Contributions to Asniya
The health care situation on many reservations is at nearly Third World levels, and there are remarkably few Native Americans in the healthcare field to serve their own communities. Did you know that in the entire United States there are less than 1,000 Native American physicians? Asniya can help change this. Because Asniya believes that the solution lies within the children, it was founded to provide opportunity and hope to the children living in these communities.
Asniya recruits medical, nursing and other allied health care students as Asniya interns, and sends them to reservation schools to teach kids about medicine. The interns stay for about a month and immerse themselves in the kids' environment, teaching within the kids' culture - and on their terms. The interns share their experiences in medicine and give dynamic, interactive presentations ranging from thoracic and abdominal surgery to depression and psychosis, to prenatal care and child birth. The kids learn about medicine on two levels: a practical one (that is, how to provide first aid, perform CPR and the Heimlich maneuver, and live healthy lives) and also a more abstract one - that it is possible to pursue a career in health care and empower themselves, their families, and their communities.
In the last year, Asniya has grown from three sites to ten in South Dakota, and from three to six medical and nursing schools. Schools that have endorsed Asniya and are recruiting interns include Harvard Medical School, University of South Dakota School of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Anna Maria College School of Nursing, Mount Wachusset Community College School of Nursing, and Yale School of Nursing.
If you've read this far, you probably realized that this effort requires financial backing. Most of us waste a lot of money on things with little real value... I hope you see Asniya as being an exception, as it provides opportunity for kids, who otherwise don't have much of a chance, to help themselves succeed and have fulfilling lives. Your contribution will be applied directly and in full to the expenses and supplies neSeded for Asniya intern work. No contributed money will be absorbed by "administrative costs" (which can exceed 90% for many charitable organizations). We are in the process of grant writing; however, we need to build our account to keep the project running until we are suitably funded - this may be about a year. We hope to support 10 to 20 interns for one-month teaching blocks during the interim, each teaching block incurring a cost of $1500. We are seeking particularly generous and compassionate individuals who will be willing to support a teaching block in part or in full. Thank you, in advance, for your kindness and generosity.
Sincerely,
Miles G. Cunningham, M.D., Ph.D.
You may use your cancelled check as a receipt
for tax purposes. Checks should be made payable to Asniya:
Asniya
C/O Sarah Arobba,
Asniya Treasurer
1770 Rand Road
Rapid Ciry, SD 57702
Or you can click on the Donate button below to securely make a donation to the Asniya organization through Paypal (If using Paypal, when you click on the Donate button you will be redirected to a secure site. You will be asked for a Donation pupose and donation amount. Fill these out and then click Update Total. Next either login with your existing Paypal account, or to the left click continue under the Don't have a Paypal account to use a credit card. A confirmation of your donation will be e-mailed to the displayed e-mail address at USD as well as the e-mail address you enter to have your reciept sent to.)