December 2007 Edition
Manisha Sobhrajani
New Delhi
THE National Foundation for India (NFI) celebrated 15 years of its existence
on November 5 and 6. Along with a seminar, NFI chose to show the work it
has been supporting through an evocative photo exhibition titled, ‘15 Years
of Making a Difference.’ Sudharak Olwe, former NFI Media Fellow and winner
of several awards shot the pictures.
The photo exhibition is part of a larger effort by NFI to document the work of
the NGOs and community groups it supports. Many men, women and children
worked tirelessly under difficult conditions to organise and acquire skills for the
upliftment of their communities. NFI thought 15 years was a good time to
reflect on its achievements and showcase the impact of its work.
The pictures depict diverse achievements: a group of women in Orissa built
their own toilets, and did not need to venture out into the beach and face the
ire of hotel owners; mohalla residents in Orissa who bought and installed their
own transformer after years of waiting for government support; the first school
ever in the community of the Mushahar tribes in Bihar; a citizens’ radio programme, ‘Chala ho gaon ma!’ (‘Let’s go to the village!’), recorded by and for villagers
in Jharkhand; tribal women’s self-help groups in Bihar, and a travelling
school for shepherd children in Meghalaya.
Founded in 1992 by Kamla Chowdhry, MS Swaminathan and C Subramaniam,
NFI has been funding several development projects all over India. Its current
focus is on community health, local governance, elementary education, peace
and justice, development journalism, citizens and society, and livelihood security.
Certain basic principles cut across all programme areas: gender equity and justice, participation in development, and institution and knowledge building.
The foundation focuses on making grants to groups working in the northeastern
and eastern states as well as in remote poverty endemic areas across the
country.
Apart from money NFI helps grassroots groups connect with donors, experts,
academicians, and policy makers. It promotes setting up institutions run by local citizens that would be able to develop and change in response to the community’s
needs and skills.
At the launch of the photo exhibition, Susan V. Berresford, President of the Ford Foundation said philanthropy was serious business,and it ought to be taken in all earnestness. As president of the foundation, she has focused on supporting programmes around the world that strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation and advance human achievement. Chief guest Anu Aga, chairman, Thermax Ltd, talked about the significant social role that big corporate houses and industry associations can play in philanthropy and strengthening civil society. In 2002, she decided to put aside one per cent of her company’s profits for the social sector. She is chairperson of the NGO Akanksha, which runs education projects for underprivileged children in Mumbai and Pune. A seminar titled, ‘Partnership in Development: Philanthropy and Public Action’, was organised at the India Habitat Centre on November 6. The seminar concluded with a plenary session titled, ‘The Way Ahead for the National Policy on the Voluntary Sector 2007’.
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