From the Grassroots

Read stories of people's hope, courage and despair from urban and rural South Asia.

Women crusaders 'on the prowl' for timber mafia

A group of tribal women in eastern India has helped restore the neighbourhood forests. Carrying traditional weapons and humming folk warnings, these women go on routine patrolling to track timber mafia engaged in illegal felling of trees.

From Mumbai's margins to Copenhagen

Angry slum dwellers in India’s commercial capital asked several questions regarding climate change and its causers during a public hearing organised by Oxfam. There is a need to listen to the voices of people who are facing the vagaries of changing climate in their day-to-day lives.

India's hills are alive to climate change

At a public hearing held recently in Rishikesh, ordinary people from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand talked about how climate change was impacting their daily lives. A similar national hearing will be organised in India’s national capital early next week.

Money growth policy for Indian villages

A plantation drive being carried out in the districts of an eastern Indian state is helping villagers get employment through nurturing tree saplings. Engaging rural households with social forestry has brought them relief during failed monsoons.

Educating and empowering the girl child

Patriarchal mindset in a western Indian state that denied women equal access to education is now changing with the development of residential schools for girls. Established under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, these schools have acted as a catalyst for social change by providing quality education.

Microfinance for solar power

Unique microfinance schemes are lighting the lives of South Asian villagers. In a region where millions go without electricity, the use of solar-powered devices such as solar cookers and lanterns will go a long way in promoting the use of renewable energy while bringing down carbon emissions.

Indian women farmers coping with climate change

At a recent public hearing, Indian women farmers voiced their helplessness in dealing with the ramifications of global warming. While men are increasingly migrating to towns in search of employment, women are left to struggle against erratic weather patterns, rising temperatures and decreasing groundwater levels to support their families.

Songs from the koel's flute

A storybook written and illustrated by the children of tribal communities in eastern India reflects their imaginative potential and proximity to nature. As part of a literacy project, it has provided them a chance to think independently through creative learning.

A 'boat of hope' for islanders in India

Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, in partnership with UNICEF, has introduced a boat ‘Akha’ to bring healthcare to the remote islanders of northeast India. The medical ship with a 10-member crew will contribute towards better maternal and childcare, as well as support community-based school initiatives.

'Earthy goods' for rural India

A corporate executive set up a social enterprise ‘Earthy Goods’ to help rural women in Himachal Pradesh find employment and boost their working capital. In three years time the community enterprise has not only empowered villagers but also created a market for eco-friendly products.

Women hand pump mechanics on the move

A UNICEF initiative is training poor and marginalised women of eastern Indian state of Jharkhand in repairing and maintaining hand pumps in the villages. Not only has it helped them to earn self-confidence and economic independence but also contributed in management of clean drinking water in households.

Biogas brings green revolution to rural Nepal

Households in rural Nepal are installing biogas plants to avoid health risk and combat climate change. In addition, these plants are helping villagers augment their domestic income and promote forest conservation.

Gemi Diriya empowering Sri Lanka’s rural communities

World Bank’s rural development programme has helped communities across three southern provinces in Sri Lanka to encourage savings and start their own small businesses. By facilitating income-generation activities among unemployed youth and women the project has helped in their empowerment.

India's model village

A small village in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya has become the envy of its neighbours and visitors are thronging it to find the reasons. Experts say Mawlynnong's effective local governance system and the matrilineal society have played a huge role in its development.

A sisterhood built on water

Decades ago four young women went to Gujarat, a state in western India, to infuse a new life in the government’s welfare schemes but failed in their attempt. They did not give up hopes and continued to engage with local communities to help them solve their water problems.

Nepal's dalits get a brand new life

Dalit community in Nepal was particularly susceptible to various kinds of diseases because their houses did not have stoves and toilets. All that is now changing with the untiring effort from a Member of Parliament, who also happens to be a gay, writes Sudeshna Sarkar.

Quest for change in a Muslim ghetto

Mehbullahpur locality in the city of Lucknow in northern India has a population of about 50,000, comprising largely poor Muslims. Shakila Begum, with her team of 10 volunteers, is trying to bring change in their lives.

Out of school girls find hope in residential schools

Residential Bridge Course, an innovative educational programme running in central India has provided many school dropout girls a chance to rediscover themselves. Using play methods for teaching, the UNICEF-Uttar Pradesh government led initiative also helps them learn leadership and life skills.

Village pumps out clean water using solar power

A solar water pumping system has drastically changed lives of people in eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. The eco-friendly model has not only helped villagers grow vegetables and augment income but also revived the community way of life.

School reaches doorstep of drop-outs in India

Yellow buses – equipped with TV screen, books, puzzles and toys – are reaching out to children of migrant workers in India's capital. This DFID funded government project has been successful in getting dropouts back in school.

Microfinance in India empowering women

Using microfinance, women in southern India are running viable businesses and contributing to family income. Hundreds of thousands of women are opening up grocery shops, engaging in poultry and livestock, pappad or pickle making, pottery, vegetable vending, bangle or trinket shops, and beauty parlours.

Post earthquake, village learns to build safer homes

Last week’s Lok Awaas Yatra, a journey to experience sustainable habitat initiatives across rural India, visited Malumbra village in western Indian state of Maharshtra. Ravaged by an earthquake in 1993, the local communities have constructed houses keeping in mind needs for safety and sanitation.

HIV-positive women get user rights to till land

In southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, 20 HIV positive women are toiling the land in the hope of promising dividends. Suzlon Foundation, a multinational company, under its corporate social responsibility initiative, has given the user rights to till 46 acres of land to these women.

Herbal therapy for dead trees in India

Using traditional knowledge inherited from their forefathers, members of a tribe in north India have helped in rejuvenating almost 70% of dead trees of a long abandoned forest. Applying a mixture of herbal paste to the stubs has done wonders in the woods.

India's first tribal university faces government apathy

One year after India’s first central tribal university began, it continues to be mired in bureaucratic delays and local politics. Launched to promote education and research among tribal communities, it is facing financial crunch and lack of infrastructure.

Lankan farmers begin afresh with flood-resistant rice

Lying inundated for years, the abandoned paddy fields in south-western Sri Lanka are being recultivated. A UNDP initiative has introduced new technologies to help farmers clear choked canals and grow flood-resistant rice varieties in the region.

Delhi's resettlement colony demands better governance

A public hearing organised by Jagori at a resettlement colony in India’s national capital last week revealed the failure of local agencies in ensuring clean and safe environment. The meeting concluded with the decision to send a delegation of youths and women to meet authorities for claiming their rights.

Poor elderly eke out living under government scheme

With 90 million people above the age of 60, India has the second largest population of elderly people in the world. In the absence of adequate social security, the government’s rural employment guarantee law is helping them to earn their living, even though it involves hard labour.

Rainwater harvesting in Pakistani district

An innovative project by a local NGO, in association with WFP and the Sindh government in Pakistan, is helping people cope with the drought related problems in Tharparker district. The rainwater harvesting has been taken in a big way in this district that receives below normal rains.

Fishermen in southern India in dire straits

The stranglehold of moneylenders is tightening on fishermen in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With fast depleting catch due to reckless pollution, it has become difficult for them to repay their debts and make a living.

Van panchayats script a success story

Van panchayats in India’s hilly state of Uttarakhand present a perfect example of government and citizens coming together for the management of natural resources. These autonomous local institutions have helped in preventing forest fires, illegal felling of trees and poaching, without compromising on the community's needs for timber and fodder.

Tree project takes root in Afghanistan

A tree-planting project launched by an all-women local council in central Afghanistan is helping to build a green environment. With support from WFP, local women have planted around 2,500 saplings.

Young scribes spread awareness in eastern India

An initiative by UNICEF has helped children in Koraput district of Orissa don the mantle of young reporters. Under the programme, more than 1,800 children have been trained to produce a bi-monthly newspaper highlighting issues like lack of safe water, child marriages, and hurdles in attending school.

Villagers build road to get brides

A Bihar village in eastern India finds it tough to find brides due to poor connectivity. Frustrated by the local administration's apathy and broken promises to build a road, the residents have decided to take the matter in their own hands.

Women in India coming out of the closet

Thousands of girls across Maharashtra in western India are escaping the oppression of their homes and gaining new confidence. They are attending meetings of the Adolescent Girls’ Group, which imparts professional training and equips them with basic knowledge about gender, health and nutrition.

Cooperatives help rural women reap profits from poultry

Women in Jharkhand no more go to bigger cities in search of livelihood. Helped by Pradan, a nongovernmental organisation, these rural women in eastern India formed self-help groups to start poultry business. Today they are enjoying improvement in their standards of living.

Indian women empower themselves against all odds

Empowerment of women is a regularly discussed subject among NGOs, bureaucrats, funding agencies and policymakers. Touring across Maharashtra in western India, OneWorld South Asia correspondent finds cases of true empowerment wherein women have struggled against the biggest odds to find their own feet and voice.

Indian villagers tap traditional ways of water storage

Rural communities in two Indian states have turned to ancient models of drought mitigation and water conservation. NGOs, have helped them form watershed associations and repair old tanks and other irrigation systems to cope with changing climate.

Wind power puts Pakistan island back on track

Coping with severe power crisis, an island in Pakistan has installed wind turbines to run homes and businesses with support from local charities. The country has the potential to generate 50,000 MW using wind power, mostly in southern Sindh province.

Mizoram villagers brave dam waters in protest

A small village in Mizoram, a northeastern state in India, is facing threat of submergence from a newly built dam. The local tribals are refusing to leave their village, and demanding adequate compensation package for the loss of their livelihood and property.

Smart card for healthy living in India

A smart card launched by the government of India provides quality health facilities to people in rural areas, who lack access to basic healthcare. The cashless scheme offers more choices to the poor and saves them from falling prey to corrupt practices of officials.

Poor women turn company directors

In a unique step towards self-empowerment, a group of marginalised women in a western Indian city has set up a company to manufacture plastic bags. The objective is to provide livelihood opportunities to other poor women and not profit generation for the owners.

Empowered women of Rajasthan

Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan has been spearheading a social movement in India for close to two decades now. Ita Mehrotra traverses the villages of Rajasthan to find how women have been playing a pivotal role in every struggle – be it the fight for governance accountability or the effective implementation of employment guarantee law.

Dying orange orchards of Bhutan

For years, orange orchards of Manitar have provided the Bhutanese farmers more than just a livelihood option. But due to the sharp fall in the yield caused by climate change, farmers are abandoning their old profession and venturing into more lucrative businesses.

Online service brings 'peace of mind' to rural India

A unique public-private enterprise has democratised information services in a south Indian state, providing easy access to digitalised records from birth certificates to pension documents. The initiative is not only bringing e-governance on the doorsteps of millions of rural poor but also empowering them with language and IT skills.

Indian villagers protest for clean and healthy environment

Unscientific dumping of waste in a remote village in western India has brought enormous suffering to the local inhabitants. An increased spate of skin infections and epidemics led villagers to protest against administrative negligence and forced the latter to take immediate remedial measures.

Women demand political commitment to fight HIV/AIDS

At a conclave held before the Lok Sabha elections in India, HIV positive women and activists urged for more political will and commitment from leaders of the country. Raising the demand for land, subsidised rations and pension funds, the victims sought more laws to ameliorate their conditions.

Epilepsy patients in India look for life partners online

In western India, Sanvedana Foundation has started an online portal to help those suffering from epilepsy find life partners. For past five years, the organisation has been providing patients consultancy and guidance in treatment and management of the disease.

Bringing prosperity in Dalit land

As part of its corporate social responsibility, a pharmaceutical company has come forward to promote self-employment among dalit villagers in western Indian state of Rajasthan. Women’s self-help groups are manufacturing ready-made garments and other items to augment family income.

A contraceptive revolution in India

An Indian couple is steadfastly engaged in bringing winds of change in rural Bihar by motivating people to the benefits of a small family. With the help of thousands of volunteers, they are reaching out to married couples who want to control their family size but do not know how.

Afghan refugees sewing up a new life in Iran

A UNHCR funded project has trained thousands of Afghani women in Iran in tailoring, language and computers. Learning to become self-sufficient, these women refugees are now encouraging their daughters to get educated.

Indian NGO brings a positive change through education

A local NGO in Manipur in northeast India is supporting education of HIV+ children with financial and material assistance from altruistic individuals. There are many such children in the state who remain deprived of school education due to the poor economic conditions of their parents.

Zero farming helps Indian farmer restore soil fertility

Disheartened with drop in yield, a farmer in south India took to ‘zero farming’ to fix the natural balance of the soil. The use of the technique has not only increased food productivity but also transformed the field into a mini-forest, which helps in preserving the natural habitat.

Creating new spaces for social outcasts in India

In a small but significant departure from tradition, dalit women, sex workers and transgenders are being engaged in managing restaurants and coffee shops in India. Considered as untouchable and social outcasts, these groups are now presented with opportunities to try out new professions.

Women's group douses tribal flare-ups in northeast India

In Assam, a conflict-ridden northeastern state of India, women and children are facing the wrath of militant outfits and security forces alike. An apex women’s body of the Karbi tribe is working towards their empowerment and is also taking up peace-building initiatives as one of its activities.

The making of a model village in India

From a village where everyone lived in poverty, Hiware Bazaar in western India today has emerged as a model of rural sustainability through people’s participation. It shows how the right kind of efforts can bring about miracles and attract people back in its fold who had left it for lack of opportunities.

Helping people start off small business in Sri Lanka

In Galle district of Sri Lanka, a local NGO is helping people to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty. Thousands of people have started income-generating projects with assistance from Gemidiriya Community Development and Livelihood Improvement Project.

Justice delivery from a feminist perspective

Nari Adalats or informal women’s courts in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India, have been playing an important role in dispensing justice to women. It began 12 years ago as an innovative experiment for providing social justice at the grassroots level.

Women in India rein in drunken men

In a Haryana village in northern India, four-year long struggle led by some gutsy women has brought an end to consumption of liquor in public places. In the process, these women have also ushered in a revolution for caste and gender equality in a hierarchal and male-dominated society.

A model for neonatal care

The sick and newborn care unit at a hospital in western India is proving to be a lifesaver for infants. The state-of-the-art facility provides free of cost treatment to those below poverty line and is being replicated across the state to reduce the infant mortality rate.

Tribal women in India fight liquor demons

In tribal dominated area of central India, women from Bhil tribe came together to fight the liquor mafias. Alcoholism was making men in the community abdicate their responsibilities towards their families and indulge in domestic violence.

Radio gives voice to marginalised women

Deccan Development Society’s community radio has transformed lives of several rural women in southern India. While disseminating local knowledge on farming, medicine and health through radio programmes, these poor dalits also feel empowered on hearing their own voices.

Mothers in India seek justice for their children

In north India’s Azamgarh district, Muslim women have come together to fight for the rights of their sons who, they allege, have been falsely branded as terrorists. In an atmosphere where men folk are too terrified to speak up, these illiterate women are countering an attempt to malign their community.

Saving the free souls of rural India

Bauls, a group of mystic singers from West Bengal in India, who, for generations carried social messages in their songs, are facing threats from the growing urbanisation and consumerism. A new book shares some interesting anecdotes of their lives and culture.

Story of a sweatshop buster in Bangladesh

Kalpona Akter has emerged as one of the leading labour activists in Bangladesh, fighting for the rights of workers in the country’s six billion dollar garment industry. Of the 2.2 million workers, 85% are women who work in pitiable conditions without any job security and other benefits.

Eco-friendly toilets in rural India

A village in South India has set an example for small towns by building ‘Ecosan’ toilets that use ash in flushing to turn faeces into manure. These toilets have helped in maintaining ecological sanitation and prevented a nearby river from polluting.

Coping with India's rural doctor shortage

To tide over acute dearth of doctors in remote areas, Andhra Pradesh in southern India has launched a mobile health programme. Vans equipped with basic medical tools and skilled paramedics visit rural parts of the state to provide instant relief to patients.

No toilet, no bride

A blog comment on an international news website highlights the need for indoor toilets in hinterlands of north India. There have been instances when prospective brides have refused to marry until their in-laws have arranged for proper sanitation facilities at home.

New technology capable of feeding more hungry stomachs

At a time when global food crisis threatens India, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has proved to be a boon for the country’s paddy farmers. Using less water, seeds and chemical inputs, this technology has increased rice production manifold in several regions across India.

Innovating to make life easier for the disabled

Vikram Dubal in western India creates a wide range of products to help the physically challenged and distributes them free as part of his social commitment. He has made calendars in Braille, goggles that beep when faced with obstruction, canes that warn against electrical signals and many more.

Urban poor reclaim public spaces to plant trees

Residents of Madanpur Khadar, a resettlement colony in south Delhi, came together last week to plant trees on the occasion of Earth Day. Guided by officials from the horticulture department and civil society representatives, the youth learnt to plant saplings and protect the environment.

Bangladeshi girls undergo training in life skills

Several NGOs in Bangladesh are engaging adolescent girls in educative and occupational programmes to help them gain financial independence. By learning skills of risk-management, hygiene, communication and decision-making, these girls have equipped themselves to avoid early marriages.

Self-help groups in Assam fail to deliver

A scheme run by the Tea board of India offering training in plucking and pooling tea leaves found only a few takers in Assam. Failure of SHGs to make use of opportunity and the diversion of subsidies for other uses made the board incur a heavy loss.

Applying traditional wisdom for drought proofing

A rocky catchment area in India’s southern state of Kerala was making it hard for paddy farmers to cultivate. By reviving an old practice of water harvesting – digging small ponds called kokkarnis – they can now grow rain-fed crops even during dry spells.

Rajasthan village girls get a SURE chance to learn

Society to Uplift Rural Economy (SURE) has been organising residential camps in western India to educate village girls. Over 1,000 girls have benefited even while the challenge remains to convince parents to let their daughters continue schooling.

Saving the street vendors of 'Incredible India'

Millions of street vendors in India are without any rights and treated as a nuisance. Yet this vast body of people provides invaluable services in cities and adds to their earnings.

Rural women become harbingers of change

Many of them had to drop out of school owing to domestic pressures and social taboos. Not only these women from central India have attempted to study further but they also have motivated local girls to pursue their education.

Spinning money through weaving

For hundreds of tribal women residing near Indo-Bhutan border, weaving has created new livelihood opportunities in the conflict-ridden region. Flourishing trade and growing market for their products have helped these Bodo women improve their lives.

ART access missing in rural India

A visit to two health centres in rural India reveals that the government's anti- retroviral treatment is inaccessible to the poor. In the absence of good quality surveillance for high risk groups, a major part of the HIV affected population remains untreated.

Indian women farmers beating climate change

With the help of a local NGO, a collective of dalit women in India’s southern state is able to grow as many as 19 varieties of crops on arid and degraded land. This dry land agriculture is worth emulating when climate change is posing a serious threat to food security.

Keepers of nature

Two young women from the Agatti Island in Lakshadweep received the 2008 Earth Heroes 'Young Naturalist' award for conserving the vulnerable giant clam. Through their efforts, these young environmentalists have brought the benefits and knowledge of science to the island’s fishing community.

Indian meal starter celebrates golden jubilee

The story of Lijjat in India is a perfect example of how a sustainable business can be built, providing large-scale employment to illiterate but skilled rural women. Lijjat that makes crispy wafers known as papads is celebrating fifty years of its successful journey.

Rooted to earth

In the age of concrete housing, Vasant Futane, an organic farmer from western India, has dedicated his life towards promoting mud houses. As the construction industry gets a fillip due to growing urbanisation, this self-trained architect feels the need to revive traditional building skills for conservation of nature.

Harnessing the solar potential of Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan university professor has made it his life's mission to promote solar power and tap this renewable energy source for development. In addition to installing solar pumps to draw water, he has sensitised local people towards environmental conservation.

Schools as hubs of social transformation

A silent change is coming in the lives of Meo Muslim girls of Rajasthan, a state in western India. These girl students are now using their knowledge and confidence to demand better facilities like roads, toilets and more teachers for the villages.

Harbingers of change

The villagers of Karnwadi in Maharashtra in western India were living in penury until a group of IT professionals ushered in change. Their efforts at promoting sanitation and environment conservation earned the village the Nirmal Gram Puraskar in 2008 for being one of the cleanest in the state.

Deformed hands script success stories

Once shunned by society, they now prove their mettle with machines to earn a decent living. Leprosy-cured patients in western India have set up their own cooperative trust named Minoo Mehta Apangoddhar Sahkari Audyogik Utpadak Sanstha to manufacture auto parts, and be economically self-reliant.

SHGs promote iodised salt in western India

International experts from the Network for Sustained Elimination of Iodine Deficiency recently visited Rajasthan to step up efforts for controlling malnutrition in the country. They appreciated a local project in the region which ensures the supply of quality iodised salt through self-help groups.

Road to China brings prosperity

A road running up to the border with china has transformed the lives of residents of Lohit valley in Arunachal Pradesh, a state in north-east India. The link has not only boosted trade and tourism, bringing economic benefits to the local people, but also improved communication networks in this once remote region.

Demystifying science through toys

Arvind Gupta, based in western India, is a qualified engineer who quit a lucrative MNC job to make toys out of scrap to help students understand the basic concepts of science. He also translates books and uploads them for free downloads on his website.

Barefoot healthcare providers of Kerala

Thousands of volunteers in southern Indian state of Kerala provide palliative care to poor chronically ill patients within the confines of their homes. K.M. Basheer, the man behind this medical movement, is a farmer with a modest educational background.

A home away from home

The concept of mobile creches for children of construction workers has begun to yield rich dividends in Pune, a city in western India. Catering to more than a thousand underprivileged children, these day-care centres provide an informal learning atmosphere to meet their emotional and social development needs.

Managing traditional waterways

In Himachal Pradesh, a hilly northern Indian state, local women have come to the rescue of traditional waterways known locally as kuhls. These 18th century water channels, which bring water for drinking and irrigation from melted snow and rain to the plains, have been polluted due to rapid urbanisation.

A fillip for the silk industry in north-east India

Traditional silk growers of Assam in north-east India have benefited from the state government’s cluster plantation scheme. Rural households are provided financial assistance, equipment and training to carry out the production process, thus generating more profit and employment.

Eco-friendly gardening in Sri Lanka

Four years after the devastating tsunami, communities in southern Sri Lanka’s resettlement villages have learnt to create sustainable sanitation systems. Helped by the Red Cross Society, they are using composting and gardening techniques to help purify wastewater in their households.

Villagers in northern India fight off financial insecurity

Residents of a village in northern India have managed to counter adverse effects of the on-going economic slowdown by forming self-help groups. Micro-credit has not only helped the rural populace improve their earnings but also brought social cohesion and women empowerment.

Lighting up rural lives

Barefoot College is a unique school in western India teaching villagers skills to manage energy systems that suits their needs. The college imparts training to people from across the country and abroad in making solar cookers and panels.

Pesticide-free farming ushers change in southern India

A region where indebtedness was driving farmer suicides, is now witnessing rise in income and better quality of life for its people. Around 3,000 villages in southern India have benefited by giving up the use chemical pesticides and practising organic farming.

Pesticide-free farming ushers change in southern India

A region where indebtedness was driving farmer suicides, is now witnessing rise in income and better quality of life for its people. Around 3,000 villages in southern India have benefited by giving up the use chemical pesticides and practising organic farming.

Tough catch for Chilika's fishermen

Illegal shrimp trade in Chilika Lake and exploitation at the hands of corrupt officials had driven the fishing community in eastern India to starvation. To protect their livelihoods, 61-year-old Maghi Mantri set up self-help groups by mobilising local village women on issues of food security and unemployment.

Magazine for urban poor fighting survival

Slum Jagatthu, published from India’s tech hub, is perhaps the only mouthpiece of slum dwellers in the country. Having spread awareness about importance of education, sanitation and various government welfare schemes unfailingly for past eight years, it now faces an uncertain future due to lack of funds.

Implementing NREGA in letter and spirit

Jagrut Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS), a local organisation working for tribal land rights in central India has set an example in ensuring the rural employment scheme. The villagers are not only aware of their rights and entitlements but also actively engage in planning and monitoring the programme.

Teaching English the MAD way

A network of youth volunteers that imparts education to slum children in three cities of India has won the Ashoka Youth Social Entrepreneur Award for this year. Make A Difference or MAD as it is known now plans to spread its work to 21 more cities.

A long way to homeland

Torn between state repression and Naxalite violence, the tribals of Nendra, a village in central India, have been forced to live in makeshift camps. Thanks to the efforts of a local voluntary organisation, they are gradually tiding over the fear of forest officials and rebels to rebuild their lives.

Incredibly clean and green village

In southern India, Madepally is the cleanest, safest and the most eco-friendly village. This transformation has come about owing to stupendous efforts of a group of women, who have taken upon themselves the role of peacemakers as well as executors of several other programmes related to village development.

Sundarbans shrimp farming hits a low

The once booming shrimp industry in eastern coastal India is no longer a livelihood catch. With changes in market and technologies, and the current economic crisis, the dip in shrimp exports is reversing the fortunes of its people.

Dharavi girls get a make over

In Asia's largest slum, the Kishori project is introducing young girls to reproductive healthcare, pregnancy care, HIV/AIDS and more. As added inducement, low cost trainings in computers and tailoring are drawing them to the centre for a chance to earn and save money.

Capturing culture in the lens

For 36-year-old Indian film-maker Moji Riba, preserving the cultural richness of his native state Arunachal Pradesh is an emotional enterprise. Winner of this year's Rolex Award, Moji now intends to train local youth in filming to capture the oral histories and practices of diverse tribes.

Sugar schools

A special effort is being made in western India to ensure that children of migrant sugarcane workers don’t miss out on basic education. Makeshift schools have been set up to provide child-centric teaching and learning.

Staging safe sanitation messages

Assamese government officials in northeast India are staging plays on good sanitation and healthy practices as part of the state's campaign to raise awareness. The humour of the script and local participation help to strike the right chord with the audience to induce behavioural change.

Child reporters for local advocacy

Trained to keep themselves aware of local affairs, children of Medak district in southern India are leaving no stone unturned to voice change. A UNICEF initiative has helped these young reporters from marginalised groups bring out a wall newspaper highlighting issues of local relevance.

Dalit women put up a brave show to secure land rights

It all began in 2006 with a foot march organised by the APVVU Mandal Union to unite dalit women in southern India. Since then, displaying a relentless spirit against upper caste oppression, they have overcome all hurdles in seeking land allotments in their names.

No ordinary herb garden

In Nepal, the World Food Programme and local NGOs are helping villagers grow herbs in a nursery to augment their income. The chiretta plant, known for its medicinal qualities, is then used for domestic consumption and also exported to countries like India.

Videos help foster communal harmony

A community-made video showcasing examples of Hindu-Muslim unity in a riot-affected city is ushering change in western India. Distributed online, such short clips are empowering people to take action on critical issues of development.

Getting girls to village schools

The Mahila Shikshan Kendras (MSKs), running in nine states in India, have brought a change in attitudes among young village girls. These centres provide quality education to those who have never been to school or have had to drop out, by persuading their poor parents of better options.

Stepping out of poverty through skill development

From a poor rural woman behind veil to a successful photographer, Shantabai’s dream turned into reality through a vocational training programme run by ILO in central India. Not only has it equipped her with the necessary skills to use new technologies but also helped to enhance income.

Making villages child-labour free

Child friendly villages or the Bal Mitra Gram, an initiative of the Delhi based NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, have helped children take charge of development issues in their communities. These young Turks mobilise adults through their self-elected panchayats to work on education, gender equality and child labour.

A remoteness from opportunity

Behind the veneer of a beautiful landscape, lies the harsh reality of an arduous life in the river islands of Assam in north-east India. While authorities seem unwilling to reach the remote corners of the region, the annual flooding isolates the area, hampering basic facilities like health and education.

Return to land

Once a drought prone village, Gawdewadi in western India has now shot into limelight owing to planned watershed development in the area. Assisted by a local NGO in land management and forest conservation, several migrant families have returned to their abandoned fields.

Sketching for social change

Pioneered in India by World Comics Finland, grassroots comics is fast emerging as an important tool for spreading messages on issues like family planning, alcoholism, migration and displacement. This visual storytelling by community activists with a local story, characters, language and idioms represents a genuine voice of the grassroots.

Unique native diet under wane

Wild greens, rich in nutritional and medicinal properties, have long been the staple food in tribal areas in central India. Modern agriculture with its emphasis on grains and pulses is now badly affecting the health and economies of tribal populations.

Indian sex workers pen their thoughts

A monthly magazine by and for sex workers, Red Light Despatch is a mouthpiece of Indian women trapped in prostitution. Started by an NGO working on human trafficking, the publication covers an array of topics from torture and harassment to poetry to advocacy related articles.

Marching ahead for the rights of tribals

First woman tribal journalist of Jharkhand, India and activist Dayamani Barla has come a long way. Hailing from a low socio-economic background, she is now heading a tribal campaign against a proposed steel plant in her state.

India's landless bracing up for grand battle

To commemorate the first anniversary of Janadesh 2007, representatives of Ekta Parishad met to take stock of the past year’s achievements and prepare strategies for future struggles. They decided to storm India’s capital once again with a bigger force if the government did not listen to their demand of land reforms.

India's first rural community radio station goes on air

Launched on World Rural Women’s Day, Sangham Radio in Andhra Pradesh is not just the country's first rural community radio but also a first all-women radio station. An initiative of Deccan Development Society Community Media Trust, it is managed and operated by Dalit women creating its historic airwaves.

Women in Orissa demand land to end hunger

Commemorating World Rural Women’s Day, women across the globe have joined hands to demand ownership and control of land to end hunger. In India, Action Aid has helped tribal women in Orissa to attain land entitlements for better livelihood and food security.

Getting communities ready for disasters

Makeshift boats, bamboo stretchers, ropeway slung are some of the innovative means that communities in eastern India are using to prepare against disasters. UNICEF, along with local and international NGOs, conducts joint mock drills to train people in relief and rescue operations.

Breaking news from rural India

Disenchanted by the blinkered approach of mainstream media in India, some organisations came together to help rural people set up their own community video units. With Channel 19's online launch, they now want to reach out to the larger audience both nationally and internationally.

Going organic to fight drought

With consistent support from a civil society organisation, Umra in western India’s Hingoli district has successfully combated drought by adopting organic means of farming. Use of traditional seeds, organic fertilisers, and the setting up of seed banks has made the farmers aware and environment friendly.

Ladakh’s shrinking pastures

In northernmost part of India, reserving pastureland for winters is the only means for Ladakh's Changpa nomads to survive the arduous weather. But repeated locust attacks and overgrazing has led to gradual desertification of the area, thus putting livelihood of local populace under stress.

Nepal’s new agents of change

Fresh out of peer group training sessions delivered by government departments, young adults of Nepal are addressing the problems of flood survivors in several relief camps. From reporting to raising awareness about health and sanitation, this young brigade has emerged as an agent of change.

Being prepared against floods

Villagers in Orissa have learnt to cope with the near-annual phenomenon of floods affecting this state in eastern India. Children are spreading door to door awareness while local NGOs are forming disaster reduction teams to train and prepare people.

Sweepers in western India demand a fair share

Fighting for minimum wages, the safai kamdars or cleaning staff in Gandhinagar have been on a month-long strike. These contract workers in the western Indian city are not only denied use of public transport but also made to work in the houses of local officials.

Helping children survive

Villages in Purulia, one of the backward districts of West Bengal in India shines with a new brigade of trained health workers. Skilled in detecting neonatal and childhood diseases, this UNICEF backed programme is expected to have a positive impact in controlling infant mortality rates in the area.

The brave new face of AIDS

They are the HIV positive wives and widows of intravenous drug users, going public about their status. The Manipur Network of Positive People in northeast India is supporting these brave women in generating awareness on the stigma and discrimination attached to the disease, and themselves.

Community says 'We too can'

The ‘Ame Bi Paribu’ campaign is making mothers in Orissa in eastern India take informed action with their sick children. Based on the 'positive deviance approach' that a community can learn by example from their own, this UNICEF backed state programme is helping children move up the nutrition scale.

Women shaping their destinies

‘Kudumbasree’ signifies family prosperity in southernmost part of India as it has helped millions of poor women to come out of the vicious cycle of debts. As a collective of self-help groups, it provides loans with easy repayment options and also helps in their economic and political empowerment.

RTI on Wheels to reach India’s financial capital

Having spread the message of right to information to thousands of people in remote parts of Gujarat, the ‘RTI-on-Wheels’ is all set to roll into Mumbai. Equipped with a variety of electronic gadgets and manned by two volunteers, this vehicle goes about educating people on their rights under the Act.

A saviour to disaster survivors

For Sri Lankan Ananda Galappatti, sustaining pre-existing support systems is crucial to post disaster relief and rehabilitation. A trained psychologist and winner of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award, he has worked extensively with survivors of the 2004 Tsunami, and refugees of violence and conflict.

Hydro powered kitchens

The picturesque Mount Everest region’s natural resources had been put under great strain due to growing energy demands of its inhabitants and high tourist inflow. Locals are now switching from fuel wood in their kitchens to electric appliances running on hydro power.

Respond to Kosi floods

We appeal to our readers to donate generously for the relief and rehabilitation flood victims in Bihar.

Training helps Pakistan midwives curb maternal deaths

Midwifery training by a local NGO in Pakistan's Sindh province is helping traditional birth attendants better understand birthing complications and value safety in deliveries. In a country where young girls are married as soon as they reach puberty, the training has also encouraged women to question such cultural norms.

A people’s technology to end water woes

Devised by a British hydrologist in the late 1980s, infiltration wells are appropriate for hilly areas. A unique combination of a covered well and a hand pump, this low cost technology has the potential to provide drinking water to many water-starved villages in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region in northern India.

From life of penury to prosperity

Ever since brick-makers of a village in southern Sri Lanka have switched over to making tiny pendants out of terracotta, they have managed to pull themselves out of poverty. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Dilmah came together to help villagers in this initiative called ‘Animal Tracks’.

New beginnings to lives disgraced

Once resigned to a life of drudgery and humiliation, women scavengers in western India are now coming out of this demeaning occupation. Sulabh International, a non-profit group working to improve sanitation in the country runs a vocational training centre that provides them with alternative livelihood options.

Bringing change through RTI

When Saeda Apa, a resident of Gujarat’s Kalol town in western India discovered discrepancy in the kerosene supply to poor families through fair price shops, she resorted to the Right to Information Act. Exposing the corruption plaguing the public distribution system, she managed to get a fair deal.

Old life lost, new one never emerged

For Ban Gujjars, buffalo herders in the hilly north Indian state of India, life has never been the same ever since they were evacuated from Rajaji National Park a decade ago. In the process of relocation they have lost their livestock, traditional livelihoods and customs.

Myanmar farmers find fishing a cheaper option

Experts feel it’s not a good sign that farmers are resorting to fishing instead of farming in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. Compelled by the necessity of feeding their families, farmers on the hand are hesitant in investing on something that may not give them returns.

Sisters on the Planet

A series of short films puts the spotlight on women under threat from climate change. These films by Oxfam tell viewers to pay attention to the impacts of drought, floods and food shortages on such women and involve them in decision-making processes for better adaptation to a changing climate.

Villagers who saw opportunity in adversity

Villagers in west India responded to repeated crop failures by switching over to dairy farming for survival. Showing the way forward, Girata village in Vidarbha region is today on the verge of a milk revolution.

Land to the tillers

For eighty-five-year-old Krishnammal Jagannathan, buying land from landlords and then distributing it among poor dalits signifies freedom from slavery. The lifelong Gandhian has set up an organisation in southern India that has successfully given thousands of acres of land to poor and low-caste families.

Regaining lost touch

Residents of Orissa’s Raghurajpur village in eastern India had forgotten their centuries-old art of painting murals. To revive the dying skill, various organisations working on heritage conservation, along with the state government, have helped the villagers re-learn the traditional techniques and forms.

Rainwater harvesters of Idkidu village

If media called Idkidu ‘a water literate village’, it had a reason to do so. This village in southern India has been conserving water for more than a decade and a half now. In this easily replicable technique, pipes are used to direct the rainwater into tanks fitted with filters.

Rainwater harvesters of Idkidu village

If media called Idkidu ‘a water literate village’, it had a reason to do so. This village in southern India has been conserving water for more than a decade and a half now. In this easily replicable technique, pipes are used to direct the rainwater into tanks fitted with filters.

Biomass energy benefits villagers in south India

The biomass gasifier has become a vital source for clean and uninterrupted energy supply for villagers in Karnataka in southern India. Built under a UNDP project, the power plant converts wood and other agricultural residues into a combustible gas mixture and also enables farmers to cultivate through improved irrigation techniques.

Transforming lives with holistic education

At Balika Vidyalayas or residential schools for girls in educationally backward districts of India, healthcare, computers and disaster management form an important part of the curriculum. Set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, these schools have transformed the lives of girls from deprived sections.

An endangered culture under the lens

Photographers Jason Taylor and Sanjit Das bring out stunning images depicting lives of Dongria Kondh, an ancient indigenous community living in Niyamgiri hills in eastern India. An exhibition showcasing their work was recently opened in the Indian capital to support the tribal resistance against a bauxite mining project.

Mourning with a social message

'Jaari Gaan', Islamic elegies that narrate stories of tragedy and martyrdom have become a source of livelihood for rural Muslim women in eastern India. Breaking male-domination of this traditional religious art form, women are now using it to spread social awareness.

Educating women on reproductive health care

ARTH, an NGO working in western India has achieved remarkable success in driving awareness on reproductive health among rural women. Apart from running field clinics and fully equipped health centres in the region, the organisation also trains women to deal with emergencies.

Keeping alive the Tibetan spirit

Started by an American traveller in 1997, a monthly magazine distributed free of cost has traversed a long way. Run by volunteer editors and freelance contributors, it has now become a window to the various facets of life in Mcleod Ganj, a picturesque settlement of Tibetan refugees in northern India.

A winner against all odds

Widowed at 26 and living with HIV, Sorokhaibam Thoibi Devi from northeast India has come a long way. Having suffered through a violent marital life and societal discrimination, she has helped local women come forth with their HIV/AIDS status and become self-reliant.

Women augment family incomes through NREGA

India's rural employment guarantee scheme in Tripura is giving women the opportunity to earn. While men prefer higher wages in nearby towns, the government scheme has proved to be a breather for the women in a state where two-thirds of the population is still below the poverty line.

Bonded labour thrives in new forms

Contrary to government's claims, bonded labour in India is not merely confined to few pockets of the rural hinterlands but also continues unabated in towns and metropolises. Newer forms of the practice have emerged and are assimilated in the prevalent capitalist relations of production, according to a study.

Women SHGs make a winner meal

Mid-day meals in Orissa’s primary schools are no longer boring insipid fare. The food prepared by women’s self help groups is helping improve attendance and save teachers valuable time from overseeing helps. An impressed government now wants these SHGs to run the scheme in the entire state.

SHGs help combat iodine deficiency disorder

Small salt producers in the Indian western state of Rajasthan are partnering NGOs and the government in the campaign against iodine deficiency disorders. According to the WFP, Nawa now produces iodised salt as per the national standard.