The American India Foundation (AIF) has announced commitments totaling $7.6 million (INR 60 crores) from Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST) in support of girls’ education and maternal and newborn health.

Announced on India’s 74th Republic Day, which recognizes when India’s Constitution went into effect, the investments include $1.6 million in AIF’s Digital Equalizer (DE) program for school children and $3 million in support of the Banyan Impact Fellowship (BIF) program, a program that trains government school teachers on DE-designed techno-pedagogy and exposes students to STEM-based learning while providing technology and STEM infrastructure. Additional commitments include a $3 million grant made in 2022 in support of the foundation’s Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI), which aims to reduce neonatal and infant mortality by 25 percent and 20 percent respectively over five years across six development blocks in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

“There are no words for how grateful we are for RIST’s continued partnership,” said AIF chief executive Nishant Pandey. “These generous, multiyear grants and project scale-ups are a testament to the trust and collaboration that comes with our partnership, the dedication of our implementing team on the ground, and the impact that the two organizations make together. Since our partnership began, RIST has pushed us to be better, think bigger, and has supported us all along the way. We are thrilled for this next phase of work and the lives we’ll be improving together.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/hadynyah)