Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I left India when I was much younger to pursue studies here in the U.S. I am now an American citizen, and have had the privilege to work, live and raise a family here. Probably like all immigrants to this country, I came full of hope, but also with a bit of fear. As it happened, my arrival in here was made easier by many small kindnesses I received in the US, and which still mean a great deal to me. With youth on my side, obstacles were in any case soon overcome and I was able to graduate and later prosper first as a scientist and later as a businessman. Prosperity has been a source of security and satisfaction to me, as I am sure it is to you too. The dream of success and security seems to be common to most of the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in the U.S.

Prosperity has permitted me to take some initial steps towards returning to my country of origin, some of what it provided to me, not least, the highly subsidized public education I received in India. It was Andrew Carnegie who said that by achieving wealth, we undertake an obligation to repay that which we have gained - we are wealth’s trustees for future generations. In that spirit, my family and I decided to create the Sehgal Family Foundation in 1999 to put our personal resources to work to help support sustainable village development.

Our original intention was to act as a funding organization to other NGO’s. We found however, that we could be more effective by establishing a professional organization to undertake four integrated programs in rural Gurgaon; Water Management, Income Enhancement, Family Life Education, and Health Awareness. Our goal is to create sustainability in four villages, before expanding our activities to other parts of India. Our mid-term goal is to establish an institute to ‘train the trainers (champions)’ in village development, and the long term goal is to reach several thousand villages in India through these trained village champions.

In the villages in which we are working I have seen first hand that grass roots actions are possible. I have seen the hope that sewing lessons can bring to a young girl in rural Gurgaon. I have seen the difference that good agricultural practices can make to a poor farmer’s income. I have seen what secure and adequate water means to a village, and the empowerment that health education can give to a young mother. We still have a long way to go, but these early results are encouraging.

My fellow NRIs our country of origin has done a great deal for us, please consider what now we can do for our country? Poverty is a condition of life degraded by disease, illiteracy, malnutrition and helplessness. We NRIs can set an example by sharing a part of our good fortune for the development efforts in rural India. Whether our contribution is our expertise, our time, or our hard earned cash, it can make a vital difference in the lives of rural poor. I therefore strongly urge that we support a vision for Rural Self-Reliance (SWARAJ).

President Bill Clinton once suggested that if every non-resident Indian adopts an Indian Village, it can transform the entire country. It is possible and it can be done. Our Foundation and the many individuals and/or organizations are paving the way. We earnestly hope that you would consider joining in this effort and help in reducing poverty and suffering from India.


Suri Sehgal
Chairman
Segal Family Foundation