hmm @ this discussion & debate. For once I hated writing this loong mail. I think end of this year one of my resolutions would be to write only 6-10 liner mails.... :(
Well...I will write my view of this, and why I suggested the funds breakup and reserves. Ppl with enough patience and lots of idle time, or who luv me enough to go thru it breaking their heads, can read :) and write back or stay mum. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** You could list out 11 cases we took up in these past two plus years Prasanthi, and also Sirishas' case, how many can you list in each inidivual subgroup? It might just be couple of medical cases we have funded totally, and some partially, but its still a good drain of groups' funds at tht point of time. Yes case specific contributions were a major part of cases we totally funded, but did we do any such drive where we tried to gather funds for any other project like education or something? Funds we had were enough - if this is the answer, then tht also means that we limited our help to a small end. We could've done much more perhaps in tht area, but we just got satisfied with that little end and saying we did this and tht makes it a project accomplished, or telling ourselves we will research more and see - have let it fade off a week or two down the line, and again got into the loop of medical cases. Again, how much time have we spent on medical cases versus all the others?? Day in and day out in the past 2 yrs of the groups' life undoubtedly we have worked an enormous time only on medical cases. Again how many medical cases come up for discussion on whether to take up or not every other day, compared to others tht hardly show up, or are at a negligible rate? The answers to the above qns might very likely be like/around...these cases are what come to our notice so we immediately post to the group, when we take up a case we try to do our best & just becos it demands time and attention and emotional support or extra expenses or indirect expenses should we back off or stop helping, is saving a life not more important than everything else, only if a person lives he can do the rest, who is working on other groups like education etc..shudnt' all share responsibility, no volunteer time for researching on weekends since thts the only time ppl get off their working schedules, and so on. Its not always the money we spend on what, its just tht perhaps there could be more utility and diversification of those pennies. So basically, to avoid all this, since we all need not agree that one subgroup or one help is better than the other, and since our group directs towards making a difference overall in general, and doesnot wish to limit the help to just one section of ppl or service, I suggested the funds breakup theory. Coming to education and sponsoring kids, did anyone show any interest so far or concentrated on particular aspect? When there is not much activity going on, what is wrong in spending money on a cause that we all feel as genuine!! The solution here is not telling ourselves there is no one showing any interest so lets just go spend on a medical case we feel genuine. Instead of putting tht motivation or writing mails on lets help this medical case, lets put the same efforts into mobilising volunteers on education projects. Many of the active members back up all our mails & projects, encourage and also send in regular funds. The response would be equally same and might infact be surprisingly more including those members who must've been waiting to spend some time, thoughts, ideas or money into this field. We are not giving these members a chance aswell. My question is when we do not have projects on hand and when there are no people who are ready to concentrate, take initiative and come with proposals, why to keep some money aside and reserved. So tht we send a positive thought out that we intend to progress on the reserved fields aswell, and tell ourselves we have to work more on it, as also to motivate the members who are interested in this area of service. And by reserve we donot mean tht the money will sit idle, it just means that it is waiting to be put into use for a particular section of needy and that we have to make sure it reaches them. If we say education, we will get more project specific funds for education. People will be ready to sponsor. We only have to show them that the case is genuine and so and so is the estimate. It is not so with the medical cases. Very few people come forward to help. If this was totally true, there would never be any need arising in the education area. This is totally not a relative truth either. Yes, ppl might be bugged if the same person or type of help comes knocking the door always, it is but human nature. But, its not true tht when we say education need ppl give money immediately or easily, compared to when we say this poor guy needs surgery pls donate. If this was any closely totally true we would've never raised so much money against cases we purely funded ourselves, keeping in mind tht more of this money came in the form of dollars and ppl hardly ever knew more abt this person. ITS MORE SO THE GESTURE OF PPL WILLING TO HELP & DONATE, THE CAUSE REALLY IS NOT THE ONE THAT DRIVES, BUT THE WILLINGNESS. I am afraid that even after classification, we will get to listen that allocate the fund of Medical sub-group to Campaigning and Vaccines instead of on sponsoring a person who needs an operation. I dont' think we have ppl who will think like this. There are always two ways of looking at things. One is a group view, one is a member's personal view. Members have every right to decide where they wish their personal contribution to work. I dont' think we will ever get to a situation when a majority of ppl will say lets stop paying for surgeries and work on vaccines. It is a bit over the roof thought. Then I request our members not to mail us the links from Eenadu saying that 'Can we help this case? Can we get the details from E-RK?' Members can always mail, and we can always have the discussions and mails on whether we can help or not and so on. We just donot want' to concentrate only on this field and lets the other areas just be an on and off thing. Thts all. -Divya God knows how much I hate this cut paste thing and replying style. Feels soo not me style. Gives some flamy conversation effect. I really had no choice but to write like this, since it was easy to reply then and thr, and I could avoid more misinterpretations if any. Prasanthi and other members, please take it as an absolutely normal mail, wrote in all calm mind, sitting at ease, as if I am talking in my sweet soft tone :) and not me screaming or fuming over something.
