GU Impacts in India: A Conversation with Program Manager Matthew Fortier

GU Impacts is in the midst of deepening what Program Manager Matthew Fortier calls a “hallmark partnership” with the Mann Deshi Foundation in India. The GU Impacts program, an organic Georgetown initiative housed in the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, creates immersion opportunities for students who wish to explore real-world issues. Every summer, fellows admitted to the program gain valuable experience through a summer project where they cultivate diverse skills that can be utilized to create social change. The program chose to collaborate with the Mann Deshi Foundation, a non-profit in India, as the vision of the Foundation lined up very closely with that of the Beeck Center.  

The primary objective of the Mann Deshi Foundation, whose founder Chetna Sinha is considered a “local hero,” is to empower rural women and fight injustices based on gender, caste, and class. Mann Deshi Mahila Bank, one of the organization’s key initiatives, provides women with loans, savings plans, pension, and insurance. Since its creation in 1997, Mann Deshi has supported over 325,000 women and girls. Last year, GU Impacts fellows helped to write a successful funding proposal to Mastercard and developed promotional videos showcasing the work that Mann Deshi has done for women in the local community. Currently, the three available positions with Mann Deshi include two business planning and program fundraising entrepreneur initiatives and one videostudio position.

In order to understand and measure its “impact”, the program asks both students and organizations about their experience and uses those reviews to determine if the program should be continued the following year. The program’s commitment to student and organization feedback is evident; three previous programs have since been discontinued due to their lack of “impact.” According to  Mr. Fortier, the program is valuable for fellows as they operate in an entirely different environment. In the middle of rural India during the hottest time of the year, they immerse themselves in a life very different from their own. Equipped with translators, fellows interact directly with the women they are trying to help--something that forever changes their outlook.  Students also acquire basic financial literacy and learn to procure funding and incorporate social media into their work. The need for the GU Impacts program in India is clear, as Mr. Fortier states. India today remains a conservative society where women struggle to gain the proper business skills to succeed as entrepreneurs. Furthermore, this serves as a model which could be applied elsewhere in countries facing similar issues.

Since Mann Deshi is a key component of the GU Impacts program, Mr. Fortier explains that in the future, “The program will aim to go deeper, rather than expand.” The program hopes to do more with students and Mann Deshi in order to strengthen the relationship before it expands to other organizations and locations. The GU Impacts vision is not to create big change, but to start small and make that change as impactful as possible. While GU Impacts Program’s Indian presence is currently limited to only Mann Deshi and could definitely expand to include more non-profits which need greater support, it is clear that through the Beeck Center and Mann Deshi, Georgetown students are making a real difference.