Investing Time, More Than Money, On Talented Kids

Raj and Charu are few in millions of young talent from India, who grew in small towns with nothing but big dreams. They were talented, and had a desire to excel when they grew up. However, both did not have sufficient resources to achieve what they really wanted. They got support and guidance from various mentors in their career, which brought them to where they are today. Today, they are well settled as entrepreneurs, engineers, doctors, administrators or some other white-collar jobs.

Who are Raj and Charu?  “They are one of us”, said president of Baal Vikas Foundation (BVF). “If we look back in the rear view mirror, we realize that there are millions of talented kids, they were equally (or more) talented than Raj and Charu, but they could not maximize their potential because they could not get necessary support, guidance and resources in time.” Raj and Charu were very lucky in the sense that they found help from mentors in different stages of their lives. They live comfortably, well settled and satisfied, with strong desire to support and mentor other kids with limited resources. Could they become mentors and devote time and financial assistance for kids who truly need a support? Baal Vikas founders, Sugriv, Abhijit, and Narendra P believe that, “This is very much doable. We can make a huge difference by investing in community which inspired us to dream big.”

One member of the Baal Vikas Foundation says, "A lot of times, we are thinking about the cause, mission, and impact but we do not know if we are going to succeed or not". Last summer, when he visited his hometown, he met many talented kids who had no access to books, academic coaching, technology, and had very limited financial resources.  He collected applications from each of these students and shared the kids’ bios with the people at Baal Vikas Foundation. He planned to pick students who are the worthiest and can make best use of time and resources. BVF has already put his plan into action and are committed to that. The member is going to spend time and his resources with this student in 2014. This engagement means a fixed monthly scholarship from BVF, calling once in a month to discuss progress and challenges, to offer suggestion and advice, and most importantly, motivate and inspire the student to do his best. In age of technology, distance is not a barrier anymore. In this engagement, there is no overhead, there is a direct impact and a great deal of satisfaction to the member because he has personal touch with student whom he is helping.  The Baal Vikas Foundation president stressed on this engagement and believes that “it could make an impact in a big way if we all dedicate a portion of our time in more organized and collaborative manner. Depending on our capacity and bandwidth, one can support one or two kids. This has a future prospect to scale over period of time when beneficiary students are ready to help their fellow students. This is the most effective way to make a difference.” 

Baal Vikas Foundation was founded in 2001 by a group of professionals who collaborate, share and learn from each other about the common cause. The mission of BVF is to help bright underprivileged students succeed in their education, career and professional lives by offering them financial support, mentoring and professional guidance. BVF provides several scholarship programs and also offers donor-advised scholarship programs tailored to meet specific needs of our donors.

As per the Baal Vikas Foundation president, “We are successful if we can make a difference in upbringing of even one talented student.  It could be 1% of our time and very little financial support. This does not require a lot of effort and is definitely not a huge commitment. BVF has been fortunate to make difference to the life of many kids who have excelled in their respective schools and districts.”

To this day, the BVF maintains community ties by investing in talented students in different ways. “There could be many challenges but, we can overcome them together, learn from each other, and make differences in our community" said the president of Baal Vikas. "I really believe that by doing this we hold hands of the next generation and build a prosperous and moral community."

About Author

Rajesh Mishra

Board Member, Baal Vikas Foundation

The mission of the Baal Vikas Foundation is to help bright underprivileged students succeed in their education, career and professional lives.