Corporate givers like Rohini Nilekani make every buck count.
India Inc. and its residents are waking up to the difference between charity and philanthropy. That could, as several works-in-progress demonstrate, result in some good.
Thinking woman’s philanthropy: Rohini Nilekani with some of the beneficiaries of the microfinance initiative Sanghamitra, of which she is a part.
Type: Interview
Family matters
Will the great Indian family become a myth or an extinct entity? The Indian family system has upheld Indian culture. But now, the value system has changed and with it the structure and nature of the family too.
The book ‘The Great Indian Families: New Roles, Old responsibilities’ by Gitanjali Prasad dwells upon these
emerging new roles and responsibilities of the middle-class Indian family.
Rohini Nilekani released the book and said that she found the book very insightful.
A story a day to keep ignorance at bay
Nearly 50 per cent of the children studying in the government schools in Karnataka have not reached the required levels of learning. That has been what the Karnataka State Quality Assessment Organisation, Department of Education, found out in its first statewide study of the education scenario, released last week.
Another survey conducted by Akshara Foundation and facilitated by Pratham, the Annual Survey on Education Report, corroborated this.
Akshara Foundation’s new project in 1,400 govt schools
The project is being taken up to ensure that all students from Standards two to seven read and learn. “The project will begin in July this year, and by November, we hope to see a remarkable difference in the children,” said Mr Ashok Kamath of the Akshara Foundation, at the Rotary Service Award function 2006 in Bangalore on Monday.
Akshara Foundation presented Rotary award
Foundation chairperson Rohini Nilekani accepts the award.
Ms. Nilekani said the foundation, as part of the Pratham Network, believed in giving underprivileged children the opportunity to learn and thereby empower them to take advantage of several more opportunities available for the educated.
50 Leaders re-shaping Indian Education – Acceptable Capitalists
Nandan Nilekani, managing director, Infosys Technologies Ltd and Rohini Nilekani, promoter trustee of the Akshara and Arghyam Trust foundations and trustee Pratham.
Rohini has promoted the Akshara Eoundation to improve learning outcomes in municipal schools in Bangalore and the Arghyam Trust Foundation to research ways and means to improve water availability to socio-economically disadvantaged citizens, with an aggregate endowment of over Rs.lOO crore.
Power Women – Stand Alone – Doing it All
Urban Indian Women are making choices and making them work.
ROHINI NILEKANI – 46 , S0CIAL WORKER – Stand Alone
Role call: Wears many hats in the social sector. A trust fund of Rs 100 crore focuses on access to water while the Akshara Foundation works with over one lakh children under the Pratham network. The former journalist also funds activities in areas of personal interest like poetry, yoga and music.
With technology you need water too
which Mr K N Shanth Kumar, Editor, Deccan Herald and Prajavani released the book Nashisuttiruva Neerina Gnana at Nayana hall at Kannada Bhavan on Wednesday, Dr Ananthamurthy detailed ancient and mythological references to water in order to highlight the necessity for sustainable use of this natural resource and preservation of water bodies.
Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson, Akshara Foundation and Araghyam Trust and Pratham Books opined that Bangalore had the worst urban model in the use of water.
Juniper-Akshara tieup provides libraries to poor
Juniper Networks has committed $34,080 to Akshara Foundation over three years to fund children’s libraries and educational resource centres (ERCs). The funding, done through Juniper Networks Foundation Fund, follows an earlier
grant of $7,500.
In six years Akshara Foundation has worked with over 1.65 lakh children through its educational programmes at
the pre-school, in-school and out-of-school level. The foundation, through its network of 50 libraries in Bangalore circulates over 75,000 books among its 11,000 members.
Slum kids to get lessons in mother tongue
The state government will now bank on the mother tongue to educate 1.5 lakh slum children and extend improved
facilities for poor students in government schools.
Speaking to reporters after inaugurating Akshara Khazana- a childrens’ library set up by Akshara foundation and Juniper Networks, IT M Vijay Baskhar, Secretary for primary and Secondary Education, said that the programme will be launched from the next academic session starting June after the selected teachers have undergone a 45-day training.