AHB lauds Indian NGOs for excellent work

Chennai, July 18: The Germany-based 'Andheri Hilfe Bonn' (AHB), a development organisation providing funds to 150 Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)in India and Bangladesh, for implementing 300 development projects, has lauded Indian NGOs for sincerely working for the uplift of street children, women, marginal farmers and Dalits.

AHB President Ms Elvira Greiner and Chairperson Rosi Gollmann, talking to newspersons here yesterday, said the organisation was providing funds for child and women development, non-formal education, vocational training, community health and sanitation, community-based rehabilitation and drinking water projects, among other things.

The AHB was giving finciancial assistance to the tune of five to six million Euros to various NGOs in India and Bangladesh every year, they said adding that during the last 40 years, thousands of projects were supported for social and economic development of the poor in India and Bangladesh.

To mark the 40th anniversary of AHB, chief functionaries and directors of 120 NGOs from the country have gathered here to chalkout the future programmes for development of India in the pursuit to achieve millennuim development goals.

They said they were happy over the implementation of projects in India funded by their organisation and also with the feed back collected from the beneficiaries, which was impressive and encouragable.

Replying to a question on the selection of NGOs for receiving AHB financial aid, they said the quantum of assistance and other modalities were based on the satisfication of past and present performance of the NGOs.

Ms Rosi Gollmann, a receipient of the highest civilian award in Germany, said AHB had assisted for performing one million cataract operations in Bangladesh till January 2003.

Andheri Trust India Trustee Fr G Kulandai Raj said there were three regions southern, western and northern which were functioning in India to monitor the AHB funding projects in the country.

Plans were afoot to set up a separate region for North East states, he added.

UNI