Appendix

EXHIBIT I: Aghor Foundation

Mission

Aghor Foundation provides a stage, as well as an environment, for individuals to attain their fullest potential -- spiritually and worldly -- while engaging in the world with a spirit of social responsibility and service. Uniting people from various walks of life, we create teaching centers and replicable models of inspiration for the betterment of society.

About Aghor Foundation

Aghor Foundation was founded in 2000 by Baba Harihar Ramji, a disciple of Aghoreshwar Bhagwan Ramji. The Foundation is registered in India as Aghor Guru Seva Peeth, an 80(g) tax exempt non-profit organization, and is managed by an actively engaged and socially responsible Board of Trustees.

Nurturing and caring for the inner and outer environments is at the core of the Aghor Foundation’s work. All initiatives of the Aghor Foundation run by the following guiding principles:

• Self-growth and development based on the ancient wisdom of the Sages.
• Valuing and respecting humanity and nature through socially responsible choices.
• Addressing the well-being of an individual through education, health, and best environmental practices.
• Combining the best of the East and West to implement innovative, practical solutions.
• Creating paradigms for workable models that inspire others to follow.
• Making others happy brings fulfillment and joy to an individual and community.

Aghor Foundation’s Projects

In addition to Amrit Sagar Environmental Center, Aghor Foundation operates the following service projects in Varanasi, India:

• Bal Ashram – a safe home where previously abandoned and orphaned children thrive in a culturally rich setting, and through social and environmental education, are raised to be heart-centered global citizens with a sense of responsibility for the Self and the environment.
• Anjali School – a school that uses proven innovative educational techniques to teach nearly 150 street children (Nursery - Class 3). Funded primarily through donations, the school serves local children who might not otherwise have access to education.
• Project Shakti– a program that provides vocational training to women and young girls from underprivileged families, thus enabling them to become self-sufficient, productive members of society and capable of helping others do the same.
• Vision Varanasi – a free eye clinic run in city and village settings for people who otherwise would have gone untreated.
• Gyan Daan “Gift of Knowledge” – an outreach program that brings leaders from the East and West together to support green initiatives, raise public awareness about environmental issues and inspire children to instigate change. The program sponsors idea exchange through lectures, seminars and hosted tours.

EXHIBIT II: VARANASI

Site of Amrit Sagar Environmental Center

EXHIBIT III:

Varanasi Area Statistics

Varanasi is an agglomeration of seven urban sub-units covering 112 km 2 (43 sq. mi.) and located 800 km southeast of Delhi in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It is governed by a number of bodies, the prime being the Varanasi Nagar Nigam (Municipal Corporation) and Varanasi Development Authority, which is responsible for the master planning of the city.

Varanasi has a humid subtropical climate, with large variations between summer and winter temperatures and large seasonal swings from drought-like heat to monsoon rains, presenting special challenges for farming. Being located in the Gangetic plains, the land is very fertile and low-level floods continually replenish the soil.

Population is near 6 million, with a literacy rate of 52% (unofficial source). The City has one landfill site, which is inadequate for its population. It is estimated that the city produces over 500 million liters of sewage and over 700 tons of solid waste per day, much more than can be accommodated by the city's one landfill site. A huge amount of sewage flows into the Ganges River.

Varanasi is one of the five cities where the Ganga Action Plan was launched, a program to reduce heavy metals and commercial waste, and to clean up the river. The Plan has little to no impact on the behavior of the population. As for a government-backed solution to educating youth on environmental issues, the outlook is grim as the school system is grossly understaffed and in need of reform. (see Times article below).

The Times of India of 16 January 2009 reports: VARANASI: While the admission of targeted 679,140 children in government primary and upper primary schools (under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan) has eluded the basic education department in the district with as many as 1,745 children still out of school, the deteriorating student-teacher ratio and poor infrastructure facilities are also not helping matters and students loathe to come to these schools. As per recent reports of district education department (till October 2008), there are merely 5,364 primary school teachers for 442,135 students enrolled in 1,022 government primary schools in the district. While simple calculation puts the ratio at one teacher for more than 80 students (almost double of norm under SSA), the situation in upper primary schools is even worse with one teacher for more than 100 students (1,594 teachers for 235,260 students in 349 schools in the district). Interestingly, while the depleting teacher student ratio has raised concern for quality education in these schools, the poor infrastructure facilities including lack of electricity, boundary walls, toilets, hand pumps and kitchen shades (for mid-day meal scheme) in number of schools are enough to present a disheartening picture. The report of the education department has indicated that while 979 primary schools (out of 1,022 schools) had not witnessed electrification till October 2008, as many as 329 upper primary schools (out of 349 schools) were yet to witness electrification during that period. Surprisingly, 374 primary schools and 235 upper primary schools are still without boundaries and as many as 42 primary schools even lack hand pumps for supplying drinking water within the school premises. According to Pradeep Pandey, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), electrification in most schools had started on war footing and the schools in Ambedkar villages would witness electrification by the end of the month. While reports suggest that lists of as many as 567 primary schools and 229 upper primary schools for electrification has been already submitted to the office of the executive engineer under Electricity Supply Division, Varanasi, most of the schools are yet to see light. Also, deterioration in academic environment in these schools could be gauged from the facts that during inspection of officials of education department, a number of teachers were found absent from the schools. According to VS Mishra, district inspector of schools (DIOS), as many as 35 teachers in primary schools and six in upper primary schools were found absent during various inspections that took place between April 1 and October 31 last year. As many as two teachers were suspended and 38 others faced salary deduction in that period, he added. Status of primary education in government schools in the district: • Primary schools 1,022 • Upper primary schools 349 • Target of admission of students (under SSA program) 6, 79,140 • Total number of enrolled students 6, 77,395 • Students out of school 1,745 • Total number of teachers: • Primary schools 5,364, upper primary schools 1,594, Total 6,958 • Schools without boundary walls: Primary 374, upper primary 235 • Schools without electricity: Primary 979, upper primary 329 • Schools without toilets: Primary 5, upper primary 2 • Schools without hand pump: Primary 42, upper primary 0 • Schools without kitchen shades: Primary 81, upper primary 285