Dear friends,

Greetings and good wishes!

With so much of the world beset by crises, disasters, and conflicts, what can we do to improve stability, peace, and prosperity in some of the most fragile regions of the world? And in emerging economies like India that are experiencing such rapid change, what investments can we make to ensure that these economies continue to grow with strong health and education indicators besides integrating into the global system?

These are vital questions that governments around the world, NGOs, policymakers, and businesses ask daily. But we know the answer, and the answer lies in investing in people. Investing in human capital is an investment that returns huge dividends.  By improving the capacity of people to govern, educate, produce for themselves, and reintegrate themselves into mainstream Indian society, the Hind Life and Education Trust (HLET) is advancing its mission to serve the society. This NGO, with several projects primarily in health, education and media sectors; aims at the welfare of the most underprivileged section of our society.

The reason for the immediate attention given to education and health is to uplift those communities which are relatively under-privileged. The geographical areas we cover for the time being are the rural and the urban areas of the eastern Indian state of Bihar. It is our fervent hope that we would be able to implement our vision in the shortest possible time. Our people have waited too long to see meaningful benefits accrue to them. They have toiled and suffered, and yearned for many things that never came their way. We owe it to our people to deliver to them what we can. In the same spirit, I would request all our well-wishers including national and international funding organizations to support and encourage us in our right cause.

We pray to God to give us the strength and capability to achieve the tasks that we have set for ourselves. These are challenging times for nonprofit organizations — but they are also ripe for more meaningful examinations and new opportunities. These times call for bold leadership guided by a moral compass. We pledge that we will also try to better understand the needs of our community and will be more strategic in our response. Leadership requires that we sometimes walk a few steps ahead to identify impactful strategies; that we sometimes walk beside you to have a better grasp of where you are coming from; and that we sometimes follow your wise lead.

The promise to do good begins with the spirit of caring and empathy. If we can put ourselves in our neighbor’s shoes, we understand that a community only thrives when there is kindness, justice, equity, and inclusion. As we begin serving the community, we celebrate the accomplishments and progress that have only been possible because of all of you. We are inspired by current and former trustees, fundholders, donors, nonprofit staff and board, teachers, mentors, and all  partners who believe in the simple premise of “together, we do better.” And with great humility and unwavering commitment, we are determined to do better every year.

The Trust’s vision for a society of equal opportunities for all, which enables people to fully realize their potential, remained our primary priority during 2019. The traditional priority themes of our activities, such as education, health, media ventures, protection of the environment, interfaith dialogues, and the empowerment of civil society in India, particularly in the state of Bihar, are being pursued as planned.

We are trying our best to partner with donor agencies, communities, government bodies, private sector and other organizations around the world to uplift and serve the weaker sections of society in India. No doubt, our participatory approach will improve lives and livelihoods. We are trying to bring together donors, civil society, government, and the private sector at the local level, using innovative techniques to build community resilience. We hope these words will inspire you to join us in our mission of being partners for good.

Let me share a brief profile of the trust. A group of young corporate professionals including women came together in 2019 to set up the HLET to work with grassroots initiatives for effecting positive changes in the lives of underprivileged children, grown-up students, ailing adults, their families, and communities. We are emerging fast as a premier NGO of eastern India with a distinguished record of dedication and perseverance for the cause of education, health, and training.

At present, the prime focus of HLET is towards quality education, health facilities, media schools, inter-faith dialogues, and training for skills with full transparency and accountability. The trust is committed to providing basic education, higher education, and healthcare to underprivileged children. The NGO believes that whether you are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control, unemployment or human rights, there’s no better place to start than in the corridors of education and health. Education and health are both the means as well as the end to a better life. Our current initiatives include building a media and television academy as well as a premier multi-disciplinary hospital near Patna, the capital city of the Indian state of Bihar. A few other projects have also been conceived, whose details will be shared soon on our website.

Ghazanfar Ali Khan

Chairman,

Hind Life and Education Trust,

Patna, Bihar (India)