The George Foundation
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The George Foundation (TGF) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1995 with head office in Bangalore, India. Its founder is Dr. Abraham M. George, a successful business entrepreneur in the United States who returned to India to embark on a number of humanitarian projects. Today, after a decade of operations, the foundation George started has laid the groundwork for several projects that are presently addressing rural poverty.
The principal geographic area covered is rural Tamil Nadu (mainly in Krishnagiri district) and Karnataka states, serving over 16,000 people in 17 villages. The communities are some of the poorest in the nation: over 70 percent of the population has daily income of less than one dollar per person; illiteracy and malnutrition are both over 60 percent; female infanticide and bonded labor are prevalent.
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[edit] The George Foundation Mission
TGF’s mission is to alleviate poverty, promote health and a clean environment, and strengthen democratic institutions and values in India.
We pursue integrated holistic approaches to solving human problems. Accordingly, our projects create economic opportunity for the poor through business activities, and facilitate planned development through education, health care, empowerment of women, social justice, and good governance.
[edit] Projects
Consistent with the mission of the Foundation, TGF projects are grouped according to three objectives: alleviation of poverty, protection of health and the environment, and improvement of governance.
ALLEVIATE POVERTY
The Foundation runs several projects to effectively address the various dimensions of poverty. These projects are designed to improve education and health care delivery, offer amenities such as proper housing and adequate water resources, and create employment and sufficient income to sustain the rural poor family.
- Shanti Bhavan Boarding School
Shanti Bhavan evolved from the recognition that the innate abilities of impoverished children are no different from those of their more fortunate peers. Given a quality education and constant encouragement, they will realize their full potential as successful, productive members of society.
Shanti Bhavan recognizes that a nation’s most valuable asset is its children. They are its future, its hope for a better tomorrow.
Established in September 1997, the school and the campus are located in Baliganapalli, an impoverished area in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu in southern India. The students are selected from the surrounding areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The facilities at Shanti Bhavan accommodate a maximum of 336 children and their support staff.
The school is designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, with a number of ground wells, water storage tanks, a horticultural garden, orchards, and a bakery. In keeping with ecological concerns, much of the energy needs of the institution are met by solar power.
The Shanti Bhavan program is from pre-school to twelfth grade. The school is accredited by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi. The curriculum is consistent with that of top educational institutions, covering a wide array of subjects. Formal instruction in the initial three years is limited to language and mathematics. English is the medium of instruction, and Hindi and Tamil are taught by the fourth year. The children are also encouraged to pursue interests in sports, games, art, dance, music and drama.
- In addition to Shanti Bhavan, TGF is attempting to improve public schools in the area. The quality of education in government-run rural schools is generally poor. The most pressing problem is the paucity of teachers to cover all grades. Every rural school can perform well if it has at least the minimum facilities – ventilated classrooms, basic teaching materials, toilets, and a reference library --, and of course, competent and committed teachers.
- TGF’s Community Development Program offers training to young adults and uneducated women in skills needed for rural employment. These include driver training for trucks and tractors, use of earth-movers and other farming machinery, minor vehicle repair, installation and repair of irrigation systems, brick and tile manufacturing, masonry and construction of small buildings, modern farming techniques, tailoring, and other activities that can be readily applied in the rural sector. As farming expands and businesses move into villages, demand for skilled labor in these areas will steadily rise.
- Baldev Medical Centre
Infectious and parasitic diseases as well as chronic or degenerative diseases are among the common illnesses in the area. Respiratory infections, gastrointestinal problems, ailments caused by malnutrition, and skin diseases are wide-spread among the population. TGF's Baldev Medical Centre is equipped to handle such cases, as well as emergencies resulting from food poisoning, injuries, and complications in childbirth. Serious cases are immediately transported to a nearby city hospital.
Also, multi-specialty clinics are held on a rotation basis at fixed intervals. The specialties include obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, dermatology, eye, ENT and dentistry. Patients are charged a small fee for the services and medication, based on their ability to pay.
Each day Baldev health workers visit one or more of the 17 villages to follow up on cases of high-risk pregnancy, malnutrition, and other known serious conditions. Women of child-bearing age are provided iron and folic acid tablets, and children receive immunization. The entire population takes de-worming tablets every 6 months. They also offer Vitamin A to children below eight years, and high-protein powder to all those who suffer from malnutrition.
- Model Housing and Village Development
The quality of life for the village poor will remain deplorable as long as their homes lack minimal facilities. In our estimate, the floor area within a house should be no less than 300 sq. ft. for a family of two, and 350 sq. ft for up to five members. Every home should have a proper latrine, bath facilities, and a ventilated kitchen. Minimal smoke-free lighting and access to clean water are also essential.
Baldev Community Centre is promoting this housing plan in consultation with appropriate leaders of the community. TGF will provide part of the required funding toward any project approved within the Community Development Plan. Government grants and bank loans guaranteed by the Foundation (but repaid by the family over a number of years) cover the balance. Construction of model homes in one village is expected to begin in 2007.
- Agri-Business Training Centre - Women's Empowerment
Farming offers poor women, especially those from backward communities and lower castes, and who are mostly illiterate and untrained, an opportunity to better their lives. The women’s empowerment project carried out by the Agri-Business Training Centre (extension of Baldev Farms), in conjunction with Baldev Community Centre, focuses on training women in many aspects of farming. These include modern agriculture techniques, resource conservation, land and crop management, integrated fertilizer/nutrient application, pest and disease control, and post-harvest processing and marketing.
Women’s empowerment through large-scale farming is part of our integrated approach to sustainable rural development. It addresses the needs of illiterate adults who are best at farming as a profession. In addition to helping poor women, the project is expected to generate some “surplus” income that can be used toward other humanitarian projects being carried out by the Foundation. With good management, these projects can be replicated and scaled-up.
- Working with the community, TGF is assisting small business activities which directly support the development of community. Examples of such business are: production of low cost building materials, such as clay bricks and [[roofing] tiles; extraction of bio-fuel from plant material for home use; bicycle and minor motor vehicle repair; tailoring; and farmer’s markets. These businesses will not only generate income but also offer essential products and services to support many of the basic needs of the community.
- Tillany Fine Arts Museum & Gallery
Tillany Fine Arts Museum & Gallery was built in 2000 near Shanti Bhavan. It is a 15,000 square foot air conditioned facility, designed in contemporary style. When the construction of adjoining Arts Village is completed, it will house artists and provide workshops.
Tillany will be a meeting ground for poor artists to display their creativity and for villagers to express their spirituality.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Lead Poisoning Prevention and Treatment
TGF launched Project Lead-Free in 1997 to screen blood lead levels of children and pregnant women in urban environments, and workers in hazardous occupations. Over 20,000 individuals were screened in the cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Delhi. Subsequently, TGF hosted and organized a 3-day international conference on lead poisoning in February 1999 in Bangalore, which was attended by delegates from 27 countries. The World Health Organization, the World Bank, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were co-sponsors of the conference. The proceedings of the conference were compiled in a book, Lead Poisoning Prevention and Treatment: Implementing a National Program in Developing Countries, a comprehensive collection of specific ideas and action plans for policy makers and health care specialists. A “white paper” outlining “a call for action” was prepared by sponsors and presented to policy makers in developing countries. The results of blood screening and the conference deliberations were instrumental in the decision of the Indian government to offer unleaded gasoline throughout the country in year 2000.
The George Foundation and St. Johns Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, joined in association to establish the National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning Prevention in India (NRCLPI) in 2003. The Centre’s mission is to create public awareness about lead poisoning, assist polluting industries in taking remedial measures, and confirm blood lead cases forwarded by clinics/hospitals throughout the country. NRCLPI is presently conducting follow up studies of blood lead, lead and other additives in petrol, and the level of harmful metals in vegetables, fruits, tap water, bottled water, milk, house dust, and play ground soil, and other sources and pathways of lead poisoning and contamination.
IMPROVE GOVERNANCE
Established by TGF in collaboration with Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Mahasamstana Mutt in 2000, IIJNM places emphasis on research and independent thinking. The curriculum was developed in association with the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, New York. In addition to a program on the craft of journalism, students receive instruction in the rights of a free press and the obligation to provide balanced and independent news coverage, with special attention to the ethics of the profession.
Working in media organizations, IIJNM graduates contribute to improving transparency in government, reducing corruption, improving ethical standards, and bringing about consumer protection, environmental safeguards, worker safety, social justice, and equal justice under the law – all ingredients of a strong and fair democracy.
- Centres for Studies in Emerging Critical Issues
The Centre formulates conceptual issues regarding major economic challenges and social and environmental problems facing developing countries, proposes practical solutions, and redefines the roles of the state and the private sector in the economy.
Topics deal in areas such as macroeconomics, finance, technology, corporate governance, poverty, income and wealth distribution, environmental protection, health care delivery, amongst others. The Centre engages in “brainstorming” sessions with prominent individuals in India and elsewhere, and presents papers and lectures on key issues.
Published articles are presented in their entirety in the “Critical Issues” section of the Foundation web site. In addition, Dr. George has authored a book, India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty, in 2005.
[edit] Milestones
- Since starting, the economic status of the communities TGF serve has improved significantly. Hundreds of people, especially poor women, are earning steady incomes to support their families, care for their health, pay off their debts, and change their bonded labor status. Many more people have benefited indirectly.
- In the educational arena, Shanti Bhavan School has received world-wide attention for its mission and accomplishments, as noted in Thomas Friedman’s acclaimed book, The World is Flat. TGF's support of government schools has been instrumental in higher attendance and academic standards, especially among girls. (A case in point is the nearby Deverapalli government school which was judged the best in the entire district for the year 2005.)
- The Baldev Medical Centre now services 17 villages with a combined population of over 16,000. In addition to quality medical care, the outreach program of the Centre has reduced malnutrition and death at childbirth, and improved sanitation in all the villages. The EDPS system has been extensively tested, and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, USA, has recommended it for wider implementation in clinics where doctors are not always available.
- Our pioneering work in testing lead levels in children in major Indian cities (and the subsequent international conference) persuaded the government and major Indian oil companies to remove lead from gasoline in the year 2000. The National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning Prevention in India (NRCLPI) is now the pivotal institution in the country for promoting measures to prevent lead poisoning.
- The Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media has increased its enrollment to 45 in the academic year starting 2006. With the recent introduction of television and radio courses, IIJNM is now rated among the top three journalism colleges in India by Business World magazine.
[edit] Key Staff
- Jude Devdas (Chief Executive Officer - TGF)
- Lalita Law (Principal – Shanti Bhavan)
- Gracy Thomas (Senior Manager - Baldev Medical & Community Centre)
- Shanti Jayanthasri (Facility Manager – Shanti Bhavan)
- S. George Mathew (Senior Manager – Baldev Farms)
- Michael Benjamin (Director of Farm Sales)
- Beena Nair (Vice-Principal of Academic Affairs – Shanti Bhavan)
- S A Hasina (Vice-principal of Residential Affairs – Shanti Bhavan)
- Kanchan Kaur (Associate Dean - IIJNM)
- Urmila M. (Senior Manager – TGF Administration)
