Helping them to find their own feet, Sampradaan

VK Sharma, an HR advisor with JK Tyres, belongs to a new breed of philanthropist who worries about the long-term impact of his giving. He used to donate generously to a slew of NGOs till a thought struck him: was he just supporting a culture of dependence among his beneficiaries? Should he not be doing more to help them find their own feet in some manner?

This is when he came across Sampradaan and the off-beat work it is doing. In these days of online giving and NGOs that function like MNCs, Sampradaan’s philosophy would seem almost naively idealistic. It believes that the community that needs philanthropy should raise its own resources. It could be Rs2 or an hour of shramdaan, but the needy should donate to themselves. It believes that no human being is totally selfish.

“Most NGOs do not take into consideration the aspirations of the beneficiaries. They raise funds and then use them in the manner they think is right. But it is important that the beneficiaries have a role in decision-making. This can only happen when they themselves contribute towards their own cause,” says Pradeeepta Kumar Nayak of Sampradaan.

Currently, Sampradaan has community foundations in Haryana, Uttaranchal, Coorg, and Orissa. In the north, issues relate to education, employment, health and natural resources. The Coorg foundation, which is relatively better off, is working on  the conflict between man and animal in its forested regions. It has managed to raise funds to set up its own solar fences that clearly demarcate the forests from the inhabited lands.

Major General (Retd) APS Chauhan  volunteers his time heading the Sainik Foundation in Uttaranchal’s villages. These villages have a large number of retired soldiers who, along with the farmers, make for a great pool of volunteers. The foundation exhorts villagers to contribute to their own fund and then matches it with a donation. “Our villages no longer have the sense of community they once did because the panchayats have become politicised,” says  Maj Gen Chauhan.

In Dhamand village, the Mahila Mangal Mandal has managed to raise Rs10,000 which burgeoned to Rs24,000 with the foundation’s help. This money will go into setting up sewing classes and other facilities for the women of the village. The foundation has set up 10 such gram kosh (funds).

Sampradaan does get corporate and individual donors but the push is to get the communities to generate the funds they need for welfare schemes. Fund-raising from very rich sources, it finds, is a problem because such donors look for big and established NGOs to pour money into.

But the approach of donors like VK Sharma has its strengths. “I like the idea that a contribution I make can get a needy person to stand on his own feet and work towards a better future and not get more dependent on me,” says Sharma.