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College and local organization partner to fundraise for toilet facilities in Indian slums

January 31, 2007

For immediate release - Jan. 31, 2007 Contact: Eric Cárdenas (860) 439-2508; eric.cardenas@conncoll.edu College and local organization partner to fundraise for toilet facilities in Indian slums Public invited to fundraising dinner on Feb. 15; Dinner to feature Indian food, dancing, performances and educational presentations NEW LONDON, Conn. - The community is invited to attend a dinner at Connecticut College on Feb. 15 that is being held to fundraise for toilet facilities for families who live in one of the poorest slum settlements in India.

The college's Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy is partnering with Friends of Shelter Associates (FSA), New London's chapter of Shelter Associates, to coordinate the dinner, which will be held at 6 p.m. in the Crozier-Williams Student Center. The dinner is free with requests for donations, and RSVPs are requested.

Shelter Associates is a non-governmental organization that sponsors the construction of toilets in the slums of Pune, Sangli, and Miraj in Maharashtra, India. FSA was formed in New London to assist Shelter Associates in raising funds for the project. This committee consists of volunteer members from the local Indian community and staff, students, and faculty from Connecticut College.

The dinner will consist of Indian food. Bollywood-style dancing and a skit will be performed by the Connecticut College Asian Student Association (CCASA). Children from the local Indian community will also participate in the entertainment. There will be a screening of a 12-minute film on problems of "urban sanitation" and how Shelter Associates is solving these urban problems through community based participation from the residents of the local slums. The documentary will be followed by a brief faculty and student presentation.

According to Sunil Bhatia, associate professor of human development at Connecticut College and chair of the FSA Steering Committee, FSA's goal is to raise $40,000 to build 200 individual toilets. "The toilets would serve 2,500 individuals who currently have no access to basic toilet facilities," Bhatia said. According to the United Nations, 700 million individuals in India have no access to toilet facilities.

FSA has already raised $14,000 through individual donations, and hopes to raise $26,000 at the fundraiser.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Sunil Bhatia at ssbha@conncoll.edu or Jyoti Ranade at jyor@hotmail.com, or Adesh Saxena at adesh.m.saxena@pfizer.com. Or call Bhatia at 860-439-5078 or 860-437-3808.

For more information about Shelter Associates, visit the website at http://shelter-associates.org/.

Ranked among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College enrolls 1,900 men and women from 43 states and 45 countries. The college is known for putting the liberal arts into action through interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 85-year-old honor code. The college is located at 270 Mohegan Ave, New London, about two hours by car from Boston and New York. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum overlooking Long Island Sound. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu. -CC-

For media inquiries contact: Deborah MacDonnell (860) 439-2504, dmacdonn@conncoll.edu