Group Soliciting $6000 To Fund Ashoka Fellows

Students trying to raise $6000 to help fund a doctor in India and an urban developer in Indonesia have launched a fundraiser soliciting students and faculty members in the past week.

The Harvard-Radcliffe International Development Forum (HRIDF), in response to a request from the national Overseas Development Network, is raising the money to support two Ashoka Fellows.

"Instead of investing in capital goods, we are investing in people,...and that's the best investment," said HRIDF spokesman Shubham Chaudhuri '87.

In India, $2500 a year will cover basic expenses for the Ashoka Fellow, and $3500 will support the urban developer in Indonesia.

The Ashoka Society, an international organization founded in 1982, is devoted to development in Third World countries. It provides financial backing for over 50 fellows to try to improve living conditions in India and Indonesia.

The HRIDF, trying to raise funds for Ashoka, set up tables in dining halls last week to talk to students and receive aid. "The response was very disappointing," said Chaudhuri.

Contributions thus far have been less than $500.

Though the HRIDF had initially intended to set up tables for only three days at the Houses, they may extend the campaign to the Kennedy, Business and Law Schools, according to David M. Fairman '87.

The HRIDF is also appealing to the faculty. C. Peter Timmer, Black Professor of Agriculture and Business, Stanley H. Hoffmann, Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France, and Diana L. Eck, professor of Hindu religion, have agreed to write letters to their colleagues on behalf of the HRIDF.

The Ashoka Society, based in India, is hoping to raise $400,000 in the United States.