Between You and Me

30 Years of Unexpected Journeys

Small Experiments in Creating a Better World

….a personal perspective 

 

When we first started children’s Hope India in New York in the 1992, it all started with a simple phone call on our landlines – there were hardly any cell phones or smart phones. There was certainly no social media – five friends got together over a cup of tea and brainstormed on ways of giving back to their home country. It was the idea of Dr. Dina Pahlajani and each of us brought our special skills and talents to it, making it into the viable organization it is today,  (www.childrenshopeindia.org) able to help hundreds of thousands of children through its 20 projects in India, and some in NYC.

Thirty years is a long time.

We had all come as immigrants and had settled into the flow and promise of America. With our children in school and our careers taking off, we wanted to do something to help the forgotten children back home, in villages and slums, to help them find their way to a better future through education.

Children’s Hope India started out truly as a small home-grown effort, a cottage industry fueled by our own modest funding and staffed by our own families as we took on the daunting task of launching a non-profit organization – fund-raising, banking, networking, researching projects, publicity and promotion and making connections in the burgeoning Indian community.

There was the excitement of starting something from scratch and our families – husbands and wives – were part of these informal think tanks. There was a lot of friendship and humor. Our children were the stamp-lickers and the gift packers, our husbands were ready to do deliveries and cheerfully call for takeout since no one had time to cook during fundraising time. It was very personal for each one of us, a joyous undertaking, and we were not afraid to cold-call corporations or reach out to power people. Instinctively we knew people are good and we found often all we had to do was be bold and ask.

The universe sent us fashion designers and celebrities and performers to make our small organization really shine – supporters like Suneet Varma, Rohit Bal, Shashi Tharoor, Indra Nooyi, Padma Lakshmi and Jhumpa Lahiri. We segued from one successful fundraiser to the next. More passionate friends came on the executive board and more devoted volunteers joined the team. The fund-raising snowballed and we were able to take on larger projects in underserved areas in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, always looking to nurture the whole child. All this was done while having no staff, and projects in India were visited on our own time and dime. Till today each one of us pays for our own expenses including our tickets to the black tie gala.

Thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye and this small effort, this little germ of an idea has grown into a solid institution transforming the lives of tens of thousands of children, with over 20 projects and schools in India where the girl child is not only nurtured but encouraged to find her place in the world. We are working with the government in bringing early education, remedial learning and better health to all these children. Today we are blessed with dedicated staff and an insightful advisory board – all there to take CHI to the new challenges India faces.

Thirty years is a long time and I remember when I first visited the slum area of Kathputli Colony the children were barefoot, many in rags, just hanging around. The CHI Prayas Center gave them a purpose, informal learning, uniforms, shoes and so much more. It is awe-aspiring to think these children are now adults and that CHI helped in building their characters and made them earning members of society.

Yes, these three decades have changed the lives of so many of these children and given them a blueprint for the future. But CHI has transformed our lives and those of our families too, by giving us an opportunity to interact with a world we may never have encountered. Through CHI, our children and grandchildren have learned the meaning of sharing and often travel to projects in India and New York to serve, to teach and to entertain.

What We Saw…

Last September I lost my husband Jackie who was an integral part of CHI since Day One. What better way to honor him than to turn to CHI?  Asha Kendra School is in the economically challenged refugee community of Anganwah in Jodhpur, which he had visited and loved, with its brave struggling migrants.  We celebrated his life this year by feeding the hundred children of the school a festive meal, showcasing their music and art, and initiating a day of service in Jackie’s memory where the children planted green saplings and cleaned up their own neighborhood.

 

Indeed, the last 30 years have been a wonderful journey, a series of small experiments in creating a better world. We are so much the richer for it – so please won’t you join us in this adventure in giving?

www.childrenshopeindia.org