Phone: 301-422-4441

Email: priya_at_aidindia_dot_org

Priya Ranjan is one of the most familiar names of AID both within and outside the organization.

Dateline:

- Joined AID in Fall 1997 at Univ. of Maryland

- Served on the Maryland chapter Executive committee as Tech. coord from 1998-2000, and Secretary from 2000-2004. Actively involved in AID-wide administrative support and coordination of chapters for several years.

- Served as Chapter and Volunteer Coord on the Executive Board from 2004-2006.

Some important contributions:

Chapter and Volunteer Coordination:

Even before becoming CVC, Priya was involved in starting chapters and supporting them. For several years, he has been handling queries coming to info_at_aidindia_dot_org and interfacing with teams within AID. As CVC, he has been ubiquitous, supporting and inspiring new chapters, publicizing volunteer opportunities, and most importantly, recognizing talents and creating space for volunteers from various chapters to join AID-wide teams. Particularly, he played a key role in handling the explosive growth of AID after the tsunami. By setting up Forum and promoting it widely, he has encouraged an AID-wide platform for discussion, debate and learning. He has visited more than 20 chapters of AID.

Promoting AID's cause of empowerment and social justice:

Priya has worked closely with many of our project partners, especially AID-India, HBP in Bihar and Jharkhand, and AID Saathi Dayamani Barla. He visits India almost every year and spends half his time on site visits, making more than 15 project visits to date. He has played a key role in disaster relief efforts starting with Orissa super-cyclone, and built our confidence to handle large-scale efforts, the best example being the Tsunami relief and rehabilitation. He believes in directly connecting AID volunteers to struggles and campaigns in India, through reports from partners as well as translated articles from vernacular newspapers. He has actively participated in almost every social justice campaign of AID, and is a Board member of Stop HIV AIDS in India campaign.

Admin and Infrastructure:

Since 1998, Priya played a key role in developing IT resources and maintaining AID website. Together with a hard-working team, he has played a key role in making the website a dynamic entity, and tirelessly keeping it up-to-date. His team has made it a mission to provide infrastructure to facilitate every team, whether Publications, Fundraising or Projects.

Community relations:

Priya has helped take AID's public relations to a new level. He set up our 1-888 phone line and has handled the voicemail as well as email at info_at_aidindia_dot_org for several years. With a very persistent team, he has helped maintain a 24/7 email/phone response system in AID! After the Tsunami, he played a key role in ensuring that we handle the explosion of queries and interest from the public. Through the web and email lists, he has ensured wide distribution of reports of AID's projects and campaigns. He regularly interacts with the press, audio-visual media, other community organizations, social justice groups and the Indian embassy.

Priya Ranjan is proud of his ongoing collaboration with Mrs. Rekhaji who is a block full timer in Hundred Block Program (HBP), Bihar. She has been recently appointed as a government teacher and has also done some reporting for BBC as evident in following news report.