Lend-a-Hand India's Third Annual Gala (Saturday, Sept 13, 2008)

Over hundred and fifty supporters from all the walks of life attended Lend-A-Hand India's Third Annual Gala in the New York City on September 13, 2008. Mr. Bob Simon, Sr. Foreign Correspondent for "60 Minutes" and Dr. Abhijit Banerjee, Director of Poverty Action Lab and Ford Professor of Economics at MIT were the honorary guests for the gala. The gala raised over $10,000 which will contribute to provide vocational training to young girls and boys from the rural India.

In last four years, over 10,000 boys and girls from 60 villages in India have benefited from the programs carried by Lend A Hand India. Under its flagship project "PLAN100", Lend A Hand India aims to reach 20,000 boys and girls from 100 high-schools with job and life skills in next two years.

"The bottom-up approach adopted by Lend-A-Hand India is the real key to change the lives of the people" said Mr. Bob Simon. He further added that India is an open country and her people are responsive to change. Therefore organizations like LAHI can make a positive impact if they go with right prescriptions and tools. Mr. Simon particularly appreciated LAHI's focus to work with youth given the population dynamics in India. As a part of lively Q&A session, He also shared interesting moments about his now famous interview with Aishwarya Rai and the forthcoming one with Vijay Malya.

"Creating skilled workforce for skill intensive industries is vital to address the poverty and unemployment in India. Lend-A-hand India's project "PLAN100" which compliments high school curriculum with vocational skills is a promising intervention and deserves all the support." said Dr. Abhijit Banerjee. He said "Not everyone can be an entrepreneur so the projects like "Plan 100" will help to reduce the unemployment and migration to urban areas". Dr. Banerjee shared his experience of working with the Poverty Action Lab and emphasized the need to develop a better understanding of the people and the poverty. He congratulated Lend A Hand India on its work and its efforts to work in rural India.

In her welcome address, Ms. Sunanda Mane, President and co-founder of Lend-A-Hand India, presented an overview of the achievements during 2007-08. Advocacy to impact government policy towards vocational education, partnership with a prominent regional news media and local governments, outreach through business school programs such as Stanford, UT Austin, NYU Stern, and Fordam were among the high lights of the achievements during the year.

Mr. Vik Atal, Vice Chairman of Global Citi Cards and Chairman of Advisory Board of Lend-A-Hand India thanked the attendees for their continued support and appealed for the same during the years to come.

The attendees enjoyed the Tap Dancing performance by C3 Tap Cooperative and Bollywood dance melodies by Bollywood Axion Dance Troupe. Ms. Bhavna Toor, Former Miss India New York and Host of National TV Show "Namaste India" was the emcee for the gala. A documentary based on Project "PLAN100" was screened and it received a great applause from the audience.

Supported by:
Antoniette Maclachlan - Zen Shiatsu
Ayurveda Cafe
Chola Restaurant
Club H Fitness
Cupcakes by Tawny Ong
Darbar Restaurant
Dezign Matters
Masala Bhangra Workout by Sarina Jain
Mint Restaurant
Rachel Roy - Designer
Scott Cohen - Personal Trainer
Tasting World's Wine Courses and Tastings

About Lend-A-Hand India:
Lend-A-Hand India's mission is to make a difference in the lives of the poor through self --help. We provide the youth better access to vocational training, career development, and employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Our goal is to help the poor realize their full potential to meet their aspirations for a better life by raising awareness of their environment, rights and responsibilities, and empower them to seize opportunities beyond what is usually assumed to be out of reach. Through its various projects in the past four years, Lend-A-Hand India has impacted the lives of over 6000 young people from rural India.

Past Events
2008
• 5K Run/Walk - Riverside Park, New York (April 6th, 2008)
• Launch of UK Chapter (London)- Happy Hour with Chocolate Tasting (Feb 21st, 2008)
2007
• Diwali Bash 2007 Indian Dance & Chaat Food Festival (November 2nd, 2007)
• Salsa Dancing and Lessons with Live Auction - July 20, 2007
• Holi (Indian Festival of colors) Celebration - March 4, 2007
• Chocolate Tasting - March 2, 2007