The Foundation for World Education and Auroville: Partners with a common vision
by Guy Ryckaert
In 1988, the Foundation for World Education (FWE) initiated the setup of a revolving loan fund to stimulate business developments in Auroville, and made a substantial contribution towards its corpus fund. This fund has been extremely helpful in supporting the startup of small commercial activities and providing adequate cash flow for their initial production.
FWE also sponsors annually the Management Training and Development Program, which offers an opportunity for Auroville residents to attend workshops, training courses, seminars, conferences, and other short-term educational activities in India and abroad related to their work in Auroville. Over the past ten years, about 120 community members have benefited from this adult education program.
The Auroville Project Coordination Group, a representative body of major working areas in Auroville that regularly reviews pending Auroville projects and programs, submits on behalf of Auroville once a year a priority list of projects for funding by FWE. The board of the foundation assesses these requests and decides on grant allocations in a special meeting.
This consistent and regular support from FWE has been of great importance for the overall growth and development of Auroville. It has also been instrumental in developing and strengthening specific sectors, of which education and community building are the most visible and important ones.
The Auroville Project Coordination Group feels extremely grateful for this growing partnership between FWE and Auroville, and looks forward to expanding their fruitful cooperation towards the realization of their common aspiration, goal, and vision.
The Foundation for World Education’s contribution to Auroville [as of the year this article was written, 2003]:
- Education: $355,000
- Environmental: $90,000
- Community Development: $300,000