2023 Friends of India Charity Report
Friends of India "givers" contributed $25,403 to the ‘Lucky Dozen’ charity for the year 2023. Since 1995, FOI has contributed a total of $592,681 to India charities. Our donations in 2023 declined from 2022. This is attributed to the influence of the COVID-19 epidemic. The affects will be long lived.
Please Help with a Donation: To donate to these charities see information under the individual charities shown below.
George's "Lucky Dozen" Student Sponsership
Founded in 2008 by George Nepert, FOI Treasurer (I-26) and Sr. Mary Therese, past principal of St. Xavier’s School in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. George passed in March, 2021 and Sr. Therese transferred to Dominica in April, 2019 and is continuing to participate in the administration of the charity. The goal is to provide educational opportunities and hope to very poor and disadvantaged students. Deserving boys and girls are helped without regard to religious affiliation.
There are multiple types of sponsorships:
- A student who has completed their standard (high school) education, desires to go into college level studies, and meets the academic requirements for further studies. The commitment is for 3 to 4 years at cost of $500 to $2000 per year.
- Help for any student in need for a particular time. This is not time bound. These are elementary/high school students who need help to pay for their uniform, notebooks, and basic school or personal needs. The commitment ranges from about $50 to $100.
- An unplanned event or educational requirement. For example, a small school bus was purchased in 2016.
The first Lucky Dozen group was eight college students in 2008. They now have jobs, some are married, and some are financially able to help their families. Pervious students now donate back to the Lucky Dozen. In 6 years, 2014, Lucky Dozen reached the 100 student milestone, actually 101. Currently being supported are 71 students for elementary/high school/college studies. Lucky Dozen has helped more than 350 students in elementary/high school/college studies. The next milestone of 500 students is on the horizon.
The charity is primarily administrated by Sr. Margaret Power. All donated money is for the students and Sr. Margaret Power and Sr. Mary Therese receive no monetary compensation from these donations. It is a registered charitable society with the Indian Government, Society No. 5, Theni, Tamil Nadu, India.
The Friends of India is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization.
Contributions are welcome and can be made by:
1. A check payable to 'Friends of India' and sent to:
2. via Zelle (contact via e-mail at foi.rpcv@gmail.com with Subject “Lucky Dozen” for instructions).
The charities listed below are, also, very deserving of your attention. The Friends of India has made donations to these charities in the past. See their description, contact information, and FOI donation history below.
Sanjeevini Trust
Founded by Joe Emerson, India 38 group, is located in Sirwar, Karnataka. Managed by Mr. Gamitra Jettapa,it provides medical treatment to the poor, free eye and dental clinics, preventive health screenings, education on cancer, heart disease and diabetes in villages. It also provides food and shelter to disabled villagers, conducts tailoring classes, group marriages for the poor, AND has an ambulance service to transport the sick and injured to Raichur hospital.
Contributions to the Sanjeevini Trust and the Willie James and Mike Quaid Ambulance Service of the Sanjeevini Trust can be made to:
The Ecological Development Foundation, Inc
18991 Park Commons Drive
Bend, Oregon, 97703
FOI has donated a total of $34,803 since 1995.
Father Fleming Foundation
The Father Fleming Fund (FFF) is a US-registered charity established by two Orissa PCVs, Gerry Nelson and Tom Brayak, who worked with Father Tony Fleming in Orissa assisting leper colonies and poor and handicapped children. He died in 1997, having spent his entire priesthood in Orissa, just a month shy of 50 years. He was an extraordinary man, with hundreds of connections with government officials, local politicians, businessmen, etc. When he died, all this was lost, and the funding that went along with it. It was with this in mind that Gerry & Tom started the FFF. FFF helps fund an Indian charity, ‘Vikas Deepti’ (Promotion of Light) based in Bargarh, Orissa, India, presently under the direction of a Catholic priest, Fr. Anuranjan. It is committed to aid to the disabled.
Institution based Rehabilitation (IBR) Main Focus: Our prime focus is on children of age 5-14 and their holistic growth. Around 50 Handicapped children are housed at our facility here, and most are bussed to local schools to provide interaction & integration with ‘normal’ children. Some older students who are able go by themselves on special tricycles devised for the disabled. The opportunities provided are orthopedic operations, physiotherapy, education, tuition, extracurricular activities such as drawing, singing, dance. Also available are:
- Orthotic workshop
- Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR)
- Leprosy patients and their dependants
FOI has donated a total of $29,532 since 2005.
Please send donations to:
Gerry Nelson
2740 D. Rd.
Bark River, MI 49807
Home of Hope
Homes of Hope Founded by Paul Wilkes, India 3, and introduced to FOI by Jack Slattery. Located in Hassan, Karnataka. It is a boarding school for 90 girls, ages 6 to 16, living together and receiving academic opportunities. The girls are from broken homes with financial problems and unsafe places for young girls. The Selesian Sisters of Don Bosco and lay teachers provide education and life skills. The funds go for school supplies, desks and benches, matriculation fees and uniforms. This charity was added to the FOI roster in 2012 and compliments the work of Paul Wilkes Hope-India USA project located in Wilmington, NC. More about Paul Wilkes and his work can be found in this article from June 2016.
Currently there are 27 Homes of Hope – either completed or under construction – throughout India. More than 2,000 girls live in a Home of Hope. Find out more and donate at www.homesofhopeindia.org
FOI has donated $14,254 since 2012.
Please Send donations to:
Homes of Hope India
1413 Hawthorne Road
Wilmington NC 28403
(910) 538 4544
Historic FOI Charitries
South Asia Pure Water Initiative (CLOSED)
South Asia Pure Water Initiative, founded by Michael Lipman (1-89) and Kathy Forsberg. It is managed by Mr. RamaChandra in Kolar, Karnataka. SAPWII makes low cost home bio-sand filter water units for $55. The unit supplies clean, safe drinking water for the family. The goal is to provide thousands of water filter units, supplying a quarter million people with safe drinking water.
FOI donated a total of $24,091 since 2007.
Forgotten Children in Tamil Nadu (CLOSED)
UPDATE: Forgotten Children closed in 2014. Its remaining funds were distributed to its partnering non-profit agencies. For more information, see the website.
Forgotten Children was founded by Francoise Remington. The organization provides basic education for approximately 50 working children in the Kodaikanal area of Tamil Nadu. A substitute income is offered to the very poor working families in the form of a dairy cow as an incentive to send their child to evening school and provides a lost income compensation while the child is studying. The goal is to break the cycle of poverty and child labor & to educate children.
FOI donated a total of $29,753 from 1997-2014.