NGO Support Project: Background Details

The Good Work Done by Tiny NGOs - and the Problems They Face

There are many NGOs in India doing great work but they cannot raise funds in the West because they are unregistered. The situation in some places in India is akin to Dickensian London - with orphan children prey to pimps and criminals. If you have seen Scumdog Millionaire you will have seen some of the dreadful conditions of life and prospects for some of these children. Some people turn a blind eye to this but others do what they can. Some of the people taking action are school leavers and they see a job that needs doing and start doing good work but soon run out of money. They can't raise money on the West and it is also difficult for them to raise it in India as well.

What They Need

What they need is a leg up.

On their own they would never get the resources needed to get registered as a charity in India. It is not just money they need but also mentoring and training. They would find it hard to find suitable trustees on their own, but with our help we should be able to find them trustees of high standing.

What the Project Will Deliver

In one sense we are trying to deliver a registered NGO - but it is much more than that. Because of their training they will have a credible business plan and be more effective as a result. They should have the ability to grow and help more people. We are providing seedcorn funding that should deliver a big social impact. The eventual social impact is the real reason for giving now.

The number of tiny NGOs that we can help depends on how much we can raise, and how quickly we can raise it. Ideally we want to work with a batch of NGOs in the first group, as there are economies of scale.

There will be a selection process to select suitable NGOs. Much of the mentoring will be done by staff of New Life, as they have many years of practical experience, running a registered charity in India. Some of the training will be done at the IIT (Indian Institute of Technology Madras). New Life are in touch with lawyers that can help with the legal work at low cost. We are registered with Caxton FX, who can transfer Pounds Sterling to Indian Rupees without any bank charges.

Intelligent Compassion

The project will not appeal to everyone: some people want something immediate and tangible before they will donate a penny. We believe that university graduates, many of whom are involved in reasearch that doesn't have an immediate and identifiable payoff, will recognise the value of seedcorn funding that will give tiny NGOs the leg up they deserve and need, so that they can have a much bigger impact in the future.

Every single graduate has been given a leg up in life: this makes it easy to see the value of the leg up they can give to others.

Please Donate Now

If you have read enough to know you want to donate to the very first Mardi project, you can do so now. Please click the donation button below and follow the instructions.