Cool Cause - Achieving Sustainable Social Equality through Technology

I have some very cool clients, one of whom has a very special daughter. Nita Umashankar (with the support of her parents, Sue and Ray Umashankar) is the founder of ASSET India Foundation, Achieving Sustainable Social Equality through Technology. Here is their mission statement:

Mission Statement
We aim to provide children of women in prostitution and those rescued from trafficking in India with basic information technology skills and secure employment opportunities. By harnessing the technical aptitude of this neglected and under-served population, we hope to fulfill the needs of a global market using knowledge empowerment as a method of preventing these children from entering the flesh trade.

Description of ASSET centers
We provide computer literacy in the form of information technology and conversational English training to children of women in prostitution ranging from ages 16-20 years. We partner with Indian non-profit organizations and leverage their existing relationships with the prostitute community. Together, we manage and run computer centers and train students in batches of 20. We train students that have completed a pre-specified level of education to ensure adequate prerequisite knowledge. Our course is designed for 6-9 months, depending on the number of hours taught per week at each center. After the students complete our course, they apply for a competitive internship and upon satisfactory completion, they are placed at various IT and BPO firms. Prospective jobs include transcription, data entry and office suite application. Currently, our centers are located in major metropolitan Indian cities including Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad. For information on each center and our partnering NGOs in each city, please visit the programs tab.

I think what they are doing is amazing, and that Nita is doing it while completing a doctorate in marketing at the University of Texas is even more remarkable. Fortunately, their work has not gone unnoticed.

ASSET has been nominated for a Stockholm Challenge prize (5,000 Euros) for 2008 in the area of education (here is their page at the Stockholm site).

While ASSET works with major corporations (such as Microsoft) to set up their programs, they also accept donations through the PayPal link at their site. They also offer internships in several areas. Please consider a donation.

Tags: Cool Cause, Achieving Sustainable Social Equality through Technology, ASSET India Foundation, Nita Umashankar, Ray Umashankar, Sue Umashankar, philanthropy, prostitution, education, technology, women, India