India Rural Development Action Program Conference set for the weekend of May 3rd and 4th in Chicago

Conference Brings Together Indian Americans and Other Friends of India Who Wish to Learn More About Conditions in India’s Villages and Take an Active Role in Improving Them

A group of Indian American activists for India is coordinating and sponsoring the India Rural Development ACTION Program Conference in Chicago, Illinois the weekend of May 3rd and 4th, 2008. The primary purpose of the Conference is to develop concrete action programs for water development, healthcare, primary education and economic development of rural Indian villages. It is a follow-up to the December, 2007 Rural India Learning Journey undertaken by 24 Indian Americans.

The Learning Journey, to rural areas in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, gave the participants first-hand knowledge of how the villagers of India are faring compared to the rapid progress of the upper and middle-classes in the cities of India. Most of the areas visited fell within rain shadow regions in which livelihood is primarily agricultural and heavily dependent on scanty, seasonal rainfall. All of the villages suffer from acute shortages of drinking water and water for growing crops, as well as all of the other infrastructural deficiencies attendant upon poverty.

The experience, while certainly eye-opening, was perhaps unexpectedly a positive one. Some of India’s dynamic social entrepreneurs, otherwise known as NGOs (Non-Government Organizations), are already in action lending a helping hand to transform rural India. Many villagers themselves, in particular the women, are also pulling themselves up, making heroic efforts to conserve rain water resources, and improve their livelihood in all aspects. What the group saw and experienced, gave us renewed hope that rural India is NOT a basket case. Still a lot, lot more needs to be done.

Participants in the Learning Journey consider the Chicago Action Program Conference the logical next step by friends of India in the US, including Indian Americans, toward making a concrete contribution to the future of India. During the May 3rd and 4th Conference, participants in the Learning Journey and other veterans in grassroots development, will share their experiences and discuss the work of credible NGOs already making strides in developing rural India and how the successful models of village development could be scaled up and replicated elsewhere in India. Most importantly, they plan to formulate specific project possibilities and encourage others to participate in future Learning Journeys to different Indian states in 2008 and 2009.

Ultimately, the objective is to get together friends of India in the U.S. including Indian Americans. We want ALL of rural India to make progress during the next decade or two -- including the states of the north and east that have lagged behind.

For details about the Chicago Conference, visit www.usindiafriendship.net

If you would like to speak to some one, call

Ram Narayanan at 716 875 9976 ramn_wins@roadrunner.com or

Raj Rajaram at 630 915 6176 info@idc-america.org .

You are welcome to post your comments about the Conference on http://usindiafriendship.blogspot.com/

US-India Friendship is a 100 percent not-for-profit labor of love, devoted to continuous improvement of US-India friendship and cooperation, especially people-to-people relations.