The Asha Foundation

Vientiane, Laos. Laos is a small and beautiful landlocked country. Air is free of industrial and traffic pollution. Lao people are warm and friendly but not many people can speak English.

In Vientiane The Asha Foundations works with Sunshine School. Sunshine School is situated in the heart of Vientiane which is only about 30-45 minutes away from the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge border. It is a pre to middle school institution dedicated to providing a multicultural, ethically based education through integrated learning and the holistic development of the child. Adult English language classes are also taught to help the development of Lao's work force in increasing their marketability in the work place. Lao and Thai language classes are taught to foreigners to enhance the communication in the work environment between Lao speakers and non-Lao speakers.

In Sangklaburi, Thailand, The area is home to many refugees fleeing war, forced labor and poverty in Burma/Myanmar. Leaving family and community behind has destroyed the support network for families and exacerbated the immense challenges they face when relocating to a foreign country and culture. Upon arrival in Thailand, Burmese refugees are restricted to living in a small region around the border where they encounter discrimination and lack of jobs. Access to medical treatment and public education is minimal as immigrants face great barriers receiving social services without legal papers.

Here The Asha Foundation supports the Baan Unrak Children's Home which was established in 1990 by Didi Ananda Devamala.

Most of the children supported by The Asha Foundation have either come from Burma or were born in Thailand but lack legal papers claiming their national identitty.

For over 20 years Baan Unrak Children’s Home has taken in hundreds of children from this border area and cared for all their needs. The home has also provided refuge and meaningful employment to in the form of a weaving center, bakery, women's center, and outreach programs to help afflicted adults and youth.

Davao, Philippines. In the year 1987, moved by the sufferings seen among the marginalized sectors of the Philippine society, a group of spiritually-minded and service-oriented individuals came together to conduct informal welfare activities for the less fortunate of the Filipino people. Two of these individuals were Dada Cidananda and Didi Ananda Supritii. They started schools and children’s homes and provided welfare programs such as mass feedings for the poor and homeless, free medical and dental clinics in depressed areas, relief assistance for victims of calamities, and housing for the homeless.

As a result of years of grassroots level work with the poor, in 1990, Dada and others launched a professional organization, Baba's Foundation Inc. (BFI) to provide technical training and financial aid in the form of micro-financing to assist rural workers to develop self- sufficient cooperatives and small businesses.

In Davao The Asha Foundation works collaboratively with Baba's Foundation and Ananda Marga and other grassroots groups to further their common aims of universal education, self- sufficiency, skills training and community development.