Date:04/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/04/stories/2007110456141100.htm

National

Fifteen years of making a difference

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

NEW DELHI: National Foundation for India, a professional and autonomous grant-making organisation, is organising a two-day function here in the Capital to mark its 15th anniversary beginning this Monday.

The NFI, which has recently given Rs.30 crore in grant to over 260 non-government organisations, supports work in the fields of community health, elementary education, livelihood security, peace and justice.

It has invited Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation, to deliver the keynote address on the occasion. Ms. Berresford, who finds mention in Forbes magazine’s list of most powerful women in the world, has focused on supporting programmes that strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice and promote international cooperation.

Thermax Limited chairperson Anu Aga will be the chief guest at the event. Known for her astute business skills, Ms. Aga heads Akanksha, an NGO that runs educational projects for the underprivileged in Mumbai and Pune.The NFI, which was launched by eminent personalities like Dr. M. S. Swaminathan and Dr. Kamla Chowdhry, is organising a photo exhibition on the occasion. Titled “15 Years of Making a Difference”, it will showcase the work of award-winning photographer Sudhakar Olwe. The NFI specialises in providing grants in the North-Eastern and Eastern States as well as in remote poverty endemic areas across the country.