The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation was set up to carry forward the legacy of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi. The Jawahar Bhawan Trust met in July, 1991 and passed a resolution inviting the Foundation to work out of Jawahar Bhawan.
In August 1991, the Foundation setup Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies to provide research based ideas, analysis, policy and practical programmes into contemporary issues. RGICS programmes cover economic reform, science and technology, social issues, public affairs and international relations. The Institute organises conferences, lectures, workshops, short studies and projects and invites experts to lend their insight into the contemporary issues. It also encourages research scholars, scientists, economists and social scientists to undertake projects which can provide inputs towards policy framing and decision making. Some of the speakers include Robert McNamara, Nelson Mandela, Hillary Clinton, John Kenneth Galbraith, Margaret Thatcher and Edward Said.
Initiatives taken
Education
Project Edge in the Yakutpura slum area of Hyderabad where more than 3000 girls were either enrolled into schools or made self-reliant.
In 2007-08, the Foundation launched Vidyagyan scholarship program in collaboration with the Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar Educational and Charitable Trust. It focused on girl children from marginalised communities in classes 6 to 10. Around 2000 girl children were supported through this scholarship programme.
Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy scholarship is given to two women pilot trainees at the institute every year.
Traveling scholarships to students from various British universities were given to visit India during their vacations as part of undergraduate or graduate studies.
The Teachers Empowerment Programme was initiated to provide extensive training in the District Institute of Education & Training, Titabor in Jorhat district in Assam. It was also extended for school teachers of Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland.
Decentralization of Education Governance was launched in 2010. It is a way to devolve power systematically to primary stake holders empowering them to participate in the decision making process, and structurally alter the process of planning and decision making within the entire education system.
Project REACH was launched by the Foundation in 1995. It organized two centres in Indore, Madhya Pradesh to shelter, educate, train, and provide health coverage to various street children. The children were admitted into regular schools or provided with technical training to start their own enterprises.
Health
In 1993, RGF launched an HIV/AIDS prevention awareness campaign India. On Worlds AIDS Day in 2009, Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Foundation flagged off Red Ribbon Express. Over the years, the Foundation has partnered with a number of organisations and conducted workshops for General Medical practitioners and NGOs to create awareness on how to prevent and control AIDS.
In 2012,RGF have conducted 800 heart surgeries with the help of AGS charity and then congress leader's.
Ongoing initiatives
Access to opportunities
The Foundation enables physically challenged young people to access better opportunities by awarding motorised vehicles. It was initiated with the support of corporate bodies and concerned individuals in 1992 and has helped over 2400 individuals access higher education and attain financial independence. On 22 August 2015 Rahul Gandhi awarded vehicles to 100 individuals from 20 states.
Interact
The Interact scholarship program supports children affected by conflict across the country. After 2005, it included another 160 children affected by the tsunami in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. As of 2016, the Foundation supports 2086 children across Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Puducherry and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. In addition to scholarships, on-going psycho-social support, orientation in and exposure to, various professions, placements, academic support, and internships are also provided.
Natural resource management
The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has been working on issues of livelihoods and Natural Resource Management since 2001. This programme was implemented in backward villages in Jaipur, Pali and Karoli districts of Rajasthan which faced serious environmental degradation. A third party evaluation revealed the significant impact in the lives of the targeted families. In order to scale up this transformative work, RGF set up Gram Gaurav on 19 December 2011. Gram Gaurav currently works in 74 villages located in Dang region of Karauli and Dholpur districts to augment water resources, conserve soil and enhance agriculture production.
Rajiv Gandhi Cambridge Scholarship
The Foundation, in collaboration with Cambridge Commonwealth Trust offers two scholarships for Indian students to pursue master's degree at the University of Cambridge. The selection process follows well defined criteria, including experience, education and leadership potential.
The Foundation has been working with ten partners across the country to introduce a capability based learning approach for children. This initiative has focused on redefining the assessment frameworks and learning approach and focusing on continuous comprehensive evaluation. A cluster approach has been adopted in selecting schools and works on capacity building of teachers.
