Posted on Mar 1st 2010 by Karthi Easwaramoorthy.
TEAM a 100% non – profitable organization, registered in California, USA is formed to improve education in motherland. When you hear the word non-profit organization you might all think, oh! one more to go with like CRY. Some might also think, these non-profit organizations actually don’t do much, they are all started by a group of people who want to attribute something to the society and as days pass by, in this busy world everything is forgotten and these organizations end up nowhere. But there are a few organizations, which make a mark and are completely different.
People when they live away from homeland; they miss friends, family and community in general. When you come across your native people you remember your country and feel happy that you can talk in the same language, discuss common things and you automatically feel a sense of bonding and togetherness. That is why in foreign lands get-togethers are so common, where u can mix with your own native people and talk all that you miss from being away from your country.
During one such get-together Abirami, realized that people here are not talking about Indian politics, movies, clothes and the food that is being served there. She heard things like schools.…funds….projects. This raised curiosity in her and made her wonder what these people are upto.
Then she understood that this group of her friends where different and as the topic started heating up she came to know that they were talking about the welfare and upliftment of the children and their education back home in India. These friends, with their great vision and enthusiasm, were in full action, collecting funds and donating material goods for under privileged schools in the villages of our motherland. That day she decided to be a part of it and joined hands with these friends to do something for the children and schools in her motherland.
Nowadays it is not the friends chit chat conversation nor the food that excites her and makes her go for theses social gatherings, but she looks forward to this bigger gathering, as a proud member of TEAM and deep inside her heart, she has the satisfied feeling of having accomplished and accomplishing something noteworthy and great.
As human beings we always have a carving in our heart to contribute to the society that helped us grow. India mainly consists of villages even today. Many successful people today come from the villages where they had to struggle much to strive and succeed in life. A set of individuals joined hands and decided to do something for the society in which they grew up. They wanted to help today’s younger generation in the villages get all the facilities and amenities to study, which they themselves could not get when they were young.
Thus was born TEAM, an organization launched by NRI’s in the year 2000, who wanted the students in rural India have a better life and a comfortable environment to study and be motivated to pursue their studies, by providing basic amenities to poor elementary schools. Karthikeyan Eswaramoorthy, native of Erode in Tamil Nadu, who works as a software engineer in California, was instrumental in launching TEAM.
They could have very well contributed the amount they are willing to spend for the betterment of society towards some non- profit organization, but instead they wanted to start an organization on their own, because they wanted to carry out the work themselves. In TEAM you are not only donating the money but you can personally take care of the needs of the school children and see how the money is being used and can use it to a school of your choice. Each member is responsible for the proper utilization of the funds and fulfilling of the dreams of TEAM. This is, were TEAM differs from other organization.
TEAM’s vision is to lift society by education. Lack of basic amenities hinders education in several Government schools in India. There are no benches, desks or even blackboards in many of these schools. TEAM’s effort is to reach out to these schools to make their study environment better and thus to encourage the children.
Each TEAM member contributes $10 every month. The members then select the schools where they want to execute the project. Every quarter, a few members are selected by lots to be coordinators to execute projects of their choice. Each project receives $500 from the TEAM. The member usually chooses a school with the help of relatives and friends who live in India. The person in India interacts with the headmaster to assess the needs of the school and implements the project based on the funds allotted
Once the project is completed, the project executors take photos or videos and along with the receipt submit it to TEAM. TEAM also receives thank you notes from Headmaster, teacher and Parents. Which is very encouraging and motivating the team members to do more such projects.
It is always not the pictures of completed projects that make the TEAM members feel satisfied and happy. When these TEAM members go back home, they make sure to go and see the school where their project was implemented by their family members and they interact with the school children and the local people and get the real feel of it.
One of the TEAM member visited a school in erode district where TEAM had donated some benches and desks. He asked one of the students how she felt about having new benches and desks. The young girl replied, that prior to having the benches and desks, the wounds she used to get while playing took a long time to heal as they abraded with the rough floor when they sat down for their classes. Now, they heal very fast. The TEAM member says he had never thought of anything like that. When it came from a young kid studying in the third standard, it really moved him and many members in the TEAM have experienced incidents like this.
It is not only the members but also the people executing the projects are happy. One of the TEAM members chose to help a blind school. The TEAM member’s brother executed the project and he was asked to preside as a chief guest on Independence Day and hoist the flag, this honor really touched him and made him feel proud of TEAM.
TEAM has executed projects in over 225 schools in India. Most of these schools are in rural Tamil Nadu. Efforts are on to strengthen TEAM’s activities in other parts of the country. From a modest beginning of 11 members, TEAM now has over 900 members with chapters in the Bay Area, Chicago, and in India. Discussions have been initiated to launch chapters in Brunei, Singapore and Australia. More members, more projects is TEAM’s logic.
To prevent pilfering, most items donated have the words “Donated by TEAM” or something to that effect stamped on them. The donated items are entered in the school’s registry, so that TEAM’s contribution is registered and the items remain with the school. TEAM members have not only provided with benches, desks and blackboards but members have done different things—erect a compound wall to keep livestock from wandering in, install a water tank, build lavatory, etc. The more remote the school, the less facilities it has and depending on the school the TEAM members make the decision as to what to be done for the school.
TEAM has now grown big enough to merit a formal organizational structure. TEAM has a chairman, president of each chapter who is responsible for the overall growth and promotional activities, and a secretary in charge of maintaining existing activities. There is also a treasurer and a financial coordinator for each batch. A board of about 10 directors is selected randomly from interested members. However, these office bearers are rotated every two years to tap the large pool of leadership talent within the organization and so that no one person dominates.
Members also take ownership by volunteering for various groups; such as TEAM Soft, the group that maintains the software. TEAM Promotion, the group in charge of promotional activities, this group now for the past two years have arranged a TEAM walk in Bay area, to raise awareness about TEAM. Another group of volunteers arranges food for the meetings, and entertainment like song and dance programs. This involvement of members at all levels has helped TEAM retain its informal and friendly atmosphere even as the organization grows in numbers and TEAM is no more a get-together at a park.
Not having family where the TEAM members wish to execute a project is sometimes a problem for TEAM members. That’s where the India chapter of TEAM lends a hand.
The India chapter of TEAM consists mostly of members who have moved back from the United States to India. They still want to contribute to TEAM though the donations come mainly from the United States. Indian members are in the valuable position of being able to actually oversee and implement projects in India. Arun Kumar Athiappan, director of the India chapter, coordinates activities between India and the United States.
TEAM now plans to expand its activities. The first thing they want to do is to adopt a school, which would mean more than a one-time contribution by TEAM for that school. The India Chapter has started the first adoption project at an elementary school in the Periyapudhur village of Salem District in Tamil Nadu.
Then, TEAM’s aim is to build a community center where villagers can access information about agriculture, students can get admission forms, and a library—all to increase education and awareness amongst rural folk. The plans are still in the formative stage. The chairman Karthikeyan Easwaramoorthy says, “Doing is the solution to any problem.” And his vision is to build TEAM all over the world.
More than the monetary contribution, the personal involvement of the members is the driving factor of TEAM and the greatest motivation to join TEAM. This personal involvement is the success and difference of TEAM.
By Rekha Karmugilan.