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A.I.D founder receives award
AID Founder Ravi K. receives Community Service Award from Association for Indian Americans (AIA)
Association for Indian Americans (AIA), DC chapter felicitated Association for India's Development (AID) JeevanSaathiDr. Ravi Kuchimanchi, co-founder of AID Inc. in their 26th Annual Academic and Outstanding Achievement Awards Ceremony on July 17th 2005.  Three volunteers from AID, College Park and recent college graduates,  Namrata Vasavani, Somu Kumar, and Brunda Kattekola  were
also honored with "Scholastic Awards".

 AIA is one of the oldest national association of Asian Indians in America. The organization that was founded in the year 1967, concerns itself with the social welfare of the Asian Indians in the United States, and to help them become a part of the main stream American life. AIA represents the hopes and aspirations of the immigrants who are united by their common bond of Indian Heritage and American Commitment.

Ravi  Kuchimanchi was honored with the prestigious "Community Service Award" for his efforts towards holistic development of rural India.  The awards function was attended by the children from local high schools and colleges along with their parents and older members of the Indian community.

Ravi Kuchimanchi founded AID in 1991 while working on his Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Maryland. He initiated the weekly chapter service hours to promote volunteerism and democratic decision-making, India Beckons, AID's cultural program, and has served as the editor of Dishaa, AID's newsletter. He returned to work in India in January 1998. Since then he has given direction to various aspects of our work, most importantly, with the struggle in the Narmada valley, initiating local community development, visiting projects and providing in-depth reports, and ideas for alternative energy devices. Ravi has been also writing on different social issues and one of his poems called Infant Mortality is included here.
 

This function was a recognition of AID's work and all the AID volunteers who are involved in bringing about a measurable change in the lives of people in India.

  
Infant Mortality...
I don't remember, but
when I opened my eyes
to the wonders of earth,
I must have seen in my mother
a trace of fear.
Lovable that I was,
she must have hugged me
before she wept.
I don't remember, but
anxiously from face to face
I must have looked
for the sight of my father
as friends and family
came to see me arrive.
In the end I don't remember
but before I slept,
I must have thought
the man who kissed my mom
must be my father.
And that night when the
neighbours came, to tell
my mom that I would die
in my sleep, I don't
remember but I must have
tried to comfort her,
told her I'd be okay,
and asked her not to weep. 

- Ravi Kuchimanchi

Below 5-year mortality rates:

India: 122 per 1000 per year.
Sri Lanka: 19
USA: 10
Kenya 90
Ethiopia: 204




 
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