The US Census ranks South Asians as one of the most economically successful ethnic groups in America. Along with making economic gains, South Asians have also been increasing their political clout in government. From the creation of various grassroots organizations in major cities to the election of desis to political office, South Asians are becoming more organized and finding ways to exert their influence. Taking advantage of the community’s affluence and political power, some first generation Indians are now using their skills to start organizations and bring much needed assistance to India. Through starting up non-profits, South Asian Americans are improving conditions in underdeveloped areas of India. These charities are largely successful in their mission through generous donations given by the community.
While a number of South Asians actively engage in philanthropy a large segment of the community hesitate to donate to charity fearing how their money will be spent. Will corruption misappropriate the funds into the hands of people that don’t need help? Will it go to pay the salaries of staff employed by the non-profit or will it be used for necessary services? While these are valid concerns, the answers to these questions can be found with just a few minutes of research. What needs to be emphasized is that there are a large number of non-profits engaging in positive and necessary work. These organizations are run by dedicated people who have the sincere intent of helping out those in need.
With a little investigation, people can verify how donated funds are being spent. Organizations like Charity Navigator and American Institute of Philanthropy track and investigate how wisely charities use and spend their contributions. Through Charity Navigator one can plug in the name of an organization and see a pie chart breakdown of how funds are being spent on services to those in need vs. administrative costs and fundraising expenses. Also included is a 4 star rating system to let people know how efficiently charities perform. The amount of revenue the charity brings in is documented for the public to see along with how much is spent on overhead costs and what’s allocated for services. For those non-profits not yet listed on sites like Charity Navigator, the potential donor can spend a few minutes researching an organization online. It helps to research whether these organizations have won national or international awards for their work, have had news stories written about their success, or citing other credible sources that track charity work. With this transparency a reluctant person who’s unsure about contributing their time or money can decide which non-profit is most capable of putting their donation to use.
Save-A-Mother (SAM) is one such organization with low administrative costs. Funding has been used strictly to train several hundred local health activists in Uttar Pradesh. These women monitor and educate expecting mothers to prevent pregnancy complications. Health activists also encourage mothers to seek health care from local medical facilities to ensure safety for both the mother and child. All other administrative needs are taken care of by volunteers of chapters in various cities.
Outreach efforts for SAM have helped increase its membership and made the organization more visible. Online social networks like Facebook and Linked-in have proved to be valuable tools in raising awareness about SAM’s life-saving work. A recent wine tasting event hosted by Master Sommelier, Alpana Singh, and sponsored by Chicago based non-profit Ekya also helped raise funds for SAM. Coming up on May 2nd, SAM will be hosting an annual fundraising event at Mars Gallery in Chicago (see back for more details).
SAM’s progress to reduce maternal mortality will be largely successful as more and more members of the South Asian community discover the importance of philanthropy and giving back.
As support grows, Save-A-Mother expects to expand its program on a larger scale by training even more health activists, increasing its reach by working in additional villages, and raising even greater awareness of reducing maternal and infant mortality.
Photo taken by Save-A-Mother staff.
Solution 1: The Pancham Mahila Vikas Sangathan along with various healthcare and philanthropic organizations collaborated together to bring efficient healthcare services to the women of Kutch, Gujarat. A survey conducted by the Sangathan showed that various health issues had proven to be problematic and detrimental to the women living in the area. This was largely due to the lack of government and private healthcare facilities; therefore, a new system had to be developed to attend to these health issues. As a first step, nurses were sent to the impoverished areas on behalf of the Sangathan in order to perform physical exams and provide basic medical education to the women. Click on this link to read more about how the Sangathan molded itself into successfully delivering healthcare to the women of Kutch.
Solution 2: For a population of over 8 million, Tehran offers exemplary primary health care and sanitation, with vaccination rates at 100%, close to universal access to clean water, and 80% of pregnant women examined three times during their pregnancy. The Women Health Volunteers (WHV) program is an integral part of Iran’s primary health care plan. It includes a network of 100,000 women who help the government with health and hygiene in urban areas like Tehran. Women volunteers are trained in the program’s health centers and then sent out to educate their families and neighbors. Click on this link to learn more about this path-breaking program whose chief architect, Dr. Hossein Malek-Afzali, won the U.N. Population Award in 2007.
