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| Asha-Jyothi: Education and Healthcare for the Underprivileged November 2010
As a graduate student, MITRE principal information systems engineer Sri Vasireddy witnessed firsthand the difficulties encountered by immigrant students' families when tragedies such as serious illness struck. With basic healthcare and primary education out of reach for many in his native India, Vasireddy realized that support from relatives and friends in the United States can make a significant difference in the lives of underprivileged individuals. Not long after earning his master's degree in computer science from George Mason University, Vasireddy and several friends from the program banded together in response to a crisis in their immediate circle to provide financial assistance in their native country. One person needed a kidney transplant, and another had been diagnosed with lymphoma. By pledging to forego payment for time spent fundraising and channel all earnings towards needy families, the informal group was able to operate efficiently, he explains. "We did the fundraising on an as-needed basis, communicating with families about what they needed," Vasireddy says. This work proved so rewarding that it inspired him and his team to formalize the organization and expand its reach. Now known as Asha-Jyothi, the charity was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2003. "Asha" means hope and "Jyothi" means light in Sanskrit, says Vasireddy, and the name embodies the group's mission statement: "Every ray of light brings a new hope." He is passionate about the group's mission to provide funds for education, healthcare, and emergency assistance to the underprivileged in India. More recently, the organization provided assistance in Haiti following the earthquake and in Pakistan following flooding. Since January 2009, the group has raised more than $200,000 for its various causes. A Challenge to Direct Action "We wanted to challenge people's ideas about charity by encouraging them to become involved in a more direct way," Vasireddy says. "Our core value is, whatever we do, we execute it entirely with our people, who are all volunteers. We try to make as big an impact as possible with the people and resources we have. It's very powerful when people have a direct connection to those in need." Asha-Jyothi's recent campaigns include identifying volunteer doctors to provide health screening tests such as mammograms to 500 women in the Indian city of Ventrapragada, a fundraiser for a 5-year-old Indian girl diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the distribution of 220 bags of school supplies to children in the Indian region of Andhra Pradesh, and the distribution of solar-powered lamps to earthquake victims in Haiti. Applying New Skills—in Volunteerism and On the Job Vasireddy, a telecommunications infrastructure developer who also holds an MBA, says the time he has invested in charity work for Asha-Jyothi has paid unexpected dividends in his MITRE career. "In building our website, we teamed up with an organization called SalesForce.com, which donated cloud computing resources for the site," he explains. "I learned quite a bit about cloud computing, which relates directly to my work at MITRE." He represented the company at a recent industry conference as one of two subject matter experts on cloud computing—a professional achievement he says was made possible by his volunteer efforts. "Sometimes finding where your passion lies at work can lead to opportunities for rewarding volunteer work," adds Vasireddy. —by Maria S. Lee Page last updated: November 5, 2010 | Top of page |
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