There are many foreigners who have left their homes and families and settled down in India for the love of this land and its people.
Deb Jarret
PC: twitter.com
In spite of having a great lifestyle and job in the USA, Deb Jarret was not satisfied with it. She wanted something more from life. She came to India in 1988 and started working with an Anganwadi center which is located in the Kotwali Bazaar area, between Mcleodganj and Dharamshala. Here, she noticed malnourished puppies and injured dogs on the road.
She can’t see the pain of those who are not capable of conveying the emotions using words for sooner attention; she looked for help. Finally, a local NGO stepped forward and medicated the stray. And she thought, “It may happen again”.
She silently helped the paralyzed, injured, and many more. In 2013, she walked around with the animal care mission with a team of volunteers and vets from around the world. There were many who required help, an injured bird, one carrying sheep, and more. After looking at this complete scenario she decided to start an NGO in Dharamsala. And today, Dharamsala Animal Rescue Trust is the home for many puppies, dogs, and others injured. This NGO looks after the injured dogs, and some have been adopted. Trust runs various programs like raising awareness about rabies, vaccinating dogs, and much. Even though the NGO has limited funds, Deb and her team are very happy as they treat the animals with grace.
Bodhi Zendo
Bodhi Zendo is from Italy but now works at Zen meditation in Tamil Nadu. She teaches life skills to women who suffered and lost everything after the Tsunami. People from Switzerland and Germany practice Zen Meditation at the center. They have also helped by teaching the art of making hand-embroidered greeting cards. These cards are sold in other foreign countries and this initiative provides women with sufficient income. It is a part of the PEARL Charitable Trust in Paramakudi.
Frank Schlichtman
PC: The Indian Express
Frank Schlichtman is from Germany. His father was German and his mother Bengali. He visited India few years ago to meet his mother and decided to stay in India.
He chose Gunehar, a village near the Bir-Billing just to be away from the prolonged noises of the cities. Today, it is a famous paragliding destination and well known for cinema and good food.
He opened the 4 Table Cafe so that the village also develops as a city. People residing in the village got jobs in the cafe for assisting him in his global kitchen. He offered pizzas baked in a wood-fired oven and served on a plate of herbs and olives.
This effort of Frank Schlichtman has brought the village on the global tourism radar.
Franz Gastler
PC: InsideIIM.com
Franz Gastler is an American citizen, Harvard Law School graduate, and business consultant. He visited India in 2009 to work with CII. He was involved with an NGO in Jharkhand, Ranchi district to work with native peoples in the area. His communications with girls drove him to establish his own organization called Yuwa which opposed issues like child marriages and child trafficking.
He developed an interest in football among girls to build confidence and formed an Under-14 girls football club in Dahu village near Rachi. He started with a group of 15 girls.
Frank believes that getting girls out of their homes to play sports can empower them and help challenge gender inequality issues. Today, Yuwa is one of the largest football clubs in India for girls. It has 250 players and 150 of them practice daily.
Yuwa made Jharkhand’s national ranking in women’s football from 20th to 4th position. In 2013, the team of young girls of Yuwa played the first international match in Spain. And in 2012, Yuwa also received the Nike Game Changers Award.