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| President Obama and Prime Minister Singh meet the press |
November 25, 2009: On Tuesday, November 24, President Obama welcomed His Excellency, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, to the White House for a special series of diplomatic engagements aimed to highlight and strengthen ties between the United States and India. The first day of Dr. Singh's visit included a sit-down meeting and a briefing with the U.S. media, followed by the first official state dinner of the Obama administration.
Mr. Obama and Dr. Singh met for over an hour on Tuesday to discuss a number of topics ranging from global warming to international security. During the press conference that followed, Obama told reporters, "I believe that the relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century ... We are societies that believe in human rights and core freedoms that are enshrined in our founding documents." Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed the Prime Minister to the State Department headquarters. She remarked, “We will work together to help shape a future that really fulfills the dreams of our people. Both Indians and Americans want a better life.”
India, which is the world's second most populous country and democracy, also struggles with some of the world's highest rates of poverty and malnutrition among children, according to a 2006 World Bank study. Although the two leaders did not discuss the topic of poverty with reporters, Obama did stress the importance of the two countries partnering to expand trade and investment. "Indian investment in America is creating and sustaining jobs across the United States, and the United States is India's largest trading and investment partner," Obama said.
SOS Children's Villages Has Its Largest Presence in India
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| Children play in an SOS Children's Village in Pondicherry, India - Photo by Dominic Sansoni |
SOS Children's Villages has 40 Villages in India - home to over 6,000 orphaned and abandoned children. Each Village provides needy children a loving SOS mother, a warm home, and a stable environment in which to grow and thrive.
SOS believes in raising children within their own cultural and religious traditions. SOS trains local women to be SOS mothers. In SOS Children's Villages in India, holidays are celebrated as they would be in any caring home — with loving community, local tradition, and the enjoyment of special foods and presents.
SOS also runs schools, vocational training centers, clinics, and counseling centers for 25,000 needy families living near its Children's Villages. SOS Family Strengthening Programs help women and children remain together through vocational training, micro-lending, and job creation.
You can strengthen relations with the largest democracy in the world by helping just one child in India. Become an SOS Child Sponsor today.
