Upcoming Events

Summer is over, the air is crisp, and the Children's Dental Health Program is back in the field! With the new school year beginning, PRASAD Children's Dental Health Program is making rounds on the Mobile Dental Clinics in Sullivan County, N.Y., and San Jose, Calif. Volunteers and staff are distributing the "Elliott T. Sparkle Coloring and Activity Book," a newly created educational tool that features fun games and engaging messages about good oral health. Laurie Kehl, program administrator of CDHP California says: "It's great to see how the children have grown over the summer, and they love to tell us how well they have taken care of their smiles!"

These cards feature an original painting created by a Warli artist living in Maharashtra, India. The Warli people are an indigenous tribal community who speak an unwritten dialect, and pass down their rich culture orally and through their paintings. The holiday card is a festive, shimmering bronze color, printed on heavyweight, recycled card stock. Order your sets online.

In order to support and efficiently execute Manhattan fundraising events, The PRASAD Project has opened a small office in New York City. Anastasia Piper, a long-time friend and colleague of PRASAD, is the coordinator of the office, and will be working with an advisory committee to plan, promote and produce Beyond Fashion, a Dream Dance, and other fundraising activities. The members of the advisory committee are well respected in their fields. Each brings unique talents to PRASAD: Philip Baloun is a prominent designer and event planner; Harriette Cole is a dynamic businesswoman, author and life coach; Arnie Herz is an eloquent lawyer and mediator; and Saul Waring, a businessman and philanthropist, has been an influential force in the advertising industry. We thank the committee and Anastasia for their commitment and loving contributions.

You may contact the New York City office directly:
Phone: 212.873.0712
Fax: 212.873.0714
Email: ahpiper@optonline.net

UPCOMING EVENTS

Event:	Devi Designs, in concert with EASE Enterprises, presents: Warli Tribal Paintings from Maharashtra, India
Date:	October 12th, 6 to 9 pm
Place:	Devi Designs 1442 Route 28 West Hurley, N.Y.
Contact:	Ron Brent Phone: 845.679.4158 Email: rbrent@ulster.net (RSVP by October 9th)
Event:	Communión: A Collection of Art by Angélica Labastida
Date:	October 18th Preview: 12 to 4 pm Opening: 4 to 7 pm, with an opportunity to meet the artist (This exhibit will continue through Sunday, October 27th)
Place:	The Tea Garden A Center for the Arts 33 Midwood Road Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.
Contact:	Shelley Brandes Phone: 845.434.0376 ext. 131 Email: shelleyb@prasadproject.org
Event:	Warli Art Show at the Tribeca gallery of Kevin Hart
Date:	November (date to be determined)
Place:	Kevin Hart & Company 31 N. Moore Street New York City, N.Y.
Contact:	Anastasia Piper Phone: 212.873.0712 Email: ahpiper@optonline.net
PRASAD e-Monthly is a monthly email newsletter that supplements our bi-annual print newsletter. It is emailed at the beginning of each month, except for the two months during which a print newsletter is distributed. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION To unsubscribe, please send a blank email to: prasad@prasad.org To change your email address, please send an email to: prasad@prasad.org CONTACT INFORMATION The PRASAD Project 465 Brickman Road Hurleyville, NY 12747 Phone: 845.434.0376 Fax: 845.434.0377 Copyright ©2002 The PRASAD Project. All rights reserved. PRASAD® is a registered trademark.

Hello, and welcome to the premier issue of PRASAD e-Monthly, a new service for you, our friends and supporters. This email newsletter enables us to share stories and information with you in a timely, efficient and economical manner. These emails will supplement our print newsletter, which we will continue to publish twice a year, and will enable us to stay more closely connected with you.

To read past issues of our print newsletters, please visit: http://www.prasad.org/updates/news_updates.html
Issues of PRASAD e-Monthly also will be available online.

Today, October 7th, 2002, marks a special day. It was on this day in 1992 that we became officially incorporated as "The PRASAD Project." Our name signifies a cohesive, umbrella organization that includes affiliates and programs throughout the world.

Originally, the name choice for the organization was "PRASAD," but since "prasad" is a common Indian word, it could not be incorporated on its own; something more had to be added. Our intention was that PRASAD be the rubric for our global mission, with each country customizing the name according to its own language and culture. Thus we have Prasad Chikitsa, PRASAD de México, PRASAD France etc.

Our headquarters in Hurleyville, N.Y. provides administrative support to our programs in India, Mexico, New York and California, and constituency education materials to the separately incorporated PRASAD offices in Australia, France, Italy and Spain. It is thrilling that PRASAD now has a presence in seven countries; our programs serve tens of thousands of people around the world. Our headquarters office also works with the Board of Directors to plan long and short-term goals and maintain a consistent global image.

We thank those who have generously and lovingly served on our Board of Directors, offering their time and expertise to forward PRASAD's mission. We also acknowledge and thank the many donors and volunteers who work in partnership with PRASAD to improve the quality of life for children and families.

Please click here for a list of our board members: http://www.prasad.org/directors.html

Please visit the Milestones page on our website to see a timeline of PRASAD's programs and history: http://www.prasad.org/milestones.html.

The mission of The PRASAD Project is to enhance opportunities for self-reliance for those in need. During the past year and a half, we have been developing an exciting new initiative in India's Tansa Valley. Prasad Chikitsa is working with local communities to assess their needs and to create and implement sustainable projects that improve their quality of life. Examples of these self-help projects include improved farming methods, vocational skills training and micro-banking endeavors. Participants increase their income, learn new skills, and develop greater confidence. Their enhanced self-esteem is visible in their radiant smiles and assured posture.

Mr. Vilas Shinde is the project manager of Prasad Chikitsa. Formerly a senior government official who oversaw development at the district level in Maharashtra, he has been with Prasad Chikitsa since January 2001. He and his team of six workers have established 20 self-help groups in 11 villages in the Tansa Valley. The groups each have 10-20 members; some are women's groups and others are men's groups-often farmers' cooperatives.

One farmer now working with Prasad Chikitsa is Prabhakar Patil. He owns a 1.5-acre plot of land on which he used to plant rice. Since only a third of his land is suitable to grow rice, he earned approximately Rs 2,500 (US$ 50) per year from this mono-crop. To supplement this meager income, he is paid Rs 3,000 per season for the use of his land for brickmaking.

With Prasad Chikitsa's guidance, Prabhakar has planted 25 mango trees; the fruit of each will bring him Rs 500-600 in three to four years. His projected annual income is approximately Rs 15,000 (US$ 310), almost three times what he had been earning from rice and bricks. In the meantime, he has planted a 'kitchen garden,' growing toor dal (lentils), bringels (aubergines), bindi (okra) and cucumbers to sell in the market and to provide nutritional variety to his family's diet. With education and encouragement from PRASAD, Prabhakar is able to build upon his own abilities and natural resources to develop a viable solution to his-and his community's-developmental needs.

For more information about Community Development, check out: http://www.prasad.org/education.html.