In 2005, former President Bill Clinton founded the Clinton Global Initiative to help well-intended people achieve results. Each year, the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting bring together a diverse group of world leaders, political figures, foundation, corporations, and individual grantmatkers, to examine today's most pressing global challenges. From this meeting, tangible commitments are put into action. As a member, the M. Night Shyamalan Foundation has made a commitment to work on poverty alleviation in India, through the Kasturba Nagar Community Project.
Through the Clinton Global Initiative, the M. Night Shyamalan Foundation commited to alleviate the economic distress experienced by women (and their families) in the Nagpur community through programs that will focus primarily on poverty alleviation through the economic empowerment of the 250 women living in the community. Specifically, the income generating potential of the women will be increased through the creation of self help groups, training in financial management and entrepreneurship, micro-financing, and skills training for market-based enterprise.
A secondary effort will focus on improving the quality of life for these women, children and families by addressing basic health needs such as clean drinking water, functional drainage and sewage systems, education related to nutrition, health and hygiene, as well as medical care which is accessible and adequate.
Read about the community and how MNSF learned of the women's needs here:
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/opinion/15kristof.html?_r=1&oref=slogin