Raaga 2022 Recap
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by
OSAAT
April 3rd, 2022 came after 2 years of a global pandemic. Nonprofits who were on the frontlines in India; securing lost school days, work hours, food, and re-engaging donors, whilst keeping anxiety levels for social distancing a high priority. OSAAT, a volunteer driven organization hoped to raise funds and carry on the traditional annual Bay Area musical event Raaga.
By all accounts, Sunday, April 3rd, was a big day for OSAAT, its volunteers and donors alike. “Raaga” delivered a scintillating performance that we will all remember fondly for a long time. The evening resounded with the outpouring of support from Soma Shekar and the team of phenomenal artists. They practiced for hundreds of hours, and performed with so much heart, at no cost, to benefit OSAAT.
Our beneficiaries parents, teachers and OSAAT volunteers join in thanking everyone for their generosity and kind affirmations of trust and love for the work being done in India. The chairman of our board of directors B.V. Jagadeesh pledged to match donations up to $25,000, and the audience responded with pledging over $13,000 during the course of the evening.
Shashi Kiran, our new member of the executive committee, had managed to raise over $60,000 over the past three months, by simply sending five e-mail outreach to like-minded friends and family every weekend following up. The enthusiastic response to this simple approach pleasantly surprised him and is able to fund a new school! He is advocating that every individual passionate about the OSAAT cause, start to take these small steps. This amount was also pledged at the event.
Over the past 18 years, OSAAT has uplifted 55 schools, positively impacting 70,000+ children. Rebuilding and expanding rural schools in India, the organization builds classrooms, toilet blocks and other infrastructure towards providing safe learning environments for children and teachers.
Our ODiSI project is aimed at bridging the digital divide between rural and urban India. Besides the social and emotional issues the children have been facing, their learning has fallen behind by as much as two years academically. Children in rural areas of India are most affected, with no access to digital learning facilities. After a successful pilot program in late 2021, ODiSI is looking to scale across 4 States in India over the next 3 years.
Last and never the least, a big, well-deserved shout out to OSAAT’s volunteers, the very heart, soul, and backbone of OSAAT. Thanks to the leadership of Paddu Melanahalli, President of OSAAT, the organization is thriving with a dedicated team of volunteers.
Watch out for the details on our website www.osaat.org. Sign up for our newsletter, donate, spread the word, volunteer, and join the OSAAT family!
