The Uttaranchal Foundation for Excellence (UAFFE) Scholarship Program

 The UAFFE program is a sub-set of the well known Foundation for Excellence or FFE program (www.ffe.org ). FFE  provides scholarships to students with excellent academic record who come from poor, under-privileged backgrounds.

The UAFFE program, based in Silicon Valley, California, is managed by the volunteers of the Bay Area Uttaranchalis (BAU), a social entity dedicated to team effort and positive impacts on Uttaranchal.

The stated objective of the UAFFE program is to raise the Uttaranchal participation in the FFE program from near zero today to a substantial size in the next few years.

UAFFE Program Objectives:

1.     To establish a strong base of volunteers with roots and/or interest in Uttaranchal, and through this group of volunteers to manage and support the FFE Facilitators in Uttaranchal.

2.     To insure that a strong flow of deserving student applicants is maintained through the sustained interest of the Facilitators in Uttaranchal.

3.     To insure that the volunteer team raises sufficient funds for FFE to support the general level of scholarship activity relative to Uttaranchal.

4.    To strive to make the Uttaranchal FFE effort a model for other Indian states and to share all experiences with similar volunteer groups on a regular basis.

UAFFE  Annual Goals

The UAFFE program being launched at the end of 2005, has the following specific objectives:

• For the academic year starting in July 2006, facilitate 25-30  FFE Scholarships through a team of 20 volunteers in the US and 20 facilitators in Uttaranchal
• For the academic year starting in July 2007, facilitate 50-60 scholarships through 30 volunteers and 30 facilitators.
• By academic year 2009, attain and maintain  a program of 100 scholarships with an increasing base of volunteers, facilitators, and  contributors.

The Operational Structure of UAFFE & the Volunteer Team

A. Trustees, UAFFE

Kailash Joshi, Anshu Bhatt and Vijay Bist

B. FFE Relations

Chair: Puneet Thapliyal; Co-chair: Jagdish Pande

C. Facilitator excellence in Uttaranchal

Chair: Somit Joshi; Co-Chairs: Gaurav Negi, Harish Negi

D. Chairs, USA Fund Raising

Chair: Seema Pande, Satish Pande; Co-Chairs: Gaurav Negi, Harish Negi

E. Chairs,  Communications & Web Site

Chair: Girish Bhatt; Co-Chairs: Ashish Gairola,

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about UAFFE

Note: Please visit www.FFE.Org for FFE -related questions such as the specifications of coordinators, facilitators, student selection, fund management etc.

We have attempted to address most of the Uttaranchal related questions below, but if you have questions beyond these, please  contact  Girish Bhatt or Ashish Gairola at : uaffe_info@yahoo.com.

Q1. What is the status of UAFFE as an entity and what is its infrastructure?

1. UAFFE is a high priority project undertaken by the Bay Area Uttaranchalis (BAU).
2. BAU itself is an informal social organization of Uttaranchalis and friends dedicated to 1) social activities 2) volunteerism and 3) presentation of Uttaranchal as a highly desirable and attractive part of India.
3. BAU is not a registered organization. It utilizes the infrastructure of the India Community Center, or ICC, in Milpitas, CA (www. indiacc.org).

Q2. Who can become a volunteer and how, for the US efforts of UAFFE? 

1. Anyone with the following interests, is  welcome to join this exciting effort, as well as become a member of BAU:  
   1. identifying and supporting the FFE Facilitatotors in Uttaranchal,
   2. raising funds for scholarships anywhere,
   3. providing the communications support for the UAFFE program

For signing up please contact  Girish Bhatt or Ashish Gairola at : uaffe_info@yahoo.com 

Q3. What are the specific expectations from a UAFFE volunteer?

A.      While UAFFE does not place rigid requirements on its volunteers, it broadly  expects  that each volunteer will:

1.      Participate actively in at least one of the specific areas as outlined under the objectives.

2.      Help generate through their efforts 3-4 scholarship candidates from Uttaranchal, by supporting the Facilitators.

3.      Help raise minimum $1,200 for at least two scholarships each year for engineering and medical education scholarships.

4.      Attend the various meetings and complete the various assignments so that the team effort continues with excellence.

Q4. Is the UAFFE program aimed at any specific disadvantaged group?

A. The UAFFE program follows the guidelines of FFE and considers all disadvantaged candidates alike. However, all things being equal, the UAFFE program will be more aware about searching deserving candidates from backward and remote areas of Uttaranchal as well as women students who have traditionally not been encouraged for higher or technical education.

Q5. Can I invite non-Uttaranchalis to join as volunteers and members of BAU?

A. Both BAU and UAFFE program welcome the support of all volunteers, regardless of their identity and origin. In fact, we believe that having non-Uttaranchalis in the group will help maintain an unemotional approach to the programs and encourage open discussions. 

Q6. How often does the UAFFE team meet and what is the time commitments required from the volunteers?

1. After the launch of the program, the entire team will meet each quarter for a program review and setting up of new goals. However, during the quarter some activity will be maintained by each group and individual volunteer. It is expected that each volunteer will spend on average 30 to 50 hours in serving UAFFE. As can be seen, a modest commitment of volunteer time can change some lives greatly.

Q7. Who receives the checks and who disburses the funds for the scholarships?  Are contributions tax deductible?

1. All checks are written to FFE directly and they manage all funds.
2. All contributions are tax deductible under IRS code 501 C3.

Q8. Are any Uttaranchal volunteers in the US or the Facilitators in India paid any amounts for their services?  If not, why do they dedicate so much effort to this program?

1. No, all these services are 100% voluntary. In fact any travel, meals, phone and printing costs associated with their efforts are borne by the volunteers and Facilitators themselves.
2. The people who volunteer for this program are interested in team efforts that help the underprivileged back in the communities of their roots. They draw satisfaction from helping change several lives for the better and they consider that a satisfying reward.

Q9. Can a donor adopt a particular student instead of general funding of the scholarship program?  Can donor maintain direct contact with the student receiving the scholarship?

1. Yes, the FFE program has a new initiative whereby identified scholars can be individually supported by the donors. In fact, we believe the Uttaranchal program (UAFFE) will have substantial portion conducted on this basis.
2. Yes, in fact FFE encourages the donors to get to meet and communicate with the scholarship recipients. This allows for a better appreciation for the impact of the program for all concerned.

Q10. How will UAFFE make sure that all districts of Uttaranchal are receiving balanced interest and participation?

A. One of the responsibilities of the UAFFE group is to insure hat there is wide awareness of the FFE scholarship program even in the remotest of colleges of Uttaranchal. Further, while qualifying the Facilitators, the functional teams will make sure there is a good and balanced representation of all districts.