Hogmanay, Valentine's, and a Special Birthday!

. . . and courting the big donors, too.

I find it strange to think that next week, I will have been here 6 months. 

So much has happened, and life races on with new jobs on the list every day.

There was all the initial apprehension about finding somewhere to live, but James and Hilda found me this wonderful house where I live in a spacious, 3-bedroom, ground-floor apartment. 

It's well within my budget, despite the automatic annual rent increase, and it's located in a quiet side-road with friendly neighbours occupying the other apartments in the building.

I have had to learn how the utilities are charged and paid for, the location of the best bakery, and which are the most reliable fruit and vegetable vendors. I still have struggles with the peculiarities of Indian online banking, the mechanics of ordering take-aways using those tiny buttons on my phone, and the endless requirements for an OTP (one-time password) whenever I attempt anything online.

I am kept busy with a steady flow of proposal documents, and spend most of my time on keyboard and screen, and I love this. When I was cold-calling for a double-glazing company after my restaurant closed down, I judged my success by whether the person I called thanked me for calling: it all came down to how I approached the prospect, and I still feel the same way now, in India.

Fund-raising is not dissimilar. I never view fund-raising as a begging-bowl. To me, it is inviting people to the opportunity to be part of the solution to a problem; an invitation that can be welcomed and experienced as enriching.

Indian businesses take CSR seriously

I love the fact that companies in India are required by law to donate 2% of their profits to charity. I warm to the glow on the faces of corporate volunteers who come to visit the schools, or to run projects like an excursion for a group of our kids to go to a museum, or to organise a school Sports Day. Corporate Social Responsibility in India is so much more than a legal requirement; last week I heard CSR described as Compassionate Social responsibility.

I have just finished a proposal for a consortium in Silicon Valley, made up of like-minded philanthropists who have made their fortunes in I.T and are looking for schemes that they can support. We are seeking funding for a Primary/Secondary school project with a radical curriculum that seeks to foster creative thinking from an early age, to face up to the challenges of Artificial Intelligence. The philanthropists are excited and I too am excited. 

They made me a birthday card 

I know that there are many people back home in England who feel jealous of the opportunity that I - at 75 - have in being involved in such an innovative project. The rewards are sometimes very emotional and overwhelming. 

My birthday brought home to me the 2-way emotional involvement I am experiencing here in Bangalore.

I love these positive, dynamic kids, and the affection is mutual.

Such lovely people, the dedicated staff and the positive, determined children.

I set up a Birthday Scholarship Fund for my 75th, and it looks as if it could pass £1,000.

If you'd like to nudge the total upwards (every fiver helps,) click on the link and pay with VISA or Mastercard, Debit or Credit cards, - and thanks from all of us; we all appreciate it!

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/bobharvey