Article Source: http://www.moneycontrol.com/

Date of Issue: November 21, 2006

Title of The Article: India's children in the spotlight at Synergos University

Ingrid Srinath, CEO, CRY, Child Rights and You, India's premier non-profit organization working to restore the rights of underprivileged Indian children, was one of the four plenary discussion speakers at the Synergos University for a Night event on October 12, 2006 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

University for a Night brings global leaders together to discuss the world's most pressing problems and to share ideas that help to address poverty, inequity, environmental degradation and conflict.

This year, Ingrid shared the platform with E Neville Isdell, Chairman and CEO of the Coca Cola Company, Ted Turner, media baron and Founder and Chairman of the United Nations Foundation and Charles A. Minor, Ambassador of Liberia to the United States. Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, and David Rockefeller presented the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Awards to Mr. Turner and to Ms. Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, the first woman head of State in Africa, on the occasion.

The event provided CRY an opportunity to remind some of the world's wealthiest and most influential individuals of the dark underside of India's much-touted economic boom. Ms. Srinath spoke of the 200 million Indian children who are chronically malnourished and the need for all sections of society - State, Market and Civil Society to take responsibility if problems of this scale and severity are to be tackled with any success. She pointed out that the policies of corporate giants like Coca-Cola had a far greater impact on children and communities than the combined efforts of NGOs.

Ms. Srinath highlighted the remarkable vision of Rippan Kapur, CRY's founder, in building a publicly funded, indigenous, third-world foundation rooted in partnerships without the financial, knowledge or social assets that typically mark grant-making organisations globally.

In response to a question on barriers to partnership, Ms. Srinath singled out the myopic vision of donors and grant makers that fail to actively involve underprivileged communities they work with in developing and implementing solutions. "What we've learned", she said, "is that the only sustainable change is the one that comes bottom up; where our role, whether we're government, civil society or market, is really to amplify the voices of the poorest of the poor, and actively listen."

Ingrid was selected as a Synergos Senior Fellow in 2003. As part of her fellowship, she consults with foundations across the world, sharing CRY's experience in social marketing and fundraising. 

Ingrid joined CRY in 1998, after working extensively in the advertising industry. Among the positions she held was that of Associate Vice President, Grey Worldwide. Retaining an abiding passion for brands, Ingrid is a member of the Consumer Complaints Council of the Advertising Standards Council of India.

After a period as Regional Director, West, Ingrid was appointed CRY's Director Resource Mobilization in 2000. During this tenure, CRY's fundraising operations were completely re-engineered resulting in several new revenue streams including online marketing, fundraising and advocacy. As a result CRY has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 35% over this period and has one of the most robust resource mobilization models in the sector. 

2004 saw her leading the CRY team as Chief executive and successfully guiding the name change of the organisation to Child Rights and You. A founding board member of CRY America, Ingrid with the Indian responsibility spearheads CRY's expansion to the UK and the Middle East.