Sponsor a Child

Yesterday, I proposed the “Sponsor a Child” program as an extension of the fund-raising work I have been doing as part of the ‘Tsunami Relief ‘project. This project has been so far focused on the villages in and around the township of Cuddalore, Tamilnadu, which was one of the regions very badly hit by the tsunami in 2004. Through Infosys and with the help of other non-profits, my friends and I have helped raise over Rs 50 lakhs (over 100,000 USD) over the last 3 years. But I think there is a potential to focus this effort for other villages in India.

The “Sponsor a Child” program is aimed at bringing change into the lives of children who cannot afford basic education, food or the essential amenities needed to live a decent life. Many children in these villages live in abject poverty and are forced to work to make ends meet at an age where kids go to school in many other parts of the world. By sponsoring their education, providing them with clothing and food and in essence, “adopting” them until they are ready to step out on their own, all of us can make a small but significant difference in their lives and help build the future of not just a country, but a planet.

Dhana, Kantha, Lavanya and I would be organizing a brainstorming session this weekend to think of ways to raise funds towards this initiative. As a first step, we have updated the website, and plan to develop a online donation channel sometime in the near future.