A non-governmental organization from Gujarat extends its reach in North America to further its humanitarian work with the help of Indian-Americans and Indian-Canadians.
Project ‘Life’, has its headquarters in Rajkot, Gujarat and was started in 1978 as a blood-bank and expanded its work with marginalized populations in the healthcare and other fields. Its Chief Development Officer Rushikesh Pandya is visiting the U.S. and Canada in a bid to communicate about the vision and mission of Project Life to Indians in these countries.
19th Biennial JAINA Convention
The foundation’s bedrock vision is “to support, sustain and enrich the lives of people with particular focus on the marginalized, deprived and underprivileged sections of the society”. Activities of Project ‘Life’ include operating a large, NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) & AABB (American Association of Blood Banks, USA) accredited blood bank, improving the education ecosystem, driving women empowerment programs, nurturing a better environment for the planet, bridging the gap between the resident and the global Gujaratis and helping people stay fit and healthy with Yoga training and research, according to its website. It’s work has helped thousands of people, a press release from the organization said.
“My purpose in this visit is to invite NRIs (non-resident Indians) and NRGs (non-resident Gujaratis) to come and visit Project Life and its activities. Seeing is believing,” Pandya said from Paramus, N.J., where the U.S. branch of the organization has been registered under the title ‘Life Global USA’. There is also a Chicago chapter of the organization and Pandya will be going to Chicago on July 13.
Project ‘Life’ says its Life Blood Centre has saved some 282,350 lives; supplied 588,350 unites of blood and is the first blood bank in India accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks. Its Life Greenfield Centre has distributed 255,027 trees; set up an innovative plantation technique and hosted thousands of visitors including school children. The Life Education Centre has provided provided complete infrastructure to 71 schools till date benefiting some 21,000 students every year.
The Life Health and Wellness Centre of Project ‘Life, has held 336 Yoga training Shibirs; conducted 223 talks on preventive health care and stress management and has benefited an estimated 570,705 people; it has screened more than 645,247 people for Thalassemia in Saurashtra and counseled more than 700 couples on the dreaded disease.
Kite Festival in Aberdeen, New Jersey
Its Life Women Empowerment Centre has trained more than 6,238 women to become independent; it has a target to positively change the lives of a total of 12,000 women by 2020. The organization was felicitated by the Government of Gujarat for creating jobs for women in the year 2010-2011.
“We are going to promote Project ‘Life’ at the upcoming AAPI Annual Convention and at the JAINA convention,” Pandya said. “We will have booths there I encourage everyone to please come and visit,” he added.
By Premji
