Volunteer Speak - Somaiah M P

Aashayein foundation completed four years after it got formally registered on 19th may 2007. On this special occasion, we have chosen to interview a volunteer who can give us insight about the future of Aashayein foundation. Please welcome Somaiah M P for this week's Volunteer Speak.

Somaiah M P, is a engineering graduate from JSSATE . He is one among the Aashayein foundation founders who started Aashayein in 2007 along with his friends. Currently he is working with Cisco Systems as a Hardware Engineer. He likes reading books, listening to music and travelling.
Somaiah has been with Aashayein focusing more on making Volunteer base strong. His vision is to take Aashayein activities to many more cities of India.

Aashayein Foundation's Interview with Somaiah.

AF: Where does Aashayein Foundation stands after four years?

Somaiah: First of all, it feels so nice to think that we have completed 4 years of registered operations. All of us in Aashayein, cherish the time and the memories we had during this time. We have come a long way in the last 4 years. From just a group of people with an intention, we are now a professionally run organization with well-defined projects and well-structured teams.

AF: Is the growth of Aashayein foundation as expected?

Somaiah: Yes and No. In some areas we are now in a place where we are able to make a visible and profound change, with our intervention. The results are measurable. There are also areas where things are moving at a slower pace than expected. Ours is a volunteer based organization and this has a lot of challenges. We need to continuously deal with them and move forward.

AF: What motivates you to continue this work?

Somaiah: There are many things. Primarily, we consider it a privilege to give back. Also, I personally get to work with a lot of enthusiastic volunteers with great ideas and commitment. I derive lot of motivation from these volunteers. Also, over the years we have seen a clear change that we have caused in the lives of thousands of kids. We have also started operations in Hyderabad and Mysore. All these steps, where we have seen success motivate me to do more.

AF: What were the breakdowns AF has seen during these years?

Somaiah: We have seen breakdowns in quite a few instances. There are times when things did not go as per plan and we had to change our course. We have learnt a lot from these.

AF: Where do you see Aashayein Foundation maybe in next four years?

Somaiah: In the next 4 years, we are taking on a lot of things. I will highlight the major directions we are heading:

Scaling our projects to reach the rural areas,
Making 'Volunteering' a much better and rewarding experience.
Setting up operations in more cities, so that more children can be touched
Provide opportunities for volunteers to take on bigger leadership roles and bigger projects.

AF: Any message for new volunteers at Aashayein foundation?

Somaiah: Volunteers in Aashayein Foundation ROCK!!. If not for Aashayein, I don't think I would have come across people with so much of energy, passion and commitment. Personally, I have made a lot of friends here and have enjoyed every moment with them. I owe a lot to these people !!

For the new volunteers, "Welcome to the group". I am sure you will have a nice time here and we are committed to that.