Over the last few years ‘strategic philanthropy’ has been getting more and more in vogue. Several new charities add to the annual calender of fundraiser balls, adventure activities and events to raise money for projects to ‘serve the needy in India’. The new organisations operate with slightly more sophisticated marketing and communications budgets, a written giving model they spend time communicating impact on an annual basis.
The traditional charities continue to operate with their generally small but loyal supporter base who continue to donate to schools, hospitals, medical camps, temples and the like. Often driven from a religious or community connection, these charities were started many years ago and have sustained over several years/decades. The work is probably not as well documented or presented or ‘efficient’, but through sheer persistence and faith they endure.
It is probably difficult to calculate clearly how much money is being sent through such channels and I presume that no direct work has been done to gather that data. There are several visible organisations in the UK that provide a philanthropy as a service and appeal to a population who are looking for a more modern way of serving the poor. These organisations present themselves to suit the audience they wish to attract donations from. Some are issue focused, eg, education, others will reach out to those with an affinity to a geographic area, eg South Asia, many are faith based and call of to believers of a particular sect. A sense of community is built around those identities and through that motivate to give.
I’m sure the motivation to fund raise for these charities goes beyond the urge to ‘serve the needy in India.’ Part of the reason could include religious or spiritual guidance/advice that serving those less fortunate is important. I suspect part of the motivation may simply be benign self-aggrandizement.
But why specifically in India? There are needy people all over the world – even in the African countries we called home for a few decades. I would like to hear more thoughts on why there is an urge to support humanitarian projects in India?
In a previous post, I have explored the nature of the changing relationship of 2nd and 3rd generation Indians to the land of their ancestors. That early generations had an emotional tie to India rooted in a personal experience of having lived there. With 2nd and 3rd generation Indian’s in the UK, their impression of India is influenced by the Western notions of aspiration and lifestyle. Previously, I asked the question, “what is the relationship you would like your grandchildren to have with India?”
Charitable donations provide one way of tangibly expressing the emotional link to India and fulfilling some perceived responsibility. Those donations support projects to which the individual has a personal connection and through donations they are sustained.
As notions of community and ties with India fade within 2nd and 3rd generation British Indians, what is the impact on future philanthropic giving to India? Going forward, there may not be the same loyalty to donating to the projects that have previously been supported by parents and grandparents. Why should they favour donations to India over any other country? What happens to those on the ground reliant on those donations?
For 2nd and 3rd generation British Indians, what has India done for them that they feel more motivated to give to India over any other developing country? If we believe that India and Indian Culture should play a role in the lives and identity of our young people, we may need to consider how they perceive and value India and its culture in their lives.
I believe that now is the time to turn our gaze to a much more immediate and broader horizon. That we find real ways to invest in our young peoples understanding of themselves, the role of their Indian values, culture and community plays in their life and that must happen in their lives in the UK. Instead of continuing to just give to India. What if we channeled resources to programmes and initiatives within the UK to support our young people – kinda like a Princes Trust for the Indian community in the UK?
The traditional charities continue to operate with their generally small but loyal supporter base who continue to donate to schools, hospitals, medical camps, temples and the like. Often driven from a religious or community connection, these charities were started many years ago and have sustained over several years/decades. The work is probably not as well documented or presented or ‘efficient’, but through sheer persistence and faith they endure.
It is probably difficult to calculate clearly how much money is being sent through such channels and I presume that no direct work has been done to gather that data. There are several visible organisations in the UK that provide a philanthropy as a service and appeal to a population who are looking for a more modern way of serving the poor. These organisations present themselves to suit the audience they wish to attract donations from. Some are issue focused, eg, education, others will reach out to those with an affinity to a geographic area, eg South Asia, many are faith based and call of to believers of a particular sect. A sense of community is built around those identities and through that motivate to give.
I’m sure the motivation to fund raise for these charities goes beyond the urge to ‘serve the needy in India.’ Part of the reason could include religious or spiritual guidance/advice that serving those less fortunate is important. I suspect part of the motivation may simply be benign self-aggrandizement.
But why specifically in India? There are needy people all over the world – even in the African countries we called home for a few decades. I would like to hear more thoughts on why there is an urge to support humanitarian projects in India?
In a previous post, I have explored the nature of the changing relationship of 2nd and 3rd generation Indians to the land of their ancestors. That early generations had an emotional tie to India rooted in a personal experience of having lived there. With 2nd and 3rd generation Indian’s in the UK, their impression of India is influenced by the Western notions of aspiration and lifestyle. Previously, I asked the question, “what is the relationship you would like your grandchildren to have with India?”
Charitable donations provide one way of tangibly expressing the emotional link to India and fulfilling some perceived responsibility. Those donations support projects to which the individual has a personal connection and through donations they are sustained.
As notions of community and ties with India fade within 2nd and 3rd generation British Indians, what is the impact on future philanthropic giving to India? Going forward, there may not be the same loyalty to donating to the projects that have previously been supported by parents and grandparents. Why should they favour donations to India over any other country? What happens to those on the ground reliant on those donations?
For 2nd and 3rd generation British Indians, what has India done for them that they feel more motivated to give to India over any other developing country? If we believe that India and Indian Culture should play a role in the lives and identity of our young people, we may need to consider how they perceive and value India and its culture in their lives.
I believe that now is the time to turn our gaze to a much more immediate and broader horizon. That we find real ways to invest in our young peoples understanding of themselves, the role of their Indian values, culture and community plays in their life and that must happen in their lives in the UK. Instead of continuing to just give to India. What if we channeled resources to programmes and initiatives within the UK to support our young people – kinda like a Princes Trust for the Indian community in the UK?
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