I met Adrianna Tan (@skinnylatte) online in macintosh forums, a lifetime ago, it feels, when she sought support after joining SMU. Macusers were in a ‘secret society’ of sorts in those days, and revelled in helping each other circumvent indifferent officialdom.
Well, we also exchanged smiles with strangers who were pounding on an iBook in a café somewhere. Perks of a minority group!
Well Adrianna was irrepressible and would write and write on her blog, and kept on writing. Eventually and quite dramatically (in my mind) she vanished into the mists of India which had defeated weaker souls.
She revelled in it.
Today she tweeted to announce her Gyanada Foundation. They have a sensible plan, to support existing non-profits in India who operate in slums in Ranchi, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
As they put it, Gyananda hopes to humbly extend a small helping hand to families of disadvantaged local girls to send them to low cost private schools in the area. US$149 sponsors a student.
They begin with 150 girls.
“In the academic year beginning April 2013, we’ll put 150 girls through school — half of this we’ll try to raise here, the other half we’ll try to raise from private donors in Singapore and the US.”
Isn’t this a lovely Valentine’s Day surprise?
Otterman speaks... 