May at AIF embraced two realities simultaneously: the painstaking work of teaching a child to read her name, while grappling with questions of agency as AI reshapes a world where many still lack electricity. Interestingly, between a nine-year-old in Surat sounding out her first sentence and AIF discussing the future of AI at MIT runs one clear through line: Technology. It's neither a solution nor a shortcut, but the slope we must thoughtfully scale to build solutions that are human centered in design and approach.

The 25th Anniversary New England Appreciation Gala brought together over 350 supporters, friends, and well wishers who have journeyed with AIF over they years.  AIF's stalwart New England family came together to commemorate this milestone, honor Nithya Iyer and Navjot Singh, salute the community's leaders, celebrate its many wins, and raise over $850,000. But the number that stopped the room was not a fundraising figure. It was a date: May 9th, 2026—officially declared “AIF Day”  by the Governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey.

Governor Healey commended AIF's quarter-century legacy, noting its sustained commitment to advancing education, livelihoods, and public health represents the very best of our shared US-India bridge, transforming millions of lives through opportunity. Twenty-five years of work recognized not with a plaque, but with a day that honored every person in that room, and all the change they made possible.

The evening was not just a celebration of impact, but the recognition of purpose fueled commitment to build bridges between the US and India to drive meaningful social change that has positively influenced over 23 million lives in India.

In Varachha, the bustling heart of Surat, often called the "World's Diamond Capital," the diamond workshops run long hours, driven by the energy and expertise of millions of migrant laborers who have thrown their all into this profession. Because many of these migrant parents face their own literacy barriers and the demands of an intense workday, they lack the capacity or resources to guide their children’s learning at home.

AIF’s inaugural Urban Transition Centre (UTC), created in partnership with Diamonds Do Good, addresses this gap by supporting children of the diamond industry's migrant workers with remedial and foundational resources to support their learning journey. This one year pilot served 500 students from grades 3 to 8, along with their parents, who were brought in through home visits and community meetings. Over 450 young learners were served through Bal Mela (children's fair) play-based activities. 

Nine-year old Krupali Shailesh Kalariya is a shining example of what is possible when children are intentionally supported to learn better. When she first came to the UTC, she was unable to read her own handwriting, and too afraid to raise her hand in class. UTC facilitators met her exactly where she was, using word cards, flashcards, chain talking activities, color matrices, name charts, simple storybooks and repetition-based read aloud sessions to bolster her understanding of the written word. Slowly but surely, and unsurprisingly, her relationship with language began to change.

Today, Krupali forms sentences, participates excitedly in class, raises her hand, and answers questions. And she carries a dream that is both simple and extraordinary: she wants to become a teacher to help children who struggle the way she once did. All this is made possible by a simple truth: when you give a child the tools to master language, we don’t just open a book, we open a future where they can rewrite their own possibilities.

True access to education requires a foundation of health, privacy, safety, and, above all, dignity that intentionally identifies and addresses basic needs that are too often ignored. This is especially true for preadolescent and adolescent girls. The simple lack of functional toilets and menstrual hygiene support can make the difference between staying in school and dropping out.

AIF’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) toilets and Menstrual Hygiene Management projects are part of our SAHELI program. Based on the truth that a girl's changing body is no reason to feel shame or worry, or worse still, miss school, AIF is serving over 10,000 young girls with AI-based WASH toilets and digital educational tools and interactive sessions to normalize conversations that were once considered too private to have. Adolescent girls are leading awareness campaigns in their own schools and neighborhoods, turning stigma into dialogue and dialogue into behavior change. 

This is the infrastructure of dignity. When a girl walks into a clean, safe, sanitary school environment that acknowledges and respects her body's needs, she shows up differently. And, perhaps more importantly, she continues to show up.

There is a particular cruelty in a barrier that has nothing to do with ability.

India's college entrance landscape has changed. The CUET—the Common University Entrance Test—is now entirely computer-based. For students in well-resourced private schools, that is a manageable shift. For students in government schools, many from marginalized communities with little to no access to devices at home, or at school, it is a wall that appears just as the door to higher education comes into view.

AIF’s Digital Equalizer Program has established ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Labs in 100 Delhi Government schools. When the program launched in March 2025, only 1% of Delhi Government schools had functional ICT infrastructure. Today, that figure has grown to nearly 11%. With government expansion to 175 additional schools and AIF’s support in 75 more, coverage is projected to reach nearly 35% of Delhi Government schools empowering over 100,000 students and educators with digital literacy.

For these students, access to computers and concerted training on how to use them are a foundational necessity, not a luxury. And once they are supported in this learning and begin to see their future reflected in that computer screen, that future becomes worth fighting for. 

On May 20th, our Director of Growth, Nikita Khosla, joined an intimate gathering hosted by Indiaspora at MIT in Boston, delving into the intersections of global development, digital equity, and ethical innovation during a convening titled,  “New Models in the Age of AI.” 

There is a dual reality that so many organizations working in the social impact space are grappling with.

On one hand, they are piloting AI-enabled models that can strengthen service delivery. For example, AIF has, in partnership with Dimagi, has developed a predictive vulnerability-mapping tool which generates risk scores for currently healthy children, helping identify the likelihood of undernutrition within the next three months. Such predictive modeling based tools allow frontline workers to preemptively address future health issues, making the care preventive rather than reactive, increasing chances of success.

On the other hand, India still has 600+ million people offline. Many communities across tribal belts and aspirational districts are still navigating first-generation challenges. For these communities, the first question that comes up is not “How do I use AI?” but “Do I have power?” “Can I read the screen?” “Will this technology meet me where I am?” And the duty of organizations like AIF becomes, "How do we enable access?" "How can we serve people in a way that they need?" Solutions cannot be designed without context and these are not challenges we can leave behind simply because the frontier conversation has moved forward. 

It is true that technology is moving at the speed of light and that AI has the capacity to transform the way we live and work. It is also true that access to basic technology is not a given, with millions (maybe billions) still waiting for the technology train to come to their station. The MIT panel underscored AIF's capacity to design solutions for both realities, and ensure that communities who are the furthest from the frontier are not forgotten by the people building it. 

With May being AAPI Heritage Month, our Chief Development & Marketing Officer, Kalpana Kanthan, joined a Fireside Chat hosted by Bain & Company in New York City: “AAPI Nonprofit Leaders Driving Impact”. The panel explored how nonprofit organizations are creating meaningful change for Asian communities through education, and community-building.

Joined by Allister Chan (Apex for Youth), Huong Pham (Asian American Federation), and Sunanda Sharma (Pratham USA), Kalpana spoke about the issue of "pipeline development" that all nonprofits grapple with to create long term, sustainable success: the pipeline of purpose, partnerships, and leadership, so that organizations can not only serve their communities in the here and now, but plan strategically for relevance and impact in the future. The conversation was lively and timely, celebrating current successes based on increased participation, deeper donor engagement, and reflecting on the work of inspiring the next generation of philanthropic leaders to carry this their missions forward. 

The upcoming New York Gala is set for June 9, 2026, at the iconic Cipriani Wall Street to proudly celebrate AIF's impact in transforming over 23 million lives while looking ahead to a bold new chapter of global influence. The evening will honor BNY, Bharat Masrani, Retired CEO of TD Bank, and Salil Parekh, CEO of Insfosys.

The evening will also feature hosting by award-winning comedian Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, a soulful musical performance by the Emmy-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City, immersive virtual reality experiences that bring AIF’s programs to life, and a spectacular culinary journey crafted by the phenomenal Chef Gaurav Anand. Join us for a memorable night of celebration, community, and forward-looking philanthropy.

Save the date to join the AIF Chicago Community for its annual gala on October 24, 2026 to be held at the majestic Union Station. Be prepared for an evening of celebration, connection, and impact—we can’t wait to see you there!

Two reads worth your time this month:

Enabling High-Impact Giving to India: The Role of Donor-Advised Funds — How to make your generosity go further, strategically.

The 2026 Guide to Tax-Efficient Charitable Giving — Smart giving, timed right, for maximum impact.

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