HOPE Foundation

About HOPE

Help Opportunity - Promote Empathy (HOPE) Foundation is a registered Society in Bangalore (Karnataka) India (Regn. No. 276/93-94 of 03.07.1993) and was founded by friends and well wishers who believed in the "worth" of Humanbeings around the World. For short we prefer to call this Empathy Foundation.

Dr. Manu N. Kulkarni is the Founder and the Chief Trustee, who has worked for UNICEF for 20 years around the world. He has been awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award by the American Biographic Institute in human development and his name appears in the International WHO'S WHO of Professionals TM of the year 2001 edition compiled by the WHO'S WHO Historical Society TM of Jacksonville, NC, USA.

The Empathy Foundation has on its roll as volunteers distinguished professionals in the field of Health, Human Rights, law and Environment, Gender and Development. Internationally known farm economist and former Director of Indian Institute Management Ahmedabad Dr. Vijay Shankar Vyas is the patron.

Our approach is not to take up projects and programmes but to "intervene" by protecting the people in the margin.The future vision and current action of the organisation is based on the needs of the people in distress. In response to the request of the Government of Madhya Pradesh State Aids Control Society, the foundation studied the Trucker's Sex behaviour and thier perception on HIV/AIDS.

The Empathy Foundation has responded to the Gujarat Earhquake with small help and is working with Yogi Divine Society and Sewadham Foundation in Anjar(Kutch) and has opened Gujarat Relief Account vide SB A/c No. 011 00005239 with SBI, Dollar Colony, RMV Extension, Stage II, Bangalore 560094 to receive foreign donations in response to the Government's call to help the victims.


Why HOPE?

Everyone hopes for the best - men, women, children, animals, plants and all the creatures of the world. But the circumstances, environmental compulsions, occupational hazards and learning difficulties, health problems, lack of opportunities, access to information - all make people to lose hope in life and living. Providing hope and love has been one of the virtues of Human Beings. Saints and philosophers, missionaries and institutions have been engaged in the mission of providing Hope and Love to fellow human beings. Some individuals and institutions (known as Greens) are engaged in providing care, love and hope to the plants, animals and to the mother earth.

Humans have lost faith in each other. Institutions, particularly the state and large organizations are lost in processes and procedures and as a result human beings are dehumanized. In the name of ownership, patents and inventions, the human being is denied the fruits of advanced technology and processes. Management has become the privilege of the wealthy few and entrepreneurship has become the preserve of a few who have mastered the art of technocracy and bureaucracy. An artisan, a weaver, a cobbler, a carpenter, a plumber and a potter, who have the skills but have no formal training or schooling, are denied the fruits of technology and management development.

Schools and institutions of learning are churning out "saleable products" but are not producing loving human beings. We need not only people with literacy and numeracy but also who are competent in this age of competition and technological excellence. We need to provide people, not just love and compassion but competence to stand on their own and contribute to the richness of the world we live in. We need alternatives for developing human beings.


Objectives of HOPE

Hope Foundation is a modest, organized effort of a few committed individuals, who believe in the promotion of excellence of humans, plants and animals and who form the best creatures of God on earth. HOPE believes in realizing the full potential of a person by enabling him/her a modest support, and sympathy. HOPE believes in competence building and not in charity giving.


HOPE Fellows & Volunteers

Trustees of Hope Foundation have instituted Fellowships for men and women who have shown promising talents, scholastic and otherwise, but who lack enabling support, little help and push to achieve their goals. Such people would be provided with Hope Fellowships to achieve their full potential. Every year such fellowship(s) would be awarded under the advice of a distinguished jury.

As we enter the 21st century, information would be wealth. Individuals who acquire information, store and share it would be the privileged ones. These individuals may be working on their own or for others, may be scientists or academicians, lawyers or doctors, journalists or media men/women or activists in rural or urban settings. HOPE would enlist the support of such individuals who can share their ideas and most importantly time for the good of others. People's participation is now the desiderata of all development programmes - human and otherwise. We need individuals in all walks of life who can spare their talent and time for those who are hopeless and who need HOPE and inspiration. Money by itself cannot inspire and kindle Hope. We need committed individuals to share the human agonies and kindle Hope. HOPE FOUNDATION would have a network of such individuals and would constantly orient them and seek their help and support in select activities (Health Care, Rural Development, Environmental Protection etc.) Hope Volunteers would constantly be in touch with each other through experience exchange.


HOPE Oration

Every year on the Foundation Day men and women who have achieved distinction in their fields of competence would be invited to deliver HOPE Oration on a topical subject which is of relevance to the deprived groups of people and which would help to understand ways of "doing things better". The subjects would range from public health, environment, skills/training, education, and enterprise management.


HOPE's Thrust Areas - Education, Environment and Entrepreneurship

HOPE FOUNDATION would initially work in the area of Education, Environment and Entrepreneurship. All these are not mutually exclusive. There is symbiotic relationship. Education of the child and the adult empowers them to be equipped with the information that is required for enriching their lives. Environment is not just growing and protecting plants and animals but understanding to live with nature. Here also education and information helps. Efficiency and competence is a must for any enterprise. A good enterprise can come about by efficient and competent individuals. HOPE Foundation would endeavor to promote activities and processes in these three areas through individual actions/activities/public debate and group actions/activities.

Humans have lost faith in each other. Institutions, particularly the state and large organizations are lost in processes and procedures and as a result human beings are dehumanized. In the name of ownership, patents and inventions, the human being is denied the fruits of advanced technology and processes. Management has become the privilege of the wealthy few and entrepreneurship has become the preserve of a few who have mastered the art of technocracy and bureaucracy. An artisan, a weaver, a cobbler, a carpenter, a plumber and a potter, who have the skills but have no formal training or schooling, are denied the fruits of technology and management development.

Schools and institutions of learning are churning out "saleable products" but are not producing loving human beings. We need not only people with literacy and numeracy but also who are competent in this age of competition and technological excellence. We need to provide people, not just love and compassion but competence to stand on their own and contribute to the richness of the world we live in. We need alternatives for developing human beings.


Trustees and Patrons of HOPE

Dr. V.S. Vyas, Director, Institute of Development Studies, Jaipur - Patron