Today we’d like to introduce you to Jiten Agarwal.
Hi Jiten, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Smile Foundation, a not for profit organization started in India in 2002 when a group of young working professionals came together with the goal of giving back to community by focusing on underprivileged children, women and families. The organization was founded on the vision of bringing about comprehensive and sustainable changes through education, healthcare, livelihood, and women’s empowerment. Fast forward 20+ years, the foundation has over 400 projects in 27 states of India that are benefitting more than 2 million people every year with a diverse portfolio with projects in education, health, livelihood, disaster response, and women empowerment. This integrated lifecycle approach addresses the basic indicators of socio-economic progress to achieve sustainable development for the underprivileged with the ultimate objective of poverty alleviation.
Smile Foundation started its USA chapter in Houston, TX in 2022 and registered as a 501c3 organization, with the commitment of the US leadership team to provide exceptional beneficiary services in India and USA and to live the core values of this organization to the fullest. We started a few programs for kids and adults with special needs, along with skills training and employment to women needing help in Houston, TX.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Path that leads to success has not been a “smooth road”. Challenges are on both sides of the spectrum. On one side funds are needed to start and execute the programs. Needs are unlimited and hence substantial funds are required to help more and more beneficiaries, On other side of the spectrum, challenges include ensuring Impactful outcome based delivery of the programs.
On fundraising front, key challenges include donor fatigue, economic uncertainty and hence cut in corporate fundings, finding new donors, and most importantly creating awareness by compelling storytelling using social media.
On other side of the spectrum, challenges include finding the skilled resources to work in remote areas, difficulty in measuring impact, building public trust and awareness, scaling operations, and navigating socio-cultural and geographical barriers, especially in remote areas.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Smile Foundation is a social development organization that works to empower underprivileged children, youth, and women through a “life-cycle approach” focusing on education, healthcare, livelihood, and women’s empowerment. The organization runs over 400 projects across 25 states in India, reaching over 2.0 million people annually.
In the US, the organization works with local charities like Volunteers of America, Houston and Family to Family Network and supports their charitable initiatives.
The organization specializes in delivering comprehensive education, healthcare, and livelihood support to underprivileged children, youth, and women across India. Our programs span early childhood education, skill development for youth employability, primary healthcare services, and women’s empowerment, all designed to create meaningful opportunities and enable a brighter, more secure future for underserved communities.
Smile Foundation stands apart through its distinctive “civic-driven change” model, which places strong emphasis on community ownership supported by professional, results-oriented management practices. Our approach ensures that transformation is not only impactful but also sustainable at the grassroots level.
We further differentiate ourselves through innovative programs that empower women, a strong focus on STEM education enriched with hands-on learning, and the use of the Social Venture Philanthropy (SVP) model to mentor and strengthen other grassroots NGOs.
As a service delivery organization, our extensive ground force of community workers engages directly with beneficiaries across all our projects. This deep on-ground presence helps us ensure programs are responsive to real needs and leads to maximum social return on investment for our donors and supporters.
True to our name, we are dedicated to bringing smiles to the faces of our beneficiaries. Across all our social media platforms, we share stories of the positive change we strive to create in the lives of the less privileged—made possible through our initiatives and the generous support of our donors.
The unwavering commitment of our ground team, along with the trust placed in us by our donors and supporters, forms the foundation of our work. Their collective contributions have enabled us to build a highly respected and credible brand within the social sector.
We would like the readers to learn about Smile Foundation’s charitable initiatives both in India as well as the US. We would be happy if they can join hands with us to help the less privileged and create a better society together. They can visit our websites- www.smilefoundationindia.org and https://smilefoundationusa.org/ to know more about us.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
While most people know us as a charity with teams working on the ground for the underprivileged, many are unaware that we also work closely with privileged children. Our Child for Child program is designed to sensitize privileged children to the realities faced by their less privileged peers by fostering empathy, compassion, and social responsibility through interactive sessions and workshops. The program aims to bridge socioeconomic divides by nurturing understanding and inspiring children from privileged backgrounds to become proactive contributors to a more inclusive society.
Another lesser-known fact about Smile Foundation (India) is that it produced the internationally acclaimed film I Am Kalam to raise awareness about child education. Released in 2010, it was the first film ever produced by a development organization in India. The film premiered at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival and won 17 national and international awards, using the power of cinema to inspire and sensitize civil society about the importance of education for underprivileged children.
We believe cinema is an exceptional medium to educate children about positive values and social issues. This belief is reflected in the Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFFCY), which we organize every year in India. The seven-day festival showcases around 150 children- and youth-oriented films from India and around the world, and is attended by thousands of young viewers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://smilefoundationusa.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smilefoundationUSA/
