Giving Back to the South Asian Community

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others
—Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi, President Obama, local heroes, friends and family. We find inspiration for giving, volunteering and helping in many places. And while your plans to run for public office may not yet be solidified, there are many ways to give to the communities in which we live or those from which we came. Many of us feel particularly drawn to contributing in some meaningful way to the South Asian community – either here in the U.S. or in the subcontinent. Where do you begin? How do you pick the right organization or cause for you? We have ideas! So find your inner activist and get ready to channel Gandhi’s giving spirit.

First, think about what type of work is important to you. Are you passionate about education? Environmental issues? Clean water? Women’s rights? Civil rights? What gets you excited and motivated to get involved?

Second, consider the type of contribution you want to make. Would you rather give your time, money or items that you no longer use? Do you have special skills that would allow you to provide a service that an organization or particular group may need?

Third, decide how you want to be involved. Are you good at community organizing? Do you plan events well? You may want to consider leading or starting a local chapter of an organization that you admire. Want to put your business and leadership skills to good use? You could aid an organization in its strategic direction by joining a board. In all cases, do your homework, go to the websites and network to let people know what you are looking for and what you have to give.

Thought about your preferences? Ready to find the humanitarian within? Let’s look at some organizations doing fantastic work in the South Asian community, suggested by readers and friends:

- South Asian Philanthropy Project (SAPP), www.southasianphilanthropy.org
SAPP is a forum that inspires South Asian Americans to become more involved in philanthropy and volunteering. The SAPP website provides a network of resources and seeks to stimulate dialogue among South Asians in the diaspora. It is SAPP’s founders’ hope that such a forum will result in more South Asians donating resources, volunteering and serving on charity boards.

- Pratham USA, www.prathamusa.org
Pratham is India's largest nonprofit organization working in the area of primary education. The organization was seeded by UNICEF in 1994 and was founded in the slums of Mumbai by Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay. Currently, the organization serves underprivileged children across 21 states in India and reaches out to more than 200,000 children per day. Pratham has won the Charity Navigator four-star rating (its highest possible) for the third year in a row, placing it among the top 1% of all nonprofits rated by Charity Navigator. Pratham has also recently created Yuva, a New York-based chapter, focused on increasing awareness among young South Asian professionals in the area.

- Home of Hope, Inc., www.hohinc.org
Home of Hope, Inc. is committed to the cause of children. They improve the living conditions of orphaned and abandoned children by creating long-lasting partnerships with existing organizations that are capable of providing services consistent with their goals. The organization was founded in 1999 by Nilima Sabharwal, a physician in the SFO Bay Area.

- Ekal Vidyalaya, ekalindia.org/
The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is a charitable trust that initiates, supports and runs informal one-teacher schools (popularly known as Ekal Vidyalayas) all over India. It is a movement of over 26,719 teachers, approximately 5,000 volunteers, 22 field organizations across 22 Indian states and eight support agencies. With the participation of numerous nonprofit trusts and organizations, the program has become the greatest non-governmental education movement in India.

- Asha for Education, www.ashanet.org/
Asha for Education is a secular organization focused on education as a critical prerequisite for socio-economic change in India. The organization strives to provide education to underprivileged children in India and to address, whenever possible, other issues affecting human life, such as health care, environment, socio-economic aspects and women's issues.

- South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), www.saalt.org
SAALT is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an environment in which all South Asians in America can participate fully in civic and political life and have an influence over policies that affect them. It is the only national organization in the United States that advocates on issues affecting South Asian communities through the use of a social justice framework. SAALT is a non-partisan organization with an individual member base and strong partnerships with community-based groups and efforts in the United States.

- Atlas Service Corps, www.atlascorps.org
Atlas Corps facilitates an international fellowship exchange program in which experienced professionals in the social sector volunteer for one year at established, nonprofit host organizations. It has committed many resources to the exchange of ideas and fellows from India to the U.S. to further innovate and strengthen the service sector in India. By working abroad and re-entering the social sector in their home countries to apply what they have learned, the fellows strengthen their communities and become part of a growing, global network of nonprofit leaders.

- 1Well, www.1well.org
1Well is a nonprofit organization that facilitates the connection between socially conscious individuals, groups and businesses – Social Venture Capitalists (SVCs) – with communities in high-need areas of the world. Together, these SVCs and poor communities partner to build critical life-sustaining projects — wells, toilets, childcare centers, etc. — that meet the basic needs of poor communities and give them the opportunity to work for a living wage. In various areas of India, 1Well projects have provided clean drinking water for hundreds of villagers and irrigation water for farming families, thereby enabling village women to start small businesses, improving the quality and quantity of crops and reducing production costs by 75%.

These are just a few ideas to get started. Take a look around your community, neighborhood, school and workplace to find other opportunities for involvement. The South Asian community is rich with ideas, leaders and ways to continue to strengthen each other. What a great gift to give back.

Pratichi Shah is the Chief Talent Officer for a national nonprofit organization and was a senior HR executive with a global benefits consulting firm for 10 years. She holds an MBA in Human Resources Management and has over 15 years of experience in HR, leadership development and executive coaching.