India’s rapid economic growth has generated an extraordinary amount of wealth in recent years, leading to an unprecedented interest in philanthropy on the part of individuals, companies and foundations, both in India and in the Non-resident Indian community, overseas. One impediment to the growth of India’s philanthropic sector has been the lack of infrastructure to support charitable giving.
In close cooperation with United Way International’s Friends of India program, the MurthyNAYAK Foundation is actively working to promote the development of this infrastructure, to bring greater transparency, accountability, and leadership to India’s expanding non-profit sector. Attorney Sheela Murthy contributes her time and expertise as a member of the United Way’s Leadership Council of India. In 2008, she traveled to India with the MurthyNAYAK Foundation’s board of directors and a U.S. delegation from the Friends of India initiative, to launch new United Ways in Hubli and Dehli.
During the launch events, Attorney Murthy spoke from the heart about the need to help fellow Indians to break the cycle of poverty, “I challenged everyone in each of the cities where a new chapter of United Way was launched to give of their time, talent, and treasure to work together with all of us to improve the conditions of the poor and make a better world for all children to share – one in which the basics of food, clean water, shelter, and education are not reserved for the privileged.” The MurthyNAYAK Foundation has demonstrated the sincerity of this challenge by making a ten-year financial commitment to the United Way India Fund for investment in the Bangalore communities through the local United Way.
Donors want to know that their contributions will have the maximum impact possible. The United Way Friends of India program is bringing to bear its reputation, expertise, and network of relationships to ensure that donations will be used efficiently and effectively to solve specific problems – creating the trust needed to build a robust philanthropic community. It also is providing a way for North Americans to participate in this endeavor as supporters and volunteers. The MurthyNAYAK Foundation is proud to be among the leaders of these efforts.
For further information, visit http://worldwide.unitedway.org/.