Weekend Exclusive | Spreading joy the Smile Foundation way

Smile Foundation in its own words aims to "promote and catalyse universal education among underprivileged children". With a clear thought to enable the end result of nation building by shaping the citizens of tomorrow in the country, the foundation has a wide presence in the country. The foundation reaches out to more than 200,000 underprivileged children and youth directly through more than 140 welfare projects across 22 states of India.

Its presence is across states like Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, Assam and Manipur.

Recently Radio One in association with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Toonpur ka Superhero launched a drive where in masses across Mumbai could drop in gifts for the kids of the Foundation on occassion of Christmas.

Adgully caught up with Nandita Dalal, Regional Manager, Smile Foundation, to find out more about the organisations reach and wide spread network of spreading joy.

Talking about some of the recent initiatives by the organisation, Dalal says, "Along with direct intervention programmes in the sphere of Children's education, livelihood, mobile health care and women and girl child empowerment, the foundation believes that true change in the society can only be brought about by involving the civil society in the change process. Towards this end the Foundation works extensively with children from privileged schools and sensitizes them through various initiatives. The Foundation in association with NDTV has produced the award winning series Choone Do Aasmaan and has also produced the internationally acclaimed feature film I am Kalam."

A lot of organisations vouch for celebrity faces as their ambassador and Dalal feels that involving celebrities and other dignitaries is a means to garner the support of the civil society and their involvement in the organisation's initiative to bring about change. "In a country the size of India any change will be possible only if the privileged do something, and these celebrity voices lend the much needed support to the foundation's initiatives," she adds.

Talking about the challenges of promoting and marketing the Foundation, Dalal says, "There are a few challenges. However as a development organization Smile Foundation aims only at sensitizing the privileged, the activities of the foundation are not commercially inclined."

When asked if the organisation looks at working closely with Government's regulatory bodies to have a reform at a national level, Dalal points out, "As a civil society organization we do aim to work with the government at a policy level. Recently Smile Foundation organized a national consultation on "Adolescents' on the direction of Planning Commission of India towards developing an approach paper for the 12th five year plan."

Adding more on the year's achievements and while signing off, Dalal adds, "Our documentary Choone Do Aasman won the "Asia Pacific Child's Right Award' from Unicef at a ceremony in Tokyo and was also awarded as the best hindi documentary of the year." | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]