Aruna Asaf Ali Memorial Trust (Regd.)

Arun Asif Ali Memorial Trust was registered as a non-profit organization at Chandigarh in June 1997, a year after the demise of Aruna Ji — the illustrious daughter of India. Bharat Ratna Aruna Ji was an ardent freedom fighter who led the Quit India Movement declared by Gandhiji. After independence, Aruna ji worked selflessly for the betterment of the underprivileged; specially women, girl child, children and minorities.

To keep alive her memory and set a model to be emulated by fellow citizens, this trust has been created for charitable purposes.

RATIONALE: Sixty five years after independence many burning problems faced by women remain largely unsolved. Along with women, girl child, children and the members of the minority communities also face atrocities beyond belief. In order to keep the memory of a great freedom fighter alive and continue working towards her vision _ ” to bring about a just, democratic and equitable society free from caste and communal tension so that India would develop in peace and harmony”.

The Trust aims at child development, women’s empowerment and the promotion of secular ideals.

OBJECTIVES: The following are the primary objectives of Aruna Asaf Ali Memorial Trust:

• Upliftment of the underprivileged
• Empowerment of Women and Children through education & Vocational Training
• Financial empowerment of women
• Encouragement of cultural activities for better integration of multiple cultures
• Promotion of secular ideals by inculcating mutual respect of all religions
• Pride in being an Indian by ingraining Nationalistic values

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT: The first Board of Management was selected in 1997 and included:

Bibi Veera ( Mrs.Balbir Kaur Dhanwant ) was selected as Patron of the Trust.

• 
  CHILD LABOUR EDUCATION CENTER ( DISHA ) Janta Colony Sector-25 Chandigarh, has been working since May 1999. Twenty working kids in the age group of 6-12 years, majority girls, are being given education. These children are prepared for the 5th Class in three years time. The first batch of 12 children and second batch of 10 children has already passed this exam. The third batch is preparing to sit for the exam. The parents are being motivated to continue their education further at the nearest Govt. School, financed by the trust. The scheme is being implemented on a continuing basis.
• A CRAFT CENTRE for young girls is also being run at the same location.
• CHILD LABOUR EDUCATION CENTRE (DISHA) PANCHKULA with 20 working  children has been running since August 1999 in a classroom provided at Doon Public School in Panchkula (Haryana) catering to the children coming from the Azad Labour Colony Sector-21nearby. In 2001, for the first time 4 girls of Disha,  Panchkula took the 5th class exam through the Govt. Primary School, Sector-12A, Panchkula. All of them passed the exam in the 1st division. One of them stood 1st  among the 30 girls of the parent school. All the 4 girls joined the elementary school and the trust financed their further education. Disha has 5 graduates to be proud of. Four girls completed their graduation in humanities, while 1 boy graduated in Commerce. 3 students are in the final year, preparing to take the graduation exam in 2015.
• SPECIAL SCHOOL AT MOHALI  was running in Guru Nanak Labour Colony, Phase X, Mohali (Punjab) for coaching children who are drop-outs or have never attended school. In 2006 the Guru Nanak Labour Colony was removed and the classroom was shifted to Aruna Asif Ali Bhavan, then newly constructed. Those who  pass the 5th class board exam with 60% and above are supported at the elementary and secondary levels.
• Beside the above, the Trust runs a donor scheme under which donations are raised to fund scholarships for deserving students who cannot pursue their studies further due to paucity of funds. Following amounts as scholarships are made:
  • Rs. 100/-p.m. for primary class
  • Rs. 150/-p.m. for Middle & High School level
  • Rs.  200/-p.m. for +2 Class
  • Rs.  250/- to Rs.  400/- p.m. for professional & technical courses.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE ARUNA ASIF ALI BHAWAN: The Trust was allotted a plot of 250 sq. Yards in sector 44-A, Chandigarh, on which a Bhawan in the memory of Bharat Ratna Aruna Asif Ali has been constructed. It is now the focal point to carry on the activities of the Trust and their expansion as visualized. The Bhawan was inaugurated on 25th Feb. 2006 by the then Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Mrs. Rajinder Kaur Bhathal.
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