My Nonprofit Reviews

India Development and Relief Fund (IDRF) is a tax-exempt organization under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c)(3). It aims to support grassroots and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in serving the most disadvantaged, impoverished, illiterate, poor, uneducated and needy people in India.

Dr. Vinod Prakash received his Ph.D in Economics from MIT, Cambridge, MA, and he worked at the World Bank as an economist from 1971-88, in Washington DC. He founded IDRF in 1987. IDRF has crusaded with non-resident Indians to actively find solutions to the problems of poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and natural disaster facing the poor Indian masses. As a selfless social worker and a visionary, Dr. Prakash has dedicated his whole life to the IDRF cause. (Since his retirement from the Bank, he has been volunteering virtually all his time for IDRF). Dr. Vinod Prakash has lived in the USA for more than 40 years but, until recently, visited IDRF projects in India almost every year.

IDRF, since its modest beginnings, has grown into a professional organization managed by a small staff and supported by a group of motivated volunteers. IDRF projects range from building schools for needy children, building orphanages and rehabilitation centers for disaster victims, to creating development schemes for tribal areas and urban slums. The project areas may be quite diverse, but all address social and economic issues.

Dr. and Mrs. Prakash are the true refuge and hope for poor, destitute and deprived people living many parts of India. Although the country made some progress in some areas in recent years, there is still significant amount of poverty and lack of access to education and healthcare. Dr. and Mrs. Prakash’s selfless service through IDRF is providing these people with education and hope for better life. Dr. Prakash is committed to provide a better quality of education and health to young children and women in the remote Indian villages. They visit these areas often.

Both Dr. Vinod and Mrs. Sarla are known for their affection, kindness, compassion, and generosity. Their unflinching selfless commitment to serving society and mankind is greatly recognized by volunteers, students, and people like me. However, just as much Mrs. Sarla Prakash enjoyed caring for IDRF volunteers in their house, she was greatly disturbed by the poverty and misery that was prevalent in remote and poor parts of India. I believe the services provided by Dr. and Mrs. Sarla Prakash through IDRF are a great humanitarian service for the poorest of the poor, including the aged, the destitute, the unemployed, the diseased, the terminally ill, and those abandoned by their families. I found them to be a very loving, caring, kind, compassionate and generous couple.

Both Dr. Prakash and Mrs. Prakash are precisely an inherent strength of IDRF and the source of its steady growth. Dr. Prakash tells “We attach utmost importance to [IDRF’s partner] NGOs' accountability and integrity. We select NGOs with proven track records only.”

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