Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) : India Resource

 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971.

Today, MSF provides independent, impartial assistance in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. MSF also reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols.

In 1999, MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize.


India Resource - See Excellent Stories and work of Doctors Without Borders in India:  
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/allcontent.cfm?id=33
 

World wide Offices :
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/offices/?ref=nav-footer






Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Free culture for a free society

On January 31, 2011, there was an unusual meeting at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, Kerala. The participants were a group of young people, some of them activists of the Free Software movement in Kerala, people who were contributing to free software or to localising free software in Malayalam. Some were interested in animation, and one or two of them had experience in 3D animation. What brought this group together was a project that had been launched a few months earlier. The project was to create a 3D animation movie as a community effort using Blender and other free software. 

Blender is a piece of software for 3D modelling, animation and non-linear editing. Proprietary software to begin with, when the company found the going tough it was taken over by a group that included its developers and users who liked the software. They released it under the GNU General Public Licence, which made it free software that anyone could download and use. 

The Blender Foundation that was created to maintain the software subsequently got animators together to create three short animation films -- Elephant's Dream, Big Buck Bunny,and Sintel -- that are available for anyone to download. 

While the objective of the Blender Foundation was to demonstrate the software’s capabilities, the objective of the young enthusiasts who got together in Calicut (now known as Kozhikode) was to show that cultural products like films can be created by a community and distributed freely -- something that’s contrary to the existing paradigm of culture being viewed as an industry and a means to making profit. The project is called ‘Chamba’, following the practice started by the Blender Foundation of naming their free movie projects after fruits. It was started at the suggestion of a young veteran of free software, Praveen, who also gave it its name. Details of the project can be found at http://www.chambaproject.in.

Readers may wonder about the purpose of such an exercise. Creating a movie involves a lot of effort by a number of people, expertise, and monetary investment. If the product is distributed free, how will the money be recovered? And with little chance of the money being recovered, who is going to invest in the first place?

It’s understandable for people to consider the idea wildly Utopian. But such ideas are a sign of the changing times. We are in an age when products that used to be made by companies in pursuit of profit are increasingly being created by groups of individuals for the fun of it. Free Software and Wikipedia are very good examples.

Read in detail:  http://infochangeindia.org/technology/analysis/free-culture-for-a-free-society.html

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Distance Learning Diploma in Social Entrepreneurship (DSE)

The Centre for Social Entrepreneurship & CSR at Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI) has launched its unique program for training and developing social entrepreneurs. 

You will agree that we need more and more social entrepreneurs who can bring positive changes in the lives of the poor people whose daily income is less than one dollar a day.  Purpose of this DSE is to train potential social entrepreneurs who can set-up for-profit, self-sustainable social businesses anywhere in the world.

This course is for anybody who wish to change the world because they think that they can.

DSE is unique course offering various features like: Social business opportunity identification, practical four-week field work as a volunteer in for-profit social enterprise (in your respective location/ region) and social business plan preparation, etc.

NGOs/ PVOs can sponsor their employees to start separate for-profit social businesses to address social issues with measurable social impact. 

I request you to go through the brochure which is attached herewith and if you are interested kindly download the application form from our website www.ediindia.org , and send it along with demand draft of Rs.7721/- (for international participant US$772 only) and send us immediately.  EDI offers this course twice in a year in every October and April. 

You are most welcome to call me or send email for any further information if you need in this regards. 

Let us together change the world.

Thanking you

With regards,

Ajay Dixit
Sr. Faculty
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India
P.O. Bhat 382 428- Dist. Gandhinagar -Gujarat-India
Mobile:09925008328; Phone:  +91 79 23969163, 161, 159; Fax: +91 79 23969164
Email: dse@ediindia.org; Website: www.ediindia.org
Skype: ajaydixit4

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.