Indiaspora participates in U.S. State Department discussion on diaspora response to India's COVID-19 pandemic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Following a message from Vice President Harris thanking the Indian diaspora, Indiaspora participated in a State Department-hosted discussion on the diaspora response to the COVID-19 pandemic in India

Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswami discussed strong American response through giving and their ChaloGive campaign

PRESS RELEASE

San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC  — May 7, 2021  — Following remarks from Vice President Harris on the United States’ strong partnership with India, Silicon Valley angel investor and entrepreneur MR Rangaswami, who founded Indiaspora, a nonprofit community of global Indian diaspora leaders, spoke about the outpouring of support from the Indian diaspora toward India’s COVID-19 relief efforts during a discussion hosted by the State Department.“The message from the Vice President about the strong and long-standing U.S.-India partnership was a reaffirming one, and we are humbled by her acknowledgement of how Indiaspora has played a critical role,” said Executive Director of Indiaspora Sanjeev Joshipura. “During a time when people are hurting, the message was clear that the United States, along with its Indian diaspora, will continue to stand with India.”Following Vice President Harris’s remarks, Indiaspora Founder MR Rangaswami spoke about the diaspora and the broader American community’s unprecedented response to India’s COVID-19 pandemic during a panel discussion hosted by the U.S. State Department, “Bolstering U.S. COVID Relief Efforts in India: Perspectives from the Diaspora,” with fellow diaspora leaders. “One of our biggest focus areas for Indiaspora is philanthropy. When COVID-19 first hit, we started a campaign called ChaloGive. This has hit everyone on a personal basis. I’m treating this as a personal emergency as well as a call to action,” said MR Rangaswami, who lost his sister to COVID-19 a few months ago. “We are grateful to the U.S. government, to the diaspora, and to the greater American community for stepping up during this time.”Moderated by the U.S. State Department’s South and Central Asia Senior Bureau Official, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Ervin Massinga, the panel discussion also included the following speakers: Honorable State Senator Dr. Ghazala Hashmi of Virginia; Gunisha Kaur, Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, Medical Director, Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights; and Lata Krishnan, American Indian Foundation Founder and Co-Chair of the Board. In addition to remarks from Vice President Harris, the USAID's Deputy Assistant Administrator Anjali Kaur also offered remarks about USAID's contributions to the relief efforts. Indiaspora officially launched their giving platform ChaloGive.org May 3rd as a grassroots initiative for the public to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts in India after Indiaspora served as a $1 million matching partner for the high-profile fundraiser, HELP INDIA BREATHE, organized by author and podcast host Jay Shetty.The ChaloGive for India campaign facilitates giving by the global diaspora toward on-the-ground NGOs working in three areas of COVID-19 relief: the creation of urgently needed COVID care centers and makeshift hospitals through nonprofit WISH Foundation, direct cash transfer to families who have lost a primary earning member through nonprofit GiveIndia, and food relief and livelihood assistance for migrant workers and other underserved populations through EdelGive Foundation to nonprofits Goonj and Jan Sahas.Donors from anywhere in the world can either choose one area to donate to, or make a contribution that will be evenly split between all three areas. U.S. donors also receive a tax exemption.Visit ChaloGive.org for additional information and resources.About ChaloGive:Indiaspora launched its inaugural ChaloGive giving campaign in October 2019 to encourage higher levels of giving by the diaspora by partnering with more than 20 India-based NGOs, several of which are part of the India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA). Indiaspora launched its second campaign, ChaloGive for COVID-19 in April 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis to alleviate food insecurity in both the U.S. and India by partnering with nonprofits Feeding America and Goonj, respectively.About Indiaspora:Indiaspora (www.indiaspora.org) is a nonprofit community of powerful global Indian leaders from diverse backgrounds and professions who are committed to inspiring the diaspora to be a force for positive impact by providing a platform to collaborate, engage, and catalyze social change. 

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MEDIA CONTACT:Mansi PatelIndiasporaDirector of Communicationsmansi@indiaspora.org(772) 486-0351

India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA) launches nationwide youth essay competition

FOR RELEASE FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

Contact: Alex Counts

Senior Adviser, India Philanthropy Alliance

mobile: 202-257-8739

email: alex@indiaspora.org

Press Release

The India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA) launches a nationwide youth essay competition for middle and high school students

Member organizations of IPA also announce their COVID-19 response

 Washington, DC, USA —The India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA), a U.S.-based coalition of organizations that aid India, has launched a nationwide youth essay competition for middle and high school students to submit their ideas on how to effectively engage in philanthropy, including philanthropy benefiting India."Our hope through this essay competition is that the India Philanthropy Alliance can both push and amplify the best thinking of Indian-American youth about philanthropy and about what smart giving can do for India," said Deepak Raj, Chairman of IPA.Up to ten finalist essays by middle and high school students will be selected by a panel of philanthropy experts, and will be published on the Internet.For middle school students, the essay length is 600 words or fewer, and for high school students, the limit is 1,200 words. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2020.The authors of the best essay in each cohort will be invited to the Indiaspora Philanthropy Summit, tentatively scheduled for the fall, to present their award-winning ideas. They also will be able to direct at least $1,000 to a nonprofit of their choice.“With the current public health and humanitarian crisis, the stakes have never been higher,” said Sanjeev Joshipura, Executive Director of Indiaspora, a member organization of IPA. “With so many students learning at home, this is an opportunity for parents to perhaps encourage their children to think about how best to help the less fortunate.”The pilot is made possible with generous support from the Sarva Mangal Family Trust, supported by the Shah Family of Orange County and their company MS International, Inc. They are also advising and assisting in the process."The Sarva Mangal Family Trust is pleased to support India Philanthropy Alliance's essay competition,” said Rup and Mona Shah of Sarva Mangal Family Trust. “We look forward to hearing what young people throughout the country are thinking about philanthropy and how it can be done right and in ways that benefit India. We are keen to learn about their innovative solutions."The essay competition is one of multiple initiatives of the IPA to grow the culture of philanthropy among the diaspora in the United States.The IPA also announced Tuesday what each of its organizations is doing to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and meet critical need. Responses include providing essential knowledge, protecting communities and frontline workers, ensuring education for school-age children, fighting hunger, supporting and collaborating with government to meet critical health needs, aiding affected populations, training health care professionals, and continuing to operate programs or preparing to re-launch those on hold.The twelve member organizations of the IPA include Akanksha Education Fund, American India Foundation, Arogya World, CRY America, Ekal USA, Foundation for Excellence (FFE), Indiaspora, Magic Bus USA, Pratham USA, Project ECHO, VisionSpring and WISH Foundation.The IPA (https://www.indiaphilanthropyalliance.org/) is a coalition of nonprofit, philanthropic and charitable organizations that mobilize people and funding in the United States (and elsewhere) for development and poverty-reduction programs in India.For additional information on the background and essay guidelines of the youth essay competition, please visit here.For any questions, please reach out to Alex Counts, Senior Adviser at India Philanthropy Alliance at alex@indiaspora.org.

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