Illuminate Inc
Illuminate Inc is a children's charity founded in 2008 by Youth activist Kaushik Tiwari. The organization is largely youth-funded, specializing in sustainable development in countries of India,Bhutan, Nepal,Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Overview
Illuminate Inc was founded in 2008 by Kaushik Tiwari when he was 14 years old. A Freecycle Network administrator with experience in coordinating activities he decided to form Illuminate Inc as small community project in West Bengal and North East India.
With increased support of well wishers and like minded people Kaushik with his brother Saumik Tiwari designed a website Illuminateinc.org.A good idea catches on,with the aid of friends and well wishers branches of Illuminate Inc have spread across six countries.
Illuminate Inc acts as umbrella organization for all of its activities.There is no direct control over the activities by the leadership,members are urged to think of creative ways by which to benefit people.The members communicate using internal email lists.The thrust areas for its philanthropic activities are providing access to quality education,community empowerment through its online store and generating awareness AbOUT issues that affect the environment.
Development work
Illuminate Inc through its various projects and campaigns have helped create sustainable communities in five countries-India,Bhutan, Nepal,Bangladesh and Myanmar. By its Education outreach program Illuminate Inc has given rural youth of these communities access to quality education and resources. Illuminate Inc has also provided access to pure water in arsenic affected areas of West Bengal,India & Bangladesh. Through its variety of projects & campaigns Illuminate Inc has provided sustainable growth to many communities in these regions.
Funding
Illuminate Inc's funding comes largely from young people.A portion of Illuminate Inc’s funding also comes from independent adult supporters, grants and corporate groups. A final portion of the organization’s funding comes from its partner company, Illuminating Styles, a social enterprise that donates 75 percent of its net profits to Illuminate Inc and reinvests the rest to grow the social enterprise.
Projects
Education OutReach
Educational OutReach-The MIT OCW is a web resource used by students all over the world to access course materials from one of the foremost universities of the world. However, majority of the courses in OCW are in English restricting its use to non English speaking population. We at Illuminate Inc translate the course materials into regional languages such as Hindi, Bengali which are distributed free of cost to schools in rural areas to enrich the quality of education.
Rural Model United Nations
Rural Model United Nations- The Rural MUN is an initiative to encourage people to “break the boundaries” of their minds.It brings the rural youth in consonance with the latest going ons in the world. It empowers them to give their take on world issues.It broadens their horizons and gives them a belief that even they can influence the world.
Illuminating Styles : Social Enterprise
Illuminating Styles
In India's North Eastern Region & parts of Northwestern Myanmar have a high potential handicraft & Handloom Industry.But due to limited markets the makers of these excellent pieces of art are exploited and are forced to sell their goods to middlemen which are then exported to exorbitant gains.Illuminate Inc potentially provides these weavers a world market through its online store Illuminating styles .The products are sourced directly from the indigenous artisans and provide them with a sustainable market to broadcast their products and improve their lives.
Campaigns
Water for life
Water For Life- Millions of people living in the arsenic infected areas of Bangladesh & India are forced to use arsenic contaminated water due to lack of access to pure drinking water. Consistent use of this arsenic infected water can lead to internal organ problems in human beings and have unknowingly put millions of people living in these areas under threat. Illuminate Inc in its campaign for ensuring clean and safe water for people living in these arsenic affected areas have started a campaign Water For Life for this cause.By coordinating with other local NGOs it has been running awareness campaigns,signature drives and peaceful protests to bring this problem to the notice of the government.Our efforts have been repaid partly by the setting up of the Kahala water purification plant.Our aim is to ensure arsenic free drinking water to all.
SOS-Save Our Species
North-East India is considered among the 34 Environmental Hot Spots and is one of the richest biomes of the world, high in endemism and rare species which is now under constant threat.Ironically this is also one of the world’s most threatened area and recent estimates indicate it would not be long when all this will disappear in the next 15 years. In 2010 The International Year of Biodiversity Illuminate Inc has started a new initiative SOS - Save Our Species to create awareness about the critical biodiversity crisis in North East India.