Indian NGO selected for first US innovation award

Chintan, an Indian NGO has been chosen for America's first Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls.

The award funded by the Rockefeller Foundation through the Secretary's International Fund for Women and Girls, would be formally announced by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Rockefeller Foundation President Dr Judith Rodin, on Friday.

The awardees were chosen by a panel of experts including Mohammed Yunus (Grameen Bank), Cherie Blair (Cherie Blair Foundation), Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook), Beth Brook (Ernst and Young) and Noeleen Heyzer (United Nations).

In a statement, the State Department said the Secretary's Innovation Award is given to 'Chintan' in support of its work to reduce ecological footprints and increase environmental justice amongst the informal sector through green jobs, advocacy and organising.

Chintan implements grassroots work on the ground, which includes solid waste handling, plastics recycling, training and organising wastepickers and eliminating child labour from recycling.

Chintan also undertakes research and advocacy, locally and internationally, the State Department said.

Chintan has been selected for the award along with NGOs from Kenya and Tanzania.

The work of Bharati Chaturvedi, its founder, has been on solid waste management and recycling.

"She has been part of several national and global projects, such as the UNHABITAT's 2010 report on Solid Waste in the Worlds Cities and the European Union's ISSOWAMA project," the State Department said.

Bharati is part of various Indian government committees for policy making.

She writes a column for the Hindustan Times and she is the recipient of the 2009 Johns Hopkins Alumni "Knowledge for the World Award," it said.