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ILID wishes to acknowledge the patrons from Project India who have whole heartedly supported the Pygmalion project. With your continued support we hope one day every school going child in India is able to speak fluent English. ILID thanks the following friends of ILID from Project India for their support and compassion towards the children of Pygmalion:

In memory of Bob Stein (Contributed through Carol Stein)
Donation in honor and memory of Project India 1957 team members Jim Beardsley, Tony Brubaker, Jose Colmenares, Norm Ollestad, Eleanor Ellis Sams, Bob Stein and Elaine Solomon Graydon, contributed by Howard and Ruth Harrison
In memory of 1954 Project India members Charlie Decker, Lynne Kiene Hart, Nira Hardon Long, Curt Owen, Pierre Mornell contributed by Judy Fargo Ostrow
In memory of all Project Indians from Leon Alex Trevor Farley (Batch of 1958)

About Project India

Project India began at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1952 and continued for the next 18 years. It was made up of interracial and interfaith groups of students who traveled to India for 10-12 weeks each summer as unofficial good will representatives of the United States. It was a pioneering experiment in private person-to-person diplomacy with the purpose of meeting student counterparts at Indian colleges and universities. Project India was administered and operated under the auspices of the University of California at Los Angeles and the University Religious Conference, an off-campus charitable, non-denominational conference center.

During these 18 years 234 students and advisors traveled to India. Most have maintained contact with each other these past 50+ years through a loose knit unofficial group of alumni.

Project India and Pygmalion

The Project India Committee felt that a project should be selected that has a direct relationship to India. There were two such projects one of which is the Institute of Leadership and Institutional Development ("ILID"), which has a project to provide English teachers for village youth

The Committee has selected ILID as the most appropriate project

English is the language of education in India. Unfortunately, many children in India's villages do not have access to an English teacher. Without English skills, young villagers have no opportunity to receive a higher education and to break away from the caste system. ILID, founded by Dr. Jayaram, who spoke at the reunion in Carmel, is able to provide an English teacher in a village for one year at a cost of approximately $2000

"To honor the memory of Project Indians no longer with us, a list which will grow over time, we feel nothing could be more appropriate than participating in Pygmalion through the leadership of ILID. It is with pride that we do so." From India Ink ( Lois Benes, Project India 1956 batch).

A personal note from Dr. G.K. Jayaram, Director, ILID:
I had the great pleasure of meeting many of the Project Indians at Carmel, California and speak to you all about our work with children. I wish to add my personal thanks for your generous gesture and for the recognition of the need to give. We will keep you informed of the progress of Pygmalion at periodic intervals. Take good care of yourselves and we at ILID will do our best to share with the children of the world what they deserve.

Thank you very much Ms. Carol Gilbert for your generous donation to ILID's Pygmalion project in honor of the 1968 project ceylon team. Such support inspries our team to continue their commitment to teaching poor children and enable them for better lives.

ILID consults to any organization, be it an NGO, a Government, a Corporation, or a philanthropic Fund/Foundation, working for the poor in society. It occupies a unique space in the non-profit landscape – an NGO for NGOs.

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