Hand in Hand

Managers from Novare visit our projects

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100

A group of 21 senior women managers from the Novare Academy in Sweden visited Hand in Hand in January.

Visiting Hand in Hand projects in Kancheepuram, the managers interacted with self-help group women. They learnt how Hand in Hand organises and trains women before giving them micro loans for enterprises. This credit plus approach helps women run successful small businesses. Sathya, the entrepreneur at the Citizens’ Centre proudly spoke of the range of services she offered – from basic computer courses to e-ticketing and DTP. At the Bharathihar Residential School, the children’s confident step and shining eyes told its own tale: of the hope of seeing their dreams come true. Visitors appreciated HiH’s efforts to mainstream out of school children and saw how the unique Activity-Based pedagogy facilitated easy learning. The expert waste handling practices followed at the Waste Management Project demonstrated HiH’s efforts to encourage environment friendly practices.

The Novare Academy supports a unique network programme for leaders with an interest in international business, partly through Investor AB. After the visit, Jorunn Hillgren of Accenture wrote back to say: “I am deeply impressed by the work you are doing, by the pride in the women’s eyes and the happiness the children’s.”

HiH-UI partner for Winterim Program

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100

Students from UI were at HiH between December 09 and January 10 as part of their India Winterim study abroad course.

Supported by dedicated Hand in Hand mentors, the University of Iowa students worked on projects with clear deliverables in each of HiH’s five pillars. In a study of entrepreneurship among self-help group women, they examined the tangible and intangible benefits of HiH’s training inputs. Other groups evaluated our Residential Bridge Schools, proposed an exit plan for Solid Waste Management projects, suggested optimal pricing strategies for Kai-Raasi community-paid clinics, and presented a SWOT Analysis of HiH Citizens’ Centres.

For their project work with Hand in Hand students researched and collaborated with the BplansForHumanity (BpFH), a virtual network aimed at making social networking more socially responsible. Hand in Hand is a partner organization for the university’s India Winterim Program that uses educational tourism to learn from and directly interact with leading social entrepreneurs, environmental, non-profit organizations and academic institutions in India.

Voxtra Visits Hand in Hand

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100

Norway-based Voxtra Foundation, a supporter of Hand in Hand projects visited TN in Jan 2010 and reviewed the work being done.

Pål Dale, Managing Director, Voxtra Foundation, visited Tamil Nadu from 19 to 22 January. The Norway-based Voxtra Foundation is a philanthropic organisation that invests in NGOs and social enterprises that have identified an effective way to fight poverty.

Voxtra supports the creation of 42,000 enterprises in three districts of Tamil Nadu (Virudunagar, Sivagangai and Tuticorin). Under the programme, Hand in Hand mobilises women into self-help groups, trains and empowers them in group activities and in enterprise development, and then extends micro-credit to help them start or strengthen micro enterprises.

Till January 2010, Hand in Hand has formed about 1,000 self-help groups under the Voxtra project, from which about 200 women have started/strengthened enterprises in the first loan phase after training.

One year with water.org

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100

The Hand in Hand and water.org project to provide water connections and toilets completed one year in December 2009.

Health expenditure is the second major cause of debt in rural India. As part of our fight to improve health conditions among the poor, we have partnered with water.org to set up 2,100 toilets and 4,200 water connections in 30 months. The project has two components: awareness building and extending micro credit for toilets and water connections.

The Wat San microfinance loan product was introduced in June 2009. As on December 2009, loans totalling INR 8.6 million have been disbursed for 1,418 water connections and 763 toilets.

Hand in Hand workers go to the villages and build awareness among self-help group women through street plays, meetings etc. Then, water engineers are sent, who do the surveys and make technical recommendations. This is followed by a micro loan of INR 6,000 for toilets and INR 3,000 for water taps. We follow up to ensure that the loans are indeed used for the given purpose and to ensure that the toilets and taps are in working condition. Regular reports on the progress of the project are sent to water.org

The water and sanitation project is being implemented in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu over a period of 30 months starting December 2008.

Hand in Hand in Top 50

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:00:00 +0100

Hand in Hand has been listed among the top 50 MFIs in Crisil’s 2009 study on the microfinance sector in India.

The publication, called Top 50 Microfinance Institutions in India, presents an overview of the leading players in India’s microfinance institution (MFI) space, and includes a comprehensive commentary on the sector. To reach this list within five years of launching MF operations is a great achievement for Hand in Hand Tamil Nadu. We follow the credit-plus and integrated development approach to microfinance.

Business workshop for SHG women

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:00:00 +0100

Hand in Hand, with support from Traidcraft Exchange, a UK-based charity, and The National Lottery organized a workshop in Chennai to explore new business opportunities for women self-help groups in Chennai.

At a recent business workshop held in Chennai for SHG women, an online database, developed by Traidcraft to market SHG products, was unveiled. This will enable people across the world to gain web-access to products manufactured by self-help groups. The workshop aimed to analyze the challenges, opportunities and support-systems for self-help groups and suggest how effective business development services can help create profitable micro-enterprises. It served as a platform to bring together different stakeholders in this process – NGOs, self-help group members, funding partners, developmental practitioners. SHG women came from across the state shared business experiences at the forum.

Traidcraft Exchange and Hand in Hand have come together to provide sustainable livelihoods to 1,500 tsunami-affected women. Traidcraft presented the findings of a recent study on the challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu. The study was based on surveys conducted in the four tsunami-affected districts of Puducherry, Villupuram, Kancheepuram and Cuddalore. One of the key findings of the research was the need for new partnerships and avenues to market self-help group products. “The challenge is to make products more accessible and affordable,” the study said.

Speaking on the occasion, Jaeda Harmon, researcher for Traidcraft, said: “SHG women who establish successful business have a strong entrepreneurial desire. They try to overcome the obstacles in their path. They are truly inspiring.” The next step is to develop new and innovative SHG products that are attractive to consumers so that they get a good price for the SHG business, she added.

Dr. Neeti Malhothra , Country Director, Traidcraft; Ms. Barbara Scott, Training and Business Consultant, Traidcraft; Mr.Hemantha Kumar Pamarthy, MD, HiH Microfinance; Mr. K. P. Kasturi, MD, HHMFL; and Dr. N Jeyaseelan, COO, HiH Tamil Nadu were also present.

New residential school for girls

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:00:00 +0100

Hand in Hand inaugurated a new Residential Bridge School for girls at Dhameneri in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. With this, we now have seven such residential schools.

Hand in Hand’s new residential school will function from the rent-free premises of the community building given by the local Village Education Committee at Dhameneri. At present, there are 29 girls in the school.

Residential Bridge Schools or RBCs are one of the methods Hand in Hand uses to bring children in labour and out-of-school children back into the education system. RBCs use innovative, non-formal methods to prepare children to rejoin the mainstream education system. Children in the 9-14 age group who are from difficult family backgrounds or from migratory families are enrolled in such residential schools.

The children stay here for up to 18 months and once ready for regular schools, are mainstreamed. The food, stay, education, and school material expenses are borne by Hand in Hand, which is supported by various donors.

Mr. Sven Sandstrom, former MD, World Bank, inaugurated the camp. Mr. Mikko Kaukoranta, Country Manager-India, Salcomp Manufacturing India P. Ltd.

School programme is taken to urban slums

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:00:00 +0100

In a significant first, Hand in Hand has taken its child labour elimination and education programme to urban slum children. A Residential Bridge Camp (RBC) was inaugurated at Semmancheri on 13 March 2009, our fifth residential school, but the first for out-of-school children from urban slums.

The camp, started with 20 children mobilized from Chennai slums, is being supported by a grant from Mr Peje Emilsson, an educationist from Sweden. Rent-free premises for the camp have been allotted by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, and the Indian government’s universal education programme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), will meet 60 per cent of the running costs.

Hand in Hand has identified children from three different locations in and around the urban limits of Chennai -- Tondiarpet, Saidapet, and Kasimedu. Most have disturbed family lives -- fathers prone to drinking, with irregular jobs, and with the mothers being both homemakers and bread-winners. For most of these children, life has been difficult. They have seen the worst of city life, they use bad language, are unruly and undisciplined, and some even have a background of substance abuse.

It will be a challenge to bring these children into school and ensure they pass out and find employment. Hand in Hand hopes to use this school as a pilot to see how best to extend such projects to other city slums.

The Child Labour Elimination Programme is one of our major initiatives under which Hand in Hand identifies child labourers and all out-of-school children through thorough village surveys. Children are then enrolled in our own residential bridge schools and transit schools, or directly into government schools. The students, who spend up to 18 months in our bridge schools, are subsequently mainstreamed into government schools.

Cities in India have seen phenomenal growth in recent years. On the one hand, there are posh apartments housing professionals earning four-figure salaries, and then there are those who can barely manage to eke out a living in crowded hutments under bridges and on pavements. Here, the adults are mostly engaged as casual labour, in construction work or have other low-paying jobs as tailors, washermen, rag-pickers, dishwashers, and cleaners. Most women are engaged as domestic help. Life is tough, and alcoholism, domestic violence and street crime are common.

Many children are unable to attend school regularly as they are counted upon to supplement the meagre family income. Children working in restaurants and teashops, or as errand-boys and cleaners, are a common sight in the city. Then there are those who simply loiter around, and fall into drug trafficking or petty crime. Many are left at home to look after younger siblings and do household chores. Most of these children have been in and out of juvenile delinquent homes. Under these circumstances, children have no motivation to go to school, nor are the parents capable of enforcing discipline. Even those enrolled in school play truant and defy the teachers.

It is in this setting that the Hand in Hand RBC steps in to take these slum children within its fold. The idea is to remove the children from their hopeless and destructive environment and bring them into a place where they will be motivated to learn and aspire for a better future. The residential teachers help not only with academics but also groom them in hygiene, sanitation and good habits, and inculcate social responsibility and civic skills.

The camp aims not only at enrolment of out-of-school children but also seeks to ensure that once mainstreamed, these children pass the Class 10 public exam so that they can find good jobs. But in an urban setting, retaining the children in the bridge school itself presents a huge challenge. Ensuring that they are mainstreamed successfully later requires constant mentoring. That is why it is important to build social awareness and sensitise the local community to take responsibility for enrolment, retention and education of their children.

Hand in Hand is fortunate to get unstinted cooperation from the government in this endeavour. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan has extended support to also training teachers at the school in the Alternative Innovative Education (AIE) system, an innovative teaching methodology that brings students up to date with the basics through Activity Based Learning (ABL) cards. SSA has agreed to provide the ABL cards and to help with regular monitoring.

Hand in Hand will bring in education consultants to conduct periodic capacity building training for RBC teachers. To ensure personal attention, a teacher-student ratio of one-to-ten will be maintained.

Hand in Hand goes to Brazil

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:00:00 +0100

In an exciting new development in South-South collaboration, Hand in Hand has signed an agreement with Visão Mundial (World Vision), Brazil, to launch a joint project for poverty reduction. The project will work in partnership with Agência Nacional de Desenvolvimento Microempresarial (ANDE) in North-Eastern Brazil.

The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) of Inter American Development Bank (IDB) has recognised that the Hand in Hand model is useful and replicable, and was the initiator and funder of this project.

The project will adapt Hand in Hand’s Indian model of poverty reduction and employment generation to improve conditions in this impoverished region of Brazil. The idea is to create a regional network of local grassroots organizations tied to Visão Mundial and ANDE. This network will be provided with technical support and microcredit to help increase income generating opportunities and to gradually scale up the programme. The self help groups will be recreated here as Local Units for Income Generating Opportunities (LUO) as the basic unit for mobilisation and training. In the final stages, the programme will spread out the model in order to mobilise alternative funds for lending and technical assistance to ensure sustainability.

The South Asian model, which is being adapted to the Brazilian context, uses the empowerment approach, which not only focuses on micro lending but also on mobilisation of clients (mostly women) around daily savings, as an entry point for loan eligibility. This strategy also provides multiple services to the clients – literacy, financial and enterprise training and skills building. It recognises that the poor borrower has wider needs than a mere access to finance, and is distinguished by its success in reaching down to the poorest, as in the case of BRAC in Bangladesh and Hand in Hand in Tamil Nadu, India.

The credit-plus approach gives technical assistance, access to finance, market and industry linkages to the poor entrepreneur. In Brazil, Hand in Hand will act as the inspirational catalyst and provide much of the key technical assistance.

This will be the first programme in Brazil that will involve an entire region at a low cost in an integrated collaboration between different stakeholders, and with the aim of a large scale impact.

Award for Hand in Hand's SHG programme

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:00:00 +0100

NABARD, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, India, has awarded Hand in Hand the First Prize in the NGO category for excellent performance in the SHG-Bank Linkage Programme in Tamil Nadu for 2007-08.

The award, handed over at a ceremony held in Image Auditorium, Chennai, was received by Hand in Hand CEO Dr Kalpana Sankar and Mr. V. Karuthoviyan, Project Director, SHG and Microfinance pillar.

The award is a highly encouraging sign from the Indian government, even as Hand in Hand gears up to increase the outreach of its SHG, microfinance and training programme across India. We have so far mobilised over 386,000 members into groups, and have helped create or upgrade more than 215,000 small and medium enterprises.

We are at present in 18 districts of Tamil Nadu, as well as other states such as Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. We have also taken the SHG and enterprise creation model to South Africa, Afghanistan and Brazil.

Hand in Hand partnership with the United Nations

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:00:00 +0100

We are proud to announce that Dr Barnevik, Chairman of Hand in Hand International, 10 February 2009 received a formal acknowledgement from the UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon, confirming Hand in Hand's partnership with the United Nations Office for Partnership in support for the Millennium Development Goals. The UN Secretary General expresses gratitude for Hand in Hand's creativity in exploring dynamic and new mechanisms in fighting extreme poverty and achieving development goals.

300 panchayats declared child friendly

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:00:00 +0100

Hand in Hand has succeeded in creating 300 "Child Friendly Panchayats" in Kancheepuram district. These 300 Panchayats were honoured in a special ceremony on 13 February 2009.

There are 12,600 Panchayats (village clusters) in Tamil Nadu and our vision is to reach at least 10% and make them child-friendly. We have extended our work to 780 Panchayats so far. Of these, we are proud to declare that 300 Panchayats have achieved "Child Friendly" status.

In these 300 Panchayats, all children in the 6-14 age group attend fulltime school, all government schools function effectively, teacher-student ratio is maintained, there is an empowered community that willingly and effectively protects child rights through child right protection committees, children attend regular health camps, and all children are tracked so that they do not lapse into labour or malnutrition.

This work would not have been possible without the help and cooperation of district administration, Panchayat presidents, school teachers, youth, self help groups, and parents.

On the occasion, the Chief Guest Shantha Sinha, Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, spoke about the need to be vigilant about protecting child rights. She pointed out that it was the Panchayat-level volunteers, workers, teachers and Panchayat officials who worked with children directly and not with just statistics. This was what made their work the most important and had the most impact.

Dr. T. Prabhakara Rao, Principal Secretary, TN, Labour & Employment; also spoke. He congratulated the 300 Panchayats on their great achievement, and said that work at the grassroots level was the best work.

Hand in Hand believes strongly that a child's right to education is non-negotiable. Our work is to bring every child out of labour and into school.

IT comes to the villages

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:00:00 +0100

To train 3,000 rural women in computer application is not a simple task. But that is exactly what Hand in Hand has set out to do with the support of the Indian government. In an exciting new partnership, the Ministry of Information & Communication Technology is sponsoring an ICT project in six districts of Tamil Nadu.

The programme is being implemented by the Citizens’ Centre Enterprise (CCE) pillar of Hand in Hand. It will cover other aspects as well, such as enterprise development, creating awareness about health, sanitation and nutrition issues, and encouraging female literacy.

The ICT programme will use as its target base the women from Hand in Hand self help groups and existing CCE entrepreneurs. The idea is to make these women computer literate and thus generate greater participation of the people, particularly poor women, in governance and social awareness issues.

Till December 2008, 1,915 women in five districts have been trained. The project is on for 12 months, from April 2008 to March 2009. In parallel, 177 ICT trainers have undergone training courses as well. Some 165 Citizen Centre entrepreneurs have been given advanced skills training, and have also been supplied with a DVD writer to broaden their sources of income.

The project is on for 12 months, from April 2008 to March 2009. The districts covered are Kancheepuram, Thiruvannamalai, Vellore, Villupuram, Cuddalore and Thiruvallur.

The Citizens’ Centres have been ramped up in other ways too. A volunteer's manual has been prepared to create awareness on democracy, the Right to Information Act, and about information technology in general. Also, an annual subscription has been paid to 400 Citizen Centres to buy Kudimakkal Murrasu, a monthly magazine in Tamil that discusses the Right to Information Act.

Good results from the tenth board examinations

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:00:00 +0100

The students in the Hand in Hand run transit schools have now received their results from the tenth board examinations. Hand in Hand is proud to announce that all the children – 100 percent – passed in four transit schools in Kancheepuram district and in the remaining schools, the results were also good.

In rural areas, government schools support children until eighth standard; that is, children between 6-14 years. However, for those above 14 years there are few support functions provided by the state. Instead, a mere 40 percent of the children in rural India pass the exam in standard ten; hence, most of the children living in rural areas fail – or never even write – the tenth standard state level exam. These children – who are above 14 years old – loose hope and become excluded from further consideration by the school, the family, and society. For girl children, this often results in early marriage or child labour, while such male children often end up migrating in search for employment. Children who do not pass standard ten risk ending up in child labour, without a chance of obtaining skills and qualifications in the future. These first-generation learners must be identified, targeted, and given special attention.

Hand in Hand's transit schools play an important role in breaking this negative circle. The transit schools target children who have dropped out of school or not passed the standard ten board exams. In the transit schools, the children are given efficient coaching by qualified teachers, who assist them in completing their studies and encourage them to enrol in higher classes.

World Environment Day

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:00:00 +0100

On 5 June, Hand in Hand celebrated World Environment Day in Peru Nagar Panchayat. The celebrations started with a mass cleaning of the village roads, tree plantation, and a medical camp. In the evening, the village children, Self Help Group members and Hand in Hand staff organised a rally with slogans about the environment, child labour, and women's empowerment. This was followed by a big function presided by Mr David Raj, District Forest Ranger and the village head. The children showed the audience a folk dance number, ending with a skit on the importance of waste segregation and recycling. Another play demonstrated the importance of toilets in women's day to day life as well as on the evils of alcohol. The World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. It is hosted every year by a different city and commemorated with an international exposition.

SHG software launched

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:00:00 +0100

In a first of its kind arrangement, Hand in Hand has developed "Kuzhu Nidhi", an accounting software that also facilitates the grading of Self Help Groups (SHGs), not only by Hand in Hand, but also by the bankers participating in the Hand in Hand SHG-bank linkage programme. The software was launched 5 May 2008 at Hand in Hand's office in Kancheepuram by Sri M S Sundara Rajan, Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Bank.

Yoga and computer centre thanks to Kunskapsskolan

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Thanks to the support of students at Kunskapsskolan, Sweden, the Hand in Hand-run Poongavanam Residential School for children who have been working, now has its own Yoga and Computer Centre.

The Yoga and Computer Centre was made possible thanks to the hard work of students at Kunskapsskolan in Sweden. They raised the funds during the campaign "Operation a Day's Work". The purpose of "Operation a Day's Work" is that Swedish students leave school for one day during the year to work and collect money to benefit students in other countries. The campaign involves thousands of students every year, and the concept has spread to many other countries, e.g. Norway, Finland, Denmark, US, Germany, and Paraguay.

Students at Kunskapsskolan decided to donate their money to a Yoga and Computer Centre for the children at Poongavanam Residential School; a transitional school for former child labourers and bonded labourers. Poongavanam Residential School hosts on average 75 students per year. The new centre will help current and future students become fitter, healthier, and happier.

Mr Andreas Hultin, CEO of Kunskapsskolan, was there to inaugurate the centre. He also distributed computer course certificates to transit school children and teachers. Kunskapsskolan, Sweden, was founded in 1999, and currently operates 21 secondary schools for pupils between the ages of 12 and 16, and nine sixth form schools for 16 to 19 year olds, totalling 9,200 students.

Hand in Hand is deeply moved by the compassion of children in one country to help those in another country – an act of reaching out that adults can learn from in great measure.

Salcomp and Nordstjernan support initiatives

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Salcomp and Nordstjernan through their Indian organisation, Salcomp Manufacturing India Ltd, have partnered with Hand in Hand through an MoU signed on the 15 April 2008 to execute their Corporate Social Responsibility programme in India for the next two years. The partnership was inaugurated in Kolathur village with the presence of the Salcomp board members from Sweden and Hand in Hand representatives.

The programmes under this partnership would be to provide soft skill and vocational skill training to 2,250 men and women in about 90 batches and make them employable in the nearby Special Economic Zones (SEZs) with a prospect of a good absorption by Salcomp and Nokia. The programme also includes a comprehensive environmental initiative with solid waste management and bio-gas plants in two villages of Kancheepuram, a total sanitation project with community participation in another two villages, and support to the renovation of primary health centres in rural areas of Kancheepuram district. The project outlay is estimated at USD 200,000 for a 24-month period.

This signifies the commitment of foreign companies like Salcomp to improve the lives of the communities in the area they are located in through their Corporate Social Responsibility programme.

For further reading, please see the article in The Hindu, 16 April 2008 here.

Pfizer supports Hand in Hand for child nutrition

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:00:00 +0100

Pfizer has formalised support to Hand in Hand in implementing a child nutrition project in 100 villages. The grant of INR 3,600,000 (USD 90,000) aims at improving the nutrition status of close to 2,100 malnourished children in Kancheepuram district.

Global vote for the WCPRC

rss@hihseed.org (Hand in Hand) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:00:00 +0100

On 18 and 19 March, Hand in Hand joined over 16 million children in 87 countries across the globe and participated in the Global Vote for the World's Children's Prize for Rights of the Child (WCPRC).

Voting was held in 40 of our transit schools, our three residential schools, and two of the government-run schools that we work with.

In true Tamil Nadu style, the Vote Day was celebrated with bright decorations, music, dance, and high spirits. The schoolchildren, many of whom have harsh personal experiences from being engaged in child labour activities, were very excited to learn about and promote their rights. A film crew consisting of Ms Johanna Hallin and Ms Ragna Jorming from WCPRC in Sweden attended the vote, and, together with the children, they discussed the three global candidates, watched cultural programmes, cast their votes, and even took charge of the voting and ballot counting process itself.

WCPRC is based on the UN Child Convention and strengthens the voices of children, connecting them together across countries and continents, and helps them to demand respect for the rights of the child. It holds an annual vote for global candidates who have made significant contributions to protecting and promoting the rights of children. Their material is available in ten different languages and school participation registration can be found at www.childrensworld.org.

For further reading, please see the article in The Hindu, 22 March 2008 here.