by DR. PRITAM ROHILA
In a few days, the 18th year of our existence would be over. It is therefore, time to review what we what we have done, and to chart our course for the next year.
YOUTH PEACE CAMPS
Changes in the visa rules, for former citizens of India, prevented my wife and I from conducting youth peace camps, we had planned to do in India and Pakistan, this year. But now we have received our Overseas Citizens of India Cards, which would allow us to visit India any time and as many times we wish, without having to apply for a visa again. Hence, we are all set to do these two-day peace camps, in January-February, 2011. (Please see the attached Background Paper for some details).
The camps will be held in India at Varnasi (UP), Betul (MP), Kheda (Gujarat), and Chandigarh (UT); and in Pakistan at Karachi (Sindh), and Toba Tek Singh (Punjab).
We are grateful to our partners in India and Pakistan who have made it all possible. They are Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi (People’s Vigilance Committee for Human Rights), Mr. Faisal Khan (National Alliance of People’s Movement), Mr. Pramod Sharma (Yuvasatta), Mr. B. M. Kutty and Sharafat Ali (Pakistan Institute of Labor Education and Research), and Mr. Ashfaq Fateh (Ravi Foundation).
PEACE ALLIANCES
We continue to strengthen our old alliances with peace, secularism, and human rights activists and organizations in India and Pakistan. Also new alliances have been initiated this year.
Among the new alliances, mention must be made of those in our home state of Oregon, in the United States. Noteworthy among them are the Oregon PeaceWorks, the Oneness Coalition, and the Chaplain’s Office at the Willamette University.
With their help, we recently organized an Interfaith Prayer Service in Salem, Oregon, for peace and harmony in the state, and to express our support for the Corvallis Muslim community, whose mosque was recently fire-bombed, in the wake of the arrest of a Somali Muslim youth for attempted bombing at a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Downtown, Portland.
With their help we are exploring the possibility of starting programs to foster a culture of peace and harmony in the area.
We hope these alliances will also help us build support for ACHA and its work in South Asia.
ACHA AWARDS
Like previous years, this year our Board of Directors decided to give ACHA Peace Star Awards to some individuals distinguished for their untiring efforts to promote peace, harmony, secularism, and human rights, in India and Pakistan. They were Dr. Mohammad Arif, Jatin Desai, Ashfaq Fateh, Faisal Khan, Dilafrose Qazi and Awais Sheikh. (See attached Press Release for details)
I will use my forthcoming visit to India and Pakistan to personally meet them, and on behalf of ACHA, present the Awards to them.
ELECTRONIC DISCUSSION FORUM & PUBLICATIONS
Thanks to its volunteer-moderator, Dr. Omar Ali, our electronic discussion forum Asiapeace (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/asiapeace) continues to be an active site for a civilized discussion of South Asian issues. Currently, it has 553 subscribers.
Apart from interruptions forced by my three retina-repair surgeries between October 2009 and January 2010, we continued to bring out the following dues-free electronic ACHA publication:
ACHA Peace Bulletin, Monthly, Subscribers 1,016
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ACHAPeaceBulletin/)
Peace and Harmony News from South Asia, Daily, Subscribers 1,790
(http://groups.google.com/group/peace–harmony-news-from-south-asia)
Kashmir News &Views, Daily, Subscribers 188
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KashmirSolutionsForum/)
Also, as a community service to keep South Asians in Oregon and Washington informed of events and resources of interest to them, we continued sporadic publication of dues-free ACHA Calendar (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ACHACalendar/). Currently, it has 250 subscribers.
WEBSITES
As for the last several years, Dr. Ingrid Shaffer has continued to donate her time, as well as domain space, to design, update and maintain our two website www.asiapeace.org & www.indiapakistanpeace.org. As soon as she can free some time, from her busy schedule, she plans to re-do the websites.
MEMBERS
Membership requires endorsement of ACHA Mission (http://www.asiapeace.org/acha/mission.htm) as well as its Declaration of Commitment (http://www.asiapeace.org/acha/commit.htm).
Currently, we have 90 members. They come from Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh, Canada, Dubai, UK, India, Israel, Nepal, Norway, Pakistan, and USA.
ACHA PEACE FOUNDATION
With two one-time donations totaling $10, 250, several years ago, we had set up ACHA Peace Foundation to financially assist South Asian peace and harmony activists and organizations in doing their work. This money is invested in Vanguard Mutual Funds.
The Foundation is run by a Board of Trustees, separate from our Board of Directors. Under the rules of the Foundation, for financial grants, we are allowed to use only income from these investments.
This year, tThe Foundation’s Board of Trustees granted a sum of $200 to Yuvsatta to help them pay for a part of their expenses for the 5th International Youth Peace Festival, held in Chandigarh, from September 27 through October 2, 2010. Around 1,000 young from 22 countries participated in it. (See the attached video for a report of the Festival)
FINANCES
All the financial papers for this year are not in yet. Last quarter’s Income and Expense Statement is available on our website www.asiapeace.org
Since we do not have any employees, and do not have to pay office rent or for any utilities, so far we have managed to get by with a total expenditure of $1,200 to $1,500, a year.
For the last few years, membership in ACHA has been dues-free. To meet our expenses, we depended on the gracious and voluntary donations by some members, and a few non-members. To make the financial responsibility more equitable, starting in 2011, ACHA Board of Directors has decided to require each member to donate an amount appropriate to the member’s ability and circumstances.
GRATITUDE
We are indebted our members and well-wishers for their continued and gracious support. Also, we are grateful to all Councilors for their input and to our Directors for their timely responses to matters presented to them for discussion and vote.