Support us because you believe the poorest need an opportunity to climb out of poverty and no one deserves to be trapped in a vicious cycle of hunger, deprivation and inequality. India cannot move ahead if equal opportunities are not created for its most needy.
We work with rural communities in India that are amongst the most underserved in the country. They live in remote areas with little or no access to education, healthcare and sustainable livelihoods.
We call them the ‘stranded India’ because they are stuck in a poverty trap caused by circumstances that cut them off from better opportunities.
Often these communities are lacking the means to pull themselves out of poverty because they do not have the access, the ability or even the aspiration that they can do better.
Mostly, they are dependent on public services that do not run smoothly and fail to deliver.
Our role is to ensure that the most deprived communities in rural India get a shot at opportunities and development that will help them come out of poverty and earn enough, have access to better healthcare, education and livelihoods to be able to benefit the next generation.
What we seek, therefore, is a change from one generation to another, which is progressive and lasting. Our teams work with the community, the government and the marketplace to make rural development happen.
We believe that no country can call itself progressive if it leaves the marginalised behind. By donating to this NGO, you will be supporting rural development initiatives that help the most deprived communities in India have a better shot at opportunities.
Help us reduce poverty and inequality by supporting our work, partnering with us or donating to our projects that resonate with you.
If you are a company that wants to use your corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund to support rural development in India, please reach out to us via email.
Or you could be an NGO or private company that wants to help rural India by creating a marketplace and opportunities.
If you are an individual who wants to donate online to a non-profit with a unique model of rural development and transformation, you can donate directly through this site.
Your donation will help India that is on the margins.
Over the years, our work with women and rural communities has led to the creation of the kind of opportunities that helps them climb out of poverty. As they climb out of the poverty trap, they are able to focus on the other things that will lead to greater prosperity, nutrition, education, governance and better opportunities.
At a deeper level, it causes a positive shift in attitudes where they believe it is possible to have a better life. This in turn makes them more receptive to adopting better practices in education, healthcare and allows for greater participation of women in decision making. Once that happens we start to see more gender parity and community participation that makes rural development in India lasting and transformative.
This also helps us deepen our initiatives because it needs equal participation from the community, the government and the market. We call this the 360-degree engagement of Samaj—Sarkar—Bazaar (Community—Government—Market).
The impact of such deeper and wider engagement can also be seen in the reduction of poverty, steady incomes, better health, education and in the creation of agri-entrepreneurs, more rural jobs and a shift that is being passed on from one generation to the next, making the change truly transformational.
“I used to work at a local mandi but after becoming an agri-entrepreneur I established a good network of farmers and started helping them buy and sell. I now earn almost 15,000 rupees a month doing this and I look forward to introducing everything I learn to my farmer community. We have started to grow vegetables like broccoli now.”
Jitendra Bamniya
‘’I was a book-keeper under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission. I lost children in my family during difficult pregnancies that some of the women had and even I was anemic during my own pregnancy. This made me think that I had to find a way to stop this, so I joined as a volunteer.’’
Bhawna Pargi
‘’I studied only till the 8th standard, but after becoming a volunteer I started a learning centre at home because I don’t want anyone to be left out. I now have 35 students who study with me. Even the lockdown in the pandemic did not impact the education in my village.’’
Reshma Didi
upto 50% increased immunization
74% increase in institutional delivery
66% to 96% increase in service enrollment
19,474 expectant mothers and children are linked with essential health services
