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December 29, 2006
The Eyes Have It--A New Year's Message of Hope from India
I am bouncing around in a Jeep on a dusty road in Rajastan, the third poorest state in India. My family is near despair as we are now at least an hour and a half from our hotel in Jaipur. We have been promised a view of India's future, the Barefoot College, a night school for young girls, begun by social entrepreneur Bunker Roy about a quarter century ago. We arrive in Tilonia just as the sun is setting. We begin talking with Mr. Roy who provides us with this fact: 1 out of 8 people in the world lives in an Indian village.
India is experiencing a mass exodus of citizens from rural area into the cities. Jaipur’s population is up from 500,000 people in 1970 to its present population 3.5 million. Mumbai is said to gain 10,000 new residents a week, each hoping to find a job and a better life. This has caused unbelievable degradation as the infrastructure is overwhelmed and the economy cannot adjust so quickly to the change in labor supply. India is a country that needs to develop ways to stem this flow of people into its cities by creating some incentives for citizens to stay in rural areas.
The average Indian farmer has two acres to manage. This is survival farming, a fight for subsistence. The Indian villager will have 5-7 children and 3-4 will survive. The land cannot accommodate all of the children so the younger ones have to move somewhere else as the eldest inherits the property.
Forty percent of girls are illiterate in Rajastan. Thirty percent of children do not attend the normal day school. Village families send boys to day school and use their female children to guard the cattle or do domestic chores. The night schools then are the only chance for daughters to become educated.
So what happens when young girls are educated? They postpone the age of marriage, from 13 years old to 18 years old. The rate of domestic violence is diminished. The number of children per family declines. The incidence of HIV AIDS is drastically reduced. The virtuous circle that enables a village family to have a decent life is now possible.
Enough of the statistics...on with the story.
We piled back into the cars for a short ride through the darkness (you forget the value of street lamps for 50 plus year old eyes) and after more bouncing on the dirt roads, went into a non-descript building of cinder block, lit by a solar lantern made by village mothers in another Bunker Roy project. Then the miracle unfolded. A dozen young girls were seated on the floor facing a blackboard, as the instructor races through math problems. Their heads turned toward us, eyes blazing with excitement. They were most interested in the youngest members of our travel group--including my 11 year old daughter Amanda. We introduce ourselves as being from the US, the UK and Saudi Arabia. In return, the girls tell us what they did today. Proudly each stood in turn, to describe how she watched over five cows or horses, or how she got water for the home. They were keen to know whether my daughter guarded animals or went to school during the day like their brothers. As we watched the lesson proceed, we were thrilled as the teacher posed a problem on the blackboard, then a volunteer raced to the front to scribble the answer, beaming as she was congratulated for a right answer. When we finally had to leave, the children surrounded our cars, insisting on reaching through the windows to touch our daughters, to shake their hands to make a connection.
Most of us will not choose the path taken by Bunker Roy, to pass on a career in banking or law, in favor of this type of utopian life. Still companies looking to make a real difference in countries like India should consider sponsoring projects like the Barefoot College.
Each of us in PR can commit to giving something back to society in 2007, by donating time to non-profit organizations. These groups have a constant need to tell their stories to attract funding, to recruit members and to bring forward interesting future projects. We can also try to match up our clients with important causes, in a mutually beneficial relationship. In this way, we will be doing well by doing good.
Have a great New Year's celebration!
I would love to have your comments on this post.
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India, Poverty, Education
Posted by Edelman at December 29, 2006 9:55 AM
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Comments
I has visited India once because of a wedding (two friends of mine from London). It was very interesting. A old BBC journalist said to me before going to that country:"To visit India is not a trip it is an experience". And it was true. It was the opportunity to have a deep view of me, my life and the future.
Benito Castro from Seville, Spain. Happy new year for everyone.
Posted by: benito castro at December 29, 2006 5:34 PM
Richard could not have put this better. Seeing it first hand makes the logic of why we should all engage with 4/5ths of society who are being left behind by globalisation, whether in the rural backwaters of emerging markets or in islands of poverty in rich cities, is a pressing challenge and vital for corporate licence to operate in less developed countries and emerging markets.
The way forward is through multi sector partnerships with many of the social entrepreneurs and pioneering project leaders like Bunker Roy and others in India and elsewhere. Full marks to Alcan who just awarded their ‘Alcan Prize’ (managed by IBLF) to Barefoot College and countless other donors and partners who seek out such outstanding community organisations.
This is not a zero sum gain as sustainability for communities can be aligned to sustainability for businesses. With sensitivity, commitment and smart management of corporate outreach it is possible to engage and make a difference.
What Richard has also illustrated is how the upcoming generation of young consumers and employees are not just open to this but expect it of companies in a world where trust, credibility and corporate respect are thin on the ground.
The challenge for visionary business leaders with an eye to sustainability is to develop business models that engage and align to the real challenges of the markets where they operate.
Robert Davies
CEO, International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF)
Posted by: Robert Davies at December 29, 2006 9:31 PM
Knowing you as I do, Richard, it is no surprise to me that you have chosen to spend the holidays with Roy Bunker. I've been following the work of Roy Bunker since he was awarded a $615,000 Skoll Foundation 2005 Social Entrepreneurship Award.
For those who don't know about Jeffrey Skoll, he was the first employee and first president of eBay. His foundation is devoted to investing in social entreprenurs, primarily through his annual awards.
For information on the 2006 Skoll Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Awards, visit http://www.skollfoundation.org/grantees/2006.asp. These are organizations that are really making a difference in ways that are adventuresome and effective. They serve as a reminder that there are many creative ways that each of us can have a positive impact on the world.
Posted by: Melinda McMullen at December 30, 2006 12:05 AM
I enjoy these travel pieces - refreshing to hear about the world out there, beyond New York, beyond our field of vision. "Giving back" seems to be more of a priority as you get older (and/or wiser) and you have more to give that is of real value. The agency public relations business in New York is stressful, demanding and can be all encompassing. We can give back but only if our employer supports the effort and we are not penalized for diminishing billable time. How do you inculcate "giving back" into culture of an agency? Can you reward employees for their non-profit work?
Posted by: Mark Rose at December 30, 2006 10:26 AM
We donate 1% of the firm’s expected profit in free work for non profits
We also ask each of our senior people to go on boards of non profits and we match personal donations to those charities.
This is really important way for the industry to give back.
Posted by: Richard Edelman at January 2, 2007 3:42 PM
Melinda, I remember your work at least a decade ago in South Central LA. Believe me that the Bunker Roy Barefoot College was just as inspiring to me.
Posted by: Richard Edelman at January 2, 2007 3:42 PM
Richard, as a volunteer for a non-profit organization, Asha for Education (http://www.ashanet.org/), that supports the education for children in India, I really appreciated your posting.
It is nice to learn that Edelman not only contributes to non-profit organizations, but also supports education related causes in India.
As a PR professional myself, I would like to do more to promote NGOs like Asha within the Indian community here in the U.S. to increase awareness and raise funds. I would love to get your advice on how this can be accomplished more effectively.
I wish you all the best with your efforts!
Posted by: Sailaja Tennati at January 3, 2007 11:06 AM
Richard, as a journalist reporting on POSITIVE issues rarely highlighted by the mainstream media and promoting the many enterprises that are working for a sustainable future, I strongly think that companies have the unique chance of making a difference bu supporting and LEARNING from social entrepreneures as Mr Roy. Thank you for sharing your experience, I appreciated your comment very much, specially your call for companies to support this kind of changemaking actions when they do bussiness overseas. I noticed you travelled with your family and, as a mother of four, I can imagine how touching that experience have been for you all. Isn´t this EDUCATION?! EXPERIENCE IT, LIVE IT, FEEL INSIDE OTHER PEOPLE SKIN and a new responsible and sustainable economy have a strong chance for us all. I recommend Jeffrey Sach´s book "The end of poverty". I wish you the best from Argentina.
Posted by: Andrea Méndez Brandam at January 4, 2007 5:37 AM
Thanks for reading my blog. As an American, I feel so strongly that we must travel outside of home country to appreciate the cultures of others. That is the gift of this vacation to my children.
Posted by: Richard Edelman at January 4, 2007 2:54 PM
Find an interesting human angle, like the story of Mr. Bunker Roy. Demonstrate the effectiveness of the non profit through substantial research. Work for a business connection, from a board member. These help to sell a story.
Posted by: Richard Edelman at January 4, 2007 2:54 PM
Mr Edelman:
Kindly address the matter of the Acer Ferrari laptops that were sent out to bloggers and then recalled. Do you believe this is ethical, or is it another Wal-Mart-style mistake?
Steve Safran
Managing Editor
LostRemote.com
Posted by: Steve Safran at January 4, 2007 9:44 PM
It was an incredibly exciting evening for me. My family was profoundly impressed by the children and their commitment to learning.
Posted by: Richard Edelman at January 5, 2007 10:39 AM
"Each of us in PR can commit to giving something back to society in 2007"
Good idea, we could all give away laptops loaded with Vista.
Posted by: Chirsten A. at January 6, 2007 4:26 AM
Steve—got this comment late on Friday. I also saw your post on this subject over the weekend. You and I can agree to disagree. By the way, I post every comment to my blog unless it contains obscenities or is spam.
Posted by: Richard Edelman at January 8, 2007 9:14 AM