Powered by GivingPi : What We’re Unlocking
Radhika & Kartik Bharat Ram host Kiawah Trust leaders Lynne & Peter Smitham for dialogue on trust-based philanthropy for women and girls
GivingPi Members, Radhika and Kartik Bharat Ram, of the KARM Fellowship hosted a gathering with sector shaping philanthropists Lynne and Peter Smitham of the Kiawah Trust to share their journey on supporting women and girls in India and the power of trust-based philanthropy. The evening, attended by select families, institutional foundations, practitioners and experts working on issues that affect girls and women, saw an engaging conversation on the idea that trust is the cornerstone of effective philanthropy, advocating for a more collaborative and equitable approach to address gender equity issues in India.
Updates from the Community
Rumana Hamied (Cipla Foundation) and NIMHANS launch first-of-its-kind neuro-palliative care unit in Bengaluru
GivingPi Member, Rumana Hamied, is the Managing Trustee at Cipla Foundation, which has partnered with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), and set up a first-of-its-kind neuro-palliative care unit in Bengaluru. This integrated unit provides support to over 2,000 individuals with neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's, Dementia, and Parkinson’s, through in- patient, out-patient, home care services, and offers teleconsultation services to patients as well as their families and caregivers. The unit also has a multidisciplinary team of medical and social work professionals providing comprehensive support to patients and their families, free of cost, as they navigate symptoms associated with progressive conditions. To know more, click here.
Viral Saraf Mittal and Radha Goenka collaborate on The Heritage Project to revive Worli Koliwada and Worli Fort
GivingPi Member, Viral Saraf Mittal, Director, Vinati Organics Limited and RPG Foundation, helmed by GivingPi member Radha Goenka, have collaborated for "The Heritage Project" anchored by the Foundation, which works at the intersection of People, Places, and Communities – creating positive impact for all. The vision of the initiative is to revive India’s rich heritage and culture, to create awareness about its significance, and increase focus on its preservation. After completing the upliftment of community spaces around Banganga in Mumbai, through art, installation of signages and heritage themed civic amenities, The Heritage Project is starting the art revival work in Mumbai’s Worli Koliwada. This collaboration is working to revive areas of Worli Koliwada and the Worli Fort, through a diverse set of interventions in the physical space and with the community that inhabits the area, by creating artistic murals in the vicinity.
Rekha & Rizwan Koita launch Abhilasha tech-education program for underprivileged girls in Rajasthan
GivingPi Members, Rekha and Rizwan Koita, are the Co-Founders of Koita Foundation, which has played an instrumental role in bringing to life a program called ‘Abhilasha’, aimed at empowering underprivileged girls in Rajasthan. Abhilasha is a 15-month residential program which teaches girls from disadvantaged and marginalized communities software programming. This program also works on developing 21st- century life skills to help with upskilling and employability. At the end of the program, the girls are placed in reputable companies as software programmers or data analysts. A collaborative program between Vidya Bhawan Society, a 90-year-old prestigious educational institute in Udaipur, and NavGurukul which runs similar centers in other parts of the country, Abhilasha, is sponsored by Bajaj Finserv and Koita Foundation. The program saw a successful launch with 100 girls in the center from across 14 districts in Rajasthan. Many of these girls are first- generation learners in their families. To know more, click here.
Pragya Kapoor (Ek Saath) partners with Anita & Gautam Chellaram to launch Swachh Kokari Sundar Kokari waste-management initiative
GivingPi Member, Pragya Kapoor, is the Founder of Ek Saath - The Earth Foundation, which recently inaugurated the Swachh Kokari Sundar Kokari project, a waste management program in Kokari, Wadala, Mumbai. The program aims to create a model for waste management in dense slum settlements in urban areas, rooted in community empowerment and sustainability. One of the focus areas is cleaning up the Nullah, a tributary of the Mithi River, by introducing and institutionalizing the concept of waste segregation at source to the 20,000+ community of Kokari. In addition to the tributary clean up, the program also includes plans of creating a plastic waste bank in the local school in Kokari and deploying compost pits to generate an alternate income for the community. GivingPi Members, Anita & Gautam Chellaram have collaborated with Ek Saath for this project. This partnership has been enabled by the GivingPi network. To know more, click here.
Hima Reddy (IndiVillage Foundation) expands Tech Her Forward with new computer labs across rural Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
GivingPi Member, Hima Reddy, is the Director of IndiVillage Foundation, a non- profit bridging the learning gap in rural India through digital literacy and 21st- century skills. The Foundation has been striving to bridge the skill gap and gender gap in the tech workforce through their gender-based STEM education program, Tech Her Forward. Since its inception in 2019, the program has faced many challenges in reaching the last mile due to the lack of computer labs in government and low-budget private schools in rural India. To address this, the Foundation is planning to set up computer labs in 15 schools identified during their outreach in rural Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Their aim is to empower adolescent girls in last-mile communities with vital STEM education and 21st-century skills, thereby ensuring their brighter future. To know more about this initiative, write to [email protected] or click here.
Meheen Rangoonwala (Rangoonwala Foundation) hosts Bal Utsav celebrating cultural expression with 950+ children
GivingPi Member, Meheen Rangoonwala’s organisation Rangoonwala Foundation (India) Trust celebrated Children's Day with Bal Utsav on December 9, 2023 with the theme Traditions & Cultures of different States of India. The event was a space for fun, learning and providing a platform for cultural expression for children who are part of the community centres run by the Foundation. The event saw participation from more than 950 children. Through their campaign ‘Reaching the Unreached Children’ the event also reached out to local areas in the periphery of the community centres through the Rangoonwala Community Centric Interventions. The aim is to reach a total of 3,000 children over the next two months and continue education and overall development interventions with them through the community based initiative Bal Umang.
Vipul & Shibani Jain launch HAMARI VIRASAT travelling textile exhibit celebrating 75 years of the Constitution
GivingPi Member, Vipul and Shibani Jain are launching a travelling exhibit that will go to major cities in India. HAMARI VIRASAT (Our Heritage) is a spectacular mural showcasing 75 handmade textiles to celebrate 75 years of the Indian Constitution. The idea is to shine light on the artisanal and handmade sector in a visual manner that will capture the attention of the public. It will enable artisanal sales and workshops for artisans to benefit directly from the campaign. The campaign will be launched on 12th Jan 2024 at CSMVS in Mumbai. GivingPi, on behalf of Vipul & Shibani Jain would like to extend an invitation to join and witness the exhibit in- person. Reach out to Ethna Ghosh ([email protected]) to request an invite for this event and also if you’re keen to partner to bring this mural to other cities in India.
Usha & Radhakrishnan Sundar inaugurate first India-based 2K Foundation basketball court at MPS CBSE Mithagar School
GivingPi Members, Usha and Radhakrishnan Sundar, established a new Basketball Court at MPS CBSE Mithagar School in Mumbai on the 14th of December. This project was supported by 2K Foundations from the USA (their first court in India) and the chief guest for the function was Ronnie 2K [the face of the 2K - the #1 basketball game (with NBA)]. The inauguration event was an evening filled with celebration, inspiration, and the spirit of community. What stood out was the adornment of the Basketball court with a captivating Mural Art that beautifully reflects the essence of Mumbai, intertwined with the energy of the game of basketball. This initiative represents an opportunity to bring joy, education, and teamwork to the children of BMC School in Mumbai, and for the Hi5 Youth Foundation, this also marks a pivotal global relationship that would help them take their program to the next level with international support.
Avantika Saraogi (Balrampur Chini Mills) leads sustainability initiatives including water conservation, plantations & community infrastructure
GivingPi Member, Avantika Saraogi, is from the Promoter family of Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd (BCML), which has been prioritizing equitable, sustainable development for the farming communities it serves in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, they installed 5 hand pumps, refurbished 36 ponds and executed a large-scale plantation initiative in their farming communities, thus making substantial strides in championing biodiversity conservation and continuing their attempts to combat climate change.
Alekha Choksey speaks at COP28 on climate migration and resilience, supported by Biyash & Abhiraj Choksey
Alekha Choksey, daughter of GivingPi Members Biyash & Abhiraj Choksey spoke at the prestigious COP28 event in Dubai on 7th December 2023 in association with Indiaspora. As a 17-year-old Climate Action Youth Champion, she not only spoke about a world that needs to be more cognizant of the looming climate crisis but she also spoke about her own initiative in Mumbai, the Climate Resilience Project. Through her initiative she conducted research on seasonal climate migration of the sugarcane-cutter communities from Beed, Maharashtra, and she was also instrumental in anchoring an initiative to help Navchetana Sarvangin Vikas Kendra (NSVK), a local NGO working with such communities, in building a residential school for the students of Beed, who would otherwise be compelled to migrate with their parents and would not be able to continue their education. Besides raising USD 31,000 for the establishment of a residential school in the area, she has also created a robust resource network comprising leading Indian NGOs such as Swades and Yuva Parivartan, for the grassroots NGO NSVK.
Nisha Goenka (Srujan Project) hosts community children’s boutique providing clothing and essentials to underserved families
Giving Pi Member, Nisha Goenka, recently organized a unique shopping experience for underprivileged children through the Srujan Project, a Bangalore-based community service organization, co-founded by Nisha and a small group of friends. The Srujan Project members collected donations of new and gently used children’s clothing, toys, books, shoes, accessories and blankets from the Bangalore community. On the day of the event, the Srujan Project team cleared the desks and chairs from a local government school and assembled a children’s boutique. Over 100 delighted children from the surrounding community were given tokens to “shop” inside the boutique. Since its inception in 2018, Nisha and her Srujan Project co-founders have raised nearly 200 lakhs for various social service organizations through thoughtfully curated community events. The mission of the Srujan Project team is to integrate social work with people’s busy social lives to create a culture of fun, event-based, community service.
Why do children with serious illnesses need palliative care?
Rumana Hamied | Fortune India
In this opinion piece, GivingPi Member, Rumana Hamied, makes a case for palliative care to be especially tailored to the needs of young patients as it plays a crucial role in ensuring their well-being and improving their quality of life.
What does a successful digital transformation require?
Rekha Koita | India Development Review
GivingPi Member, Rekha Koita, expresses how digitization can streamline a nonprofit’s operations by simplifying data collection and reporting. In this piece, she mentions six factors that are critical to a successful technology implementation.
