Narika's 2011-12 Annual Report

1. 2012 - A Year of Pause, Renewal and Inspiring Revival
Dear Narika Community,
It is my pleasure to invite you to peruse Narika’s annual report.
This has been a particularly significant year both for me as well as for NARIKA. The year began with
severe fiscal challenges and significant turnover of both the staff and Board members. Yet the year has
ended positively with hope, optimism, and promise.
I took over as Executive Director in September of 2012, and every day that I am here, I am both humbled
and honored to be part of the work we do. NARIKA has 20 years of uninterrupted and dedicated service
to survivors of domestic violence in the South Asian community. Increasingly we also provide services to
trafficking survivors. As the South Asian immigrant population has expanded significantly in the past few
years, unfortunately, so has the need for domestic violence services, both intervention and prevention.
The NARIKA Help Line is now staffed adequately, and we are looking ahead to a year of financial growth
and stability. We will soon be relaunching our signature South Asian Economic Empowerment and
Development (SEED) Program and resume our full-fledged outreach efforts. The Board has been
strengthened with the addition of four new directors, even though midway through the year the President
of the Board Priya Kasturi stepped down for personal reasons.
We continue to rely on your support to sustain our services. Men, women and young adults from all walks
of life are required to rise up to the occasion to overcome this societal problem. Please donate generously
and be assured that each dollar donated is spent judiciously in the cause of services to the domestic
violence and trafficking survivors. Every day, I see the results of the work we do - and the courage and
optimism and hope we bring to survivors’ lives.
As the year ended on hope and possibilities, we at Narika are excited more than ever before. With a
volunteer orientation in January, a staff board retreat in February, plans to kickstart the acclaimed SEED
program in the Spring and an annual Narika fundraiser planned for Mother's Day in May 2013, we are
delighted to say we have hit the ground running, and are flying high with colors. For those of you who
have walked and flown beside us, your unflinching support, your faith in Narika's mission and vision, is
helping us continue our critical work.

2. We thank you all – donors, volunteers, supporters and staff – wholeheartedly for your continued support
and encouragement. We invite you to please read the 2012 Annual Report that details the activities in the
past year and our financial situation. We urge you to continue to be involved with our programs and
activities.
Preeti Shekar
Executive Director

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About NARIKA
NARIKA was founded in 1992, by a group of young enlightened immigrant women, who identified the
need for domestic violence services. Behind the veil of cultural identify, patriarchal values and barriers
of language, South Asian women who experienced abuse could not make use of mainstream domestic
violence intervention services. It is at this critical juncture, even as the flood of immigrant families
from South Asian countries began in large numbers, that NARIKA opened its door for providing much
needed service, making use of informal familial model of service to women treating them as sisters
rather than clients to help them in languages they understood. NARIKA’s mission is to promote the
women’s empowerment, by catering to the needs of South Asian domestic violence survivors through
advocacy, support, information, and referrals within a culturally sensitive model as well as teaching
them English language, financial literacy and computer skills so that they become self sufficient and
employable.
NARIKA Programs
Our core program areas are the Helpline, the Survivor Economic Empowerment and Development
(SEED) program, Community Education and Engagement and Services to trafficking survivors through
partnership with other agencies.
The toll free confidential Helpline remains the mainstay of our services. Our staff and volunteers who
are trained serve clients in various South Asian languages – Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu,
Punjabi, Bangla, to name a few.
The SEED program is an integral component of Narika's violence prevention and advocacy work in the
community. The 12-week training program fosters women's economic independence through leadership
development and building key skills for personal and professional growth. These include English as
Second Language (ESL) training, financial literacy and management, health awareness, basic computer
and career development skills. Since its inception in 2002, over 200 women have been trained through
this highly popular and unique program. SEED will be re-launched in 2013 to provide unique
opportunities to South Asian women to develop skills that would enable them to move forward on a
sustained path of self sufficiency.
Community education through outreach on issues of domestic violence, and its intersections with
immigration, human rights and socio-cultural and economic aspects remain a vital aspect of Narika's
core goals. NARIKA outreach efforts extend to providing information and training to key allies such as
the police departments, legal agencies as well as health insurance providers as well as faith-based
institutions in the bay area such as temples, mosques and gurudwaras.
Narika continues to be a key partner of the Asian Anti Trafficking Collaborative (AATC), together with

4. Narika continues to be a key partner of the Asian Anti Trafficking Collaborative (AATC), together with
the Asian Women's Shelter (AWS) and the Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO), to provide
critical services to survivors of human trafficking in the Asian, Pacific Islander and South Asian
communities. As part of the AATC, Narika works to provide a range of culturally appropriate and
comprehensive services to survivors of human trafficking; and enables and empowers trafficked
persons to transition from a victim to survivor of violence, in a safe and nurturing environment.
Community Service – 21 years and onward
This year we were able to staff our helpline fully and have strengthened our pool of dedicated Helpline
volunteers. In the coming year we will step up our outreach to new and diverse South Asian
communities to fit their patterns of migration and immigration to the bay area. In 2012, we
responded to over 1,200 calls to our helpline, and we served over 150 clients. Our survivor-
centered approach firmly prioritizes empowering women who are struggling to end abusive or violent
relationships. Our services included providing the critically needed information to gain access and
referrals to shelters, medical care, mental health and social services, low-cost housing, pro bono or low
cost legal services related to immigration, divorce, child custody, securing restraining orders etc.
Community Outreach
This year we expanded the avenues to spread the word about Narika. Our staff and volunteers
represented NARIKA at the Basant Kite Festival organized by the Indian Community Center and the
Pakistani Cultural Center in Sunnyvale and various South Asian music concerts. We co-presented a film
on gender and women's changing status in a post-globalized India at the Third-I South Asian Film
Festival. We also organized a series of outreach events with several South Asian businesses in
Berkeley, especially on raising awareness on trafficking.
Yoni Ki Baat – Vagina Monologues, South Asian style!
In March, women's history month, the South Asian Sisters, a collective of progressive South Asian
women in the bay area, organized yet another production of Yoni Ki Baat. This annual fundraiser for
Narika engages with the audience to emphasize Narika's work on issues related to gender and sexuality
in South Asian communities. These one-act pieces are written by various South Asian American and
immigrant women, and focus on a range of themes impacting South Asian women's sexuality.
Honors and a Benefit for Narika
In May, the Asian Women's Shelter honored Narika for our community service at their annual Gala

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Honors and a Benefit for Narika
In May, the Asian Women's Shelter honored Narika for our community service at their annual Gala
attended by hundreds of community members, supporters and domestic violence advocates. In June,
India Currents magazine celebrated their 25th anniversary which also helped raise funds for Narika.
Celebrating our Volunteers
Every organization relies heavily on the support and commitment of reliable volunteers and we are no
exception. We have a dedicated team of volunteers that support us in delivering the needed services as
well as in outreach efforts. In June the Board President Priya Kasturi hosted a party at her residence to
celebrate the support of the volunteers.
Sevathon: Walk for Women's Rights!
In August, Narika participated in the Milpitas-based India Community Center's (ICC)'s annual Sevathon
– a run or walk benefiting several community based organizations in the bay area and attended by
several hundred volunteers who walk or run 5K, 10K or a half-marathon benefiting a non-profit of their
choice. This year Sevathon turned out to be a double gift for Narika – we had 42 volunteers and
supporters run for us and we also won the coveted Sevathon award – a cash prize of $5,000. This high
profile event helped raise visibility about NARIKA work.
Advocacy – Prevention is Better than Cure!
Advocacy is at the heart of Narika's work. Our twin priorities are to be of service, and to raise
awareness and engage our communities to end domestic violence and abuse and address the root
causes of violence and discrimination. A life free of violence is our dream and vision for every woman
and her family, and we strongly believe that information is power.

6. Sex Selection and Son Preference in South Asian Communities
As a follow up to the sex selection workshop that Narika had organized in 2011, we completed a
manual on sex selection that we collaborated with Generations Ahead, a partner agency researching
the practice of son preference and sex-selective abortion in diverse communities. In November, Preeti
Shekar, our new executive director, participated in a convening of South Asian Women's Organizations
(SAWO), which addressed the pervasive son-preference in our communities and the need to challenge
and end regressive traditional perceptions and attitudes that perpetrate gender discrimination. We
came up with a joint plan to organize community events, discussions and such other activities to have
an ongoing community dialogue on these issues. Narika is a part of this collaboration, along with Maitri,
Sakhi, Manavi, Raksha, API Chaya and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF).
Holiday Party
In December, Narika hosted a holiday party for our clients. The party was a wonderful celebration of
our client-survivors' resilience. Historically, Narika has always organized such festive events for our
clients – as a way to celebrate and honor their resilience and to enable them to not feel alone or
isolated. We were able to continue this time-honored Narika tradition with food, gifts and games for the
clients and their children.
Vigil in Solidarity with Gang-Raped Woman and A Call to End Sexual Violence
Narika organized a candle-light vigil on Dec 28th 2012 in front of the Indian Consulate in San Francisco
in memory of the young woman in India who was brutally gang raped on Dec 16 th 2012. This incident
sparked a mass public uprising in India and attracted global media attention to violence against
women. The vigil that Narika co-organized with
Trikone, Asian Women's Shelter and the
Alliance for South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
was well attended and NARIKA submitted a
petition to the Consul General of Government of
India to urge the Indian Government to take
immediate necessary steps to provide safety
and security in public space for women not only
in New Delhi but also elsewhere in India. As a
follow up to this vigil, Narika partnered with the
Global Fund for Women in sending a petition to
the UN urging transnational efforts and
resources to be directed in championing safer public spaces for women in India.

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Making a Splash: Narika in the News!
The year 2012 ended with a big media splash for Narika. We were in the news – not just local but
national, and even international! In the aftermath of the vigil, there was a lot of local media interest
and coverage about the alarming trend of sexual violence in India. We also had a lot of national media
interest including coverage of our work and perspectives by the local evening news, the Wall Street
Journal, the Oakland Tribune, the San Jose Mercury News, and radio stations including KPFA 94.1 FM
and KQED's Public Radio International show. Since this event, Narika has participated in several
interactive panel discussions on the pervasive persistence of violence against women across the globe
in general and the need for addressing socio cultural aspects that hinder South Asian women’s safety
and rights in particular. NARIKA will continue to participate in public discourse and engage the media
on this issue for enhancing public awareness about domestic violence, especially in the South Asian
communities.

8. 2011-12 NARIKA Financial Position
As of June 30, 2012
Assets
As of June 30,
Cash in $140,448
2012
Bank
Accounts $34,416
Receivables
Prepaid $440
expenses
Other $2,914
Assets
Total $178,218
Assets
Liabilities
Current Liabilities $3,864
Fund Balance $174,354
Total Liabilities $178,218
Team Narika
Staff
Dimple George
Roopa Mohan
Harmanjit Sandhu
Preeti Shekar
Michelle Baird
Shrimalie Perera
Board

9. Board
Vandana Kumar, Publisher, India Currents Magazine
Dr. Gayathri Sundar, Senior Planning Analyst for San Francisco Human Services Agency
Alka Ramchandani, Labor Law and Employment Associate, Epstein, Becker & Green
Vasuki Narayan, Director of Software Delivery, RiverMeadow Software
Dr. Kulsum Akbar, Fellow Physician in Anesthesiology, Stanford Hospital
Anupma Sud, Software Consultant, Marvell Semiconductors
Our Partners
Afghan Women's Coalition
Asian American Partners in Philanthropy (AAPIP)
Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS)
Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO)
Asian Pacific Islander Institute for Domestic Violence (APIIDV)
California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV)
India Community Center
Safe Alternatives To Violent Environments (SAVE)
South Asian Sisters
Third I Film Festival
University of California, Berkeley
South Asian Bar Association
South Asian Giving Circle
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
The Hume Center
Shimtuh – Korean Community Center for the East Bay
Alliance for South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
Trikone Bay Area

10. Shimtuh – Korean Community Center for the East Bay
Alliance for South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)
Trikone Bay Area
Connect with us:
PO Box: 14014
Berkeley CA 94712
Email: narika@narika.org
Helpline: 1-800-215-7308
Donate/Support: by phone: 510-444-6048
Online: www.narika.org
Make checks payable to: Narika, PO Box 14014, Berkeley CA 94712
Join our community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Narika/77731994473?ref=hl