girls more #stronger #smarter & #inspiring
By spreading supporting and sharing you are helping many girls.
Please visit below link to support
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wondergirl#/

We Are All Equal !

And though she be but little, she is fierce.” – William Shakespeare

It is ironical that we worship many female Goddesses at various festivals however when it comes to women living in our home we don’t really give them the same amount of respect and care that they deserve. In the Indian rural landscape, girls are generally deprived of even the most basic facilities (such as proper nutrition, education, lifestyle etc.) in their family because of the superiority of boy child. In the Indian society, boys are given higher importance than that of girls in terms of healthcare and nutrition. One of the major issues facing India’s girls and women is the high death toll of gender discrimination, both prenatally and postnatally. We kill them before they get to see the light of day or do not care for them after their birth without even realizing how we will get a daughter, sister, wife or mother in future. Has anyone ever pondered as to what will happen if women deny to be pregnant, give birth to a baby or give up all the responsibilities of their motherhood. If not; then why are girls killed, why are they considered to be a curse, why are they regarded as a burden to their parents or society. Why are such eye-opening questions still not answered?

To solve this pressing issue, the Govt. of India has launched several initiatives to save the Girl Child and curb the menace of female infanticide. One such campaign is “BetiBachao, BetiPadhao”(Save the daughter, educate the daughter).It aims to generate awareness and improve the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls in India.It addresses the issue of the declining child sex ratio image.

The objectives of this initiative are:

·         Prevention of gender biased sex selective elimination

·         Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child

·         Ensuring education and participation of the girl child

·         Bridge the sex-ratio gap

To know more about this campaign visit:https://wcd.nic.in/bbbp-schemes

To contribute towards this social cause,time and again HEEALS has come up with various activities to support girl child .

Few of the activities undertaken are:

·         Organised  workshops In Uttar Pradesh Schoolson “Stop Child Marriage”&“Save Girl”&“Educate Girl”.

·         HEEALS spearheaded their campaign “Hand Wash and Menstrual Hygiene” using various innovative and interesting activities to explain the importance of hygiene practices. Till now, we have targeted six schools and 1050 students in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and Gurgaon, Haryana, India between the age group 10-14 years studying in classes 5th – 9th.

·         Through The Medium of Documentary Film like –“The Curse” we are trying to create Awareness Among the Masses about Girl Child Education , Menstrual Hygiene, Sanitation and Safe Drinking Water .

Link for documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iRlngOAsxo

·         HEEALS organises menstrual hygiene management workshops and ‘Pads for Girls’ project which provides girls with a healthier and safer alternative: the sanitary pad.

· Through spreading education on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and organizing WASH and MH workshop, HEEALS is working to increase the attendance rates of girls in schools who drop out from school due to their period and improve self-confidence of girls in Indian society.

s    Kindly support our "Wonder Girls" Project : https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wondergirl?fbclid=IwAR3dbqwRgdDRQU-Dp7AK24TLrVDnqTqXtOpn78fADzVC4aMvRLetrzCF_6M#/

- 

- Priyanka 

  Volunteer

Support "Wonder Girl "

The mind and the body are intrinsically linked. When you improve your physical health, you’ll automatically experience greater mental and emotional well-being. Physical activity also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals that lift your mood and provide added energy. We are striving to give strong physical & mental health to our girls . Be a part of it and Please support the campaign .

We believe in what Buddha said! -“To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear.” – Buddha

Please click link to support https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wondergirl?fbclid=IwAR3dbqwRgdDRQU-Dp7AK24TLrVDnqTqXtOpn78fADzVC4aMvRLetrzCF_6M#/

EDUCATE TO SAVE Why is it so important to educate girls?

EDUCATE TO SAVE
Why is it so important to educate girls?

What’s going on?

One of the greatest problems of the indian sub-continentis the lack of education provided to girls. According to the data reported first by the MHRD (Ministry of Human Resources Development) and then by CENSUS, in 2011 around 84 million children were outside the school system, almost 20% of all those who have an educational obligation, according to the norms of the RTE (Right To Education Act). The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education is an act of the Indian Parliament which guarantees free access, and confirmation of its mandatory nature, to education for all those who are between 6 and 14 yearsold.

However, especially towards the end of primary studies, the number of girls attending school is low and indeed the dropouts are numerous. The data iseven more negative when we start talking about secondary education, where 32% of girls do not have access to school, compared to 28% of boys, as highlighted by researcher AnjelaTaneja.

Why?

What determines the dropouts and what prevents many girls from studying?

Reasons can be traced to three macro-areas:

1)      Family responsabilities: traditional gender roles come into play,according to which girls must take care of home and family, and then get married soon. The responsibility however does not stop there, since the parents are often worried about the sexual harassment that girls could experience, bringing dishonor on the family, as reported by Rachel Williams on The Guardian;

2)      Lack of toilet facilities: an other serious problem that leads to poor attendance by female students is the lack of adequate sanitation and the presence of negative myths and beliefs related to puberty and the menstrual cycle;

3)      Priority to the boys: access to the internet and other facilities is often generally poor, therefore the priority is given to the boys, who hence have better access to knowledge, which facilitates their studies.

Why educating girls is so important?

This situation must necessarily be solved because of many reasons. In particular, educating girls would lead to both personal and social benefits. Let’s look atthem in more detail:

v  Economic independence: educated girls can aspire to jobs outside the house, which can give them a salary and thus make them economically independent;

v  Gender equality: among the SDGs there are “quality education” and “gender equality”. Adequate education allows girls and women to become aware of themselves and their abilities, reducing inequalities;

v  Society development: there can be no development within a society, and this cannot be said to be developed, unless there are equal rights and opportunities for women;

v  Social independence: as well as for economic independence, adequate education helps girls to be aware of themselves, their abilities and their rights as women, which emancipates them from traditional logics;

v  Chasing dreams: an educated girl is also a girl who, thanks to her skills and knowledge, can develop aspirations and goals, dreams that are more easily reachable with the right education;

v  No more pay-gap: another key point is the wage difference. With the right education and the right qualifications women can aspire to positions of a certain level, and they can fight to abolish wage differences.

Obviously the reasons for ensuring a (better) education for girls are not only these, but the list would be far too long to enumerate them all. We will therefore limit ourselves to these.

What can be done?

Of course, different interventions are needed to make a change: on the one hand, the role played by NGOs and non-profit associations working on a local scale is very important. As reported by The Atlantic, NGOs and individuals are moving to promote womens’ education,building schools dedicated only to girls. On the other hand, the push must also come from the government: although the problem has been recognized, the indian Government is slow in its response, putting the problemat the bottom of the list ofitspriorities. HEEALS is continioulsy campaigning on the importance of education among childrens ,espicially girls in schools and communuities.

Educated girls are fundamental to achieve a better future for themselves and for all of us, it’s fundamental that everyone understands it.

-Martina Pignatelli

Sources:

-          Why Do Indian Girls Drop Out Of Schools?,The Times Of India

-          Why Girls In India Are Still Missing Out On The EducationTheyNeed, The Guardian

-          The Groups Fighting For Girls’ Education In India, The Atlantic

-          The High Dropout Rate Of Girls In India, AnjelaTaneja

-          Right To Education, righttoeducation.it

Happy Global Handwashing Day!

October 15 is Global Handwashing Day, a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

Project Wonder Girls !

Wonder Girls - Self Defence & Self Confidence Project ,We need your Kind Support!
"Wonder Girl" A Self defense & Self confidence project.

Your kind support will help to make our girls more #stronger #smarter & #inspiring
By spreading supporting and sharing you are helping many girls.
Please visit below link to support
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wondergirl#/