“There is a natural law, a divine law, that obliges you and me to alleviate suffering, the afflicted and the helpless.” ~ Conrad Hilton
A person can make a difference. A group of friends can make a 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 get friends to share their ideas about other causes and organizations and programs that might be worthy of support? Today that group – it has no official name or status, but informal members of the network call it “Solidarity Friends” – includes more than 200 people who support 35 institutions in nine different states of India.
One of the Friends, retired businessman Ramesh Kacholia, recently told me that the sole aim is to help truly outstanding humanitarian institutions working in tribal, backward rural areas or in the slums of big cities anywhere in our country. . When a friend suggests an organization, some top friends personally visit and assess the cause. If they make a donation themselves, the other Friends know it is a good cause, and many of them make donations too.
Among the causes that Rameshbhai and her network support is Parivaar, an orphanage run by a dedicated IIM Calcutta student, Vinayak Lohane. My wife Girija and I visited Parivaar and were inspired by the tremendous work that Vinayak is doing to care for orphaned children who roam the red light districts of Kolkotta, as well as tribal children from the interior of West Bengal and Jharkand. In many cases, these children have been hungry their entire lives; their health must recover before they can begin to learn. For example, many of the tribal children grew up eating just two meals a day: a small portion of rice from government rations and then barely edible wild potatoes that the children dug up, boiled, and then seasoned with mashed fire ants. We saw how a few weeks of a healthy diet – three nutritious meals a day – can turn emaciated and listless children into enthusiastic and energetic youngsters.
I met Rameshbhai when Mastek, my company, called Vinayak to Mumbai to present him with the ‘Spirit of Mastek’ award, a quarterly award that our team gives to individuals who make an outstanding contribution to society at large. Last week, Rameshbhai took me to another educational endeavor Friends are supporting: a government-supported school in Bandra, Mumbai, where Rajiv Vartak and his team are doing a wonderful job bringing science and math to life for children. children through experiments and more hands. -about pedagogical methods.
With their seven years of experience at this school, this group had now ventured to train teachers in dozens of other schools. Rajiv, a committed and enthusiastic teacher and studious from Ashoka, has dedicated his life to making science and math fun for children.
What Rameshbhai and the other Friends have accomplished is truly phenomenal. His personal mission, after a long and successful business career, is to discover and nurture causes that have not yet reached widespread awareness. Their network is like an ‘angel funding network’, targeting social businesses rather than business ventures. Some of the angels spend more time advising the causes, while others provide the funds.
What’s stopping us from forming such a network and spending a little time and money supporting some causes? Share your ideas and aspirations about it.