october 2007 catalyst magazine

TTEEAAMM 3

EDITORIAL TEAMDr. Bhamy V. ShenoyChief [email protected]

Ms. Bharati KalasapudiMs. Sandhya RawalMr. Lakshman KalasapudiMs. Padmaja AyyagariMr. Rajesh Satyavolu

Dr. Srinivasa [email protected]

ADVISORY BOARDDr. Thomas AbrahamDr. Nirupam BajpaiDr. Suri SehgalMr. M. ChittaranjanDr. Rao V.B.J. Chelikani

EDITORIAL BOARDDr. Abraham M. [email protected]

Dr. Ratnam [email protected]

Mr. Ram [email protected]

Mr. Balbir [email protected]

Mr. Yogi [email protected]

Dr. Raj [email protected]

Dr. Viral [email protected]

DISCLAIMERCatalyst for Human Development, its Staff or Editor assume no responsibility, directly or indirectly, for the views and opinions expressed by the authors as well as for the pictures used in the articles. Any omission of reference to material from the Internet or other sources is unintentional.

CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

An insight into complex problems of development and an

attempt to provide solutions

To present people, ideas, news and views periodically to readers to promote networking among NGOs;

To publish peer reviewed professional articles on the NGO movement that can promote sustainable development and best practices;

To disseminate information on the NGO movement to improve communication that can, in turn, catalyze human development;

To provide a platform for all concerned with sustainable development to catalyze the process of human development.

MISSION

PPuubblliisshheedd bbyy::

DDrr.. VVaassuunnddhhaarraa DD.. KKaallaassaappuuddiiBharati Seva Sadan

Srinivasanagar ColonySaluru- 535 591

Vizianagaram District, AP, India

CCoonnttaacctt::

IINNDDIIAA

Dr. Rao V.B.J. ChelikaniInternational Foundation for Human

Development (AFHD)Balaji Residency, 12-13-705/10/AB

Gokulnagar, TarnakaHyderabad - 500 017, AP, India

[email protected]

FFoorr aallll ccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn pplleeaassee ccoonnttaacctt::

[email protected]

CatalystFOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

UUSSAA

Dr. Srinivasa RaoAssociation for Human Development (AFHD)

208, Parkway Drive, Roslyn HeightsNew York, 11577, USA

[email protected]

Editorial Coordination by PP..SS.. SSuunnddaarraamm Former Editor, The New Indian Express & Managing Editor, Media India

EEddiittoorriiaall TTeeaamm::PP..SS.. SSuunnddaarraamm [email protected]

PP..RR..KK.. PPrraassaadd [email protected].. UUddaayyiinnii [email protected]

PP.. CChhaarriitthhaa [email protected]

CCoovveerr && LLaayyoouutt DDeessiiggnn:: VVeennkkaatt,, MMuurrtthhyy && VVeeeerruu

CCoonnttaacctt::MMEEDDIIAA IINNDDIIAA, 103, Patel's Avenue, Lane adjacent to Sierra Atlantic, Road No 10, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500 034

EE-mmaaiill:: [email protected] Ph: 91-40-2333 1212/1313 Fax: 91-40-2333 1414PPrriinntteedd aatt SSVVPPCCLL LLttdd,, 206 A, Concourse, Greenlands Road, Hyderabad - 500 016, AP, India

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

conveys its thanks to

North India Contact:E-13, Anand Niketan, New Delhi-110021, India

Ph: 91-11- 65422890, 91-9868471506 E-mail: [email protected]

[email protected], Website: www.responsenet.org

MEDIAINDIA


M E M B E R S H I P F O R M

ASSOCIATION FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT501c(3) Non-Profit Organization; Federal Tax ID: 20-1848083

WWEELLCCOOMMEESS YYOOUU TTOO JJOOIINN TTHHIISS PPRROOJJEECCTT!!

Your membership will help in the following ways

To publish and provide a platform through To organize an Annual Development Congress Catalyst FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

To conduct research on the NGO movement To support the networking of NGOs

IInn RReettuurrnn YYoouu BBeenneeffiitt BByy

1. Having copies of the magazine mailed directly to your address.

(Focus areas - NRIs, Water, Poverty, Primary Education,

Rural Transformation, Arts, and Human Development)

2. A FFRREEEE copy of HHooww ttoo CChhaannggee tthhee WWoorrlldd Social Entrepreneurs and

the Power of New Ideas by DDaavviidd BBoorrnnsstteeiinn priced $$ 3300 in the US and

RRss.. 339955 in India

3. 2255%% ddiissccoouunntt on all our publications and meeting registrations

NNaammee ::

EE-mmaaiill IIDD ::

AAddddrreessss ::

CCiittyy :: SSttaattee ::

ZZiipp//PPiinn CCooddee :: CCoouunnttrryy::

SSuubbssccrriippttiioonn::

IInnddiiaa —— RRss.. 550000 UUSSAA —— $$ 110000

Cheques payable to IIFFHHDD in India Cheques payable to AAFFHHDD in USA

For membership in America, mail to:

CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AFHD, 208, Parkway Drive Roslyn Heights, NY, 11577

USA

For membership in India, mail to:

CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IFHD, Balaji Residency, 12-13-705/10/AB Gokul Nagar, Tarnaka, Hyderabad 500017

AP, India

for helping in the editorial production of all articles published herein and in the overall assistance of review and design services as well as printing of the seventh issue.

HIGHLIGHTS OF JANUARY '06 ISSUEScaling up Primary EducationServices in Rural IndiaHealthcare in IndiaWater Management in 21stCentury - Policy and PlanningFood and Nutrition ThroughValue Addition to AgriResourcesScaling up Primary Health Services in Rural IndiaCross-Fertilization NeededBetween Universities & Scientific LabsBalasakhi - A Village VoiceNeed for a Catalyst

HIGHLIGHTS OF JANUARY '07 ISSUENon-Resident Indians' contributions - Answering a Call to ActionEliminating Elephantiasisand Waterborne DiseasesAssociation for India's Development - Improving Literacy in Rural IndiaLeading India toward Millen-nium Development GoalsHow NRIs Can Help inPoverty AlleviationIs Mega Philanthropy Going to Make a Difference?Nobel Peace Prize 2006 - Muhammad YunusIndian National Development Congress

HIGHLIGHTS OF MARCH '07 ISSUESafe Drinking water in VillagesWater Wars: National Problems from a Regional PerspectiveRain Centre in Chennai,IndiaGet Real, Coke: WaterRights ProtestPromoting Effective WasteManagement: The CleanHimalaya InitiativeWater Bond For Safe Drinking Water

HIGHLIGHTS OF JUNE '07 ISSUE

Better Understanding of Corporate Social ResponsiblityCSR to Society’s Advantage or Corporates’?2007 CSR: Interesting Revelations from a SurveyCorporate Social Responsibility: Two Exemplary CorporationsPM’s Advice to CorporatesFall of an NGO TitanBiodiversity for Development

HIGHLIGHTS OF APRIL '06 ISSUEAgenda For the Nation: AnApproachEconomic Reforms in India - The Unfinished AgendaA Villager's Agenda For aHealthy IndiaConsumer Movement - An AgendaIndia's Development - Agenda for NRIsStop Child PovertyCould Our Classrooms ShapeIndia's DestinyLeaders Wanted!

HIGHLIGHTS OF OCTOBER '06 ISSUE

The Evolving Role of NGOs inPoverty AlleviationMann Deshi Sahakari Bank -A boon for WomenCatalyst Salutes Ashoka FellowsHighway Rescue ProjectMagsaysay Award for ArvindKejriwalBest Visionaries Moving intoCitizen SectorSKOLL Foundation Awards 2006

Why Do We Need Social Entrepreneurs ?


TTIITTLLEE PPAAGGEESS AANNDD HHIIGGHHLLIIGGHHTTSS OOFF FFIIRRSSTT SSIIXX IISSSSUUEESS OOFF

CCOONNTTEENNTTSS6CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Preface — Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy ...7

Excellence in Education — Ajit Kothari...11

Sohail, Sukhum and SagunaLiving Examples of Youth Development — Jayant Shroff ...12

School on Wheels, A Unique Experiment

— Gulabbhai & Ushaben Jani...15

An Experiment in Social Entrepreneurship

—Rohan Siddhanti ...16

Swanirvar: A High Quality PrimarySchool within the Government System — Sujit Sinha...17

Anubandh Shala: Education through Correlation — Raju-Deepti...19

AT&T Technology Park & Institute: — Anant K. Shah...22

Ela Bhatt: Synonym for CommunityLeadership ...23

NGOs as a Futuristic Religion — Kishor Mistry...24

Shabana Azmi: Star Campaigneragainst AIDS ...27

Vandana Shiva: An Ecologist parExcellence ...29

Value of In-Kind Grants — Bipin Gandhi ...32

Sunita Narain: A Down to Earth Environmentalist ...33

Anjali: The Healthcare NGO — Dr. Lalit Shah...34

Sainath: The Journalist-Investigator ...35

MACARTHUR Award to SEWA Rural ... 36

Transparency and Accountability:Share and Care’s Hallmark ... 37

Anuradha Foundation ...40

Seva Sadan Society ...41

National Policy on Voluntary Sector-2007 ...44

Who Can “Fix” Poverty ?— Abraham M. George...45

Sangopita: A Shelter for the Care of Special Children ... 46

Community Policing: An AlternativeStrategy for Public - Police Partnership — Prateep V. Philip...47

Innovative Farm Methods: IITian’s Experiments in Chennai

— Ram Krishnan... 50

Need for a New DevelopmentParadigm — Sunanda Mane... 51

The Tele.gram ... 52

Choosing the Type of NPOs: Trust, Society or Sec. 25 Company ?

— Noshir H. Dadrawala...53

Learning Journey-Dec 15-22, 2007— Ram Krishnan...55

The Citizen Sector in India: Will it Cope with New Responsibility ?

— Venkatesh Raghavendra & Malini Sekhar...56

NGOs for Development — Dr. Srinivasa Rao...58

Share and Care Foundation: A Saga of “Giving Back” to Our Society

— Kishor Mistry & Varsha Mistry ...8Gyan Shala: Quality Educationfor Slum Children ...20

Post-Disaster Management: Share and Care Ever Ready

— Dilip Parikh... 26

Investment in Rural Healthcare — Dr Shirish C. Patrawalla... 28

One Acre Wonder for Sustainable Agriculture

— Prof M. Rudraradhya... 42

True Education: A Practical Way toIgnite Thinking among Students

— Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy...49

C ATALYST is taking great pleasure in saluting one of the well known NGOs managedby NRIs in the US on its 25th year. That NGO is Share and Care. We are carrying var-ious articles on different aspects of Share and Care written by their members. Readers

can learn many things about NGO movement from them. From a humble beginning in 1982with a simple idea of the need to "give back" to the mother land, Share and Care has made adifference in the lives of thousands of people during the last 25 years. Concepts which arecritical for the success of any NGO such as accountability, transparency, and great efficiencyin collecting funds are built into the DNA of Share and Care.

For NRIs living in the US since 80s, reading the history of Share and Care is to reminisce var-ious major natural disasters that have hit India and how they willingly came forward to assistduring the hours of need. Share and Care was able to quickly galvanize its enormous strengthto tap the goodwill and pockets of NRIs and assist the dedicated NGOs in India to help theneedy. These disasters are: 1993 Maharastra's Latur earthquake, 1998 Kutch cyclone, 2001Gujarat earthquake, Tsunami in 2004, and Gujarat floods in 2007.

We hear all the time how donations sent by NRIs have been misused. Share and Care hasshown all through these years how to send funds to get the maximum impact with no leak-age of funds.

During the last 25 years, Share and Care has raised more than seven million in cash and kindto rehabilitate about five million victims of disaster. This is a formidable achievement for anyNGO to be proud of.

As we applaud the efforts of an NGO such as Share and Care, we also need to reflect onwhat more could have been achieved given the enormous talents of Indians. Have we suc-ceeded in tapping all those talents? What is surprising and even sad to some extent is thefailure on the part of some of the well known management NRI gurus to study NRI managedNGOs and get involved with them in an active way.

These management gurus are ever ready to offer their recommendations to India basedMNCs on how to manage their Corporate Social Responsibility programs or to advice theGovernment of India on development strategies and fight poverty. American India Founda-tion has made a good beginning to get the involvement of well known industrialists. NRI man-aged NGOs have yet to develop some strategies to get the active involvement of these lead-ing management gurus. Some of them do come and give erudite speeches during the confer-ences organized by NGOs. NGO movement does need good ideas which they generate.Equally we need their active involvement.

During the first 25 years, Share and Care has laid a good foundation to tap the resources ofNRIs and to transfer them efficiently to those India based NGOs in need of them. When welook at the enormity of the problem facing India, either we need thousands of Share and Caretype of NGOs or few tens of mega Share and Care which can compare with internationalgiants like Red Cross or Greenpeace or Oxfam etc. Let us hope that Share and Care will aimhigh and leverage their experience and knowledge base to transform itself into a large NGOin the next 25 years. We wish all the best to Share and Care to serve India even more in yearsto come.

Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy

PPRREEFFAACCEE 7CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

NNGGOOCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

8

Birth of Share and Care Foundation (SCF)"May all be happy, may all be free from disease, may all realizewhat is good; may none be subject to misery"

— Upanishad.

One Sunday, in the summer of 1982, three professional couplesgathered for a casual dinner in New Jersey, USA, and the topic ofcarrying out charitable work for their homeland India resurfaced.One of them said, "Many of us have immigrated to USA and, nowthat we have established well, why not do something for India?"Another pushed the idea further "We talk a lot, now we shouldact". After evaluating various names for the future foundation, allthose present instantly agreed to christening it "Share and CareFoundation", since it conveys the ideals of sharing what we haveand caring for people in need. Finally, eleven members cametogether and officially got recognition for the Share and Care Foun-dation on December 20, 1982. The first charitable work was start-ed with the collection of used clothes from USA and each membercontributing $500, and sponsoring the students in India.

First public appeal for the charity"As one lamp lights another, nor grows less, so nobleness enkindlesnobleness

We are far away from our motherland, but our hearts are therewith our brethren,

Who get lesser opportunities for a better living?We who have a good life are bound to think of them, the help-

less. Let us share a little of what we have with those who have hopes

in us."

There were many inspiring answers to the question, "Whatmade you to get involved in such a noble activity? Many peo-ple talk the problems of India; but a few think of what they cando? " The answers were:

"We have benefited from subsidized education in India; now weare well off; it is our duty to give back something.""We believe that God has given us enough, we want to help others."

SShhaarree aanndd CCaarree FFoouunnddaattiioonnA Saga of "Giving Back" to Our Society

KISHOR MISTRY AND VARSHA MISTRY

KISHOR MISTRY

Kishor has experience in varieties of fieldsincluding biomedical research, medical

technology industry, teaching at theuniversity level, and medical practice.

Currently he is practising Family Medicinein NJ, USA. In spare time he reads history ofreligion. He is a volunteer at Share and Care

Foundation, Baroda Biochemistry-MSUAlumni, and Vishwakarma

Association of America.

VARSHA MISTRY

Varsha has her PhD in Biochemistry. After20 years of research and university teaching

career she decided to become a specialeducation teacher in a primary school to

inspire children and make the world a betterplace. She is also a Braille transcriber.

Varsha has been an active volunteermember of Share and Care Foundation and

participates in project review committee.


9

"As physicians, we feel guilty of leaving India after get-ting medical education, so we want to pay back."

Growth of SCF"Doing good to others is not a duty. It is a joy, for itincreases your health and happiness" —Zoroaster

The membership of the foundation has grown fromeleven to about fifty including youths. New membershave brought in novel ideas and experiences. The mainfocus has always remained to reach the maximum num-ber of people in need, and to make them self-sufficient.There are three main thrusts of activities supported inIndia. The first is primary education; the second primaryhealth and finally, youth development including women'sempowerment.

Highlights of currently sponsored activitiesImproving the Quality of Education: Support to edu-cation is like making a long-term investment in blue chipstocks. Currently students from primary and secondaryschools have been sponsored for their education. Othereducational projects include "mobile school" vanequipped with modern educational materials and trainedteachers. It goes to multiple schools to improve the qual-ity of education. Under another program, the foundationsponsored education and rehabilitation of mentally hand-icapped students. The beneficiaries include rural area stu-dents from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

Helping to strengthen Primary Health &Nutritional Status

Adequate physical health and nutrition are pre-requi-sites for a stronger future generation. For this the foun-dation has extended support in various forms including,medicines, instruments, hospital beds, dental chairs, poliorehab, cataract camps, leprosy rehab, artificial limbs, dial-

ysis units, construction of hospital buildings, milk powder,etc. Supporting the primary health care programs of theSEWA-Rural Hospital, Jhagadia, in Gujarat has droppedthe infant mortality significantly (from 36% to 22%) andimproved the vaccination (from 10 to 91%). In India only22% of schools have basic sanitary facilities. This notonly increases the mortality of children, but also affectsattendance at the schools. Recently, support was given toprovide basic sanitary facility to the school children ofBhimora, Gujarat.

Empowering WomenTo make cooking easier, the foundation has distributed

portable Chulas (stoves used in village), which are moreefficient and less polluting. With the support from thisfoundation, women at Swanirvar, West Bengal are able toprocess and sell ground spices, collect and process honey,and manage savings and loan cooperatives. Recently, agrant from Share and Care Foundation was approved forthe organization of Anjali in the rural areas of Sabarkan-tha to enhance basic skills in finance/business.

Youth DevelopmentMultiple projects are supported to develop youth lead-

ership and to make them empowered. Shaishav project inBhavnagar is supported to prevent the child labor byinspiring leadership, making children aware of theirrights, and reducing school dropouts. Other NGOs aresupported to provide vocational training including com-puter literacy.

Help to Natural Disaster VictimsEmergency funds are allocated to reach the victims of

floods, hurricanes, and earthquake devastations. The firstchallenge came in 1985 at Bhopal where a poisonous gasleakage caused havoc. Share and Care Foundation mem-bers worked hard to co-ordinate rehab work and helpedin distributing medical supplies and other needs. In1989, the help was rushed to the victims of fire in Passa-ic, New Jersey, USA. Very recently, help was extended tothe Tsunami victims.

What Some Beneficiaries SayThe greatest satisfaction was experienced by the Share

and Care Foundation members while meeting the bene-ficiaries in India and knowing from them how little ofour help can make a big impact in others lives. SaysKanaiyalal after receiving technical training, "At presentI am earning Rs.100 a day. Though I belong to the Har-ijan community, and come from a small village and have

Share& Care


10

Share& Care

not completed even high school education, I rose toquite a high social and economical position, thanks toVVTK (a vocational training center in Jhagadia,Gujarat.). My family is respected more now than everbefore in our society." Prashant Sheth, a scholarshipawardee in USA, "Someday when I return to India, I willmake a difference in the life of Indians, so that we shallnot have to leave our motherland in search of opportu-nities."

Future of SCF"Let noble thoughts come from every side"

—Rig Veda

Dedication and honesty of the members of this founda-tion have earned for it a high reputation and great trustfrom the society. Unique features of the Share Care Foun-dation include:

Largely a voluntary organization, it has only oneemployed secretary. Therefore, the overheads are lessthan 5%.

There is involvement of spouses as well as children inits activities. Many children have donated their gift col-lections from birthday parties and Christmas celebra-tions. Members visit the beneficiary organizations in India (attheir own expense!); their experiences provide a first-hand feedback in prioritizing the funding decisions.Generosity of members is noticed in financial contribu-tions to the foundation.

After 25 years of spectacular growth and success, themembers are optimistic about the future of the foun-dation. Recently Young and Adult Group leadershipwas added to the team of the foundation. Also, themodern technologies of computer and Internet arebeing provided in the foundation's functioning. One ofthe members of Share and Care Foundation, trulysummarized its goal by saying, "We are match makers,to help linking those who have the desire to share andthose who need it the most."

[email protected]

THE founding members of Share and Care decided in1982 to adopt education as the key theme for thefoundation in order to improve the quality of educa-

tion for the underprivileged in India with an emphasis ondevelopment of the youth. Education is the best investmentin humanity, as it produces the highest returns by transform-ing the society. The impact of educating girls and womenhas been shown to result in rapid improvements in familyplanning, nutrition, health, and income and is seen as one ofthe best tools for promoting social and economic develop-ment. Our aim is to make a significant impact on the livesof the children by turning them into more productive citi-zens of tomorrow.One of the first educational programs Share and Care start-

ed was the student sponsorship program which continues tobe one of its most important and successful initiatives. Stu-dents from both primary and secondary schools have beensponsored for their education at a low cost of about $100per year per student.

Key AchievementsShare and Care's key achievements in the area of educa-tion are highlighted below and in several articles by ourNGO partners:

Sponsored over 50,000 students for education since1983. Over 1000-1500 deaf, mute, mentally challenged,blind and students-in-need have been sponsored everyyear.Awarded five new scholarships for four years to under-graduate college students in the US if they maintainedgood records. Over 100 students have benefited sincethe inception of the program in 1994.Built 500 libraries in rural schools to supplement education.Youth development has emerged as a key theme for thefoundation. The architect of this program, Jayant Shroff,describes the seven- point Share and Care Value Chain inthe accompanying article. It constitutes programs fromearly childhood to a productive and promising adulthood. Organized several networking meetings to documentand propagate best practices used by our partners andcreate a learning environment.Sponsored India's first school-on-wheels program bene-

fiting 50,000 children in30 remote villages. (Seearticle on Sister NiveditaSchool- on-wheels).Supported creation of ahigh quality primaryeducation model withinthe government schoolsystem in rural WestBengal. (See article bySwanirvar).Supported supplementaleducation in 30 schoolsto provide Gandhianvalues to poor childrenby teaching them spe-cially designed moduleson useful skills tobecome a successful cit-izen. (See article byAnubandh Shala). Supported development of primary education system toprovide quality basic education to poor rural and urbanslum children. (See article by Gyan Shala).Sponsored education and rehabilitation of mentallyhandicapped students. The recipients include rural areastudents from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Multiple projects are supported to develop youth leadershipand to make them empowered. Shaishav project in Bhavna-gar is supported to prevent the child labor by inspiring lead-ership, making children aware of their rights, and reducingschool dropouts. Other NGOs are supported to providevocational training including computer literacy.

In the following pages, stories of Share and Care strategic edu-cational programs are presented through our partners, with ahope that it will be emulated elsewhere in a more cost-effec-tive manner since the fundamental planning and implementa-tion strategies are already documented and proven.

[email protected]

EExxcceelllleennccee iinn EEdduuccaattiioonnAJIT KOTHARI

Share& Care

Ajit Kothari is a retiredpharmaceutical executive

and is involved in a numberof community service

activities. He has a strongpassion to contribute to the

social and economicdevelopment of the

underprivileged masses inIndia. He joined the Share

and Care Foundation in2004 and is presently

serving as its Secretary.

AJIT KOTHARI


11

IInn tthhiiss ssiillvveerr jjuubbiilleeee yyeeaarr,, nneeww pprroojjeeccttss aarree ppllaannnneedd ttoo iimmpprroovvee tthhee qquuaalliittyy ooff eedduuccaattiioonn ffoorr ssttuuddeennttss iinn tthhee pprriimmaarryy aanndd sseeccoonnddaarryy sscchhoooollss iinn eeccoonnoommiiccaallllyy cchhaalllleennggeedd aarreeaass..

SOHAIL KHAN, a 9-year-old Muslimboy lives with his parents, Rahimbhaiand Hasinaben, in a modest dwelling

in the village of Fatullapur in West Bengal.Sohail is the eldest of five children and hasa responsibility to supplement the familyincome. Rahimbhai, his father, is a casuallaborer and works with a mason; whileHasinaben, his mother, raises the childrenand looks after their house. Sohail is noordinary boy; he is bright and curious andattends a nearby municipal school. Sohailfinished his 7th grade with support fromthe community center in Kumbharwada.Sohail wanted to study further but his par-ents forced him to start working full-time.The social workers from the communitycenter persuaded Sohail's parents to lethim continue with his high school educa-tion. He was working part time in a facto-ry and at a bakery during weekends.Sohail's motivation and hard work helpedhim to do well in high school initially. YetSohail failed in his 10th grade examinationdue to pressure of work. He was very dis-appointed. He left the school and startedfull-time work to carry out his "duty". OurCenter again intervened and asked Sohailto join the center as an office worker witha condition that he continues with his edu-cation. Finally, Sohail graduated from highschool and accepted a teacher's job in ourschool even as he sharpened his computerskills. Now, Sohail is not only contributingto raise the standard of living of the entireKhan family but he has paved the way foreducation of the future generations,opening many future opportunities !

Sukhum Varia, a 7-year-old boy, is the

son of a rickshaw driver, Kanubhai, and adomestic helper, Kantaben. He goes to amunicipal school on the outskirts ofRajkot, Gujarat. Sukhum was an averagestudent. He was able to continue with hiseducation due to the regular stimulationfrom Share and Care supported "School-on-Wheels" program which provides sup-plementary educational tools to municipalschool students and teachers. This pro-gram covers 18,000 students in more than36 village schools. By the time Sukhumpassed 12th grade his academic standingwas excellent. Sukhum was dreaming tobecome a dentist. He secured admission,on merit, into a government dental schoolin Amdavad. His parents wanted their sonto take advantage of this once-in-a life-time opportunity, but they could notafford the cost of education. Share andCare Education Scholarship Program cameto the rescue of Sukhum. His parentsagreed to pay the tuition fee while Shareand Care funded his living expenses of$40 a month. Sukhum is now working asa dentist serving 30 surrounding villages.Kanubhai and Kantaben, with their broadvision and immense sacrifice, successfullybrightened up the future of their family.Share and Care scholarship helped.

Saguna Mukherji, a 15-year-old girl is inthe 4th grade at the local municipal schoolin the slums outside New Delhi. She isunable to learn at her normal level due tomental disabilities. Her parents, Sapan andSanjugta are workers in a textile factory.They could not afford a special school forher. Saguna stays home and takes care of

JAYANT SHROFF

JAYANT SHROFF

Jayant Shroff migrated toUSA for higher studies in

1963. His professionalcareer spaned over 38 years

with ascending andprogressive responsibilities

in the field ofTelecommunication and

Systems Networking. Fromearly on in his career,

Jayant's passion drew himto voluntary social work inUSA. In order to give backto his original motherland,Jayant got deeply involved

in Share and Care after ayear of its creation in 1982.Since then, he has actively

participated in variousfunctions of the foundation.

Jayant has also formed anetwork of NGOs in Indiawith a goal of exchanging

the best practices, its

documentation and furtherpropagation. He, along witha few volunteer physiciansfrom USA, has also started

programs and follow-ups of

school- going children of Municipal Schools

in rural India.


12

Share& Care

SShhaarree aanndd CCaarree hhaass ssuucccceessssffuullllyy ttrraannssffoorrmmeedd mmoorree tthhaann aa ffeeww hhuunnddrreedd tthhoouussaanndd SSoohhiiaallss,, SSuukkhhuummssaanndd SSaagguunnaass bbyy ffuunnddiinngg pprrooggrraammss ttoo uuttiilliissee tthheeiirr eenneerrggiieess ffoorr pprrooggrreessss aanndd pprroossppeerriittyy..

SSoohhaaiill,, SSuukkhhuumm aanndd SSaagguunnaaLiving Examples of Youth Development

herself while her parents go for work. Saguna's parentsfound out about the Share and Care funded rehabilitationand training facility for the mentally challenged girls. Whenshe arrived, Saguna was wearing dirty clothes. Her hairwas in a mess and her teeth were tarnished with tobacco.She had a severe behavioral problem. She was accepted inthe rehabilitation and training center with some apprehen-sion because of her behavior. Saguna started to learn sim-ple, repetitive tasks for daily independence. With the pas-sage of time and a lot of patience she is able to read andwrite. She participates in file making, shopping bag making,and the mid-day office lunch supply program. She also sellsher products and has learned to save money. Saguna walksto the center by herself and manages simple chores in thehouse. This is not an isolated case. The center has trans-formed hundreds of Saguna's into independent, productive,and caring citizens, breaking the chain of hopelessness.

Common AttributesSohail, Sukhum and Saguna have many common

attributes, such as, parents with a drive to seek a betterfuture for them and their enthusiasm for hard work. Youthlike them have been an excellent example to show thatthey develop fully, contributing to the society at large. It isheartening to note that these stories are a concrete proofthat our work is making a difference for the future genera-tions, with a focus on one individual at a time.

We are keenly aware of the fact that India has approxi-mately 400 million rural youth who can really benefit fromthese types of interventions. We are not only continuingour successful programs in youth development but areexpanding them to fully realize the objective of holisticdevelopment of mind, body and soul. In aggregate, thefollowing youth development programs constitute a Shareand Care created "Value Chain" starting from the early

childhood development to a productive and promisingadulthood for the rural youth of India:

Youth Development Programs1. Share and Care funds support many balwadis for build-

ing developmental foundation for rural children aged 3to 6 years before they enter school. The benefits of sucha program are two-fold: a.The children get better attention and nutrition

through mid-day meal than at home and, b.They have an opportunity to learn in a stimulating

environment and play with other children.

2. Share and Care supplementary education programs foryouth/children are designed to get them in schools andretain them and using their experience to improve quali-ty of education, value education and character building.We also offer training to teachers and parents. Woven into this program is annual "Share and Care Best Teacher "award for excellence in teaching.

3. For the school dropouts and unemployed children/youth,Share and Care supports a variety of vocational trainingprograms lasting 3 months to a couple of years, to acquireemployable and/or enterprising skills. At the end of thistraining, all of our youth are either gainfully employed orpursue their own little business.

4. Share and Care also funds many technology and com-puter literacy programs to improve the lives of the blind,deaf and physically as well as mentally challenged chil-dren/youth. We have proved that these youth have thesame abilities as the normal youth, given proper oppor-tunities. Such youth have successfully become webdesigners, hardware technicians and have started theirown businesses in data management, networking andoutsourcing.

5. To build the character of these youth, Share and Carestarted libraries in rural schools. We motivate students toread books by holding Vanchan Shibirs (reading camps),Granth Goshti (book club discussions) and Granth Samik-sha (book reviews).

6. For an all-round education we support lecture series byeminent educators and promote paryatans (field trips).

7. For the needy youth who excel in education, Share andCare has funded Loan Scholarship programs for pursuinghigher education; preferably, in professional schools such


13

Share& Care

as engineering, medicine and nursing.

8. Finally, our most recent, hands-on program which fulfillsour mission of a holistic approach to youth developmentis Share and Care program of holding annual medicalshibirs in the village schools ensuring overall wellbeing ofour youth. We firmly believe that one needs a healthymind and a healthy body to learn and earn. Our first suchshibir was held past January in the village of Bhimora. Wetook a team of 11 multi-disciplinary physicians from theUnited States for a first thorough physical check-up andfollow-up corrective measures for 850 children aged 6 to20 years.

Transformation AchievedAll Share and Care youth development programs are

administered with an end goal of transforming each andevery youth into a happy, healthy, prosperous and produc-tive citizen.

In the first 25 years of our existence, we are proud tohave transformed a sizable number of rural youths intohappy, healthy and productive future citizens.

Successful transformation of Sohail, Sukhum and Sagunasymbolizes our vision, plans, and their implementation overthe past 25 years. Our work would have been impossiblewithout the trust and belief of our donors, well-wishers,partners and continued hard work by our core team of vol-unteers.

However, much more remains to be done. Our promise isnot to rest on our past laurels but to accelerate our pace,sharpen our focus based on past learnings and concentrateour energies in these and many new programs during thecoming quarter century as our future generations deservenothing less than our whole-hearted service and help.

[email protected]


14

Share& Care

SINCE last 15 years, the economicgrowth of India is so fast thatworld has to take note of it. It is

believed that within a few more years,India will be an economic super power.Even today, stock exchange index is alltime high, corporate world is flourish-ing. India is shining. At the same timeteeming millions living in rural areas arestruggling for two ends to meet. Theyare deprived from benefiting from thefruits of this progress. This is Bharat.There is a difference between urbanIndia and the poor rural Bharat. If wewill not bridge the gap, there is boundto be revolution.

Education only toolTo eliminate poverty, education is the

only tool by which people can earnmore, know how to raise their standardof living and have a vision of better life.But it is a pity that even after 60 years ofindependence, no government at thecentre, or in the states of India has beenable to put together a sound package ofelementary and secondary education.This is despite the constitution of Indiaproviding compulsory education for freefor children since last 40 years !

To bridge the gap between urbanIndia and rural Bharat, we have imple-mented a unique idea: introduce Schoolon Wheels project to supplement theinadequate educational inputs offeredto pupils in the rural areas. The idea is tobring school and various other facilitieslike audio visual aids, library and labora-tory closer to rural kids, who otherwise

cannot go to schools at long distances.On October 9th, 1994, with the finan-cial help of Share and Care Foundation,USA, the first unit of Sister NiveditaSchool on Wheels came into being.

Sister Nivedita School on Wheelsensures that each of its studentsacquires the knowledge, skill and strate-gies necessary to reach his/her fullpotential and become a productive,responsible citizen.

GoalsThe three main goals of this project are:1.Enrollment: All the eligible children

of the village must be enrolled in theschool in 1st standard.

2.Retention: Every enrolled childmust complete the Elementaryeducation up to 7th grade. Thereshould not be any dropout.

3.Quality Education: Childrenshould get quality education andjoy of learning.

One of the basic objectives of Sis-ter Nivedita School on Wheels is tobring forth the latent talent of thepoor and neglected rural children.Second is overall development of therural children. The two units of theSchool on Wheels are serving morethan 17,000 students and 460teachers in Gujarat in western India.

AchievementsSchool on Wheels project in

Gujarat is unique and the first of its

SScchhooooll oonn WWhheeeellssA Unique Experiment GULABBHAI AND USHABEN JANI


15

Share& Care

GULABBHAI JANIGulabbhai Jani has 45 years of

experience in the field ofeducation. He is Founder and

Director of famous EducationalInstitution of Gujarat — SisterNivedita Educational Complex

located at Rajkot, Gujarat.Sister Nivedita School on

Wheels that he started for ruralchildren is a nucleus of

programmes and activities in non-formal education.

USHABEN JANIWith four decades of

yeomen service in thefield of education andsocial work, Ushaben

Jani is Founder andDirector of Sister Nivedita

Educational Complex atRajkot. She has received

many awards for hereducational and social

services.

SScchhooooll oonn wwhheeeellss pprroojjeecctt iiss tthhee ffiirrsstt ooff iittss kkiinndd iinn IInnddiiaa pprroovviiddiinngg mmuullttii--mmooddeell ssyysstteemm ooff hhiigghh qquuaalliittyy eedduuccaattiioonn,, eennccoouurraaggiinngg ggiirrllss eennrroollmmeenntt iinn sscchhoooollss aanndd iimmpprroovviinngg tteeaacchhiinngg ssttaannddaarrddss iinn rruurraall GGuujjaarraatt..

kind in India. It provides alternative, multi--model sys-tem of education. The two units are able to provide,among other things, quality education to rural students,and they have been exposed to modern methods oflearning; enroll all eligible children in schools includingrural girls (consequently, the drop out ratio hasdecreased considerably); encourage students to partici-pate in elocution, essay writing, drama and music com-petitions; science fairs and cultural activities; organizelibraries/mobile libraries, reading workshops and edu-cational tours; use audio-video aids to make educaioninteresting; and promote environmental development.Simultaneously, the project is also helping improve theteaching ability of teachers, organize workshops foradult education and women literacy. Parents have also

increased their participation in the school developmentprograms.

The school on wheels has built self confidence inchildren and improved their written and spoken Englishskills. Students have also learnt to respect all religions,realized dignity of labor and importance of cleanliness.

Financial help of Share and Care Foundation has also enabled rural students even to pursue universityeducation in engineering, medical and other courses.At the time of the Gujarat earthquake in 2001, Shareand Care helped us to renovate five damaged schoolbuildings.

[email protected]


16

VILLAGEHAND.COM, a company started by myfriend and me in the Washington DC area, isnow growing fast to support the Khadi move-

ment in the USA. Emergence Khadi has a hoary tradi-tion, dating back to the freedom movement duringIndia's struggle against the British Empire. MahatmaGandhi had then urged Indians to make their own clothso that their dependence on foreign goods is reduced.Thus, Khadi was born on the sweat and labor of thehardworking farmhands, artisans, and weavers acrossthe country. Now, Khadi is beginning to resurge due tothe increased competition with factory-made clothingand materials. Villagers in India are loosing their jobs,skills and trades that have been passed down from gen-eration to generation and are being lost to powerloomsand increased globalization.

VillageHand.com is tied up with an organizationcalled Women Tech, located at Wardha, a small townnear Nagpur. Women Tech seeks the empowerment ofthe lower classes by providing cheap, efficient, andenvironmentally friendly ways to grow crops, build

houses, and manage sanitation.Part of Women Tech's goal is tohelp thousands of unemployedin India to get employment.One system that has beenevolved is the Khadi produc-tion. Women Tech's founder, Dr.Vibha Gupta, an Ashoka fellow,has spearheaded the Khadi pro-duction movement in the surrounding villages of Nag-pur and convinced farmers to switch over to organiccrop growing methods, employed a hundred or soweavers from Nagpur, and thus provided over 500 jobsin the Wardha-Nagpur area. Maghansangralaya sellsKhadi products ranging from men's and women's shirtsto saris and bed sheets. Our company imports the shirtsfrom India, and sells them through various channels inthe US.

VillageHand.com sells the shirts in local stores, collegecampuses, and yoga centers across the country. Thecompany, in turn, donates 50% of the profits back tothe villages that made the shirts, as well as to WomenTech. In the process, we are reaching out to peoplethrough channels like television and newspapers. Inessence, we are not just selling shirts, we are spreadinga message. We hope to spread the word of Khadi, andmake a difference, however small. Our motto is - "It'snot the shirts you buy, but the change you help make."

[email protected]

An Experiment in Social

EntrepreneurshipROHAN SIDDHANTI

Share& Care

WITH the aim of creating modelsin specific subjects and spread-ing them as widely as possible,

Swanirvar was set up in 1990 in North 24Parganas district of West Bengal and itstarted three experimental primaryschools in 1995-96, initially funded by theGovernment of India under the "Innova-tive Elementary Education" scheme. Forthe last several years, Share and CareFoundation is funding them. Purpose ofthe project: create a "visible model forquality primary schooling within the gov-ernment system".

National and State Scenario All over India the enrolment in Primary

schools has improved in the last 5- 10years due to DPEP, now called Sarva Shik-sha Abhiyan. A lot of funds have beenallocated and efforts made for improvinginfrastructure, for giving continuous in-service training to teachers, for improvingcontent in text books, involving the com-munity and so on. And yet, the learningachievements of children, who finish ClassIV, are terrible in all states.

Apart from the pioneering work ofEklavya within the government schoolsystem in Madhya Pradesh, there werehardly any interventions by NGOs in thegovernment system till 1995. Since then,there have been quite a few govt--NGOpartnerships in several states. West Bengalwas one of the few states where the gov-

ernment did not allow any inputs fromNGOs and even in 2007 there are veryfew formal avenues for resourceful NGOsto try to improve the quality of educationin government schools in the state.

Challenging TaskOur challenge was to find out strategies

to intervene in the government primaryschools at the panchayat, circle (about60-70 primary schools), and block (2-3circles) levels within the district of North24 Parganas "unofficially" and withoutantagonizing the state.

From 1996 to 2001 we were quite busydeveloping our own model and expertiseby getting inputs from all possiblesources. The various methods in which webecame good included making childrenwork in groups, doing classroom experi-ments and outdoor investigations, sahityasabhas organized and coordinated by chil-dren, and conducting different kinds ofexams testing actual skills.

Intervention StrategyIn the year 2000 , for the first time we invited17 govt schools of one panchayat to participatein a joint rakhi celebrations with one of ourschools and it went off very well. From 2001onwards we gradually started introducing moreand more of our ideas and methods into inter-ested govt schools. But all through we keptup an intensive dialogue with individualteachers, the teacher union leaders of

Share& Care

SSwwaanniirrvvaarr A High Quality Primary School within the Government System

SUJIT SINHA

SSwwaanniirrvvaarr''ss ssttrraatteeggiieess ttoo pprroommoottee eedduuccaattiioonn iinn rruurraall WWeesstt BBeennggaall hhaavvee ssoo iinnssppiirreedd ggoovveerrnnmmeenntttteeaacchheerrss tthhaatt tthheeyy aarree aaddvvooccaattiinngg ffoorr iittss rroollee aass aa ttrraaiinneerr oorrggaanniissaattiioonn aanndd aarree aapppprreecciiaattiivvee

ooff tthhee QQuuaalliittyy SScchhooooll ccoonncceepptt wwhhiicchh eennccoommppaasssseess tteeaacchhiinngg ccoonntteenntt aanndd mmeetthhooddss,, ppaarreenntt iinnvvoollvveemmeenntt,, aanndd cchhiillddrreenn''ss sseellff--mmaannaaggeemmeenntt..

SUJIT SINHA

Sujit Sinha , was bornin 1956 in Kolkata ,

spent his childhoodin Dehradun and

finished school fromAssam. He did his

B.Sc. with ChemistryHonors from

Presidency College ,Kolkata ; M.Sc. from

IIT Kanpur in 1979;taught for a year in a

school for tribals inArunachal Pradesh ;

did Ph.D. fromPrinceton University

(1980-84) ; worked inBell Labs (1985-86) .

From 1987 he hasbeen a full time ruraldevelopment activist

in West Bengal and isthe coordinator of

Swanirvar.


17


18

both dominant political parties , the respective schoolinspectors (SI) . Whatever decisions we took was takenjointly with the union leaders and whenever letters weresent out, they had the signature of the union leaders . Asa result, when there was intense political pressure andobjections from newly transferred SI to stop Swanirvar'sinterventions , it was the teachers unions who foughtand won their right to get our inputs.

Achievements Until March 31, 2007 1. Rakhi Celebrations : We started joint rakhi celebrations

with 17 govt schools in 2000 and this is gradually increas-ing every year. In 2006-07 we expanded this activity toinclude 147 govt primary schools involving approxi-mately 20,000 children.

2. Joint Sahitya Sabha : This programme where childrenconduct and perform many items ( some their own cre-ations) was started in 2002-03 with 12 govt schools. In2003-04 the number of schools was 30 in 3 places and in2004-05 it was 57 in 4 different places. In 2005-06 , 207children from 63 schools participated in 3 events. In 2006-07 there were 5 joint sahitya sabhas involving 84 schools.

3. Individual Sahitya Sabha : In 2005-06 we assisted 4schools to do individual sahitya sabha where 154 childrenparticipated. In 2006-07 this has gone up to 10 schools.

4. Workshop with Teachers : A workshop with govt teach-ers was conducted first in 2003-04 with 25 teachers from23 schools. In 2005-06, we have conducted two suchworkshops with 28 and 30 teachers participating. In2006-07 there was a two day maths workshop for 43teachers from 35 schools ; a maths TLM making workshopfor 35 teachers from 12 schools ; an English TLM makingworkshop for 11 teachers from 7 schools.

5. Individual School Workshops for Teachers : As perdemand workshops have been held with the teachers in 2schools separately.

6. Resource Teacher Workshop : A special workshop with8 very resourceful teachers from 5 schools was held inDecember 2005 . These would be future trainers .

7. Parents Meetings : In 2005-06, in 3 schools parents'meetings have been held with our help. Two schools haveheld one meeting and one school has had two such meet-ings with 180 parents participating. In 2006-07, we assist-ed 28 schools to hold parents meetings where 954 parents participated.

8. Workshop with Parents : This activity was started in2005-06 and was held in 3 places with a total of 26schools participating (2 parents each). In 2006-07, we heldworkshop with 180 mothers from 42 schools.We held individual TLM workshops in 4 schools

with 173 parents . 9. Supply and Use of Work Cards : In 2005-06, during the

workshops with teachers many work cards were designed.Later these were finalized, printed and pasted on card-boards. They have been supplied to 9 schools as per theirdemand. 6 more schools have made and started usingtheir own work cards. In 2006-07, work cards were madeand given to 4 schools.

10.Pre-primary Teachers' Inputs : 24 of the Swanirvar pre-primary teachers have started visiting 17 primary schoolsfrom November, 2005 to give specific teaching and cul-tural inputs.

11.Children's Committees : In 2005-06, we assisted oneschool to form children's committees for cleaning thepremises, cleaning the toilets, and running a library. In2006-07, this has gone up to 6 schools. In one schoolthey have also started a vegetable garden.

OutcomeMany govt teachers are charged up and have started apply-ing what we have taught them. Some of them are showingthe materials they have made with our help and are advo-cating for Swanirvar's role as trainers with district and statelevel authorities. They have understood that there are manyfactors which make up a quality school: content, method,proper teachers training and follow up, parent's involvement,activating children for self management, giving scope for cre-ativity etc. Some of the teachers are even outperformingSwanirvar's own schools !!

Next StepsWe have just started talking to district level authorities andinfluential political leaders to give Swanirvar the official sta-tus of resource organization so that we can create a totalmodel which would also include administrative rules andlocal education planning at panchayat-block-district levels.We are hoping that very soon the 50 odd govt schools whichare getting more and more involved will be a model for thewhole state where there are 65,000 primary schools.

What Have Been the Costs Swanirvar's costs for running our own 4 schools come most-ly from Share and Care Foundation. Essentially, with 20%extra money we have been able to ensure our interventionin the govt schools. Along with this we have also given train-ing to teachers of 12 NGOs in 4 other districts in the last 3years. We hope to get official recognition so that we can con-tinue to do this work more effectively.

[email protected]

Share& Care

IN the era of Liberalization, Privatization,and Globalization, on one side there is avulgar commercialization of education in

which you will find so called "InternationalSchool" at every ten kilometers, and on theother side the students of the under-privilegedsections of the society, mainly of urban poorand of the socio, economic, and educationallybackward communities (SCs, STs, OBCs andothers) from rural India, who do not get qual-ity education in the Government-run schools.We believe that, though it is Government'sresponsibility to provide free and compulsoryquality education to all especially the vulnera-ble sections of the society, the civil societyshould also play its role with constructiveapproach and positive intervention. One ofour main concerns was how to reach morechildren at less cost.

Gandhian valueThus emerged the concept of Anubandh

Shala, an humble attempt to inculcate theGandhian value of "education through life andeducation throughout life" in the students. Wefelt that Gandhi's Gujarat is an ideal place to bea "Laboratory of Innovative Educational Exper-iments" in order to bring a paradigm shift inthe educational process through AnubandhShala. The concept of Anubandh Shala isbeing experimented in three different Geo-Cultural regions of Coastal Saurashtra, RuralSchools of Central Gujarat, and Urban Schoolswith some changes to suit local circumstances.

Special ModulesAs a part of the "School Support Program,"

Anubandh Shala project was conceptualizedunder which two Facilitators visit ten schools

twice a week with specially designed moduleson Life Skill Education, Citizenship Training,Education for Sustainable Future, Moral Edu-cation, and Beauty of life in "Diversity and Plu-ralism." They also help local teachers in MainStream Curriculum through innovative learn-ing techniques and teaching-learning materi-als. In all, 30 Schools are being covered.

Methodology and Constraints One Facilitator looks after 5 schools. Each

school is visited twice a week. Modules aredesigned on the concept of Self-Learning, PeerLearning, and Experiential Learning on the(above said) five themes. Some regular activi-ties include Thought for a Week, Song of theMonth, Personality of the Month, Festival ofthe Month, and Weekly Wall Paper on differ-ent subjects. Concept of integral education(physical, mental, emotional and spiritual edu-cation) is an integral part of the project.

Case History and Success StoryThe innovative experiment has worked so

well that on the "Teacher's Day" one studentconducted a session on the concept ofAnubandh Shala. Another student did notagree to go to another so called better schoolbecause it was not covered under AnubandhShala program. Some teachers are so motivat-ed that they have started experimenting theconcept in other classes and subjects. Fundsare being invested in sponsoring Fellowshipsto Facilitators, their travel, module designingand Wall Paper production, teaching-learningmaterials and consumables. At the end ofthree years, we plan to come up with"Anubandh Shala Manual" which will be path-breaking in the field of education.

RAJU-DEEPTI

RAJU - DEEPTI

Raju and Deeptibecame active in social

life since the TotalRevolution movementinitiated by Lok NayakJaiprakash Narayan in1983. After completing

their studies inEngineering and

Commerce, Raju workedas a lecturer and Deepti

in a bank for severalyears. Both left their

lucrative career in 1985and decided to devote

their life to work for thevulnerable sections of

society, especially ruralchildren, women and

youth, based onGandhian ideologies.

They mainly work in theareas of Education,

Environment and RuralDevelopment.

AAnn aaccttiioonn--bbaasseedd,, GGaannddhhiiaann eedduuccaattiioonnaall rreesseeaarrcchh pprroojjeecctt,, AAnnuubbaannddhh SShhaallaa iiss qquuiittee ccoosstt--eeffffeeccttiivvee aannddddeessiiggnneedd ttoo mmaakkee aa llaassttiinngg iimmppaacctt oonn tthhee mmaaxxiimmuumm nnuummbbeerr ooff cchhiillddrreenn wwiitthh lliittttllee oorr nnoo rreessoouurrcceess..


19

AAnnuubbaannddhh SShhaallaaEducation through Correlation

Share& Care


20

Share& Care

INDIA has done well in terms of economic growthover the last one decade, and is poised to emerge asone of the World's five largest economies by 2040,

but it continues to have very poor human developmentindices. Even though school enrolment is now above 95per cent, about half of the children drop out of schoolsbefore completing grade-5 education. A large majorityof these cannot read or write independently, and remainilliterate during their adult life. Half of the adult popu-lation of India even by 2030-2040 is, thus, likely toremain functionally illiterate, if the present trend is notreversed. Such a situation could even arrest India's eco-nomic growth, and cause a lot of social strife. Gujaratreflects this all India trend, if only, in a more advancedway. Gujarat's economy is growing at a faster thanaverage Indian growth rate, but in education sector, it

barely matches all India average and falls way behind allother economically advanced states. Urban areas inGujarat, specifically Ahmedabad, fall far behind even inthe rural areas of the state in bringing and retaining allchildren of 6-14 year age group under the school sys-tem. A major challenge of the school education sectorin India, therefore, is to raise the quality of basic schooleducation.

MissionGyan Shala aims to evolve, demonstrate and promote

a primary education system that would provide assuredquality basic education to children, specifically to thosefrom poor rural and urban families, at a unit cost thatcan be supported by India on a large scale. Good qual-ity basic education, large scale replicability, and appro-

GGyyaann SShhaallaaQuality Education for Slum Children

GGyyaann SShhaallaa wwaass iinnssppiirreedd bbyy tthhee ssuucccceessss ooff eexxaammpplleess lliikkee AAMMUULL iinn IInnddiiaa aanndd GGrraammeeeenn BBaannkk iinnBBaannggllaaddeesshh tthhaatt ssoollvveedd tthhee pprroobblleemmss ooff tthheeiirr rreessppeeccttiivvee ccoouunnttrriieess iinn ssppeecciiffiicc ffiieellddss.. IItt iiss hhooppeedd tthhaattGGyyaann SShhaallaa wwiillll bbee aa mmaajjoorr ccoonnttrriibbuuttoorr iinn oovveerrccoommiinngg pprroobblleemmss iinn sscchhooooll eedduuccaattiioonn sseeccttoorr iinn IInnddiiaa..


21

Share& Care

priately low unit cost are the three defining features ofGyan Shala program.

Project and PerformanceThe project sets up classes in interior villages and

urban slums close the homes of children, so that evena five-year-old girl can come to the school alone, easi-ly and regularly. The classrooms are equipped withgood furniture, lighting and ventilation, and suchteachers are chosen who are comfortable in workingwith poor children. The children are given ampleamount of high quality learning material that has beendesigned by the project team. The teachers are provid-ed continuous training and classroom support, so theycan help children follow the required learning schedule.The learning tasks and schedules are so designed thatthe Gyan Shala children experience a similar mentalstimuli that is available in excellent schools. In a studyconducted by an internationally reputed researchgroup, the grade 3 children in Gyan Shala were foundto score 100 % more marks compared to their counter-parts in government schools, even though the unit costof education in Gyan Shala is 1/4th of governmentcost.

Started with classes in ten slum locations in 2000,Gyan Shala has grown to have 307 urban classes in2007-2008 that cover around 8500 out-of-school chil-dren in grades 1-3. In between, the model has beentest-implemented in more than 100 rural classes in twobackward districts of Gujarat and is currently thelargest NGO education program in Gujarat. Gyan Shalawas recently invited by the Ahmedabad Municipal

School Board to work with them to improve the quali-ty of education in their schools.

Outcome and ImpactMore than 70 % of the Gyan Shala-educated chil-

dren have continued their studies upto grade 7-8,while the average record for similar children in India isfar worse. The experiment thus shows that the childrenfrom poor families can be brought to attain learninglevels of their counterparts from middle and upperincome groups. An investment of merely Rs. 1500-2000/- per year per child is adequate to attain thegoal, and hence this goal is attainable even underIndia's education budget, if it is spent wisely.

Gyan Shala has been designed to be institutionallysustainable, easily replicable by using locally availablehuman resource, and financially affordable in Indianresource conditions. The program performance overthe last seven years provides ample evidence of attain-ment of each of these design goals.

Attaining the goal that Gyan Shala has set for itselfhas meant solving many technical, managerial andpolitico-administrative problems, but the biggest chal-lenge has been to convince the ‘education experts’ thatthese goals can be met.

With a fully demonstrated and credible success of itschildren, and cost-effectiveness, Gyan Shala is emerg-ing as a trendsetter in India's school education sector.Share and Care Foundation is supporting the middleschool program of Gyan Shala.

UNDER one Umbrella, the Parsanben NarandasRamjibhai Shah (PNR) Society is a unique multi-faceted organisation. Through various projects for

Relief and Rehabilitation of the Disabled, this Society, thenation's largest NGO in the field of disabled humans,serves 1500-2000 disabled persons per day. With humblebeginnings, the PNR Society has gradually grown now intoa big banyan tree, with a number of institutions workingunder its shade. The AT&T Technology Park & Institute isone of its divisions.

MissionThe main mission of the Technology Park & Institute is to

bring out the hidden potential of differently able youth andto enable them to earn their livelihood as well as makethem IT literate. It is also intended to merge the lives of dif-ferently able students with the ever-evolving field of Infor-mation Technology. Even though modernization and tech-nology are globalized and spread throughout the world,one section still remains untouched. People with disabilitieshave always been left out of the technological world. Thissection has lived in its own world, untouched. In order toincrease the awareness of this program, we have beencontacting various organizations working for the disabledpeople and have been providing detailed information to

them about the project and its prospects.

Magnitude of the ProblemAccording to a disability survey, 60% of the world's dif-

ferently able people reside in India, of whom 70% live invillages. These villages lack even the most basic facilitiesand not even 1% of these people have access to educa-tional or training facilities.

These 100 million people are deprived of infrastructure,care, doctors, trained persons, special teachers and socialworkers. To meet the basic requirements of these people,the PNR Society for Relief and Rehabilitation of the dis-abled has started three different segments: 1) AT&T Tech-nology Park & Institute as an academic training center, 2)Vasant Outsourcing Center for all types of outsourcingwork tailored to customer's requirements, and 3) Enable ITSolutions for the IT-related services.

Main ObjectiveThe main objective of the institute, the Academic divi-

sion of the Society, is to strengthen the IT training programand provide good quality training in it and place the ben-eficiaries in reputed companies. According to the changingmarket requirements, new courses have been started, such

as Computerized Fash-ion Designing espe-cially for HearingImpaired Girls, MobileApplications, andMobile Hardware. Thishas bestowed on thembetter job opportuni-ties and/or self-e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i pqualities. It is our long-term vision to replicatethis concept in manymore places acrossIndia.

AATT&&TT TTeecchhnnoollooggyy PPaarrkk && IInnssttiittuutteeANANT K. SHAH

TThhee AATT&&TT TTeecchhnnoollooggyy PPaarrkk && IInnssttiittuuttee,, aa wwiinngg ooff tthhee PPNNRR SSoocciieettyy,, BBhhaavvnnaaggaarr,, iiss ddeevvootteedd ttoo iimmppaarrttiinngg iinntteennssiivvee IITT ttrraaiinniinngg ttoo hheellpp tthhee ddiissaabblleedd ppooppuullaattiioonn wwoorrkk iinn tthhee ggrroowwiinngg IITT ffiieelldd.. TThhee IInnssttiittuuttee

pprroojjeecctt iiss ffuunnddeedd bbyy AATT&&TT FFoouunnddaattiioonn,, UUSSAA aanndd ssuuppppoorrtteedd bbyy SShhaarree aanndd CCaarree FFoouunnddaattiioonn,, UUSSAA..


22

Share& Care

Vasant Outsourcing CenterThe Vasant Outsourcing Centre is a service centre,

which provides solutions for all types of hardware, soft-ware and other IT services. They include Data Entry andPrinting, Document and Photo Scanning, Digital PhotoEditing, and VCD to DVD Conversion.

The PNR Society has developed Hardware Self-HelpGroup and Software Self-Help Group under this segmentin order to fulfill the in-house as also local requirementsof Hardware & Software Industry. The members of thisSelf-Help Group work and grow independently.

MilestonesWith a view to imparting Computer Education to the

disabled persons, PNR Society has been supporting thedisabled students to make them self-reliant and, as a

joint effort along with Bhavnagar University, the Gov-ernment of India's Ministry of Science & Technology,and the National Science & Technology Entrepreneur-ship Development Board, New Delhi, and hadapproved the proposal made by Bhavnagar Universityto conduct a Skill Development Training Program forthe Bhavnagar University under grants-in-aid pro-gram. This was an exclusive training program for 60disabled students for 8 weeks and it was conductedjointly by Bhavnagar University and PNR Society atAT&T Technology Park & Institute. For the academicyear 2007-2008, the Entrepreneurship DevelopmentCell of Bhavnagar University and PNR Society havejointly sent a proposal to National Science and Tech-nology Entrepreneurship Development Board and theDepartment of Science and Technology, New Delhi toteach a number of new courses to disabled students.


23

Share& Care

ELA RAMESH BHATT was born on September 7, 1933 in Ahmedabad, capital of Gujarat. Ela Bhattand her family members' lives were greatly influenced by the satyagraha movement of Mahat-

ma Gandhi. As a student of Bachelor of Arts in English, she worked on the 1951 census when she decid-ed to devote her life to working for the poor.

After receiving her Law degree and joining the Legal department of the Tex-tile Labor Association (TLA), Ela Bhatt organized the self-employed womeninto a union under the auspices of the Women's Wing of the TLA. In 1972,the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) was established inAhmedabad. By 1976, only four years after its inception, the Associationhad 9,000 members and today there are 10,667 members with national-ized banks giving loans to SEWA borrowers.

Ela Bhatt traveled far and wide and participated in many internationalmeetings and conferences like the Women's Leadership Seminar in Japan. In1977, she became a consultant to UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund)for the Bangladesh Women's Department. One of the founders of Women's WorldBanking and its Chair from 1980 to 1998, Ela Bhatt is a trustee of the Rockefeller Foundation and wasawarded the civilian honour of Padma Shri by the Indian Government in 1985 and the title of PadmaBhushan in 1986. She was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1977 andthe Right Livelihood Award in 1984. Currently, she is the Chairperson of SEWA Cooperative Bank.

Synonym for Community LeadershipELA BHATT

PORTRAIT

IN every religion there are theories about the origin ofuniverse and life. The searching human mind has ledto the development of science, arts and philosophy.

Religious books became "sacred immortal writings"; thuswere born science, arts, and philosophy from religion.

The second aspect of the religion's origin lies in theestablishment of peace and justice in society. Many ofthe religious leaders were great social reformers as wellas philosophers. They tried to bring peace and justicethrough social reforms. Buddha ushered in equalityamong different castes in India. Mahavira went a stepfurther to treat all living beings as equals through his phi-losophy of non-violence. Prophet Mohammad revolu-tionized the rights of females and emphasized brother-hood. Jesus started to treat everybody with equal respectirrespective of religion.

Humane ApproachIn modern times, many humans have started thinking

beyond "non-flexible" religions and advocating "humane"approach to overcome violence and economic inequali-ties. There are four main obstacles in the present dayforms of religions. One, religion is treated as the finalguide without any scope for change; Second, it isacquired from birth. Third hurdle is its exclusiveness, i.e.if you belong to one religion, you cannot simultaneouslybelong to another. The fourth obstacle is outdated ritualsand customs associated with religion.

All religions have excellent and eternal philosophicalideas and they are expressed very nicely. For example, inHinduism, the philosophies of universalism and non-vio-

lence; in Christianity, loving the neighbor; in Islam, sim-plicity and brotherhood.

Again because of the non-flexibility of religion, thefunctioning of State is separated from religion. Thishas led to the evergence of democracy to establishpeace and justice. In the modern era, religion hasbeen reduced largely to a "private" faith, and we areuncomfortable to discuss it in public. Democracy isthe least defective system that peoples have inventedto run a State; however, some societies are frustratedbecause of the ills of "plutocracy and corruption" thatcrept into the system with passage of time.

NGO SetupDuring the last 30 years, many NGOs have been

founded to make up for the deficiencies in the exist-ing democracies and religions. Recently their numberhas multiplied exponentially. In the USA there areabout 2 million NGOs, and in India there are about 1to 2 million NGOs. The roles of these NGO vary fromhelping the poor to delivering healthcare, empoweingwomen, protecting environment, improving educa-tion, preventing child labor and protecting animalsand so on.

Broadly speaking, these activities help establish peaceand equality through voluntary work. NGOs work onthe basis of their current knowledge and experiences,which are acquired without restrictions of race, caste,gender or nation. This is why more and more people arejoining NGOs with the ultimate goal of making thisworld more and more peaceful and livable.

NNGGOOss aass aa FFuuttuurriissttiicc RReelliiggiioonn KISHOR MISTRY

NNGGOOss aarree pprroolliiffeerraattiinngg bbyy tthhee ddaayy bbeeccaauussee tthheeyy aarree bbeeiinngg aacccceepptteedd ffoorr bbeeiinngg aabboovvee rreelliiggiioouuss aannddppoolliittiiccaall ddooggmmaass aanndd ccaann wwoorrkk sseellfflleessssllyy ffoorr aa lliivvaabbllee,, ppeeaacceeffuull ssoocciieettyy..


24

“Th difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve

most of the world’s problems”.

— Mahatma Gandhi

Share& Care


26

Share& Care

FOR a quarter of a century, Share andCare Foundation (SCF) for India, anon-profit voluntary organization, has

provided over $ 7 million of support in cashand kind and implemented programs torehabilitate and revitalize over 5 million vic-tims of disasters. Share and Care's post-dis-aster experience covers cyclones, droughts,floods, the Latur and Gujarat earthquakes,the 2004 Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, andman-made tragedies such as the BhopalGas Leak and the 9/11 incident.

Following these occurrences, Share andCare's Post-DisasterManagement Teammarshalled itsresources to assessand map out the situ-ation by conductingfield visits and work-ing closely with localNon-GovernmentalO r g a n i z a t i o n s(NGOs) to provideimmediate relief torebuild. Over the long term, Share and Caredeveloped and implemented processes andprograms for rehabilitation, self sufficiency,and long term sustainability to foster socialchange in affected regions. Programsimplemented include immediate relief likeproviding food, clothing, medicines, tem-porary shelters, medical treatment andmobile clinics to those in need and longerterm initiatives, such as rebuilding homes,

schools, villages, health care centers andcommunity halls, as well as building voca-tional training centers and offering micro-loans to promote self-sufficiency.

Humanitarian ServicesShare and Care's Post-Disaster Manage-

ment model is intertwined with key ele-ments of its mission to provide humanitari-an services to enhance the quality of life ofthe challenged by supporting programs inthe fields of healthcare, education, andwelfare. These are focal areas for bothimmediate and long term needs of all disas-

ter-affected commu-nities.

While immediateshort term problemsare addressed in disas-ters, they also provid-ed Share and Carewith the opportunityto enhance andimprove the overallquality of life of

affected communities, who live in sub-parconditions pre-disaster. For instance, Shareand Care has adopted and rebuilt villages;provided mobile clinics; built primary healthcare centers, schools, homes, and commu-nity halls; implemented micro-loan pro-grams to empower women; and built voca-tional training centers, school complexes,libraries and computer literacy centers. Thesynergistic effect of these programs has

PPoosstt--DDiissaasstteerr MMaannaaggeemmeenntt Share and Care Ever Ready

DILIP PARIKH

IInn ddeevveellooppiinngg ccoouunnttrriieess,, eessttaabblliisshheedd ccoommmmuunniittiieess aarree mmoorree vvuullnneerraabbllee dduurriinngg ddiissaasstteerrss dduuee ttoo llaacckk ooff ppllaannnniinngg aanndd eemmeerrggeennccyy pprreeppaarreeddnneessss lleeaaddiinngg ttoo ccoolloossssaall hhuummaann,, iinnffrraassttrruuccttuurraall,, aanndd ffiinnaanncciiaall

lloosssseess.. SSCCFF hhaass bbeeeenn ppllaayyiinngg aann eeffffeeccttiivvee rroollee ooff rreeaaccttiinngg qquuiicckkllyy bbyy ttaakkiinngg uupp eemmeerrggeennccyy rreelliieeff aanndd rreehhaabbiilliittaattiioonn pprrooggrraammss ffoorr lloonngg tteerrmm ssuussttaaiinnaabbiilliittyy..

DILIP PARIKH

Volunteering at Share and Care for the past

20 plus years, Dilip Parikh has

managed its Humanitarian

Programs, DonorAdvisory Projects and

served as Joint Secretaryof the Executive

Committee. He oversawthe Gujarat Earthquake

Relief and Rehabilitationeffort and is currentlyserving as Secretary,

Board of Trustees.


27

brought a positive social changethat will uniquely benefit futuregenerations in affected commu-nities.

Strong Volunteer BaseShare and Care's Post-Disaster

Management Team comprises astrong volunteer base of 40 peo-ple backed by a nationwidedonor base of 10,000, a network of US-based partners andsuppliers, and over 400 NGO partners in India. Share andCare carefully assesses each situation and extends assis-tance to those affected. For example, medical supplies anda medical van were provided for victims of the Bhopal GasLeak. Financial support was extended to immigrant fami-lies of 9/11 victims who were not eligible for immediategovernmental assistance. Other accomplishments over aspan of last twentyfive years include Gujarat Earthquake2001 (Share and Care provided more than $5 million in

assistance); Tsunami 2004 inSouth-eastern Indian states &Andaman Island (SCF contributed$ 3,70,000 and over $10,00,000in kind); Latur (Maharashtra)Earthquake 1993 (SCF contribut-ed $ 1,55,000); Gujarat Floods2007 (SCF invested $ 47,000);Hurricane Katrina 2006 (SCFdonated $ 25,000); and Cyclone

Relief 1998 in Kutch, Western India (SCF repaired andrebuilt buildings and schools and 50 homes).

With its Post-Disaster Management model in place, com-plemented by continuing support from its dedicated donorbase and network of NGO partners, Share and Care hasthus gained wide ranging experience and expertise fromimplementation of several post-disaster relief and rehabili-tation programs. SCF is now in a strong position to respondand better serve future Post-Disaster communities.

Share& Care

BORN on September 18, 1950 at New Delhi, Sha-bana Azmi is a renowned film actress and social activist,

and a leading advocate of AIDS awareness in India. She is married tothe popular lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Among the neglected social groups whose causes she has advocatedare slum dwellers and the displaced Kashmiri migrants and victims ofthe earthquake at Latur in Maharashtra. The 1993 Mumbai riotsappalled her and she emerged as a forceful critic of religious extremism.She is the recipient of many awards like the Padma Shri in 1988, RajivGandhi Award in 1994 for Excellence in Secularism and the GandhiFoundation International Peace Award in 1998 for her work with the

slum dwellers. A member of the National Integration Council, head-ed by the Prime Minister of India, and the National AIDS Commis-

sion of India, Shabana was nominated in 1997 as a member of theRajya Sabha. In 2002, Michigan University conferred on her the

Martin Luther King Professorship award in recognition of hercontribution to arts, culture and society.

PORTRAIT Shabana AzmiStar Campaigner against AIDS


28

STARTING with humble beginnings in1982, until today the flagship projectis providing nutritional foods, milk

powder, clothes, medicines and medicalinstruments (CT scan, dialysis machine,etc) to those ailing and afflicted in ruralIndia where resources are scarce and facil-ities are remote. The activities of SCF havegrown by leaps and bounds ever since.Along with various other projects, thegrants for prevention of TB, Leprosy,Blindness, Cataract, and Polio are alsobeing provided on an ongoing basis.

With changing times and needs, SCF'sfocus shifted to the wider scope of pre-ventive health care with special emphasison maternal, prenatal, and health care of

children and improving hygiene, sanita-tion and providing potable drinking water.According to the latest national familyhealth survey, half of the children underthe age of 3 are malnourished and haveno access to basic health care includingvaccinations. The health report also unrav-els that poverty, lack of public health facil-ities and sanitation are the root causes of

poor health in rural India. Having over 5lakh villages where more than 70% ofIndia's population resides, one can imag-ine, on a practical level, the medical infras-tructure is inadequate to meet their healthneeds. Therefore, there is an urgent needand a major role to play in this area.Hence, SCF started supporting and spon-soring NGOs with dedication and provenmanagement. The noteworthy and shin-ing examples amongst them are SEWARural, Anjali and Life.

SEWA Rural, Jhagadia, GujaratShare and Care granted $1,25,000 to

SEWA (Society for Education Welfare andAction) Rural to build a training centerthat provides facilities for education in

basic and preventive healthcare tovolunteers, midwives, lab techni-cians and physicians. The primaryfocus is on maternal and childhealth, family planning, immuniza-tion and acute care facility (hospi-tal). From year 2000 to 2006 thematernal mortality was reduced by35% and neonate mortality by21%. SEWA Rural was awardedthe prestigious McArthur Founda-tion cash award of $3,50,000 in

2007 for the its achievements.

Anjali, Ranasan, Gujarat Anjali (the Society for Rural Health and

Development) started a primary healthclinic in Sabarkantha district in 1989 withthe grants from SCF and has grown toprovide health services to about 80,000 to1,00,000 people in surrounding 30 to 40

Share& Care

IInnvveessttmmeenntt iinn RRuurraall HHeeaalltthh CCaarreeDR. SHIRISH C. PATRAWALLA

SSiinnccee ttwwoo--aanndd--aa--hhaallff--ddeeccaaddeess,, SSCCFF hhaass bbeeeenn eexxppaannddiinngg iittss aacccceessss ttoo ddiisseeaasseess pprreevveennttiioonn eedduuccaattiioonn,, pprriimmaarryyhheeaalltthh ccaarree aanndd ssoocciiaall wweellffaarree iinn oorrddeerr ttoo eennhhaannccee tthhee qquuaalliittyy ooff lliivveess ooff tthhee mmoosstt iimmppoovveerriisshheedd aanndd

mmaarrggiinnaalliizzeedd ggrroouuppss iinn rruurraall IInnddiiaa aanndd iiss ddeetteerrmmiinneedd ttoo ttaakkee ggaallvvaanniizzeedd aaccttiioonn ttoo eemmppoowweerr tthheessee ffooccuusseedd ggrroouuppss ttoo ggaaiinn ccoonnttrrooll oovveerr tthheeiirr lliivveess aanndd aaccqquuiirree sseellff--eesstteeeemm..

SHIRISH C. PATRAWALLA

Shirish Patrawalla is apractising Cardiologist,

Maplewood, New Jersey.A founding member andPast President of Share

and Care Foundation, he is serving it for

the last 25 years. PastPresident of AAPI of

Essex and Past RegionalDirector of Mid Atlantic

AAPI, Trustee atSiddhachalam and Jain

Center, New Jersey, he isthe Alumni of Seth

G.S.Medical college,Mumbai (India).


29

villages. Most of beneficiaries are marginal landowners,landless laborers, and economically underdeveloped com-munities.

In addition, SCF is funding approx. $1,50,000 everyyear in direct support to many primary health centers andvarious health-related projects since ten years. About$5,00,000 is donated in kind to various NGOs, every year,in the form of milk powder, medications, medical equip-ment and supplies.

Community-to-Community Outreach In January, 2007 Share and Care Foundation, with the

help of a team of nine USA based physicians in collabora-tion with a local medical team, initiated a "Shibir" to cre-ate and document students' medical records for future ref-erence as well as designing and implementing correctiveactions and measures to prevent the conditions from fur-ther deterioration. The team of physicians made a com-plete examination of 850 students of schools at Bhimora,Gujarat. This Shibir's results were quite eye-opening and

alarming. Majority of students were malnourished,anaemic, and with poor dental and eye care hygiene andwere also infested with lice. They suffered from skin infec-tions and eczema also.

Future VisionOur future vision is to upgrade the standards of Man

(motivation and training), Material, Methods (best prac-tices) and Machines (modern, yet cost effective) of healthcare systems in rural India. To make it happen is to form acoalition of like-minded NGOs in USA and prepare ablueprint of integrated health initiatives for primary andpreventive health care in rural areas with the blessingsand support of the Government agencies and local com-munities. These initiatives can be replicated and scalableas a model all over India. These initiatives will need gen-erous support from all USA based Indian communities,corporations and grants from private and public Founda-tions. It will also need services of experts in various fieldsincluding medical, pharmaceuticals, environmental, nutri-tionists, psychologists, educationists etc.

Share& Care

BORN on November 5,1952 at Dehra Dun,

Uttarakhand, VandanaShiva is a physicist,ecofeminist, environmen-tal activist and an authorof over 300 papers inleading scientific andtechnical journals.

Shortly after completingher Ph.D. in Philosophy ofScience in 1978, VandanaShiva set up her Research Foun-dation for Science, Technology andNatural Resource Policy at Dehra Dun. Van-dana Shiva participated in the non-violentChipko movement during the 1970s and built

a new movement called Navd-hanya for the conservation of

indigenous seeds. She assistedgrassroots organizations of theGreen Movement in Africa,Asia, Latin America, Ireland,Switzerland and Austria withcampaigns against geneticengineering.

In 1993, she received theRight Livelihood Award ("Alter-

native Nobel Prize"), the Global500 Award of the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP), andthe Earth Day International Award of the Unit-ed Nations. She is one of the leaders of theInternational Forum on Globalization.

Vandana Shiva

PORTRAITAn Ecologist par Excellence


32

THE First project SCF ever undertookwas a shipment of used clothes toIndia in the year 1983. From a mod-

est amount of $8,000 worth of usedclothes shipped in 1983, the value ofused clothes and other humanitarian sup-plies reached slightly over $1.0 million in2006. Over the last 24 years, SCF hasshipped such commodities worth morethan $16 million. SCF sends the clothesto several charitable organizations(NGOs) in India who sort these clothes,make necessary alterations to suit thelocal needs and then distribute them tothe needy people.

Used ClothesJust to illustrate how a discarded itemsuch as used clothes can have a pro-found and positive impact on the livesof many in India in late 1990s, SCF sentfive 40' containers of clothes and milkpowder to Rajkot Blood Bank andResearch Center. These shipments result-ed in the distribution of 1,008 bales ofclothing. On average, each bale weighs60 kgs (132 lbs) and contains 80 pairsof men's or women's clothing or 125pairs of children' clothing. Over1,00,000 people, including 48,000 chil-dren received clothing from these ship-ments, valued at Rs. 4 million (about$90,000). In short, we were able to out-fit so many people at a meager cost of90 cents per person!

From the same shipment, 1,641 bags ofskimmed milk powder weighing 25 kgs.(55 lbs) each were distributed to 100 par-

ticipating organizations. 41,025 kgs, ofmilk powder was converted into 410,250liters of milk. This ultimately yielded 2.1million liters of buttermilk. From this, over22,000 families received one liter of but-termilk every day for three months. Theaverage cost worked out to $3.50 forthree months or 4 cents per day per fam-ily!

Sporadically, SCF has sent nutritionalfood items such as rice, beans, wheatflour, sugar and vegetable oil. In thisendeavor, SCF has been very fortunate tohave The Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-ter-Day Saints (LDS), Salt Lake City, Utahas their partners. These two organiza-tions, together with some 273 localNGOs affiliated with Rajkot Blood Bankhave been able to phenomenally impactthe lives of hundreds of thousands ofpeople in Saurashtra and Kutch by mak-ing crucial contributions to their nutri-tional needs and well-being.

Medical Equipment/SuppliesSCF started sending these items in the

year 1985 with a modest shipment ofmedical equipment valued at $5,000.However, with the generosity of variousindividual and institutional donors, thisfigure reached its peak of $4.7 million inthe year 2001. As at the end of calendaryear 2006, the total value of medicalequipment and medical supplies shippedto India stood at a staggering figure of$15.5 million. By American standards,this may not be a very impressive figure;however, to the needy in India it is enor-

VVaalluuee ooff IInn--KKiinndd GGrraannttss BIPIN GANDHI

Share& Care

SSiinnccee 11998833,, SSCCFF hhaass bbeeeenn iinnvvoollvveedd iinn sseennddiinngg iinn--kkiinndd oorr nnoonn--mmoonneettaarryy ggrraannttss ttoo tthhee nneeeeddyy iinn IInnddiiaa.. TThhee sshhiippmmeennttss uussuuaallllyy aarree mmaaddee uupp ooff UUsseedd ccllootthheess,, HHuummaanniittaarriiaann SSuupppplliieess lliikkee FFoooodd,, MMiillkk PPoowwddeerr

aanndd BBllaannkkeettss,, MMeeddiiccaall EEqquuiippmmeenntt//SSuupppplliieess,, aanndd CCoommppuutteerrss aanndd ootthheerr mmiisscceellllaanneeoouuss iitteemmss..

BIPIN GANDHI

Bipin Gandhi isassociated with SCF

since 1987 and has beenan active member

of the general body invarious capacities. Having spent most

of his career ininternational shipping,

Mr. Gandhi has beenquite instrumental in

bringing down theshipping cost for the

in-kind donations sent toIndia over the years.


33

mous. To put this in proper perspective, in 2004, withapproximately 10 such shipments, SCF was able to helpmore than 20 hospitals and health care clinics in variousregions of India and the beneficiaries were thousands ofneedy patients.

These shipments have included valuable equipmentssuch as dialysis machines, retinal cameras, endoscopes,dental chairs, ultra-sound machines, mammographymachines, defibrillators and physical therapy equip-ment. Most of these units are used and either old or dis-continued models that would be discarded in the U.S.However, in India (especially in the remote regions),they are considered "god sent" and the hospitals and theclinics have been able to get good use of them for manyyears. In addition to the medical equipment, the ship-ments have often included items such as surgical tools,sutures and related items, orthopaedic supplies and sur-gical supplies.

Computers Although there has been only one shipment of 500

computers in 2003, it is worth mentioning it here, asmany people, due to its multiple uses, especially byyoung students, derive the benefits. Another notablein-kind shipment is of three 40' containers of paintthat was used to paint several schools and hospitals.

Overall, since 1983, SCF has sent approximately $32 million worth of non-monetary assistance to the needy in India. What is especially rewardingand gratifying about the in-kind grants is that we havebeen able to take unusable or discarded resources ofone country and make them a usable resource for the betterment of the people in another country. Moreover, such shipments allow us to stretch the dollar to the maximum, and shipmentsworth about $32 million are many "stretchable dollars" !

Share& Care

SUNITA Narain is a recipient of the PadmaShri award of the Government of India forher commitment to environmental protec-

tion. A part of the Centre for Science and Envi-ronment in India since 1982, She has campaignedactively for reviving India's tradition of water har-vesting, and for a Southern Agenda on globalwarming and environmental issues.

Publisher of the fortningly magazine, Down toEarth, Sunita Narain remains an active participantin civil society, both nationally and international-ly. She serves on the boards of various organiza-tions and on governmental committees, has lec-tured at many forums globally on issues of herconcern and expertise and is author of manybooks.

PORTRAIT Sunita NarainA Down to Earth Environmentalist


34

Share& Care

IT was mid and late seventies whenthere was a talk of brain drain in India.Migrating to USA was common. It

was then that I was torn between myneeds and our country's needs as alsothose of the area where I was born andbrought up. In this situation, and influ-enced by various people and thoughts,what I wanted to do was to “use thecapabilities gained / acquired for thelocal community rather than my ownself”.

Many communities in Gujarat orrather a section of Gujarat were so welloff that they hardly had a real feel orawareness about the masses who werein a very bad state and needed supportfrom various sources. The Sabarkanthadistrict, like many other areas, was also ascene of large scale migration. There wasa feeling at that age: "why I can not goin the reverse direction -- migrate torural areas". So I decided to stay back inSabarkantha district and work in medicalfield.

Formation of AnjaliSeven years were spent on training,

work experience and capacity building atvarious places. That was the time I mar-ried Anita, who had the maturity tounderstand and appreciate my desires /thinking / ideas and also become a teammember. The work was started inRanasan village in 1987. The organiza-tion which we formed was named'Anjali'. For us it meant "offering our

skills, capabilities, strengths for the localcommunity and the area". The work,setup and systems we adopted werepro-poor but by keeping a low profile.Employing local manpower, making aconcentrated effort, non-exploitation ofworkers and transparency in our workwere our work ethics. Whenever growth/ expansion was thought of, it was basedon the people's needs, institutional capa-bilities, past experiences and capacitiesof the team.

Care was taken not to dilute the ongo-ing work but constraints were many --dormant community, lack of political will,apathetic government structure butskilled manpower with exposure andunderstanding of the purpose. Financial-ly there was no government support andlocal people were not capable of contri-bution. Lack of good educational facili-ties could not help attract qualified man-power.

Generous SupportA Gramin Arogya Kendra was started

in a two-room rented house with 3workers and two founders in 1989 inRanasan vlliage with population of 2500.A group of 8-10 gentlemen of Barodacontributed Rs. 80,000/- when weaddressed them about our desire towork in Sabarkantha. Learning about thesame, even a local resident purchased 3½ acres of land and donated to Anjali in1990. Share and Care Foundation learntabout the founder's commitment to

AAnnjjaalliiThe Health Care NGO

DR. LALIT SHAH

DR. LALIT SHAH

A Medical Doctor, Lalit Shahbelongs to an interior village

in Sabarkantha district of North Gujarat. After

completing his studies inmedicine in 1979, instead

of migrating to USA, he opted for working for thepoor people in Sabarkantha

district. He did extensiveclinical work and was

awarded Ashok Gandhi award in

1996 for Humanitarian Medical Services.

He is Managing Trustee of Anjali.

His wife, Anita Shah, is a graduate of

Bombay university and has been

his key partner in his social

service activities.

OOnnee mmaann''ss iiddeeaa ooff ""ggiivviinngg bbaacckk"",, ddeessppiittee tthhee oonnrruusshh ttoo ggoo aabbrrooaadd sseeeekkiinngg ffoorrttuunneess,, cchhaannggeedd tthhee vviillllaaggee nnoott oonnllyy iinn tteerrmmss ooff hheeaalltthh ffaacciilliittiieess bbuutt aallssoo iinn ootthheerr ffiieellddss.. TThhee aauutthhoorr bbrriinnggss oouutt

ssoommee ssaalliieenntt ppooiinnttss iinn tteerrmmss ooff wwhhaatt iiss nneeeeddeedd ffoorr tthhee ssuucccceessss ooff aann NNGGOO..


35

Share& Care

work for poor and offered to assist. The Foundation con-tributed the cost of construction and partial furnishing ofAnjali Hospital and construction of staff quarters. Thehospital building was inaugurated by mid 1993 and staffquarters by 1996. The infrastructure was there but med-ical manpower was not available. Both of us ran theshow for more than 4 years which was sufficient enoughto gain the community's goodwill and credibility toensure a reliable health facility. Young industrialists andprofessionals came close to us in the process and weretransformed from supporters to trustees.

Two fund-raising programs in 1994 and 1997 inMumbai and Baroda brought in some financialresources. The work kept on increasing. The local com-munity developed good rapport with Anjali. Today poorand needy people of more than 100 villages takeadvantage of the health facility and even patientsfrom surrounding districts of Rajasthan and the trib-al belt of Meghraj and Malpur also come for health

services. About 25 local persons have been trainedand employed.

Meanwhile, the problem of cash liquidity in the poorcommunities motivated us to start Women's SavingGroups, which was well accepted by the community andis going on in 32 surrounding villages. Simultaneously,we were also seized of the arid conditions of land in thearea and developed water bodies.

The Governments of India and Gujarat have recentlyselected Anjali to be the service Non-Government Orga-nization (Service NGO) of Sabarkantha district. Anjaliwill be working in 36 interior and far-flung villages in thefield of maternal and child health in collaboration withthe Government of Gujarat. Anjali has formulated a lotof programs for future, including engaging youth insports and creative activities; consolidating women'sprogram; creating more water bodies; and starting a dayschool for children of 40-50 interior villages.

BORN into a distinguished family in Andhra Pradesh in 1957, Palagum-mi Sainath is the grandson of former President (late) V V Giri. His pre-

occupation with social problems and commitment to a political perspectivebegan when he was a college student. Beginning his career as a journalist at theUnited News of India and as a free-lance journalist and rural affairs editor ofThe Hindu later, Sainath painstakingly investigated on the lives of the people liv-ing in the drought-stricken States of India. He proved that the acute misery ofIndia's poorest districts was not caused by drought but was rooted in India's enduring structural inequalitiesin poverty, illiteracy, and caste discrimination, exacerbated by recent economic reforms favoring foreigninvestment and privatization. Sainath's authoritative evidence led Indian authorities to address certain criticalissues and to enhance relief efforts in states such as Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.

Sainath was instrumental in the establishment of the Agriculture Commission in Andhra Pradesh to sug-gest ways for improving agriculture in that state. Sainath is the only Indian to receive the 2007 RamonMagsaysay Award, equivalent to the Nobel Prize in the category of journalism, literature and communica-tion and was conferred with the prestigious Raja-Lakshmi Award in the year 1993, the European Commis-sion's Natali Prize in 1994, the A.H. Boerma Award in 2001, and the Prem Bhatia Award for excellence inpolitical reporting and analysis for 2003-04.

SainathThe Journalist-Investigator

PORTRAIT

DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTTCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

36

IT has been called the most neglected health problem inthe world, and little progress has been made in reducingit. More than half a million women die each year as a

result of pregnancy and childbirth. In India, one of theworld's riskiest countries in which to be pregnant, the gov-ernment has launched a significant effort to reduce thematernal mortality rate. In the state of Gujarat, the Indiangovernment is relying on one of its oldest and most respect-ed non-governmental organizations to help.

The Society for Education, Welfare and Action-Rural(SEWA Rural) has improved the health of Gujarat's primari-ly tribal population for nearly three decades. In 1980, sur-geon Anil Desai and his wife, pediatrician Lata Desai,returned from their medical training in the United States tocreate the organization, which has become an anchor forhealth and well-being in rural India. More than 140 full-timeemployees, including 15 medical doctors, now work there.

The organization's current work on maternal mortalityfocuses on the development and replication of a communi-ty-based approach. It provides health education and train-ing to families, communities and front-line health workers,birth attendants, paramedics, doctors and students ofmedicine, social work, rural studies and health managementon maternal health issues. It works to ensure more institu-tional deliveries and professional involvement in home

deliveries. It conducts research to provide more reliableestimates of maternal mortality and morbidity. And it advo-cates for maternal health programs with different ministriesin government, policy makers and service providers.

The results have been impressive. Between 2003 and2006, a set of interventions focused on residents from 168villages reduced maternal mortality by 35% and neonatalmorality by 21%. Federal and state governments in Indiawould like to take that progress to a national scale, as partof an effort to reduce India's maternal mortality ratio from540 deaths per 1,00,000 live births to 100 deaths by 2010.(By way of comparison, the maternal mortality ratio in theUnited States is 8 deaths per 1,00,000 births.)

The state government of Gujarat is enlisting SEWA Ruralto support the national effort to train new communityhealth workers who will provide preventive primary healthcare, counseling, and referrals in village communities. Inresponse, SEWA Rural will establish a new training andresource center focused on maternal mortality reduction.The center will scale up the group's work in Gujarat, train-ing more than 2,500 frontline health workers.

SEWA Rural will use its $3,50,000 MacArthur Awardto establish a reproductive health training and resource cen-ter.

MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions 2007

SSoocciieettyy ffoorr EEdduuccaattiioonn,, WWeellffaarree aanndd AAccttiioonn ---- RRuurraall

Saving the Lives of Mothers and their Babies in India

SEWA Rural has been promoted by the Share & Care Foundation

MACARTHURThe John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

C: HOW does Share and Care go about selecting NGOs ?SCF: When Share and care receives appeal from NGOs, theproject review committee reviews their requests and based onthe merits of the project and availability of funds etc., sanc-tions the funding for the project. For major projects Share andCare volunteers visit the locations in which NGOs are work-ing.

Through research and analysis, we identify NGOs whereresources will make the most difference on target issues. Theinspiration and focus in NGO selection is the dedication andteamwork of the social workers who are running the NGOs.They have vision, ideas, and a strong desire to help the peo-ple in need.

Many NGOs lack experience in measuring the cost effective-ness of individual programs to demonstrate the opportunitycost to the donor base. Share and Care, on the other hand,looks out for outstanding and dedicated social workers whocan give their donors an opportunity to fund projects whichwill be executed efficiently and effectively. Share and Carethen helps the NGOs to manage the projects effectively, setup performance goals and annual targets, document andshare best practices within and outside the organization andintroduce the element of sustainability and replication. Overlast eight years, Share and Care has planned, and managedannual Networking meetings in India by inviting strategicpartners over a weekend to share their programs and practicesand learn from others. To obtain grants from Share and Care,an NGO has to submit Financial Assistance Request form andall other necessary documents. Our Project Review Commit-tee reviews all requests and, based on the merits of the pro-ject and availability of funds etc., sanctions funding for theproject.

C: How does Share and Care keep their expense ratio so low ?SCF: Share and Care's expense ratio stays low due to the spir-it of volunteerism. For the first 15 years, all functions of Shareand Care were carried out by volunteers from their home.

Only necessary expenses were incurred by the Foundation. Asmall office premises was rented in 1992 and we employed apart time help to carry out the increasing clerical and routinework. Today, we have one-and-a-half employees and stillcarry out most of the work through volunteers.

Share and Care core volunteers have been making signifi-cant financial contributions regularly. Also, all travel and otherexpenses for work done in India and USA for the Foundationactivities is paid for by the volunteers. The communityinvolvement has also helped to keep the expense ratio low.Members of the community willingly participated in our "usedclothes" drive and also brought their children along with them.The satisfaction derived from the act of giving back inspiredmany people to volunteer for this foundation.

Initially, they donated their time. As they settled down, theybegan to increase their financial support. At the end of 90s,Share and Care got a big boost by receiving a grant for $5,00,000 from Lucent Technologies Foundation. During thesame period, we also received grants from AT&T, Agilent andWestern Union.

These donors are attracted to Share and Care because wehave developed a reputation of being a transparent non-prof-it organization with a team of dedicated volunteers. At thetime of the major earthquake in Gujarat in 2001, Share andCare received over $ 8,00,000 from nearly 2,000 individualsand 50 organizations in USA, without publicity in the localnewspapers.

C: How does Share and Care raise donations from donors ?SCF: In 1984, when we had our first fundraiser, all activemembers contacted friends and families and sold tickets orsolicited advertisements and donations. Since then, we havedonors who have been donating generously every year. Theylook forward to doing so, because:

1. They have confidence in the ability of active members todistribute the funds to the deserving NGOs.

Transparency and Accountability

SShhaarree && CCaarree''ss HHaallllmmaarrkkCatalyst interviewed some of the active members of SCF to explore their strategies to

promote transparency and accountability in the NGOs they support and also theformula for their success in raising funds from NRI community in USA. — Editor

Share& Care


37

2. They see that the active members themselves support thecause of the Foundation financially as well as volunteeringtheir time.

3. They see that the actual operating expenses are at anabsolute minimum, ensuring that the significant amount oftheir contribution is going to the cause.

4.. Donations are not seen as charity handouts, but invest-ments with appropriate diligence, risk-reward analysis, andoutcomes evaluation.

5. Share and Care has not lost any of their active members sinceinception and continues to function as one cohesive unit.

C: How does Share and Care conduct due diligence andmonitoring?SCF: After the initial setup of each NGO, follow-up is equallyimportant. All funding requests are reviewed by the projectcommittee to ensure that requests fall within the mission ofthe Foundation, and will produce permanent positive change.Wherever feasible, active members meet with the representa-tives of the NGOs, and visit their offices and areas of opera-tion and meet the beneficiaries. We require NGOs to submitregular progress reports and success stories.

C: What is the future thrust of the Foundation ?SCF: Share and Care continues to change in order to con-stantly meet demonstrated needs. As the economic progressof India continues, need for used clothes has been reducedsignificantly. Shipments of other donations, such as milkpowder and medical equipment, have been on hold as weare in the process of reviewing government rules and regu-lations.

Based on the need to provide equal opportunity to theyouth in villages, going forward, our emphasis will be onYouth Development and Women Empowerment. Withrespect to Youth Development, we intend to concentrate inthe areas of providing "Excellence in Education" while keep-ing in mind holistic development of mind, body and soul. Inthe areas of Women Empowerment, our focus will be onmicro-finance, micro-entrepreneurship, skill building, andvocational training.

"Grant Making Foundations are philanthropicsnowflakes, as no two are alike; so it is more of an art than a science!"

Share& Care

1983-2006 Revenue & Support: $ 52.6 Million

STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS

Fund Raising 10% Cash Donations 26%Non-Cash Donations 63% Interest Income 1%

Grants Awarded & Non-Cash Donations 96%Fund Raising Expenses 3% General and Administrative Expenses 1%

1983-2006 Grants & Expenses: $ 51.2 Million


38

AR ENA Animation - Kukatpally offers Special Discount for Members of Global Angels Jai Charitable Trust to promote Animation among Rural Youth

* Conditions Apply

ANURADHA FOUNDATION (AF) has been foundedin October, 2003 at Los Altos, California, USA bythree Indians hailing from diverse backgrounds,

Chandrik Niksch, Anu Sethuram and Nikhil Srivastava.What brought them together was their profound interestin and a strong commitment to doing community service.Equally importantly, they carry an unflinching sense ofpassion, dedication and determination to pursue theirtwin goals.

Chandrika Niksch is an executive coach based inBavaria, Germany. She has been active in educationalwork related to adolescent mental health, especiallyAttention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and bipo-lar disorder, in both male and female youngsters, for sev-eral years now. Anu Sethuram, a philanthropist, is the co-chair of the Community Partners Program at the IndiaCommunity Center in California. She has supported sev-eral private educational ventures in India. Currently, sheis actively involved in promoting inter-cultural awarenessin the local community. Nikhil Srivastava, an alumnus ofBITS Pilani and Stanford, recently graduated with an MBAfrom Harvard Business School and is an investmentbanker at Goldman Sachs in San Francisco.

The founding of the organization was keenly accompa-nied by Dr. Vivek Kusumakar, Professor of Psychiatry, Dal-housie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, and GlobalDirector of central nervous system and pain research atJohnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research andDevelopment, USA. Dr. Kusumakar is a specialist in moodand psychotic disorders across the age spectrum, and aglobally known clinician and researcher in the areas ofmood disorders, psychopharmacology and so on.

AF operates in India through its project leaders whointeract directly with a coordinator in California. TheFoundation has two chapters, one devoted to Educationand the other to Mental Health. The Education Chapterhas focused on values and character building, and sup-ported gifted youth, especially girls, through its mentor-ship program and scholarships, granting them opportuni-ties and facilitating their progress in becoming highachievers. In the Mental Health Chapter at AF, ensuringand facilitating family support and stressing the need forfamily and community mental health are the most impor-tant goals.

AF's Education Chapter completed a two year programin 2006 with the Prasanna Jyothi Educational Trust inBangalore. This is an orphanage for girls where AF grant-ed scholarships and financed the education of five girls.AF is currently reviewing proposals for scholarships and isworking with other non-profit organisations and individ-uals to expand the Education Chapter.

The Mental Health Chapter is working towards the de-stigmatization of psychiatric disorders, the creation ofawareness, focusing on family and community mentalhealth programs, and funding mental health care pro-jects, primarily in rural and semi-urban areas in India.Three selected projects in Karnataka - a project coveringthe neuro-psychopharmacological aspects of medica-tions, Grameena Abyudaya Seva Samsthe (GASS), a com-munity mental health project working in 2 semi-urban/rural districts, and SAMPARK, a community men-tal health project in the remote northern Karnataka dis-trict of Koppal -- went live on October 17th, 2005.

[email protected].

AAnnuurraaddhhaa FFoouunnddaattiioonn AAnnuurraaddhhaa FFoouunnddaattiioonn iiss wwoorrkkiinngg qquuiittee iinnnnoovvaattiivveellyy iinn ssuucchh ccrruucciiaall sseeggmmeennttss aass MMeennttaall HHeeaalltthh

aanndd EEdduuccaattiioonn iinn IInnddiiaa,, wwiitthh tthhee uullttiimmaattee ggooaall ooff bbeeccoommiinngg tthhee vvooiiccee ooff tthhee nnaattiioonn iinn rraaiissiinngg tthhee lleevveellss ooff mmeennttaall hheeaalltthh aawwaarreenneessss aanndd eennhhaanncciinngg

lliitteerraaccyy rraattee aammoonngg tthhee ppooppuullaattiioonn..

HHEEAALLTTHHCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

40

The truth of good economic doctoring is to know the general principles,and to really know the specifics. To understand the context, and also, to

understand that an economy may need some tender loving care, not just the so-called hard truths, if it's going to get by.

— Jeffrey Sachs

“ “

Aproject initiated by two visionary philanthropists,Behramji Malabari and Divan Dayaram Gidumal, toemancipate destitute Indian widows, Seva Sadan

Society (SSS) has evolved over the years to keep pacewith the changing times. The old ideology of charity hasbeen replaced by empowerment and self-reliance. In thispursuit, the Society provides girls with education andtraining geared to ensure their overall development.

Whether it is the new restaurant "By The Way", theTeachers Training College or any vocational coursesoffered by the Society, the effort is toenable the girls to support them-selves as individuals rather thanjust providing them with careand shelter. As a part of itsempowerment drive, thesociety has implementeda number of activitiesand novel projects.

ManagementOver the years, the

society has infused pro-fessional ethics in itsfunctioning. The Manage-ment is looked after by ateam of elected Honorary Man-aging Committee Members, whoare supported by paid staff. The Societyalso has a very competent Advisory Panel com-prising prominent specialists in different fields who offertheir voluntary advisory services to the Society.

The Society is largely funded by donations from philan-thropic individuals, corporates and organizations, apartfrom some revenue generated by its self-sufficiency activ-ities.

ServicesThe society's services include an Orphanage/Hostel, a

Preprimary, Primary and Secondary school each, a Prima-ry Teacher Training College, a Vocational Training Instituteand Women's Self-Service activities.

Free or low cost accommodation is provided in a con-genial and homely atmosphere. The Hostel houses about100 girls and strives to provide them with value-basededucation and social, moral and cultural values. ThePreprimary school has 100 children on the rolls in an envi-ronment conducive to early learning. Although the medi-um of instruction is Marathi, English language was recent-ly introduced to ensure fluency and confidence. The Pri-mary school is aided by the Brihanmumbai Mahanagarpa-lika. Approximately 350 students, from I to IV standard,

receive quality education with the help of latestteaching aids. Aided by the Education

Department of the MaharashtraGovernment, the Secondary

school has approximately 500students and it prepares

them for the S.S.C. Exam-ination.

With its 2-year recog-nized Diploma Course(D.Ed.), the PrimaryTeachers Training col-

lege imparts completeeducation with practical

training to girls, who wishto pursue a career in teach-

ing. So also the Society providescomprehensive Vocational training

in various subjects, ranging from sewingand embroidery to computer education.

Self-Sufficiency ProjectsThere are also in-house projects for women's self-suffi-

ciency activities, initiated and managed by the Society, inan effort to open up job opportunities for girls andwomen. These services provide training and job experi-ence for students and generate revenue to help the non-profit organisation to be self-sufficient. The activitiescomprise an upmarket Restaurant, an Eatery called Ahaarand a Meal Service to provide home-cooked food for Cor-porates, working individuals and homes.

[email protected]

SSeevvaa SSaaddaann SSoocciieettyyCCoonncceeiivveedd aanndd ffoouunnddeedd iinn 11990088,, SSeevvaa SSaaddaann SSoocciieettyy,, oonnee ooff tthhee oollddeesstt NNGGOOss,, iiss aann iinnssttiittuuttiioonn

ddeeddiiccaatteedd ttoo tthhee eemmppoowweerrmmeenntt ooff tthhee uunnddeerrpprriivviilleeggeedd ggiirrllss aanndd wwoommeenn iinn MMuummbbaaii,, IInnddiiaa..

EEMMPPOOWWEERRMMEENNTTCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

41

Amore than 70 per cent of the Indian farmers own lessthan one hectare of land each. They are categorizedas small and marginal farmers. Owing to unpre-

dictable weather conditions, crop failures and unstablemarket prices, they are a dejected lot and feel that exceptfor going in for a single crop of Ragi or Horsegram, theycannot dream of ventur-ing any other new practiceor improved technologyfor bettering their condi-tions. To address the needsof such farmers and toensure sustainable livingfor them, a low cost farm-ing system model, inte-grating farming systempractices and watershedconcepts, has been devel-oped at the AgriculturalResearch Station, Bavikereof Tarikere taluk in Chik-magalur district.

Most of the require-ments of the farm familyand farm animals are pro-duced in the model on asustainable basis, supple-mented with regular flowof cash income throughseveral farm related subsidiary enterprises.

Design of the ModelThe model is laid out in a one-acre area (100m x 40m).

As the model is developed for the benefit of rain - depen-dent small farmers, it is designed to prevent the loss of rain-

water through run-off by constructing bunds across theslope. For the purpose, the holding is divided into five seg-ments. Along with run-off, if allowed, the topsoil that isnormally fertile and nutrients added to the soil, are also lost.Successful prevention of these three losses is the distinctadvantage in this model. Furthermore, water ways are cre-

ated all along the model insuch a way that excessivewater that would rundown in spite of thesemeasures, will be ulti-mately lead to a farmpond constructed at thelowest elevation in themodel. The water so con-served could not only beused for vegetable culti-vation in the kitchen gar-den but also for piscisul-ture (Fish Farming) in thefarm pond.

Another importantfeature of the model isthat a small farmer willbe able to produce mostof the needs of the farm

family and his animals.Dwelling right on thefarm, he will be able to

take up several farming-based subsidiary enterprises,which would ensure sustainable living. Accordingly, cere-als, pulses, oilseeds, vegetables, fruit crops, dairy, bee-keeping, floriculture, fish, chicken & mutton, medicinalplants, green leaf yielding plants, etc., are all accommo-dated in their rightful places in the model.

OOnnee AAccrree WWoonnddeerrFor Sustainable Agriculture

PROF. M. RUDRARADHYA

Posing the greatest threat to food production, farming has lately become uneconomical in India. Water is scarce. Capital for investment is out of question.

Skilled or even unskilled labour are simply unavailable in villages as migration has been the order of the day. With the result, a time has come when perhaps

multi-purpose farming will have to be considered as the way out.

AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREECATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

42

Ram Krishnan (in dhothi) with a farmer and Prof. M. Rudraradhya (right).

Live BundsMulticut grass and Glyrecedia /

Sesbanea are grown on the bundswhich would ensure green fodderand green leaf for manuring. Theyalso help in checking the erosion. Ifthe gradient is too high, grasses likeStylo / Khus could be grown on thebunds to prevent the erosion.

Biogas PlantIt is possible to construct this plant

at a low cost to provide cooking gasand light for the dwelling and cattleshed. There could be provision for alight outside the farm hut and near the farm pond. It alsoacts as a light trap for the pests affecting the crops.

Compost Preparation VatsIn addition to verminculture, there are compost produc-

tion vats constructed by adopting NADEP method,improved method comprising stone walls (Japan Method)and the one having the walls made of Glyrecedia twigs.All farm wastes and crop residues get mixed with bio-gasslurry and are digested fast to yield well decomposedcompost.

Fruit Crops and IntercropsProviding 10m x 10m spacing in a triangular fashion,

two Mango plants and one each of Sapota, Jack fruit,tamarind, Pongamia, Neem, Cashew, Mulberry tree(Jamoon) and Goose berry are accommodated as alsoGreen gram, Cowpea, Avare (Dolichos), Soyabean, Blackgram, Red gram, etc., as intercrops between rows. Afterthe harvest, it is possible to grow a second crop ofHorsegram. During the last three years, an income ofabout Rs. 2000/- from inter-crops alone has been possible.

A Farm House (Hut)A farmhouse (hut) for dwelling

of the farm family, a cattle shed, alatrine, a biogas plant, five com-post production vats, a farm pond,appended with a poultry cage, abeehive unit and a kitchen gardenare the salient features of this seg-ment.

Farm PondAs mentioned above, this

pond is constructed at the low-est elevation in the model. Thedimension of the pond reads8m x 8m on the top and 5m x5m at the bottom with a depthof 3m. These dimensions couldvary depending on the quan-tum of rainfall received in agiven place. Excess water dur-ing heavy rains will run throughthe water ways created allalong the model and ultimatelygets collected in the farm pond.All the essentials are desired ina farm pond, viz., inlet, outlet,

scale for measuring the depth of water at any given pointof time.

Kitchen GardenThis is established in an area of 400 square meters (4

guntas). French Beans, Brinjal, Bhendi (Lady's finger),Raddish, Carrot, Clusterbeans, Cabbage, Vegetable Cow-pea, Tomato, Chilli, etc., are successfully taken up in thisunit. Especially 10-12 types of green leafy vegetables areinvariably produced in this garden and these are availablecontinuously throughout the year. Due emphasis has beengiven for chilli production and at the end of every season8-10 kg of dry (red) chillies are obtained. For the last threeyears, vegetables alone have contributed to the tune ofRs. 2500-3000 income to the farm family per annum.

Other Important FeaturesIn the front and back yards of the farm house flow-

ers, Coconuts, Arecanut, Betelvine, Pepper, Lemon,Curry leaves, Medicinal plants (for the common healthproblems that are usually encountered), Papaya,

Banana plants etc., are grownto reap the benefits.

This model demands dedica-tion and cordial love and affec-tion from the farm family. It pro-vides healthy, pollution-free, chemical-freeproducts to the owners and promises a life embedded with complete satis-faction and free from debts. Thefarmer marches from insecuritytowards prosperity and sustaina-bility.

AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREECATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

43

AS THE an effective non-political link between thepeople and the government, the voluntary sectorhas been contributing significantly to finding inno-

vative solutions to poverty, deprivation and discrimination.Therefore, a National Policy has been evolved in the year2007 to recognize the important role that the voluntarysector has to play in various areas and affirms the growingneed for collaboration with the voluntary sector by theGovernment as well as the private sector, at the local,provincial and national levels.

The Policy covers voluntary organizations (VOs) whichinclude organizations engaged in public service, based onethical, cultural, social, economic, political, religious, spiri-tual, philanthropic or scientific & technological considera-tions. VOs include formal as well as informal groups, suchas community-based organizations (CBOs); non-govern-mental development organizations (NGDOs); charitableorganizations; support organizations; networks or federa-tions of such organisations as well as professional member-ship associations.

VOs characteristics To be covered under the Policy, VOs should broadly havecharacteristics, such as, a) They are private, i.e., separatefrom Government; b) They do not return profits generat-ed to their owners or directors; c) They are self-governing,i.e., not controlled by Government; and d) They are regis-tered organizations or informal groups, with specificallydefined aims and objectives.

The specific objectives of the policy are: a) to create an

enabling environment for VOs that stimulates their enter-prise and effectiveness, and safeguards their autonomy; b)to enable VOs to legitimately mobilize necessary financialresources from India and abroad; c) to identify systems bywhich the Government may work together with VOs, onthe basis of the principles of mutual trust and respect, andwith shared responsibility; and d) to encourage VOs toadopt transparent and accountable systems of governanceand management.

Enabling EnvironmentIn order to achieve these objectives, an Enabling Environ-ment will be established for the voluntary sector to helpsafequard their autonomy, simplify their registration proce-dures, enacting a simple and liberal law for registering VOsthat wish to operate in different parts of India and abroad,to streamline the system of granting Income Tax exemp-tion status to charitable projects and check misuse of theseincentives, to simplify Foreign Contribution Regulation Actfrom time to time, and working together of governmentand voluntary sector in the nation's development process.

Depending upon the needs, the government will utilizethe expertise of the voluntary sector by including expertsfrom VOs in the committees, task forces, and advisorypanels constituted from time to time to help addressimportant public issues.

In order to strengthen the voluntary sector, governmentwill support and encourage funding from philanthropicorganisations so as to channelise private wealth for publicservice.

NNaattiioonnaall PPoolliiccyy oonn VVoolluunnttaarryy SSeeccttoorr -- 22000077AA NNaattiioonnaall PPoolliiccyy oonn tthhee VVoolluunnttaarryy SSeeccttoorr -- 22000077 hhaass bbeeeenn ffoorrmmuullaatteedd bbyy tthhee GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt ooff IInnddiiaa ttoo

iinniittiiaattee tthhee pprroocceessss ttoo eevvoollvvee aa nneeww wwoorrkkiinngg rreellaattiioonnsshhiipp bbeettwweeeenn tthhee GGoovveerrnnmmeenntt aanndd VVoolluunnttaarryy SSeeccttoorr,, wwiitthhoouutt aaffffeeccttiinngg tthhee aauuttoonnoommyy aanndd iiddeennttiittyy ooff VVoolluunnttaarryy OOrrggaanniizzaattiioonnss..

VVOOLLUUNNTTAARRYY SSEECCTTOORRCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

44

Viewed from the standpoint of the present the carrying out of sucha program of human development must seem a very pointlessoccupation; but it is doubtful whether the present civilization

would appear to an educated Athenian as something worthy tomark the culmination of his efforts.

— John Desmond Bernal

FOR decades, thousands of NGOshave been working on differentpoverty aspects to deliver basic

services and to create livelihood oppor-tunities for the poor. While NGOs haverelied mostly on donor funds in earlieryears, lately they have turned to gov-ernment for assistance. Unable to deliv-er services effectively, governmentshave increasingly sought NGOs forassistance. These partnerships involvegovernments either working with NGOsand/or channeling funds through them.

NGOs EffectiveTraditionally NGOs have been found

to be fairly effective in the delivery ofservices, often in a complementary role.For example, NGOs may take up pro-jects in education or health care wherethere might be major deficiencies ingovernment-run programs. For exam-ple, NGOs have initiated projects toprepare pre-school children for primaryeducation. Similarly, NGOs have beeninvolved in awareness and preventionof HIV/AIDS.

While some NGOs have successfullyembarked on livelihood projects suchas mobilizing poor people in handi-crafts and job training, for the mostpart they have not been involved in anylarge scale employment creation. Withthe increasing popularity of micro-credit, creation of new jobs and busi-ness opportunities are left to the so-called social entrepreneurs who areessentially for-profit organizations.However, there is some confusion inthe minds of many on the activities of

NGOs and micro-finance companiesthat serve similar markets.

Many companies in India haveformed CSR departments that makedonations and involve themselves in ini-tiatives designed to help the poor. Somehave even formed NGOs to channelfunds and undertake projects. But theCSR movement appears mostly to be apublic relations campaign or a "feelgood" effort, and less of any majorassistance to the poor. The little that thecompanies do is, often they are tied topublicity and favors to politicians, andbecome an indirect channel to sell theirproducts. Companies have figured outways to extract government grants fortheir CSR activities, and hence, mini-mize their own contributions. Regard-less of all these, if even small benefitgoes to the poor, it is well and good.

Health Care, Educational SupportI like to see corporations investing in

the rural sector. They must be requiredto pay wages that allow families to sup-port themselves. They must offer atleast minimum benefits for employeehealth care and educational support.They must not damage the environ-ment. If they would do just these andbe socially conscious citizens, it is morethan sufficient. Unfortunately, eventhose companies that have CSR pro-grams do not adhere to these simpleprinciples.

India has surged ahead economicallythrough privatization of its urban sec-tors, but nobody wants to come to thevillages because of the low purchasing

WWhhoo CCaann ""FFiixx"" PPoovveerrttyy ??ABRAHAM M. GEORGE

FFoorr lloonngg,, wwee hhaavvee bbeeeenn rreellyyiinngg oonn tthhee ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt ttoo ffiixx tthhee pprroobblleemm ooff ppoovveerrttyy.. TThheenn wwee tthhoouugghhtt tthhaatt NNGGOOss wwiillll ssoommeehhooww ssoollvvee tthhee pprroobblleemm.. NNooww wwee tthhiinnkk pprriivvaattee ccoommppaanniieess,, tthhrroouugghh tthheeiirr

""ccoorrppoorraattee ssoocciiaall rreessppoonnssiibbiilliittyy"" ((CCSSRR)) pprrooggrraammss,, wwiillll ssiiggnniiffiiccaannttllyy rreedduuccee ppoovveerrttyy..

ABRAHAM M. GEORGE

Abraham George holds aPh.D. in Business

Administration, has writtenthree books in International

Finance, and was asuccessful entrepreneur inthe Untied States for more

than 25 years. He is thefounder and managing

trustee of the GeorgeFoundation, a charitable

trust working towardspoverty alleviation

(www.tgfworld.org).His charitable work through

the George Foundation inIndia for over ten years has

focused on povertyalleviation, empowerment of

women, health care andeducation for the rural poor.

Dr. George is the author of a highly acclaimed r

ecent book: IndiaUntouched: The Forgotten

Face of Rural Poverty.

PPOOVVEERRTTYYCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

45

power of its consumers. But companies should not befocusing on selling to the "bottom of the pyramid"(which will happen in due course when purchasingpower rises) but on manufacturing. Hence, my recom-mendation is that the private sector should be offeredsufficient good reasons to enter the rural sector inareas where they can have an economic advantage bysort of rural outsourcing as well as in establishingindustries, especially in agro-related products. Gov-ernments must offer sufficient incentives for compa-nies to invest in the rural and deprived communitiesby way of soft loans, infrastructure improvements, taxbreaks, etc. and keep out of the process except forenforcement of labor laws, worker safety and environ-mental protection. Market forces will automatically

take hold. The trouble is that neither the governmentnor the companies do their part. NGOs can play a pos-itive role in facilitating proper involvement of the gov-ernments and companies.

We are under the illusion that poverty can be solvedby NGOs and the government. Now we are beginningto think that the CSR movement will. Both NGOs andgovernments have roles to play, but the real solutionis in creating vibrant economic activity. This is the les-son I have learnt from our Baldev Farms and otherwork being carried out by the George Foundation inTamil Nadu.

[email protected].

SANGOPITA, a shelter for care, was found-ed by Sujata and Ravindra Sugwekar toprovide a residential-cum-day school

for special children (who are sufferingfrom cerebral palsy or are autistic or slowlearners) in the suburban areas of Bad-lapur. The idea for this initiative camefrom their own experience of beingunable to find any such servicesavailable for their spastic son,Akshay. The basic ideology of San-gopita is to provide a home, educa-tion, medical help, specialised thera-pies, and vocational training that arerequired by special children, allunder one roof, with the aim ofenhancing the children's physical andmental capabilities to the extent pos-sible, thus enabling them to becomeindependent for their basic needs.

Sangopita is registered under the Bom-bay Public Trusts Act and is exemptedunder Section 80G of the Income Tax Act1961. Since its inception in 2003, Sangopitahas acquired a plot of land in Badlapur on which

a multi-purpose hall was constructed, and thespecial school was started with 2 students.

Today 44 students attend the school thathas been built and nurtured from dona-tions from friends and family, as well asfrom loans. The school provides a dayschool as well as residential facilities,trained staff and assistants, spe-cialised training and care for the stu-dents, medical facilities, vocationaltraining, entertainment and leisurefacilities, and balanced food asrequired by the students.

Future plans include expansion ofthe residential block, increase instaff and number of classrooms, up-gradation of the kitchen, raising ameditation center, acquiring a school

bus, and setting up of a rural dispen-sary to enhance their outreach.

Income for the Year 2005 - 2006 wasRs. 6.59 lakh.

karmayog.org/ngoofthemonth

Sangopita A Shelter for the Care of Special Children

PPOOVVEERRTTYYCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

46

Karmayog,a website set upin 2004 to assist

NGOs and connectthem to those whowant to help theirinitiatives, supports

Sangopita. It offers ResourceSections on more than 100issues and causes; providesspace for Focus Groups to

take up issues/causes, LocalitySites to enable you to stayconnected with others in

your locality or communityand address their specificconcerns; and connectsyou to those who canoffer you solutions or

to whom you canoffer help. Thewebsite is for

free.

LAW enforcement agencies across theglobe, in order to meet the emergingchallenges, are focusing on strategies

that help prevent crime, reduce fear of crimeand improve the quality of life in neighbour-hoods. An alternative policing strategy thatis adopted worldwide is Community Policingthat advocates forging of problem-solvingpartnerships between the police and thepublic. Community policing allows lawenforcement agencies to get back to theprinciples upon which it was founded, tointegrate itself once again into the fabric ofthe community so that the people and thepolice collaborate even before a seriousproblem arises and not merely as a knee-jerk reaction after a crisis arises. The com-munity plays a crucial role in helping thepolice resolve crime and disorder. Therefore,a collaborative approach to solve the com-munity problems is called for.

India is a democracy with an enormouspopulation and multiple problems, but withtoo inadequate a police force to deal withthese problems. The ratio of police to publicstands at about one policeman for everythousand members of the public (1:1000) asper recent statistics. Besides, research indi-cates that merely increasing the strength ofthe police force does not lead to a corre-sponding tangible decrease in crime rate.

Friends of PoliceSome experiments in different aspects of

governance have been tested and empiri-cally proved as good governance practicesand could serve as a model to be adoptedwith suitable modifications by the entirecountry. Some key elements of these initia-

tives from all over the country have beenidentified and integrated into a viablemodel or road map for community partici-pation in policing for the whole country.The Friends of Police (FOP) Model incorpo-rates all these key elements of communitypolicing into a cohesive wholesome processand thereby, improves the quality of polic-ing and the delivery of police services.

The FOP concept goes beyond the exist-ing community policing philosophy. Friendsof Police are not mere substitutes forpolicemen. They are integrated with thepolice system but are not to be identifiedwith the police. Any function or role thatany enlightened citizen is expected to per-form as per the law of the land is the roleof the FOP.

The FOP concept is based on an under-standing that if the "power-haves" (thepolice) do not share power with the peo-ple, the police are disliked, if not hated.Conversely, if the "power-haves" sharepower with the people they serve, thepolice are liked, if not loved. Though it isbased on individual empowerment, it iscalled a movement because it invokes thepower of the masses.

The concept is gaining wide acceptancethat the police are not mere agents of theGovernment or creatures of law who are toreact to emergent situations but they are,primarily, agents of social change.

[email protected] www.friendsofpolice.orgwww.prateepphilip.com

CCoommmmuunniittyy PPoolliicciinnggAn Alternative Strategy for Public-Police Partnerships

PRATEEP V. PHILIP

CCoommmmuunniittyy PPoolliicciinngg rreevvoollvveess aarroouunndd tthhee pprriinncciippllee ooff pprrooaaccttiivvee ppoolliicciinngg tthhrroouugghh ppeeooppllee--ffrriieennddllyy ppoolliicciinngg pprraaccttiicceess,, ccoommmmuunniittyy ppaarrttiicciippaattiioonn aanndd pprroobblleemm--ssoollvviinngg lleeaaddiinngg ttoo ccrriimmee pprreevveennttiioonn..

PRATEEP V. PHILIP

Prateep V. Philip, I.P.S.,Deputy Inspector General

of Police, Social justice and Human Rights,

Tamil Nadu, hasdistinguished himself

as a pioneer and innovator.

He pioneered theinternationally-acclaimed

Friends of Police Movementthat has been accepted asan International Blueprint

for Community Policing. Inrecognition of his work, hewas awarded the inaugural

British Gurukul Scholarshipfor Excellence and

Leadership (1997). Heestablished the first ever

higher education link inIndia between Tamil Nadu

Police Training and theBritish Police Training,

Bramshill, UK. Recently, hewas one of two officers

outside UK to be awardedthe inaugural 15,000 pound

Queen's Award forInnovation in Police

Training and Development.

PPOOLLIICCIINNGGCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

47

''SSppeenndd MMoorree oonn EEdduuccaattiioonn''

Chetan Chauhan New Delhi, August 5

THE Human Resources DevelopmentMinistry has demanded Rs. 80,000

crore more than what the Planning Com-mission intends to give it in the 11th five-year plan.

The commission, in consultation withthe PMO, has selected five areas where 70per cent of the funds in the 11th planwould be spent. One of these areas is edu-cation, whose total gross budgetary sup-port it proposes to increase to 18.2 percent (Rs. 2,69,600 crore) from 7.8 per centin the 10th plan. But the ministry hasdemanded an additional Rs. 80,000 crore.

It wants an additional Rs. 40,000 crorefor its flagship Sarva Siksha Abhiyan andmidday meal programmes. There is also ahuge variance between the ministrydemand and commission projection forsecondary and adult education. Only inthe area of the higher education is the dif-ference in projections slightly low at Rs.15,000 crore.

The commission feels school educationshould more or less be the responsibility ofthe state and private participation shouldbe increased. The ministry says the statesjust don't have the finances for such pro-grammes while increased private invest-ment will only commercialise education.

[email protected]

MMiinniissttrryy sseeeekkss aaddddiittiioonnaall

RRss.. 8800,,000000 ccrr

SSCCHHOOOOLL''SS OOUUTTAAtt aa ttiimmee wwhheenn tthhee ccoouunnttrryy iiss ffaacciinngg aa sseevveerree sshhoorrttaaggee ooff eedduuccaattiioonnaall iinnssttiittuuttiioonnss,, sseevveerraall tthhoouussaanndd sscchhoooollss ddoo nnoott hhaavvee aa ssiinnggllee ssttuuddeenntt,, aa ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt ssuurrvveeyy hhaass rreevveeaalleedd..

No teachers: This is one of themain reasons. Some 23,000schools are yet to get a teacherwhile 1.3 lakh schools aresingle-teacher institutes. Some have para-teachers.

Migration: Exodus of peopledue to various factors isanother reason. For instance,Lahaul and Spiti in HimachalParadesh, where peoplemigrate due to climaticconditions in winter, have low enrolment.

Infrastructure: This, or thelack of it, leads to lowenrolment. As many as1,02,227 elementary schoolshave only one classroom.

Source: ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

IN INDIA 2005-06

RReeaassoonnss ffoorr llooww eennrroollmmeenntt3322,,000000Odd schools don't have a single student.

48%(15,791) of these are primary schools, mostly in the rural areas and in the public sector.

2.92% have zero enrolment with Karnataka having the highest number of such schools at 7,945.

6.17% (69,353) have less than 25 students: 1,70,888have between 26 and 50 students.

States with high school enrolment:Bihar, Delhi, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.

EEDDUUCCAATTIIOONNCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

48

AFTER 45 years I was returning tomy native place Bantwal (nearMangalore) for a longer stay of

two months. Ever since I left it for mystudies at IIT and then abroad, I have vis-ited it very frequently but only for one ortwo days. This is a typical rural town sur-rounded by small villages dependentupon farming and beedi rolling.

Learning-Unfriendly EnvironmentIn this town, there is a five-year degree

college with 1000 students. Most ofthem are first generation literates. A largepercentage (99%) is not accustomed toreading books other than text booksdespite the college having a good selec-tion of books. These students for severalreasons are also not accustomed/allowedto asking questions as in many other col-leges. Because of the well critiqued edu-cation system of ours, they are also notencouraged to think of and develop theirown solutions to any problems. They arenot encouraged to offer their comments.To make some changes in this kind ofrigid and learning-unfriendly environ-ment, I experimented with a seminarseries called "True Education" during mystay. It was a great success.

I had 19 sessions with a small group of

20 students (surprisingly 19 were girls andjust one boy). We limited the participationso that every one can be given personalattention. They regularly attended thesesessions over a period of seven weeks.There was no compulsion to attend. Nostudent could relax and day dream sinceevery one had to either ask a question ormake comments during all these sessionson topics of wide ranging interests. Inoticed a remarkable improvement duringthis short span. Students were hesitant toopen their mouth before the beginning ofthe seminar series. Towards the end theywere completely transformed and therewas not enough time to respond to alltheir questions.

TopicsThe topics covered were: Philosophy of

Jiddu Krishnamurthy, NGO movement inIndia, World and Indian History, India'sEnergy Crisis, Communism, Socialism andCapitalism, Holding a mirror to Indiansociety, Politics and Corruption, Majorworld conflicts, Citizen Responsibility,Need for Reservation, Status of Education,Management Principles, World's religions,Science, Superstition and Modern Gurus,Energy and Environment, Reasons forIndia remaining poor even after 60 years

TTrruuee EEdduuccaattiioonnA Practical Way to Ignite Thinking among Students

DR. BHAMY V. SHENOY

DR. BHAMY V. SHENOY

Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy, an IITMadras graduate with a Ph.D

in business administrationfrom University of Houston,

worked for Conoco in allphases of International

Petroleum Industry for 21years, from 1966 to 1987.

He took early retirement in1987 to return to India to get

involved in India'sdevelopment. He has been

participating in various NGOactivities involving consumer

protection, education andenvironment. He contested

election twice as anindependent. From 1997 to

2003, he was involved inenergy sector reform in

former Soviet Union countries.He is currently an honorary

advisor to the national oilcompany in Georgia.


49

of Independence, Liberalization, privatization and globaliza-tion (LPG), and Critical factors for India's development. Ispent just 15 minutes at the beginning of each session intro-ducing the topic. The remaining 75 minutes were spent inQ & A.

ValedictoryDuring the valedictory, every student made a short pre-

sentation on what they got out of this seminar series.Every one wanted this experiment repeated for the ben-efit of other students who missed the opportunity. Onestated that he learnt more during these 19 sessions thanduring his entire 15 years of schooling. Many girls men-tioned that they have now started to read newspapersand that too critically for the first time. Many talkedabout the courage they have acquired as a result of theirparticipation to ask questions not only in the classroomsbut also in government offices. All were determined totake up some civic cause to fight against social evils like

untouchability, casteism, dowry system, gender bias, childlabor, plastic menace, water harvesting, tree planting,improving the local hospital, etc.

Some colleges have already come forward to imple-ment this program. There is hardly any cost to implementit. There is no bureaucracy involved in the implementa-tion since no prior permission is required from the gov-ernment. Through this program we can encourage inde-pendent thinking and critical questioning abilities on thepart of students without having to wait for our politicalclass and bureaucracy to change the education system.What we need are a few - just one or two per college -ofcommitted teachers/educationists to get involved.Every well informed and concerned educationist can jointhese efforts either as facilitators of the seminar series inareas they live or by sponsoring some one to conductthem if they are unable to for some reason.

[email protected]


50

AS a lot has been said and written about already, India ispassing through the most critical times on the agricul-tural front with multiple intractable problems throttling

the farmer from different directions. This is the juncture wheninnovation is the urgent need. Understandably, Madhavan'sexperiments in his Padapai farm have become cynosure of alleyes.

Most Indian farmers (80%) arecalled marginal farmers. Through gen-erations, the father has split his landholdings amongst his children. Nowthe average Indian farmer has just anacre of plot for cultivation. If a farmerowns more than 6 acres, India classi-fies him as a 'big' farmer.

In Tamil Nadu and other parts of India, the land holdingfarmer would hire daily 'coolies' to work in his farm for a dailywage of Rs. 65. These coolies can now get about Rs 120,working as a dishwasher in a restaurant in a nearby largertown. Hence, they demand the same Rs 120 to work as adaily coolie in the agricultural farm. The farmer cannot afford

to pay this increase in daily wages. Most farmers have pledgedtheir crop to banks for a loan, to get seeds or water and otheressential inputs. Given this predicament, many farmers aredeciding to close down their farms and move to the nearbytowns to work as coolies themselves.

In this context, what IITM alumni Madhavan is hoping toachieve needs national attention. Heis making great efforts to improvefarm productivity. With simple meth-ods, tools and process, he is achievingmanifold increase in the yield. In 2short years, he has made dramaticchanges. Some of the techniques he isemploying include simple hand toolspromoted by the university of Califor-nia in their Davis Campus.

But this needs some funding to procure the tools as well asship them to his farm near Chennai. Let us encourage Mad-havan. Thereby we are, in a way, breathing new life into thebeleaguered Indian farmer.

[email protected]

IInnnnoovvaattiivvee FFaarrmm MMeetthhooddssIITian's Experiments in Chennai

RAM KRISHNAN

TTRRAANNSSFFOORRMMAATTIIOONNCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

51

Agroup of professionals, motivatedwith the thought to give back to thecommunity and to contribute to the

challenges confronted by poverty wherev-er it exists, founded Lend-A-Hand-India, aNew York-based not-for-profit, tax exemptcorporation. It is an outcome of an idea,nurtured over five years, by its founders,Sunanda Mane and Raj Gilda.

The foremost challenge before the exec-utive board of this start-up was to decide itsprogram strategy: How can Lend-A-Hand-India differentiate itself from several big,resourceful, and long standing foundationsand invest its small dollars in the best man-ner that will make an impact.

Lend-A-Hand-India finalized its programstrategy and approach after much deliber-ation. It made these conscious choices inrecognition of India's population challengeand the need to reach large numbers withworkable solutions.

Program strategy and approachThe overall program focus will be youthunemployment and urban migration.Lend-A-Hand-India will assist the grassroots NGOs to replicate and scale uptheir proven program interventions andtechnologies with an objective to moti-vate them to diversify and move beyondtheir existing program areas.At the project implementation level,Lend-A-Hand-India will develop anddesign projects in collaboration withselected non-profit organizations andshare with them technical and program

expertise, complimented with financialassistance, to deliver time bound andresult oriented projects. Lend-A-Hand-India will undertake shortterm field research studies to enrich pro-grams and project planning,In a country like India, Lend-A-Hand-India strongly believes that the govern-ment policy measures need to be compli-mented by efforts at grassroots level.

Besides, achieving the primary goals, theabove approach will also help in organiza-tion and human resource development ofthe NGOs and increase the transparency. InAugust 2005, Lend-A-Hand-Indialaunched its flagship project, Plan 100, withan objective to make the high school edu-cation a rewarding experience leading to aconstructive approach to career opportuni-ties and self employment. Plan 100 is aproject to equip 20,000 girls and boys from100 high schools in rural India with job andlife skills. So far Lend-A-Hand-India hasopened eighteen basic rural technologytraining centers in rural high school with anenrollment of over 2100 girls and boys.These centers provide students an opportu-nity to simultaneously learn multiple voca-tional, job oriented skills with hands onexperience by undertaking communitywork.

Yet another project, Project Disha, oper-ates in six villages, covers about 2300 stu-dents, and provides aptitude testing, careercounseling and mentoring services.

[email protected]

NNeeeedd ffoorr aa NNeeww DDeevveellooppmmeenntt PPaarraaddiiggmmSUNANDA MANE

TThheerree iiss aa ssttrroonngg ccaassee ffoorr tthhee ffuunnddiinngg aaggeenncciieess ttoo ccoonnssiiddeerr cchhaannggeess iinn tthheeiirr aapppprrooaacchh,, ppaarrttiiccuullaarrllyy ffoorr tthheeccoouunnttrriieess ffaacciinngg tthhee cchhaalllleennggee ooff rreeaacchhiinngg oouutt ttoo llaarrggee ppooppuullaattiioonnss wwiitthh wwoorrkkaabbllee ssoolluuttiioonnss.. PPrroojjeecctt PPllaann110000,, llaauunncchheedd iinn AAuugguusstt 22000055 bbyy LLeenndd--AA--HHaanndd--IInnddiiaa,, iiss aa sstteepp iinn tthhaatt ddiirreeccttiioonn.. LLeenndd--AA--HHaanndd--IInnddiiaa iiss

hheellppiinngg ttoo aaddddrreessss tthhee cchhaalllleennggee ooff yyoouutthh uunneemmppllooyymmeenntt aanndd uurrbbaann mmiiggrraattiioonn iinn IInnddiiaa bbyy ssccaalliinngg uupp ssuucccceessssffuull,, ssuussttaaiinnaabbllee,, aanndd rreepplliiccaabbllee mmooddeellss,, ccrreeaatteedd bbyy ggrraassssrroooottss NNGGOOss..

SUNANDA MANE Sunanda holds a Master's in

Economics from University ofPoona, India; and Master's in

International Development fromColumbia University, New York.

Over the past fifteen yearsSunanda has designed and

managed projects inmicrofinance, small business

development, primaryeducation, and governance.

She has held senior managerial and consultingpositions in organizations

such as CARE, UNDP, WorldBank, and philanthropic

foundation. Sunanda hasextensively worked in India and Bangladesh,Tajikistan, and the US. Sunanda currently sits

on the board of two New Yorkbased non-profit

foundations. Sunanda conceptualized

and co-founded Lend-A-Hand-India

in 2003.

Farmers' Perspective

In order to fully grasp the significance of this project onemust see this subject from the perspective of the farmer.For him, the seed is most critical. It is central to all agricul-tural and horticultural production. The seed's quality,availability and cost determine what is sowed and what isharvested and hence the food supply for all of us.

The availability of seeds is critical because of the smallwindow of time when they must be sown. In rural India,the demand and supply of seeds is unpredictable. Natureworks in her own way and adds to these uncertainties.

Seed Procurement - Then & NowHistorically, farmers have simply put aside the best of theirharvest for the next seasonal planting. This system helpedpreserve the thousands of varieties of seeds that are calledtraditional. This changed with the advent of globalization.The seed has become a commercial product along withother agricultural items. This was reinforced primarilythrough terms and conditions imposed by the World TradeOrganization's (WTO).

As a result many of the traditional varieties have becomerare and some have become extinct. Today between declining quality and commercial seduc-tion, more and more farmers are becoming dependent onlarge private and government seed companies.

A Seed VillageThe concept of seed villages envisages a cluster of villages(farmers) who will grow crops specifically with seeds thatwill be locally available at planting time at a reasonableprice. In 2005, under the leadership of Padma Shri Dr. M.Mahadevappa, JSS Rural Development Foundation andinfraSys joined hands and invested a total of Rs 11 laks, toimplement what was to become a pilot project.

One hundred farmers were selected and trained at the JSSKrishi Vigyan Kendra, Suttur, Karnataka, in assessing seed

requirements, methods of handling seeds during pre-sow-ing operations, rouging at different stages of crop growth,harvesting and preparing samples for testing, baggingand labeling.

A Seed Processing Center Inaugurated in June, 2005, the farmers bring harvestedseeds to the Center to be dried, cleaned and graded. Asmall laboratory capable of testing the germinationpotential of the seeds is attached. The seeds are thenbagged and labeled as to kind, variety and lot number,which will help keep track of their performance.

Based on this model's success, a 3-year program was cre-ated to extend this model to all districts of Karnataka,under Swarnajayanti Gram Swarazgar Yojana (SGSY) - tocover agricultural, horticultural and sericultural crops.

A collaboration of KVKs statewide, Central Silk Board,Agricultural Universities, the Governments of Karnatakaand India and with a project budget of Rs 1,485.046 laks,the program is presently headed by Prof. M. Rudraradhya.

The Seed ProcessingCenter in Suttur, isnow operated by theFederation of SeedGrowing Farmers.

infraSys is proud tohave been a part ofthis pilot programand is seeking otheropportunities towork with seeds.

There are more stories to share… after the hardwork…after the harvest… and after after the seedsare stored… in our distant villages.

the tele.graaman occasional bulletin of news from "the distant village"

SSEEEEDDSSCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

52

SSeeeedd VViillllaaggee PPrrooggrraamm GGooeess SSttaattee--wwiiddee iinn KKaarrnnaattaakkaa

infraSys is a company that invests in small enterprises in rural India. We bring together the necessary infrastructures- physical, know-how and financial - without which such enterprises may neither succeed nor be sustainable. We

seek collaboration in creating livelihoods and infrastructure in rural areas.Visit www.infrasys.biz and write to author at [email protected]

THE legal framework in India allows Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs)a choice to register either as a trust, society or company. In states likeMaharashtra and Gujarat where a Public Trusts Act is in force, the

statute offers simplicity and ease in registration procedures. Just twotrustees may settle or establish a trust, while societies require a minimum ofseven members. The paperwork to establish a trust is less elaborate and incertain states or in New Delhi the trust deed can be easily registered withthe sub-registrar's office. Trusts also enjoy autonomy in management andadministration. An individual may remain a trustee for life and new trusteesmay be selectively appointed over a period of time. In a society or section-25 company, there are requirements for a general body of members, peri-odic elections and annual general meetings. The setup is more democrat-ic.

Generally schools, colleges and hospitals established by wealthy familiesor corporate houses are founded as trusts. These educational or medicalinstitutions are usually built on private and family lands and from privateand family wealth for public good. Trusts offer them greater control andautonomy in management and administration. Members of the family mayremain on the board for as long as they may want to. New trustees maybe selectively appointed from time to time and there is no requirement ofa general body of members or annual general meetings.

Registering A TrustThe application for registration of a public charitable trust should be sub-

mitted at the office of the charity commissioner having jurisdiction over theregion/sub-region of the state in which the trust is to be registered. Theapplication should be made in the prescribed form. The trust deed shouldbe executed on non-judicial stamp paper. In some states, the trustee appli-cant should submit an affidavit, and all co-trustees sign a consent letter.

Registering A SocietyThe application for registration of a society should be made to the regis-

trar of societies. The application should be submitted together with thememorandum of association and rules and regulations. In states like Maha-rashtra and Gujarat all societies registered under the Act of 1860 are alsorequired to register under the Bombay Public Trusts Act 1950.

CChhoooossiinngg tthhee TTyyppee ooff NNPPOOss Trust, Society or Sec. 25 Company ?

NOSHIR H. DADRAWALA

IInn ssoommee ssttaatteess iinn IInnddiiaa,, lleeggiissllaattiioonnss iinn vvoogguuee ooffffeerr ssiimmpplliicciittyy aanndd eeaassee iinn pprroocceedduurreess ooff rreeggiissttrraattiioonn ooff TTrruussttss,,SSoocciieettiieess aanndd SSeecc.. 2255 ccoommppaanniieess.. TTwwoo ttrruusstteeeess mmaayy eessttaabblliisshh aa ttrruusstt bbuutt ssoocciieettiieess rreeqquuiirree aa mmiinniimmuumm ooffsseevveenn mmeemmbbeerrss ffoorr rreeggiissttrraattiioonn.. IInn ootthheerr ssttaatteess,, tthhee ttrruusstt ddeeeedd iiss eeaassiillyy rreeggiisstteerreedd aatt tthhee ssuubb--rreeggiissttrraarr''ssooffffiiccee.. AA ccoommppaannyy iiss rreeggiisstteerreedd bbyy rreeggiissttrraarr ooff ccoommppaanniieess aafftteerr hhee aapppprroovveess tthhee nnaammee ooff tthhee ccoommppaannyy..

NOSHIR H. DADRAWALA

Noshir H. Dadrawala is the CEO of the Mumbai based 'Centrefor Advancement of Philanthropy',a company specializing in areas ofcharity law, finance, management,

taxation, resource mobilization and human resource development.

Vice Chairman of 'Asia PacificPhilanthropy Consortium', a

Director of 'Resource Alliance" and a member of the Coordinating

Committee of the 'WorldwideInitiatives and Network of

Grant-makers' (WINGS), Dadrawala is contributing editor

of the 'International Journal on Non-profit Law' and visiting

faculty at, among otherinstitutions, the Tata Institute ofSocial Sciences, Narsee MonjeeInstitute of Management Studies

and the S.P. Jain Institute ofManagement and Research.

NNPPOOssCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

53

Registering A CompanyThe first step towards registration of a company

(under section 25 of the Indian Companies Act) is theapplication for availability of name, by which the com-pany may be called, to the registrar of companies, madein the prescribed form. A choice of three other namesshould also be suggested in case the first name is notfound acceptable by the registrar. Once the name isavailable, an application should be made in writing tothe regional director of the company law board. Theapplication should be accompanied by three printedcopies of the memorandum and articles of associationof the proposed company, duly signed by all the pro-moters with full name, address and occupation.

Tax ExemptionOnce the NPO is registered as a trust, society or sec-

tion -25 company, the next logical step is to apply fortax exemption with the income tax authorities. Theapplication for 12A certificate must be submitted,together with the certified copies of the trust deed ormemorandum and articles of association, certifiedcopies of the registration certificate obtained from thecharity commissioner's office or the registrar of soci-eties/companies.

80G Certificate under the Income Tax ActA donor is entitled to a 50% tax rebate for donations

made to NPOs having 80G(5) certificate. The applica-tion for approval of an NPO under section 80G(5) ofthe Income Tax Act should be made in the prescribedform, together with copies of the registration certificateand the trust deed/memorandum and articles of associ-ation.

Approval under Section 35AC of the Income Tax Act

Contribution(s) made to a project/scheme notifiedas an eligible project or scheme for the purpose of sec-tion 35AC of the Income Tax Act, would entitle thedonor to a 100% deduction of the amount of suchcontribution. Unlike the certificate granted under sec-tion 80G (wherein donations made to a qualifyingorganization entitles a donor to a 50% deduction), thecertificate under section 35AC is generally given to aneligible and approved project. The application forapproval of an association or institution for the pur-pose of section 35AC should be forwarded to the sec-retary of the National Committee for the Promotion ofSocial and Economic Welfare. The National Committeeusually recommends to the Central Government, aproject or scheme for notification as an eligible projector scheme for an initial period of three financial years.Approved projects/schemes are generally for ruraldevelopment, urban slums, etc. Every NPO has toapply for allotment of Permanent Account Number(PAN).

Registration for Seeking Foreign FundsAll NPOs in India, whether registered or not, come

under the purview of the Foreign Contribution(Regulation) Act. The application for obtaining priorpermission of the Central Government to receiveforeign contribution should be made in form FC-1Aand the application for registration of a nonprofitorganization for acceptance of foreign contributionsshould be made in the prescribed form FC-8.

[email protected]

NNPPOOssCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

54

Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool fordaily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty,

and a building block of development...Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health

and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along witheducation in general,

a basic human right...

— Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General

“ “

CCAARREEEERRCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

55

THIRTY years ago, the average US citizen thought ofIndia as a country full of snake charmers. Now, thanksto outsourcing, he/she thinks that every Indian citizen

is a double graduate in Maths and Science. We know thatboth these images about India are wrong. India continuesto be essentially an agricultural society with almost 250 mil-

lion people of theworlds 'extremepoverty' population(of one Billion)earning less than $1 day, living inIndia. To under-stand this positionand hopefullyengage in ruraltransformation, 30

NRIs in the US have agreed to visit some of India's villagesand see for themselves what is happening. This 7-day tourtakes place on Dec 15-22, 2007 in southern Tamil Nadu.

Starting with a briefing session in Chennai on Dec 15, thisgroup travels by a train and bus to visit Ganghigram RuralInstitute in Dindukal, Watershed and micro-credit programstaken up by DHAN foundation in Madurai and Ramanatha-puram districts, see some of the poorest villages inVilathikulam region of Tuticorin district and conclude thetour with a visit to Vivekananda Center at Kanyakumari.

The tour members come from almost every part of theUnited States, they represent all age groups and hail frommany States of India. We plan to document their experi-

ences through video and in writing so that the tour partici-pants will share their understanding of rural India with theirfriends and colleagues upon their return. If each of themcan place the Indian situation in proper perspective among10 friends, we hope to take around 300 NRIs next year andorganise similar tours in North, West, East and South India.

If half the participants of this tour get inspired to 'engage'themselves in the rural development of areas of their choicein the fields of water, agriculture, health, education, liveli-hood, energy, this tour will be a great success. The tour hasbeen planned, thanks to the enthusiasm shown by RamNarayanan of New York state.

If in the next few years we have NRIs working in everyone of the 660 districts of India, we will truly be a developedcountry as President Kalam hopes India to be by 2020.

LLeeaarrnniinngg JJoouurrnneeyy -- DDeecc 1155--2222,, 22000077RAM KRISHNAN

Development is a comprehensive economic, social, political, and cultural process that aims at the improvement of the quality

of life of all people and the full enjoyment of all fundamental freedoms and human rights without disntinction as to race, gender, religion,

status, or political belief. It is though a genuine development that the full potentials of the human person and the

whole human race can be fully realized. — UN Declaration of the Decade of Development

“ “

CCIITTIIZZEENN SSEECCTTOORRCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

56

NOWADAYS, they are often the mostaccessible resources to communities.Politicians and CEOs emphasize their

affiliations to the powerful and effective ones.Famous personalities lend their faces to theircauses. Globally, they are identified under aspectrum of names: Non-Governmental Orga-nizations (NGOs), Non-Profit Organizations(NPOs), the Voluntary Sector, the Third Sector,and Citizen Sector Organizations (CSOs). Thelist of phrases go on to describe the space orblaring gap as is often the case, between thestate and private interests where variousdynamic initiatives driven by public citizenshave grown in strength and depth to addresschallenges facing communities. In thisinstance, we will refer to this space as the citi-zen sector. As in the words of Bill Drayton,Founder of the global organization Ashoka:Innovators for the Public, "It is more productiveto be defined by what one is, rather than whatone is not."

Emergence of Citizen SectorThe emergence of the citizen sector in con-

temporary India owes much of its foundationsto the social reform movements and theircharismatic leaders during British rule and post-independence. The satyagraha philosophy ledby Mahatma Gandhi inspired a focus on socialwelfare and sustainable development whichwas inextricably linked to India's independencemovement. In addition, compelling leaderssuch as Raja Rammohan Roy earlier on, and Dr.B. R. Ambedkar advocated strongly againstsocial bigotry, caste discrimination, and oppres-sive customs. E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker, also

known as Periyar, was another example of asignificant figure inspiring social reform in post-Independence India.

"Periyar's Swayam-maryada (Self-Respect)campaign mobilized hundreds and thousandsof people and put the spotlight on the issues ofequity and equal opportunity in post-Indepen-dence India. Periyar also radically altered theposition of women and strived for gender equi-ty as well." Says Ravichandra Raju, head ofManas, a CSO based in Hyderabad.

In post-independence India, the governmentattempted to play a greater role in addressingsocial welfare. Five-year development planscame into existence as well as government-funded-and-managed Khadi and Village Indus-tries which were an attempt to promote small-scale products for a living that could be pro-duced and sustained in India for the benefit ofits villages. Similarly, institutions training youngpeople in social work began to emerge. In theyears and decades that followed, it becameclear that the government was unable to effec-tively deliver relevant and necessary services toall of its citizens. This inability gave way toexperimentation with alternative approaches todevelopment which brought forth various stu-dent-led and voluntary movements thatevolved with specific target groups such as theDalits, women, and focused on particular issueslike health, and the environment.

According to Reetu Sogani, a key member ofthe Community Awareness Centre in Uttaran-chal, "People's movements have definitely been

CCiittiizzeenn SSeeccttoorr iinn IInnddiiaa Will it Cope with New Responsibility ?

VENKATESH RAGHAVENDRA & MALINI SEKHAR

TThhee cciittiizzeenn sseeccttoorr ooff IInnddiiaa hhaass sseeeenn ttrreemmeennddoouuss ggrroowwtthh oovveerr tthhee ppaasstt ddeeccaaddeess.. TThhiiss ggrroowwtthh aanndd ddeevveellooppmmeenntt iiss dduuee iinn ppaarrtt ttoo IInnddiiaa''ss rriicchh hhiissttoorryy ooff ssoocciiaall rreeffoorrmm mmoovveemmeennttss.. WWiitthh ggrroowwiinngg

iinnfflluueennccee iinn ssoocciieettyy,, tthhee cciittiizzeenn sseeccttoorr iinn tthhiiss eerraa ooff eeccoonnoommiicc aaccttiivviittyy hhaass aanndd wwiillll ppllaayy aa ccrriittiiccaall rroollee iinn aa mmoorree hhoolliissttiicc ddeevveellooppmmeenntt ffoorr tthhee hhaavveess aanndd hhaavvee--nnoottss iinn IInnddiiaa..

VENKATESHRAGHAVENDRA

VenkateshRaghavendra is

Chief Philanthropy Officer with theAmerican India

Foundation inNew York.

MALINI SEKHAR

Malini Sekhar is an independent

consultantspecializing in

internationaldevelopment

issues.

CCIITTIIZZEENN SSEECCTTOORRCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

57

able to bring about major changes in the life, attitudes, andthe spirit of civil society and have also helped initiate a processto ensure responsive and accountable governance." Morerecently, these movements have given way to a more profes-sionalized approach to development, and have establishedvast networks for organizations with varying missions.

Hugely Expanding The citizen sector in India today is immense and expanding.

Exact figures vary, but according to Indianngo.com, mostagree there are one to two million citizen sector organizations(CSOs) functioning in India. CSOs in India operate locally,regionally, and nationally and vary in forms from societies totrusts to more informal, unregistered movements. Theyengage in a broad range of fields and activities. Some ofthese activities include but are not limited to: direct services,advocacy, education & training, monitoring & evaluation ofgovernment programs, and specific project implementation.

In this era of economic liberalization, the citizen sector inIndia has also burgeoned in clout. CSOs are now more visi-bly acknowledged for striving to fill the gap left by govern-ment and business sectors in terms of fulfilling basic livelihoodneeds of vulnerable and marginalized populations in society.It is no longer unheard of to have CSOs invited to the tablealongside policy makers in crafting effective legislation on spe-cific issues. Although there are critics to India's Domestic Vio-lence Act of 2002 and its limitations, drafts of the bill weresaid to be widely circulated among women's groups and orga-nizations. An example of the citizen sector's increasing influ-ence according to Minal Doshi, director of Setu Developmen-tal Intervention Centre in Gujarat, is Javed Abidi's determinedefforts to fight for disabled rights in India. "One person witha disability, who felt a part of the society, took the Govern-ment of India head-on because he felt that the State was notdoing enough to make him feel empowered and today, wehave a whole Act because of that" recalls Doshi.

Some engaged in citizen sector activities believe that a histori-cal opportunity for change exists at this juncture when the citi-zens' sector voice has become increasingly powerful and India'seconomic activities continue to grow. "With increased economicactivity in India, there is an opportunity for engaging poor peo-ple in productive and better paying vocations. So, in that sense,there is a window that has opened up that did not exist 20 yearsago," states C.V. Madhukar, founder/director of PRS LegislativeResearch, an independent initiative based in New Delhi.

Growing ChallengesYet as the citizen sector emerges as a stakeholder, they also face

a growing set of challenges. Externally, Madhukar believes that

the citizen sector is still pushed to the margins when decision-making opportunities present themselves. "Many policy makersstill see civil society as peripheral actors. Sometimes civil societyis seen as an ally (to help implement projects) and at other timesas a nuisance (when there are protests). From the point of viewof policy making, civil society has been limited in access andopportunities, and thus it has done less than it can." Madhukarsays.

Internally, accountability, credibility, and transparency amongsome CSOs have come into question. Often times, effectivemonitoring and evaluation mechanisms of CSOs have not beenestablished which makes it difficult to assess the impact of theirwork. CSOs with political and religious affiliations are at timesable to unfairly secure larger public benefits and influence. Inaddition, some CSOs that have grown in funding resources andnetworks often become more hierarchical and lose the spirit oftheir original mission. Sogani affirms this through her own expe-riences, "The emergence of the NGO movement, I feel, has killeda certain spirit, to some extent. The spirit of people to cometogether, to conjure up courage, bring up issues, challenge theestablishments, motivate others to join the movement, and car-rying it forward against all odds has somehow gone down a bit.At least in Uttranchal, I have seen fewer movements in the pastfew years compared to 70s and 80s. NGOs have been actingmore as a parallel govt, and instead of promoting self-sufficiency,they have made people more dependant than before." The evo-lution of the citizen sector from its roots in people's movementshas also presented challenges for CSOs where leadership is con-cerned. Just as movements of the past were inspired and drivenby charismatic leaders, CSOs have faced sustainability challengeswhen the dynamic leader and founder becomes the sole heartand face of the organization without building capacity and acommitment towards carrying the mission forward from within.

Created Positive ImpactsDespite these ongoing challenges, most would agree that

the citizen sector in India has offered more positive socialimpacts over time than in the converse. As of late, the sec-tor has been developing clever and creative ways of partner-ing, collaborating and overcoming barriers with both thegovernment and corporate sectors to enhance its influenceand impact across the country. In this decisive moment inhistory where economic growth in India has the potential toeither furnish access to opportunities to disadvantaged pop-ulations or increase the divide between the haves and have-nots, the evolving role of the citizens sector becomes increas-ingly important. The citizen sector might very well serve asthe catalyst in lessening this precarious divide.

[email protected]

INDIA ranks 4th in the world accoding to its US $ 2.6 trillion GDP in terms of Purchasing Power Parity(PPP). Yet its Human Development Index (HDI) rank

is 126th in the world in 2006. The HDI is developed bythe United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) asa measure of three indicators - health, education andeconomy of the country.

In 2000, the United Nations GeneralAssembly adopted the Millennium Develop-ment Goals (MDGs) -- eight goals for mem-ber nations to fulfill by 2015 (see figure).The MDGs correspondedwell with the UNDP’sindices for human devel-opment.

In order to achievethese goals, countriesmust work hard andspend effectively. Part ofwhat makes a countryunderdeveloped is gov-ernment systems that areimbued with bureaucra-cy, lethargy and corrup-tion. Lack of reliable datahinders developmentefforts. In order to collect relaiable data andimplement programs there must be a nation-al level network of committed organizationsoutside the government system. The Govern-ment and the Corporate Sector cannot besolely depended upon to accelerate humandevelopment in India. The only other majorforce that exists in the country is its morethan one million NGOs.

Pratham, interested in primary education, conductedIndia's Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) with thehelp of 482 NGOs. The mobilization of over 20,000 vol-unteers across the country - 549 districts in 28 states, isa great example of effective NGO networking(http://www.pratham.org/).

The Akshaya Patra Foundation currently providesapproximately 800 thousand hygienic and nutritious Mid-Day meals (MDM) to underprivileged school childreneveryday in 14 locations in India. This is exemplary of apublic-private partnership model where the volunteer orga-nization is working with the Central and State

Governments, along with corporations to imple-ment the MDM program (http://www.akshaya-patra.org/).

Share and Care Foundation, a New Jerseybased NGO, has been working to improve health

and education in Indiathrough a few hundredNGOs over the past twenty-five years demonstrating thatthe NRI contribution can bechanneled for developmentin India (http://www.share-andcare.org/)

These examples of net-working for implementingprograms at a national leveldemonstrate the scope forforming national alliances byNGOs. Governments and

corporations can lend their support but the realimplementation is by the NGOs. A large numberof NGOs need to work in concerted manner onvarious activities across the country to improve theHDI of India from its current 0.611 to that of adeveloped nation (0.8). For reference, Norway isranked first in the world with an HDI of 0.965 andNiger is at the bottom with 0.311.

A list of more than 1000 NGOs who worked in collabo-ration with other NGOs is compiled and posted on the web- www.afhd.org. If these NGOs function as a teams at thegrassroots level, the underlying cause of the problems canbe addressed successfully to make India a developed country soon.

[email protected]

NNGGOOss ffoorr DDeevveellooppmmeenntt

AA CCaallll ffoorr aa NNeeww OOrrddeerr ooff NNoonn--GGoovveerrnnmmeennttaall OOrrggaanniizzaattiioonnss ((NNGGOOss)) ffoorr BBeetttteerr aanndd FFaasstteerr PPrrooggrreessss..

DR. SRINIVASA RAO

EESSSSAAYYCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

58

www.guidestar.org

www.yearofmicrocredit.org

www.enterprise-development.org

www.ruralfinance.org

www.developmentmarketplace.org

www.wbcsd.org

www.microfinancegateway.org

www.developmentbookshop.org

www.idealist.org

www.devdir.org

www.microlinks.org

www.seepnetwork.org

www.mdgs-un-org.org

Thedirectory of

developmentorganizations,listing 51,000developmentorganizations,

has been prepared to

facilitate internationalcooperation

and knowledgesharing in

delvelopment work, both among

civil societyorganizations,

researchinstitutions,

governmentsand theprivatesector.

www.devdir.org

october 2007 catalyst magazine

Documents