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.com) and will start receiving one. JAINA has organized Pathshala teacher's convention and regional workshops for teachers. The Education committee of JAINA has published many religious books for our youngsters in American English and soon a uniform Pathshala Curriculum will be published. JAINA's Scholar visitation committee arranges for many scholars and sadhus to visit here. This particularly benefits many small centers that do not have the resources to invite them on their own.
Last year, JAINA sent a CD-ROM published by Harvard University on World religions to each of the 56 centers. JAINA volunteers participated in the preparation of this major project. This valuable resource for our pathshala students contains 110 pages on Jainism and tells our youngsters that when the world talks about major religions, Jainism is not ignored. JAINA also sent to each of the centers a Pratikaman book in English. Trying to reach out the world, JAINA has recently inaugurated jaina.org site on the web and in near future this site will be the resource for all kinds of information for all the Jains.
10th Biennial JAINA Convention
JAINA has supported our youngsters through Young Jains of America (YJA). Regional and biennial YJA conventions are supported by general fund of JAINA. This has not only allowed our children in different parts of the country to meet and learn from each other, but has also created ranks of future JAINA leaders.
JAINA Conventions are now bringing 10,000 Jains together for 3 days of lectures, seminars and just plain socializing. Many friendships and relations are cemented by this biennial event in addition to building pride in our community.
JAINA's World community service has been recognized as a world class humanitarian effort. JAINA is the only 2nd organization out of 1,500 Indian American organizations to receive. recognition from the U.S. Government as charitable organization entitled to matching funds from USAID (United States Agency for International Development). JAINA's administrative costs are very low due to the fact that except for one part time executive director, volunteers do all other work. In just the last 12 months, JAINA provided exemplary help in Tornado ravaged Kandala and Kosovo. Every penny that was raised was sent to the relief fund.
JAINA has been in the forefront in raising our concerns with the government of India and has had some illustrious results for its efforts. JAINA initiated dialogue with the Prime Minister Bajpai that resulted in Government of India to set up national and international committees for 26 centennial celebration of Lord Mahavir's birth. JAINA has applied to be recognized as the Non Governmental Organization (NGO) at the UN and once granted, we will be able to raise Mahavir's message of Peace, Non-violence and Anekantwaad in many international forums.
North American Families Assistance Committee of JAINA has been established as a safety net for Jain families facing calamity on this land. This new committee has already done some exemplary work in coming to the aid of certain families. JAINA has regularly helped in reunification of families by helping to get US visas for the loved ones in India. In the 1972 case of U.S. Government vs. Dr. Dhiraj Shah for military draft, Dr. shah won for himself and all the Jains based on his abiding faith in Jain principles and since then no Jain has been
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Jain Education International 2010_03
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