American India Foundation felicitates 27 young leaders from US, India

The American India Foundation (AIF) today felicitated 27 young leaders from the United States and India on the completion of their 10-month service under AIF's William J Clinton Fellowship for Service in India.

"These young fellows contributed their skills and resources to NGOs in the field of livelihoods, education, and public health across 15 states in India," Mark A White, Mission Director of USAID-India, said at the event.

The event brought together philanthropists, CSR practitioners, leading businessmen, NGO founders and fellows, who shared testimonials and glimpses into their journeys of service in India, along with an art exhibition portraying the impact of their work on the ground.

 

"The William J Clinton Fellowship for Service in India helps shape the next generation of leaders committed to impactful change while also strengthening civil society to be more efficient and effective," White added.

The fellowship pairs a select number of highly skilled young professionals with leading NGOs and social enterprises in India in order to accelerate impact and create effective projects that are replicable, scalable, and sustainable.

While congratulating the Clinton Fellows, Mathew Joseph, Country Director-AIF, said, "Through values like teamwork, perseverance, and humility they address the challenges they face in their service and ultimately succeed in making positive and lasting impacts in their host organisations."

Since the first batch of fellows who assisted in the post-earthquake rehabilitation of Gujarat in 2001, the AIF Clinton Fellowship Program has successfully paired 452 fellows in service with 202 NGOs and social enterprises across 23 states, thus representing a collective force and organised network dedicated to social change in India.

AIF was founded in 2001 at the initiative of President Clinton following a suggestion from then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Working closely with local communities, AIF partners with NGOs to develop and test innovative solutions and with governments to create and scale sustainable impact.