IFPIAN: October 2009

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Eighth meeting of IFPIAN Governing Board held in Delhi

Eighth meeting of IFPIAN Governing Board held in Delhi on 24th October 2009. The meeting was attended by Mr. Tej Ram Jat, Dr. Sony Pellisery, Mr. Vivek Mansukhani, Mr. Sanjay Kumar Sharma, Ms. Richa Gansiyal, Ms. Deepika Sharma, Ms. Shashi Prabha and Ms.Usha Prajapati.

The board reviewed the progress made by IFPIAN since the last GB meeting and also discussed the future activities in which the major activities would be condut of regional consultations, annual conference and other collective social justice interventions in various parts of the country.

The Governing Board meeting was followed by a joint meeting of IFPIAN state coordinators and GB members. A road map for strengthening social justice action in all states having IFPIAN presence was prepared in this meeting.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Programme invites pre-applications for 2010

The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) seeks to build a new generation of social justice leaders in India by offering access to quality higher education. IFP especially supports candidates from groups that have historically lacked access to higher education.

In the last eight years, IFP India has selected 280 Fellows for Masters and PhD degrees. Of these, 200 Fellows have already completed their studies. Over seventy five percent have returned to India to begin careers in the social sector creating value for their regions and communities. IFP India helps returned fellows (alumni) raise their capacities through knowledge, skills and networks to become effective leaders working to improve lives in their communities.

Applications for 2010 are now open. Applicants should :

· Be Indians currently residing and working in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh or Uttarakhand. They should have faced some socio-economic disadvantage in their access to quality education.
· Hold a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree from a recognized Indian university with at least 55% marks.
· Have at least three years’ full-time work experience relevant to their proposed area of study. They should also have experience in leadership and community service or development related activities.

Forty candidates will be selected following an intensive search and selection process. The Pre Application and Final Application Forms will be reviewed and evaluated by panels of experts from academia, the social development sector and other related disciplines. Shortlisted candidates will be further screened through regional and national interviews.

The IFP India Program will assist selected fellows in university admission process, paying for travel, tuition fees, living costs and logistical arrangements related to their study programs. The Information Sheet and Pre-Application Form can be downloaded from http://www.ifpsa.org/. The deadline for pre-applications is 15 December 2009.

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News and Events

Jagmohan Bangani exhibits work at solo show in New Delhi October 2011.

http://www.fordifp.org/Home/Articles/tabid/293/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/30/language/en-US/IFP-Alum-Exhibits-Work-at-Solo-Show-in-New-Delhi.aspx

Dr. Meenu Bhambhani wins the Shell Helen Keller Award 2009!

Three cheers to Dr. Meenu Bhambhani, Global Head - Corporate Social Responsibility .

Meenu was awarded the prestigious NCPEDP – Shell Helen Keller Award 2009, under Category A: Disabled persons from within and outside the disability sector who have been active as ambassadors of the cause of employment for disabled people and are a positive role model for others.

The Selection Committee comprised of Dr. V. Krishnamurthy (Chairman, N.C.P.E.D.P.); Som Mittal (President, N.A.S.S.C.O.M.); Deepak Mukarji (Country Head, Corporate Affairs, Shell India Private Limited); and Preeti Mehra (Deputy Editor, The Hindu Business Line).

The Award comprising a medal and a citation was presented on December 2, 2009 at a function held at The India Habitat Center, New Delhi. The award was given by Hon’ble HRD Minister, Shri Kapil Sibal . The event was presided over by Shri Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief, Indian Express.

Congratulations, once again!

Brief Profile and contact details
Dr. Meenu Bhambhani
Global Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, MphasiS Limited, Bagmane Technology Park, Byrasandra, C. V. Raman Nagar, Bangalore – 560 093. Mobile: +91.9880932542. E-mail: meenu.bhambhani@mphasis.com

Meenu is the Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at MphasiS, Bangalore. Her specific responsibilities, apart from leading the Corporate Social Responsibility programme at MphasiS, include leading and sustaining the company’s diversity initiatives, with specific focus on disability. It would be an understatement to say that she has been successful in her efforts; in just one year, she managed to increase the number of disabled employees from 40 to 327. In fact, the Chief Human Resources Officer of MphasiS has been candid enough in admitting that even though the company always had the intent of being an equal opportunity employer, not much moved till Meenu came on board!

In her stint at MphasiS, Meenu has instituted processes to transform policy into action, has extensively trained employees across locations in disability issues and ensured that MphsiS’s systems, including infrastructure, became significantly disabled-friendly. Her efforts have resulted in the company not only becoming a positive recruiter of disabled persons, but also a role model for other corporates.

Being a person with disability herself, Meenu is a strong believer in the philosophy of ‘Nothing About Us, Without us’. Thanks to her commitment and dedication to the cause of employment for persons with disability, MphasiS was one of the winners of the 10thNCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Awards in 2008. The company also received the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities presented by the Vice President of India the same year. In her personal capacity, Meenu has been recognised by the CEO of MphasiS for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Corporate Social Responsibility 2008’. She has also been awarded the ‘Outstanding Student Achievement Award’ and elected ‘Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges’ in recognition of outstanding merit as a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

IFPIAN-IRMA conference on " Climate Change and Human Development in India"

IFPIAN in collaboration with IRMA, Anand organised a conference on climate change in the IRMA campus between 19 - 21 September 2009. The conference was titled " Climate Change and Human Development in India".

For more information please contact Mr. Alok Barnwal at aloke.barnwal@gmail.com

Leadership Academy for Social Justice

Two IFPIANs, Dr. Sony Pellissery and Sanjay Kumar Sharma conducted first Leadership Academy for Social Justice for young social workers in Orissa in June 2009.

Dr. Sony Pellissery along with three other IFPIANs conducted second Leadership Academy for Social Justice for young social workers in Gujarat in August 2009.

For more information and reports please contact Dr. Sony Pellissery at sony.pellissery@gmail.com

Mission of IFPIAN

IFPIAN is committed to social justice. It works to remove all inequities in society and strives against discrimination of caste, gender, disability and class to empower marginalized communities. IFPIAN functions as a collective advocacy platform and supports organizations working for the emancipation of the disadvantaged and the marginalized. It engages with issues of farmers’ rights, dalit rights, advasi rights, women’s rights, minority rights, rights of disabled and other human, economic, social and cultural rights.

Membership base of IFPIAN

IFPIAN currently has more than 200 members across the country. The members of IFPIAN are involved in implementation of various programmes and interventions in different parts of the country for strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting intersectional coordination and advancing human achievement. They are engaged in the Government, International Development Agencies, Civil Society Organizations, NGOs, media and academic sectors. Most of the alumni members are working with underprivileged low-income communities, women, children, tribals, dalits, disabled people and minority communities. The contribution of members of IFPIAN has been widely recognized by Government and other stakeholders at national and state levels in the areas of promotion of human development, gender equality, human rights and social justice.

IFPIAN's Acomplishments

IFPIAN organized its first national level meeting and alumni get-together in December 2006, in which IFPIAN was established. Members of the Governing Board were elected and broad vision, mission, objectives of the network and focus areas were discussed. Three regional consultations were organised for identifying the pressing needs/social justice issues for action in the regions and firming up ideas for future interventions to be taken up by the IFPIAN.

In the Month of August 2008, IFPIAN organised its Annual General Meeting. During the progress of IFPIAN was shared and future plans were discussed. An inspirational lecture was delivered by Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Vice Chancellor of Pune University, in which he shared his experiences of working in various capacities and shared his vision for India’s development. He called for IFPIAN members to keep their passion for social justice alive and work together to contribute to India’s Development.

In order to promote professional interests and provide members with opportunity for professional development, a two days training for alumni members on ‘Asset-Based and Citizen-Driven Development’ was also organised. This training was attended by 28 members of IFPIAN.

Since its inception, IFPIAN has been helping IFP team in outreach activities for selection of new fellows and providing mentoring support to newly selected fellow-elects and fellows. Successful experience, achievements and opportunities are shared by alumni members with each-others through lively discussions and postings on an online list serve established by IFP team.

IFPIAN has also started publication of a quarterly newsletter ‘SAJAG’. IFPIAN members are collaborating with various campaigns, organizations and government agencies for their activities and interventions for social development.