Livelihood and Community Development
We have been implementing community development projects with a holistic approach for 25 years. During the initial 12 years, our community development projects were implemented mainly in rural areas and since 2010 also in big metropolitan areas. The idea of a community development project is to
- Engage people in the community and find solutions to local problems
- Collectively create sustainable changes for a better future
- Help people through skills and entrepreneurship development training
- Facilitate linkages to public services and social security schemes
Creating equal opportunities for women
Women are often deprived of access to resources and denied participation in decision-making. They face discrimination in family and society. Their hard work does not get financial rewards as most of it is considered household work. Lack of access to education denies them opportunities to earn money and practice their agency.
In alignment with SDG 5, we aim at achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls through education, entrepreneurship, and environmental awareness. The projects bring qualitative changes in the lives of women. The changes come from being part of an active self-help or any other community-based group, learning new skills like literacy, financial literacy and entrepreneurship, and planning and starting up own micro-enterprises. Improving existing income-generating activities also contributes in brining the desired change.
Improving nutrition, protecting the environment
Where possible, we promote the establishment of nutritional gardens. Be it on a rooftop, a balcony, or on available land near homes. We work towards generating awareness about healthy food habits and eating fresh organic vegetables and fruits. Homegrown fruits and vegetables are not only pocket friendly, but they also help people stay healthy and fit. In turn, they also help them in saving money from spending on medical expenses.
Nutritional gardens, in some cases, also become an income-generating activity for women. If they grow more vegetables and fruits than the family need, they can sell them in the market and earn money. Some projects also include other environmental activities like establishing facilities for water purification, solar lights, and family biogas plants.
Working with homeless people
In India, millions of people live in desperate poverty. They do not have access to clean water, sanitary facilities, and adequate housing. We implement several Community Development Projects in the Delhi NCR region, as well as in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and other megacities.
Health & hygiene are an integral part of these projects, likewise help desks/ resource centers where people can get assistance to get ID proofs, open bank accounts, and get connected to social security schemes. The resource centers also provide legal advice, job counseling, and support to victims of domestic violence. In alignment with United Nations’ SDG-1, we strongly believe in ending poverty in all its forms everywhere, and we can achieve it through collective and coordinated efforts with solid community engagement, government departments, and private partners.
Stories from the field
Freedom through Financial Independence
“It was difficult running my grocery store while wearing a veil. Running my business efficiently mattered the most to me, therefore I stopped wearing it. Some people told my husband