A DECADE of ACTION, a LIFETIME of IMPACT ] American India Foundation • Annual Report 2010 - 2011
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[ A DECADE OF ACTION, A LIFETIME OF IMPACT ] American India Foundation • Annual Report 2010 - 2011 “AIF’s sustained work over the last decade has not only made a tangible difference to thousands of Indians who are yet to see the benefits of the country’s macro-economic success but is increasingly [ having scale impact by influencing government policy on meeting the needs and rights of the poor.” ] —Salil Shetty, Secretary General, Amnesty International MILLION LIVES 1.5 CHANGED A DECADE OF ACTION A LIFETIME OF IMPACT Today, the narrative of India’s emerging grandeur through rapid economic growth and its symbolism as a bold and powerful tiger set to join the Chi- nese dragon to make Asia an economic power is alluring. Yet this story paints an incomplete portrait of a complex society that defies generaliza- tion, marked by stunning contrasts and an unparalleled human and cultur- al diversity. For those of us who have experienced India firsthand, we un- derstand that this is still a country grappling with devastating poverty, its growth leaving many of its citizens behind in the margins of society. In order to meet India’s long-term development challenges, we’ve realized the need to be responsive, open, and adaptable to rapidly changing needs on the ground and listen closely to the voices that of- ten go unheard. While building an organization that is professional, transparent, credible, secular, and knowledge-based, we have sought to design solutions that are not only assured to make long- term impact, but that are designed along a development life cycle. This runs the gamut from ensuring the health of new mothers and infants, to building the foundation for children’s success through edu- cation, to creating sustainable livelihoods and the link to formal employment for adults to guarantee that economic growth is an equitable opportunity. As we reflect back upon the first ten years of our [journey, we can say with confidence that this was truly a decade of action with a lifetime of impact. [ [ TABLE OF CONTENTS ] From our Honorary Chair 5 21 Developing Leaders From our Board of Directors 6 22 Equalizing Economic Opportunity From our Chief Executive Officer 8 25 Building a Movement Ten Years of Impact 10 26 Partnerships & Impact 2010 - 2011 Catalyzing Sectorwide Change 12 30 Financials AIF’s Presence in India 2010 - 2011 13 34 AIF People AIF On the Ground 14 40 Donors Saving Lives 17 46 Photographs Creating a Foundation 18 Annual Report produced by Patrick DiStefano, Drew Foxman and Chand Nirankari [ FROM OUR HONORARY CHAIR ] Dear Friend: In the wake of the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, people around the United States came forward willing to lend a hand to those impacted in western India. Inspired by that outpouring of support, the founders of AIF created a permanent organization to serve as a trusted bridge for philanthropy between the U.S. and India. Ten years later, AIF has positively influenced the lives of millions of marginalized people in Gujarat and be- yond. And this year, AIF’s Clinton Fellowship for Service program will begin to incorporate young professional Indians into the program as well, providing an exciting opportunity for the future leaders of United States and India to work together in support of those in need. I am confident that the experience of this Fellowship will empower them to continue learning about one another and serving their nations in the years to come. Thank you to all those supporters who have made AIF’s journey over the past decade possible. Sincerely, William Jefferson Clinton [ American India Foundation - 5 - Annual Report 2010 - 2011 ] [ FROM OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS ] Dear Friends, AIF is ten years old and still growing! We have evolved from an orga- Looking towards the next ten years, we have identified several key nization that primarily raised funds and made grants to Indian NGOs areas on which to focus. Gender and equality will be more explicitly to one of the largest, secular, India-focused philanthropies in the U.S., integrated into our existing programs. Women tend to be more mar- and now implement cutting-edge “signature programs” of our own ginalized in current Indian society, and we now plan to incorporate in partnership with NGOs. In doing so, we have reached over 1.5 mil- projects that focus on education for girls and livelihoods for women in lion marginalized Indians while positively affecting many more. This addition to our established maternal and neonatal health programs. continued involvement is a testimony to the fact that we are an or- To this end, we have already begun to open more Digital Equalizer ganization whose sum is greater than its parts, whose mission and labs in girls’ schools. Furthermore, we are in the process of develop- purpose propel the AIF Board, Trustees, and staff to work for the less ing full-time staff positions in India that will focus purely on gender is- fortunate in India and strengthen the bridge between the two greatest sues. Beyond gender, we will consciously work on creating, dissemi- democracies in the world. nating, and implementing our lessons learned to influence the sector, increase opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and expand A significant milestone within AIF’s growth occurred in 2008. We de- into geographies where we do not currently have a presence. cided to build on our programmatic experience and concentrate our focus on programs which had the highest return on investment and Our future is bright, and we are confident we will be able to achieve impact on the marginalized through policy and direct intervention. In greater impact on the lives of more people in AIF’s second decade. doing so, we were able to build scale, increase our presence in India, We could not do this without your continued involvement. We are very and perhaps most importantly, leverage our knowledge and experi- grateful for your support and your guidance. ence so that all of our programs run more effectively and efficiently. Sincerely, Over this time, we have greatly expanded our footprint in the U.S. There are now well-established and flourishing AIF chapters in Chi- cago, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Dallas, with most of these cities also producing robust Young Professionals networks. Victor Menezes Additionally, our membership, including the Board, Trustees, staff, AIF Chair volunteers, and donors, has become greatly diversified to incorporate a much higher percentage of non-Indians. We are very proud of this as it will further bolster relationships between India and the U.S. in the future. Lata Krishnan Pradeep Kashyap AIF Vice Chair AIF Vice Chair [ American India Foundation - 6 - Annual Report 2010 - 2011 ] Dear Friends, On behalf of AIF’s Board of Directors, Trustees, staff, and the ex- tended network of tireless volunteers, I would like to present this year’s annual report. 2010-11 was very noteworthy for AIF, not just in the amount of work that we accomplished this year, but also in the completion of a decade’s worth of effort for our organization. We have now directly reached over 1.5 million marginalized Indi- ans, and when you consider that for every young woman who we teach a livelihood to in MAST, every rickshaw driver we help attain his own vehicle through Rickshaw Sangh, or every child that we keep in school in LAMP, their entire families and even their com- munities are positively affected so that the magnitude of our reach is exponentially greater than what we present here. I am also proud to recount that as the global economy slowly picks up after several dark years of recession, AIF was able to increase our inputs and up our revenue from the prevous year by nearly $1 million. Given that we pride ourselves at AIF on keeping an extremely low overhead, with nearly 85% of funding going directly to on the ground program costs, this $1 million increase alone has contributed to reaching a significantly greater number of people than last year. Part of this was through new programs that were launched, including branching into new parts of the country, in- creasing our services to women, and availing more support for individuals with disabilities. Our signature programs continue to mature and become increas- ingly self-sustaining enterprises, allowing us to further leverage and scale them up. A few of the cumulative and yearly highlights of these programs are on the following page. [ FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ] • The Digital Equalizer (DE) program has now reached 24,000 • AIF’s “William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India” had an- teachers and 750,000 children in 2,077 schools across India. Ad- other stellar year, sending 24 excellent young Americans to work ditionally, we have just signed agreements allowing us to expand with NGOs across India, and bringing the number of Fellows sent this program with the introduction of “DE-Lite,” which will exist as to India to more than 230. a sustainability component that will provide some oversight in DE schools after AIF finishes our work there, ensuring successful use Lastly, over this past year we incorporated a number of new mem- of the technology for years to come in impoverished areas. bers in the AIF family at the Board, Trustee, and staff levels, all of whom have joined us with high levels of energy and excitement for • The Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) has educated over our organizational mission, and who have already begun to make 237,500 children in predominantly rural areas where the children, a demonstrable impact for us. Clearly, 2010-2011 was another ban- who are members of migrant families, would likely have dropped ner year for AIF and a suitable ending to our first decade as an or- out of the school system at an early age.