Hi folks!

Welcome to the AASRA June E-news. We appreciate your support for our mission. With your involvement, we can ensure that every South Asian woman has a chance at well-being, a real opportunity to live decently, and perhaps even dream a little. It is amazing what we take for granted, and what basic elements are often denied without reason. We at AASRA, are committed as ever, to do our very best to ensure self-sufficiency and dignity for every South Asian woman who reaches out to us.

AASRA 2004 is ambitiously active with many new initiatives including AASRA E-news. Thanks for your many kind comments. As we forge ahead to implement our vision, we seek your creativity, resources, and collaboration. We welcome your counsel on upcoming AASRA initiatives, and we are very interested to know what directives you want us to pursue for the overall welfare of the women in our South Asian community.

Our nucleus -- The AASRA Center continues to respond to women in crisis, seeking support, information resources and problem resolution -- always with complete confidentiality. The Center is a comforting walk-in facility located at 54 Cummings Park, Suite 316, Woburn, MA (easy T-access), and is open every Sat from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and by appointment. You can also call us on the Toll Free Hot-line at 1-866-92AASRA or e-mail us at aasra@aasranewengland.com. We will respond to your call within a few hours.

June Dateline —

•  AASRA 2004 Contribution Campaign is on! Complete your AASRA-2004 contribution before June 30, and win a very special prize:

Dinner for 4 at Boston's premier Indian restaurant
The Bombay Club at Harvard Square
Open Drawing on July 4, 2004 !

Winner's names will be posted on the AASRA website: www.aasranewengland.com 

•  Women's Well-being Community Outrach at Lowell—On June 5, 2004, AASRA presented an educational seminar on South Asian Women’s Health and Nutrition at the Pollard Memorial Library in downtown Lowell . The subject matter experts included Dr. Rekha Sunder, Swati Elavia Ph.D., and Dr. Purnima Sangal. The event was attended by several new faces who listened well, and asked many tactical questions. Dr. Sunder gave a clear outline of the common South Asian women’s health risk factors with recommendations for prevention and cure. Dr. Sangal provided a focused checklist for South Asian women to raise awareness of key diseases like breast and ovarian cancer, with a strong call to action for early diagnosis and preventive health management.

AASRA Lowell Health Event- Swati Elavia PhD., Dr. Rekha Sunder, Dr. Purnima Sangal

Swati Elavia's very relevant presentation on nutrition with customization for South Asian cuisine and life-style provided an improved understanding of basics and weight management in the South Asian context. With a touch of humor, the experts were able to make the key points on why, how, and what women need to know to take better care of their health. They were also an excellent example of South Asian women in action -- practicing what they preach. Many thanks Purnima, Swati, and Rekha.

The AASRA 2004 Women's Well-being Initiative is intended to address the complete welfare of South Asian women by promoting an interdisciplinary, community-focused program of research, education, and action. The next AASRA Women's Well-being Initiative is planned for September 18 in Cambridge. Stay tuned.

•  AASRA Community Outreach

AASRA in partnership with the Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE) provided a free Immigration clinic on Sunday June 13, at the Burlington Public Library from 1-5 pm. Indian American attorneys were available for individualized consultation. All the lawyers were busy from the beginning till the end, providing private consultations to more than 30 people.

•  AASRA Mentoring Initiative — Self-paced sessions for women at the AASRA Center, scheduled by appointment, conducted by AASRA Resources, and addresses basic requirements for Conversational English, PC skills, Resume-writing/Interviewing, Driving, Job/Small Business development. Please contact AASRA for Session sign-up which is in the first week of every Month.

Mark your calendars for AASRA events. Spread the word to any women who might be seeking support and services resources. Join the AASRA team!

Visit the AASRA website today: http://www.aasranewengland.com/

Become an AASRA volunteer/member: http://www.aasranewengland.com/membership.html