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We’re looking at how my process of growth can facilitate your process of growth. “There is trust involved, giving the other organization the benefit of the doubt, open communication, honesty, wanting the best for you and for your partner. These kinds of relationships do not happen overnight,” she said. We don’t treat them like a service provider, but instead, we grow together. Ramil concurs, saying that the NGO, known as SVYM, “is an amazing partner. We both believe that these students can make a difference.” ILR has worked with us to co-create the program, we’re not contractors delivering a service. I have come to believe that people in ILR have this conviction of equality which goes far beyond the usage of that word, you actually live it.”Īs far as the partnership, Balu says that “ILR has never treated me as less than an equal partner. It’s not just people being sensitive, it’s a conviction. “In my 10 years of partnership never once has someone from ILR had a condescending attitude about either India or South Asia. It is this humility that Balu credits with the longevity of the NGO’s partnership with ILR. They’re humble enough to know that they may not know enough and they’re ready to be challenged culturally.” “But, Cornell students don’t carry that false pretense. “When some students come down for such programs, they carry this pretense that they’re doing good,” Balu said. These reports are not simply written and then put on the shelf or library, they actually work and we use them.” “We continue to use the work made by the students. However, within the first years of the program, it became clear the ILR undergraduate students could offer a lot to the NGO. The NGO was initially concerned about partnering with ILR undergrads as they had previously only worked with graduate students from the Kennedy School. This connection allowed for an immediate bond between Ramil and Balu and the genesis of what is now ILR’s Global Service Learning Summer Program. Donna Ramil, who now serves as associate director of ILR International Programs, had previously worked in Andhra Pradesh, an Indian state close to Balu’s NGO in Karnataka State. “I think you should invite him to speak to your class,” Karpur told Grasso.Īfter Balu’s talk, Grasso approached ILR’s Office of International Programs about creating an opportunity for ILR students to work with the NGO. Years before, when Karpur was a medical student, he worked with Balu through the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, the nongovernmental organization Balu founded. Grasso, ILR associate dean for finance, administration and corporate relations, had heard of Balu from Arun Karpur, then an ILR employee. In 2009, Balu, as he is known at ILR, was completing a fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School when Joe Grasso invited him to speak to his class on nonprofit management and finance. Ramaswami "Balu" Balasubramaniam has become ubiquitous within ILR since his first interaction with the school 11 years ago.