subject: An Informal Network Of Philanthropists [print this page] An Informal Network Of Philanthropists An Informal Network Of Philanthropists
"There is a natural law, a Divine law, that obliges you and me to relieve the suffering, the distressed and the destitute". ~ Conrad Hilton
One person can make a difference. A group of Friends can make a very big difference. A few years ago, a single philanthropist supporting a single institution had an idea. Why not invite some friends to help support the institution? And why not have the friends share their ideas for other causes and organizations and programs that might be worthy of support?
Today that group - it has no official name or charter, but the informal members of the network call it "Caring Friends" - includes more than 200 people supporting 35 institutions in nine different states in India.
One of the Friends, retired businessman Ramesh Kacholia, recently told me that the sole objective is helping truly outstanding humanitarian institutions working in the tribal, backward rural areas or slums of big cities in any part of our country.
When a Friend suggests an organization, a few core Friends personally visit and assess the cause. If they make a donation themselves, the other Friends know it is indeed a good cause, and many of them make donations, too.
Among the causes that Rameshbhai and his network support is Parivaar - an orphanage run by a dedicated IIM Calcutta alumnus, Vinayak Lohane. My wife Girija and I visited Parivaar and were inspired by the tremendous work Vinayak is doing to take care of orphaned children roaming the red light districts of Kolkotta as well as tribal children from the interiors of West Bengal and Jharkand.
In many cases, those kids have been hungry all their lives; their health must be restored before they can begin learning. For example, many of the tribal children grew up eating only two meals a day - a small portion of rice from government rations, and then barely edible wild potatoes that the kids dug up, boiled and then flavored with crushed red ants. We saw how a few weeks of a healthy diet - three nutritious meals a day - can turn emaciated, listless children into enthusiastic and energetic young learners.
I first met Rameshbhai when my company called Vinayak to Mumbai to grant him the 'Spirit of Mastek' award - a quarterly award that our team gives to people who make an outstanding contribution to the society at large.
Last week, Rameshbhai took me to another educational venture that the Friends are supporting: a government-aided school in Bandra, Mumbai, where Rajiv Vartak and his team are doing a wonderful job making science and math come alive for children through experiments and more hands-on pedagogical methods.
With their seven years of experience in this school, this group had now ventured into training teachers in dozens of other schools. Rajiv, a committed and enthusiastic teacher and Ashoka scholar, has dedicated his life to making science and math fun for children.
What Rameshbhai and the other Friends have achieved is truly phenomenal. His personal mission, after a long and successful business career, is to discover and nurture causes that have not yet achieved widespread awareness. His network is like an 'Angel funding network' - aimed at social ventures rather than business ventures. A few of the angels spend more time in mentoring the causes, while others provide the funding.
What stops any of us from forming such a network and spending a little time and money is supporting a few causes? Please do share your insights and aspirations in this regards.
