Indicorps, an innovative nonprofit based in India, offers Fellowships for people of Indian origin to implement sustainable grassroots development projects with community-based organizations. As an intense, total-immersion leadership program, Indicorps encourages individuals to explore their role as a catalyst for change. 27 new projects have been announced for the Indicorps 2011 Fellowship. Fellows will tackle [...]

What do the words “new start-up”  and “garage” bring to your mind? The old stories about how all the tech companies started off to make today’s Silicon Valley? If that sounds a little too boring now, here is something as appetizing as a pizza. Started right here in India’s Silicon Valley by by Padma Srinivasan, [...]

The New York Times carried a Saturday profile of Ela Bhatt and the remarkable organization she founded thirty-five years ago, SEWA. Here is an excerpt: Mrs. Bhatt’s Gandhian approach is most evident in the way she lives. Her two-bedroom bungalow is small and spare. The one bit of whimsy is a white swing that hangs [...]

K.M. Basheer’s educational qualifications make him an unlikely leader of a medical movement. He has not studied beyond Class X. But this farmer from Nilambur in Kerala’s Malappuram district heads a society that arranges for home and neighbourhood-level care for the chronically ill. His venture, the Nilambur Palliative Care Society, has inspired several other groups. [...]

[Story Source: Livemint] While browsing through a blog, The Better India, I came across this Livemint report about a bookstore on wheels. Started by Pankaj Kurulkar, the project has been kicked off in Maharashtra. Kurulkar expects to take it to more states. The article goes further and talks about the challenges that a project of this nature [...]

As some of our readers may know, Prerna and I are both Indicorps alums.  My fellowship with Indicorps is too involved to explain in a short post, but the experience is definitely one of the contributing factors to my continued interest and involvement with development in India.  The on-the-ground experience is extremely valuable,  both in [...]

This is an excerpt from an email from Gunjan Sinha of SiliconIndia. He sent this to me the other day, and one part triggered some of my own feelings and thoughts that arose as a result of Obama’s recent inauguration. In this new era, I see a strong role for entrepreneurs in reinventing our governments, [...]

Indian Express and Abbynews.com report that University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), Canada and The Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to “empower the rural entrepreneurs of North India.” “India needs entrepreneurs at the grass roots level, and our partnership with CRRID allows us to [...]

Here is what looks to be an amazing opportunity to work for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Here is the description: Independent Consultant: South Asia Agricultural Development Department, Market Access Team Global Development Program We are searching for a full time consulting resource to help us shape our strategic approach to  India and assist [...]

Maybe it’s time to unleash the Che Guevara in you!  The Grassroutes Fellowship Program encourages youth to embark on road-trips, interact with change-makers at the grassroots and understand first-hand the problems that plague our nation.The Program sponsors 6 teams of adventurous, passionate young people every year on such 10 day road-trips. Applications are due November 15, 2008 for [...]