NEW DELHI: Hoping to combine faith with developmental goals, the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF) has launched a fellowship in India to encourage young people to work in their own communities.

The TBFF was launched in May 2008 and aims to empower young people to take multi-faith action against extreme poverty in over 100 countries. The  fellowship is an international programme that brings together 30 leaders from the UK, US, Canada — and from this year India. The youth will be trained and placed in multi-faith pairs within development and faith organisations to build partnerships among people of different faiths.

The 2011-12 fellowship will focus on maternal health and child mortality. The deadline for the applications is December 31 and four fellows — aged between 20 and 27 years — are expected to be shortlisted this year from India. 
“We would like young people who are inspired by their own faith, are motivated with a leadership potential and most importantly need to have experience in social service,” Hannah Wallace, from TBFF, said.