Bhatia Spreads Umubano in India

By M. Jessica Rowe

This article is the first in a series to update our readers on the six honorees of the 2008 National Awards for Citizen Diplomacy.  Each feature will highlight activities of one of the following honorees: Anjali Bhatia of Kinnelon, New Jersey; Tarik Daoud of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Greg Mortenson of Bozeman, Montana; Kris Nedam of Livonia, Michigan; Jillian H. Poole of Arlington, Virginia; and Donna Tabor of Granada, Nicaragua.

Anjali Bhatia and Professor Amitava Sanyal, a professor of Microfinance and Co-Founder of Bandha.  Bandha is ranked by Forbes Magazine as second in the “The World’s 50 Top Microfinance Institutions”; it provides services to India’s working poor—primarily women.

In June, I caught-up with Anjali Bhatia the youngest of the honorees, through email. She was in Varanasi—one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world and situated along the west bank of India’s Ganges River.  After finishing her sophomore year at Duke University, and before arriving in India, she visited Rwanda where Discover Worlds’* programs have gained momentum. 

In the native language of Rwanda, the word Umubano means relationship, in terms of friendship. It is a word that sums up Anjali Bhatia’s handiwork. In Rwanda, three college-level scholarships were recently announced from Discover Worlds.  In addition to the scholarship’s stipend for basic needs, it covers tuition, healthcare, book and housing fees, as well as computer and language training. The three young Uyisenga Scholars have demonstrated exceptional commitment through academics and leadership and are catalysts of change in their orphan community. Their unforgettable stories of witnessing family members killed, living as refugees, rebuilding their lives, dreams, and forgiveness will inspire readers. Warm congratulations are sent to Scholars Gérardine Benimana, Jean Baptiste Nkomeje, and Gemini Credo Kananura.**

I learned that two additional Discover Worlds programs, Adopt-a-School and Sponsor-an-Orphan, have been energized through partnerships with local Rwandan and Rwandan-based non-profit organizations. 

A high-energy project created by one of Discover World’s chapters is a new magazine called "Whirl." “Whirl” targets pre-teen girls in lower-income areas in the United States with quality content and advice on nutrition, safe practices, etc., while still providing fashion and the feature stories of popular magazines.

Back in India, Anjali advises me that it’s the first day of the monsoon or rainy season and she delights in wading through muddy water.  Apparently, Mother Nature is not preventing her from expanding Discover Worlds in the Republic of India.  She is currently encouraging Indian youth to make a difference in their own community. Her hope is to help build a student chapter and identify programs there.  In Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India, Anjali is working with the Bengal Rural Welfare Services on micro-lending  to empower women in rural villages as part of the Robertson Scholarship leadership program.

Besides nurturing social programs in India, Anjali’s parents feel that she is getting in touch with her roots by living and absorbing its culture. No doubt she will reconnect with her ancestral heritage during these rainy days. Keep an eye on monsoonal conditions while Anjali is there—who knows what earthshaking ideas may have rippled forth.

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*Discover World is composed entirely of youth and was founded by Anjali Bhatia. For more information: http://www.discoverworlds.org