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Newsroom U.S.-Based Grants Guarantee 1,000 Local Needy Children Will Develop and Expand Language Skills
Learning the English language will be much easier for the 250 students of the Fidai Girls Educational Institute, as well as an additional 750 boys and girls living in the poor neighborhoods surrounding the school, thanks to a $5,000 grant from the US-based Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), The Premier Association of Financial Professionals, Foundation.
The MDRT Foundation Grant was used to purchase equipment for a Linguaphone Language Lab, to teach the targeted 1,000 children English as a second language. Using both audio and visual inputs, the children will be able to acquire a 1,300-word active vocabulary and will learn to speak English naturally and fluently.
At an official Gala Inauguration Fete on Sunday, 27th January 2008, at the Fidai Institute, the MDRT Foundation presented the grant to Fidai Institute officials. In addition to the MDRT President, 34-year MDRT member James E. Rogers, CLU, CFP, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, local officials and Mumbai-area MDRT members and insurance company representatives attended the event. The event also drew local families and children from the community, for a total of more than 1,000 people attending the Lab’s grand opening.
“After only a few weeks into this new venture [Lingua Lab] we teachers have noticed a huge difference in the English speaking abilities of the children,” said Mrs. Sakina Rupani, head teacher for the Linguaphone Lab. She explained that as their pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary have grown and improved, the children have experienced a tremendous boost in confidence and are now eager to speak English even among themselves in casual conversations. “Our English Language Lab is a great gift to help these children feel no less than any other privileged child in India.”
The MDRT Foundation Grant was secured by 28-year MDRT member Kamal N. Daya, CLU, ChFC, of Dallas Texas, a Mumbai native. Daya, a New York Life insurance agent and generous donor to the MDRT Foundation as an Excalibur Knight, is a long-time active supporter of the Fidai Girls Educational Institute. In addition to the grant from the MDRT Foundation, Daya and his family have contributed an additional $20,000 (U.S.) of their own funds to complete the language lab and make it ready for the children. He has also pledged the funds necessary to operate the Lingua Lab for its first five years.
“I know first-hand the challenges poor children in India face,” said Daya. “Learning proper English is an important step towards breaking the cycle of poverty. The children who use this facility will be in an excellent position to succeed in higher education and access jobs and opportunities that might otherwise be closed to them.”
Daya sincerely hopes and expects that this lab will serve as a model for similar facilities that can be implemented in other schools and neighborhoods. “Our MDRT membership is rapidly growing in India and these kinds of projects provide an excellent opportunity for our members to give back and support their local schools, neighborhoods and communities,” concluded Daya on why he decided to apply for the MDRT Foundation Grant, as well as donate his own money to the project.
About Fidai Institutes: Fidai Institutions is a non-profit organization that provides education to children living in poverty in Mumbai. For 73 years, Fidai has provided opportunities for children to get a good education and prepare to overcome their misfortunes so as to achieve a better future for themselves and their families. In the emerging world of meritocracy the best guarantees for their success are knowledge, competence and a deep sense of values that will guide them for the rest of their life. Fidai’s message, therefore, to the Fidai students is that any hardships they have suffered should be made to become a spur for motivation, to think, to work intelligently and courageously, and to commit to improving their future. Web site: http://www.fidai.org/aboutusfidai.html.
About MDRT and the MDRT Foundation: The MDRT Foundation was created in 1959 to provide Round Table members with a means to give back to their communities. MDRT has 2,009 MDRT members in India and 144 MDRT members living and working in Mumbai. Over the years, MDRT members in India have donated a total of $9,890 (U.S.), including $3,020 (U.S.) from members in Mumbai, to the MDRT Foundation. In return, the MDRT Foundation has donated a total of $81,000 (U.S.) to a total of 11 different funding projects in India.
The MDRT Foundation was created in 1959 to provide MDRT members with a means to give back to their communities and improve the quality of life for those in need throughout the world. Since its inception, the Foundation has donated more than $20.4 million (U.S.) in 67 countries. The majority of these funds were raised by MDRT members and represent contributions from MDRT members. Web site: www.mdrtfoundation.org.
The MDRT Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Million Dollar Round Table, the world’s Premier Association of Financial Professionals. Founded in 1927, MDRT is an international, independent association of more than 35,000, or less than 1 percent, of the world’s best life insurance and financial services professionals. With membership from 479 companies in 78 different nations and territories, MDRT members demonstrate exceptional professional knowledge, strict ethical conduct and outstanding client service. MDRT membership is recognized internationally as the standard of sales excellence in the life insurance and financial services business. Web site: www.mdrt.org.
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For more information on the event, please contact: Cell phone: (214) 502-8388 E-mail: kdaya@tx.rr.com
Fidai Girls’ Educational Institute Senior Executive Officer (Education), Mrs. N.E. Dhanani Phone: 91 22 2621 0692/2229, Fax: 91 22 2628 8216 E-mail: fidaiacademy@yahoo.com |
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