Padma Venkataraman, 2009 International Humanitarian of the Year, visits Utah State University Wednesday, Oct. 7, to present a presentation entitled “Making a Difference through Service and Humanitarian Outreach: Working with the Leprosy Affected in India.”

 

The presentation is at 12:30 p.m. in the Huntsman School of Business Auditorium, room 215. Her visit to USU is made possible through JaLynn Prince, a College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences donor.

 

A campus reception will honor the guest prior to the 12:30 p.m. presentation. The reception for  Venkataraman begins at 11 a.m. in the Tippetts Exhibition Hall of the Chase Fine Arts Center and runs until noon. All are invited.

 

Venkataraman is a leading figure in India’s national fight against leprosy and its resulting stigma and is visiting Utah to receive Enterprise Mentors International annual International Humanitarian Award for her work in educating and lifting thousands of leprosy-afflicted families from poverty.

 

“We are thrilled to welcome Venkataraman to the United States and to honor her for decades of service to thousands of the poorest of the poor,” said Mark Petersen, CEO of Enterprise Mentors. “She represents the best that is in all of us and is an example for the world.”

 

Award recipients in prior years have been Wendy de Berger, former first lady of Guatemala, and Laura Bush, former first lady of the United States. 

 

Venkataraman is the daughter of former India President R. Venkataraman and now heads up microfinance projects in the India Leprosy colonies for Rising Star Outreach, a humanitarian organization based in the United States that has championed her cause. She is also a member of its board of directors and takes an active role in the policy decisions concerning Rising Star Outreach’s subsidiary organization in India.

 

Prior to her partnership with Rising Star, Venkataraman lived for many years in Vienna, Austria, where she was, among other things, permanent representative of the All India Women’s Conference to the U.N., member of several non-profit committees accredited to the U.N., such as the Committee on Narcotics, Committee on Disabled, etc. She was also vice president of the non-profit organization Committee on Women and president of the United Nations Women’s Guild. In addition, Venkataraman was a founder-member of the Women’s Indian Association, and a member and later vice president of the Austro-Indian Association.

 

In India, she has been most active in grassroots work in leprosy rehabilitation for 15 years. She was honorary director of a FAO/All- India Women’s Conference Project for leprosy patients in the 4,000-strong Shahdhara Colony in Delhi, and she worked with HOPE WORLDWIDE to construct houses for 800 families there. For over five years she was honorary director of a major Tamil Nadu wide DANIDA-funded leprosy rehabilitation project under the auspices of the Women’s Indian Association, Chennai.

 

Since partnering with Rising Star, she has increased the micro-lending to include more colonies and more individuals, initiated the reconstruction of a residential home for leprosy affected people and been instrumental in the creation of the new Rising Star Outreach Children's School and Homes.

 

In the wake of the Tsunami disaster, Venkataraman has worked tirelessly for the livelihood rehabilitation of the people in selected sites through the repair of fishing boats and catamarans and the provision of fishing nets. Funds for this are provided by foreign donations to Women's India Association from the United States, particularly from Rising Star Outreach. Funds for micro-credit are also being made available by local banks.

 

In addition to her work with Rising Star, Venkataraman is currently the vice president of the Women’s Indian Association, Chennai, a committee member of the Srinivasa Gandhi Nilayam, a trustee of the Global Cancer Concern, Delhi, a Patron, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Chennai, etc. She also advises in an honorary capacity HOPE Worldwide.

 

An economics graduate, her honors include awards by Women’s Indian Association, HOPE WORLDWIDE and an honorary doctorate from Emmanuel College, Kota.

 

Writer: Jodi Burton, 435-797-1350, jodi.burton@aggiemail.usu.edu