My marathon

Dear friend,

I have been training this year to run the Austin Marathon on Feb 17, 2008. 26.2 miles - Its one of the most challenging tasks I have ever undertaken, requiring quite a bit of physical and mental endurance and commitment for training since October this year.

On the other hand, there has been no shortage of motivation. It has been fun so far and also meaningful, knowing that all these efforts raise awareness about underprivileged children in India and about what we can do for them. I am committed to raising $100 per mile ($2620 total) through my marathon and I am counting on your help in reaching that target.

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Why am I doing it?

Millions of children in India never go to school. Almost half of those that do drop out of school before completing primary education. Access to education is improving, but the education that poor children receive in most schools in India is of abysmal quality - very few teachers, crumbling to no infrastructure, poor to non-existent learning materials etc.

Thats why I have been training as part of Team Asha. Asha for Education is a non-profit organization that supports several grass-roots initiatives in India for children's education. One of the initiatives that I have been involved with for a while now is Gramin Shiksha Kendra (GSK) in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.

I first visited Uday, a school run by GSK, in May 2005, and the project immediately impressed me with the commitment of all the stake-holders, including the rural community, teachers and children. GSK aims to create model schools that impart a very high quality of education with socio-economic relevance to the local community. GSK, established in 2003, has already captivated the imagination of the people in even the neighboring villages and they have already set up a second school in the area. Currently, both schools are supporting over 225 children (up from 65 in 2004).

I believe that the success of this project can go a long way towards providing a model of education that can be inspiring for all children and communities in India. To learn more about this exciting project, please ping me any time or visit the project's page:

http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=603

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How you can help

Sponsor my marathon. Asha is a zero-overhead organization and all your donations reach the project. Also, donations to Asha are tax-exempt in the US. Please visit my runner's page and follow the links to donate (online or by check).

http://www.ashanet.org/austin/soh/runners08/08-murali-n.html

Wish you happy holidays and a great new year ahead!

Thanks,

-Murali



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Maneesh Pandey

3/39, Housing Board
Sawai Madhopur
Rajasthan - 322001
Phone: 07462- 233553(R), 223449(O), 09828588549