Community Service

We are accepting donations throughout the semester as well as fundraising for Prabhu, please bring all donations to IAA meetings TUESDAYS at 8.

IAA in association with PLAN USA is sponsoring a child this year.

Plan USA works with more than 85,000 children and their families in India and is one of the leading organizations working in the country.

This is Prabhu.

Prabhu is a 6 year old boy from India. By supporting this project, your sponsorship will help to make a positive difference in his life. You can make the greatest long-term impact on the health and well being of children like Prabhu and their families.

Family Profile by G.M.Basavaraj

My name is G M Basavaraj and I work as a Plan staff member in Hosur, where Prabhu and his family have lived for as long as they can remember. One of my responsibilities is facilitating communications between sponsors and their families in Prabhu's community. I recently visited the family and talked with Yamanappa, Prabhu's father. Now I would like to introduce all the family members to you.

Introducing Prabhu

First of all, let us talk about Prabhu. He is a friendly little boy, whose favorite games include playing with dolls, skipping and playing with a spinning top. His father tells me that when Prabhu is older he does not know what he wants to be. In this part of the world children grow up fast and all must play a part in the family's progress and survival. Although they still have time to play they must also help with the daily chores.

Prabhu is attending preschool. The day starts early for Prabhu as he heads for school. He travels by foot and it takes him less than 30 minutes. Every day Prabhu meets his friends Hanumantha and Prashant and like children everywhere they chatter about all kinds of different things, so the time passes quickly. Prabhu is gad to reach school and start the day with his friends. He always looks forward to the local language and sports lessons that are his favorite subjects.

Introducing Prabhu's Family

There are 3 family members living together with Prabhu. Shankaravva (21), who is Prabhu's mother. Yamanappa (26), who is Prabhu's father. Praveen (3), who is Prabhu's sister.

Prabhu and his family's health

Yamanappa told me that Prabhu has been in good health during the past six months. This means that he was one of the fortunate ones as still many children suffer from diseases that could be prevented. Praveen is currently participating in a growth monitoring program which will help to highlight possible lack of nutrition and this ensure healthy development. If Prabhu or any of his family is sick, they can go to the mobile health clinic, a journey of about fifteen minutes. If there were an emergency case, the family would have to travel about one hour to get to the nearest hospital. This makes it nearly impossible for them to receive emergency treatment.

Where Prabhu and his family live

Prabhu's family lives in a small house made of stone with a tree branches roof. The house is owned by the family with a legal title. Whilst showing me their home, Yamanappa told me that the house is in fair condition. Prabhu's family does not have their own latrine and hove to use an open field or public area for their needs. This creates a lower level of hygiene and increases the incidence of disease, particularly amongst the children.

Prabhu's family uses a stove without and oven to cook their daily meals and their main fuel is wood. Collecting firewood is usually the work of women and children and a very time consuming task. For lighting the house the family uses electricity officially supplied without meter. Prabhu's family like their friends and neighbors have a very small income and it is a struggle to be able to meet their basic needs.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Prabhu and his family. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of the problems they face, their expectations and their positive attitude. Life is not easy and the economic situation can make it even harder. However Plan will be working with Prabhu's family and all the families in Hosur to identify their most basic needs which may be in health, education, housing and income. Your contributions will allow our team here to create opportunities for the family and their village community to help them solve some of their serious problems. Thank you for giving Prabhu a chance!