4 Reasons I support an NGO

I have been associated with an NGO – Sshrishti – for more than 6 years now. What started as a chance discussion through my past employer has become a critical part of my life. And trust me when I say I gain a lot from this association. Here are the reasons you should also consider working with an NGO:

1.      It helps me inculcate the right values in my child

For a long time, my daughter has known that I spend several Saturdays at “NGO office”. She knows I support “poor and needy children”.

She has a fun kind of bank passbook. Whenever her grandparents give her money, she makes a note there. As you can imagine, there were only additions to her account... no deduction. I casually asked her if she'd like to donate money from her passbook this year... and she immediately agreed. She had INR 17,800 in her balance. She happily agreed to donate 10,000 from that.

I am extremely proud of her as a parent. I know it’s her inherent nature to care about people around her. Having said that, somewhere, my involvement with NGO has also influenced her and I am very happy about it.

2.      It bring me energy and excitement  

You should go meet these kids. Their energy is infectious. They are so full of life. They will gladly play with you even if you are meeting them for the first time. They will share their sweets; they will make you sing with them; they will fearlessly ask you so many questions. And they can be so talented – in studies or in arts (music, dance). I feel so charged up when I interact with them. Needless to say, that energy and excitement spills over to my work and rest of my life as well.

3.      I consciously express gratitude

Giving thanks can make you happier. If you don’t believe me, check out Harvard Medical School research on this. Working with an NGO gives me deep understanding of the challenges at grass root level; knowing the genuine challenges of underprivileged people and bringing a genuine change in their life is emotionally satisfying. More importantly, it helps me appreciate all the things that enrich my life – my health, my relations, my interests, my work – everything. I consciously express gratitude to the people around me. And that makes me happier.

4.      I learn about Jugaad and perseverance

A few years back, Sshristi was working with women in Uttarakhand region, making them digitally savvy. There was  a ‘train-the-trainer’ approach…so each “Internet Saathi”  had to on-board 600 people. Pressure was high to keep up the numbers…keep the momentum.

In the Almora district, because of monsoon and heavy landslide, some villages were without electricity for two weeks. The Saathis there had to complete their target, and this was the last month. They had two smartphones each (one to teach the women). They ingeniously started sending one smartphone through truck drivers to the nearest town for charging, while they carried on their work with the other one.

Imagine the passion, the perseverance, the “jugaad” mentality. So many people in the typical office environment (including yours truly) would have raised their hands and said “sorry, not enough infrastructure; can’t do this”. But these people don’t tolerate excuses. They get shit done.

I would even say that it is misleading to say “I support an NGO”. Yes I do work with an NGO…but there is a lot I gain out of that engagement as well.

Who among you has been working with NGOs (or non-profits)? Would love to hear your stories – what excites you, what inspires you, and what bothers you?