BackgroundThe Naandi Foundation was conceptualized by ex-CM Chandrababu Naidu, and founded by the efforts of Dr. K Anji Reddy, founder-chairman of Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd; Ramesh Gelli, founder of Global Trust Bank Ltd; B Ramalinga Raju, chairman of Satyam Computer Services Ltd; and K S Raju, chairman of the Nagarjuna Group of Companies; on November 1, 1998.
The Naandi Foundation was set up to make "new beginnings" in the spheres of education, healthcare and livelihood for the people of AP, with the long-term mission of eradicating poverty. Naandi is "...backed by government support, set up by corporates and run by development professionals", a combination that not only lends professionalism to the way things are run, but backs it with the right degree of compassion as well.
ActivitiesToday (as we write this in early 2004) Naandi touches the lives of over 300,000 people in the state through its initiatives. Over Rs. 314.14 lakhs have been spent on education initiatives by the foundation, of which Rs. 276.35 lakhs have gone into the AP government's highly successful Mid-Day Meal Program for school children (their kitchen, incidentally, is the largest in the world).
SOS (Support Our Schools) is a program where a corporate can "emotionally adopt" a government school, and take responsibility for the quality of education in these schools.
D E Shaw,
Microsoft, DRL and
Intergraph are among the many companies that have already adopted schools - with remarkable results.
Volunteer OpportunitiesAs an individual/corporate, you could use your "Power of 10" (nothing to do with the "Charmed Ones") - make a donation of only Rs. 10 every month towards the cause - or explore some of the other volunteer opportunities mentioned on the website. Other cash donations can be made in favor of "Naandi Foundation".
Naandi also takes on interns from time to time to work on its projects. For donation/adoption-related queries, you could contact Sweety Nayak at the numbers mentioned above.