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Persons of Indian Descent Apply Business Skills to Social Programs in India. Private Sector Lessons Harnessed for Pressing Development Challenges Through Indicorps Fellowships Ahmedabad, Gujarat February 19, 2008 -The Financial Times reported on the growing economic impact of social entrepreneurship: in 2006, just in the UK alone, 55,000 active social organizations invested a remarkable £27 Billion. As one of the individuals leading this explosive trend of social entrepreneurship and ethical business models, Gagan Rana set up a highly effective food processing factory and a successful BPO during his Indicorps fellowship (Jan 2007- Jan 2008). Gagan left a lucrative position at JPMorgan in Southern California to serve as an Indicorps Fellow. Gagan commented that the Indicorps’ experience, “reaffirmed my belief in the power of markets and entrepreneurship to inspire significant social change.” For the first half of his fellowship in Jalihal, Maharashtra, Gagan assisted a farming community to increase profits on its produce; there Gagan procured a contract and set up the systems for lime pickle processing. After six months, Gagan shifted focus to help establish Source for Change, an all women, rural business process outsourcing (BPO) company in Bagar, Rajasthan. On its first project, Gagan’s BPO was ranked in the Top Five (of 20) by Pratham India, a 60,000-member India-based NGO. About the BPO, Gagan reflected: “I am humbled by the energy and motivation of these women. In addition to learning typing and basic business skills, the women sought to become involved in critical business development, asking if they could help to source contracts on their own for the BPO.” Evidently, Gagan has transferred his sense of professionalism and leadership skills developed during his executive tenure at JP Morgan Chase to the BPO staff. Many young Indians such as Gagan – from the United States to Australia, the United Kingdom to South Africa – are uniting to address India’s most pressing development challenges. By directly applying their education and work experience, Indicorps fellows have enhanced bamboo artisan livelihoods, improved tribal education, and generated awareness for sanitation practices. The highly competitive Indicorps Fellowship program aims to nurture a new brand of socially conscious leaders with the character, knowledge, commitment, and vision to transform India and the world. The Indicorps Fellowship program selects emerging Indian leaders for structured one- and two-year grassroots service opportunities in India. While many feel that a year is too long to commit, Indicorps alumnus Rish Sanghvi feels otherwise: “Is one year a long time? By some measures it is. But it is only 1.5% of your life. And if it is to serve as an inflection point for the remaining 98.5%, then I think it’s a chance you have to be willing to take.” Indicorps is currently seeking applicants for its competitive and challenging fellowship program that commences in August. Applicants can choose from over 50 carefully crafted projects. These programs range from a clean water initiative in Rajasthan to cultivating civic responsibility in Gujarat to improving sanitation in tribal Karnataka. Visit www.apply.indicorps.org, to see a full list of exciting opportunities in India. About Indicorps: Indicorps is a non-partisan, non-religious, non-profit organization that encourages Indians around the world to actively participate in India’s progress. Indicorps’ programs are designed to build principled leadership, empower visionaries, inspire collective action, and unite Indians towards a common vision for the nation by productively engaging the diaspora with the development of the country that defines their identity. Please visit www.indicorps.org to learn more about the organization. Contact: Shilpa Shah |