Humanity is a conglomeration of ideals and the actions which carry them. Perhaps this is what makes people from different facets of life, care for each other, and provides unshakeable faith to each cog of the society. Voxspace had the wonderful opportunity to talk to one such humanitarian organisation, Sphoorti, which has taken upon itself, to provide basic amenities, education and health care to underprivileged children in Hyderabad.  We approached the founder of Sphoorti foundation, Mr.Srivyal Vuyyuri, had conversations about the organisation, understanding what it stood for and why it makes a huge difference to our society in the simplest way possible. And he had the following things to share with us…

Defining The Soul Of Sphoorti….

“I do not believe Sphoorti has an existence in itself. It is just a platform for people with generous hearts to support children in need and distress. There are two constituencies – children and their benefactors. The soul of the organisation is Love.
The word Sphoorti means ‘Inspiration’. We get inspired by people who spend their time and earnings for the children. Also, we would like to inspire people to do good. We are not doing any ‘Seva’ or ‘Service’ – such words are condescending. It is in our own interest that we have to shape lives of children in need”.

Corporate Rushed Up Lives And Societal Services…

“It might seem so (that corporates are neglecting social responsibility), but, it is the people who are in the corporate job and ‘rushed up’ lives that provide help/funds to organisations like ours. It will be very unfair to judge people who give us their unconditional support.
There are hundreds of people who help us and choose to remain backstage.
Now we have many College level Service Clubs and many organisations are supporting the education of poor children. The spirit of service is spreading among the youth. Gives us a lot of hope”.

Procedures Of Admission In Sphoorti….

“While looking for children to bring our services to, we depend on multiple sources of information. We depend on
a) Own references and references from other similar organisations
b) Information from donors/sponsors
c) Local Police Station
d) Contacts in Media”

About The Inception Of Sphoorti And People Formulating It Initially… 

“After I studied Economics and worked for a while in a Business School in Hyderabad, I wanted to set up a small school, in my vicinity where most children belonged to poor families. Unfortunately, my plans did not take off. I still wanted to do something for children. Setting up a Home for Children was the other option.
We began with three children on July 17, 2006, and ever since it has been an exciting journey.
In the initial days, I received a lot of support from my family members and friends. One of my ex-colleagues Mr Abhay gave us the first check – $ 1500. It boosted our morale. Once we started work, many youngsters were forthcoming in their support for the kids”.

On Collaborative Works With Other NGO’s Around The City..

“”Every organisation is perfectly designed to get the results it’ getting”. – Tim Kight. Sphoorti works closely with all stakeholders – children, donors, local authorities etc.
We follow what is called “Abundance Thinking” approach. There is an abundance of love and wealth in this world to solve a lot of our problems. The challenge is finding people who are willing to share these. We appreciate and acknowledge the time, efforts and resources that our friends expend so that lives of children can change for the better.
We bring in a level of comfort for people to visit our place and freely interact with our children. We also use technology as a tool to improve our processes and communication with our stakeholders. We use Social Media to our advantage. With other organisations, we share information and resources. For example, when we get an excess of books/stationery or when any orphanage is in disarray, we try to chip in either through our own contribution or through our donors.
Corporates through their CSR activities have been providing us with a lot of support in terms of funding, sending their volunteers to help our children for various activities. More than publicity, they give our children an opportunity to showcase their skills. Many corporations invite our children to participate in their in-house cultural events or visit our campus to organise various contests – cultural, sports etc”

Comment Upon Resources And Provisions To Run An Initiative Like Sphoorti.. 

“”Impact Drives Income”. Period.
People may not have the resources to start such an initiative but they definitely have the resources to support an initiative like ours. Our benefactors have multiple responsibilities – providing for the family, addressing work-related issues etc. and still, have the heart to spend their time and money for our children. These ‘normal people’ make our journey possible. They are not normal people, they are the agents of change, even if they do not realise”.

Explaining The Recently Started Ambitious ‘Sphoorti Campus Project’ … 

“The State Government allotted 3 acres of land to Sphoorti in 2009. We have been able to build a 25000 sq ft hostel block to house more than 200 children. There is a lot of open space for children to breathe, walk and play. We also have a computer lab, library and sickroom coming up in March. We were fortunate to have the support of some individuals, corporations and donor organisations (India and abroad) for the Campus Project. Once we are through with this Project, we want to set our eyes on a bigger project. We are still making plans”.

A Look Back At The Journey Till Now And Comment Upon Major Milestones For Sphoorti…

A. “When I decided to start Sphoorti, I informed a lot of my friends about the idea. We registered the organisation in Oct 2005. Around Dec 2005, we did not have a bank account nor did we start operations. My ex-colleague Abhay called me and gave me a check for $1500. It was the greatest moment in my life. Abhay trusted me when nobody knew anything about our plans and proposed activities. This was the greatest moment in our brief history”.
B. “Another milestone is the construction of our campus. The State Government allotted 3 acres of land for setting up a Home for our children. Before we started construction, it seemed impossible to raise enough funds to erect a building that would house 200 children. Now after three years of hard work, we see the building coming up. Our children have already moved in. In two months from now, we will have a fully constructed hostel block which will consist of a library, a sickroom and a computer lab”.

Getting The Support From Local Authorities And Government…

“If you are sincere, sooner or later, people will notice. It is not necessary to depend on Government completely. There are enough good number of people in the world to help us. If we concentrate on creating impact, everything else falls into place”.

Advice For New NGO’s Still In The Ideation Stage And Future Works For Sphoorti…

“Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I think if each citizen does justice to his/her job, the society will be a better place by itself. Respect to nature, laws of the land and fellow human-beings will largely solve many problems. I wish to see the world where there is no orphanage, no Old Age Home and an ‘NGO’. For someone who wants to start an organisation like Sphoorti, a bit of work experience would help. More than any skills, the right attitude, mental strength and self-belief would help. Let ‘LOVE’ be the end of and means for everything you do, things become possible and easier. In the next 7-10 years, Sphoorti will be taking care of more than 1000 children with the much higher quality of care than we are able to afford now.

So that was Mr.Srivyal Vuyyuri, talking about Sphoorti Organisation and what it stands for. Now that we know the incredible things that the organisation is taking up, it is time for us to visit their website and extending our help in any way possible and perhaps become a small part in a shaping up the future. Be sure to visit their Website and Facebook to be updated about the organisation.

Voxspace extends sincere gratitude to our friend Hriday Ranjan for introducing us to Sphoorti foundation.