LSS makes the newspaper, starting of summer work, and lots of photos!

Hi all,
    So, super exciting news here. The opening of our village information center in Kukrella attracted two of the bigger regional newspapers, Dainik Baskar (http://www.bhaskar.com/) and Rajasthan Patrika (http://www.rajasthanpatrika.com/). Rohitash tells me that stories and photos about our work have appeared in both newspapers and that he will have scanned photos to post on the blog soon. This is another important step in building our program, since getting this type of name recognition will make fund raising in India much easier. We have had the mantra that in our first three years of operation we just wanted to build strong programs, and then we'd focus on fundraising after that. I think this choice is working nicely for us and the support we are seeing reflects the strength of our programs. We will work to ensure this remains the case!

    Alright, we have started our second year of computer work in earnest. The youth leadership and technology groups (YLTGs) have started up in three villages (the other villages' students are still in their examination period, so we cannot start there yet). We have also opened our village information center in Kukrella in a ceremony attended by the sarpanch (village mayor, in India's system) and the newspapers. As detailed in previous posts we will begin by reviewing what we learned last year (basics of the computer) and then will go on to MS Word and typing skills. There will definitely be a good stream of posts as this work develops. For now, enjoy the photos below.

The poster for our village information center

Gopal with the village sarpanch (mayor) at the village information center opening  ceremony

Gopal with student at opening ceremony

Teacher with students in Kukrella

Same as above

Students on computer in Mohan Gujar ki Dhani

Students working on laptop

    Finally, our microfinance work continues unabated, with the women and their families enjoying the benefits they have to offer. These are a cornerstone of our work/operational philosophy, so we always work to keep them strong. Below are some photos.

Woman filling out documentation in Mohan Gujar ki Dhani

Meeting in Barwara

    Stayed tuned for some scans of the newspaper articles. Have a great day!