Mahila Abhivrudhi Mattu Samrakshana Samsthe (MASS)

massbelgaum.org

Founded: 1997

Headquarters: Belgaum, Karnataka

Geographical Focus: Karnataka

Lives Impacted: 6,000+

Organization Overview:

Mahila Abhivruddhi Mattu Samrakshna Samsthe (MASS), a membership association of ex-Devadasi* women, was set up with a mission to end the Devadasi practice in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. MASS works with ex-Devadasis from the Dalit community, their children, and other Dalit women and children at risk to secure citizen rights and access to education, livelihoods, and healthcare.

*Devadasi- a social practice, where a young girl is devoted and married to a deity, before she reaches puberty, to act as a caretaker. Recently, this practice has been used to push girls into prostitution.

NGO List

  • Rights Education And Development Centre (READ)

    http://readsouthindia.in/

    Founded: 2001

    Headquarters: Erode, Tamil Nadu

    Geographical Focus: Tamil Nadu

    Lives Impacted: 16,300+

    Organization Overview:

    Registered in 2001, READ works in the districts of Erode & Tirupur focussing on communities marginalized on the basis of caste – Dalits and tribals. Amongst Dalits, they focus on a community that has historically been engaged in manual scavenging – the Arunthathiyars. They also work with Urali and Irula tribal communities. Interventions include rescue and rehabilitation of children engaged in bonded labor and manual scavenging.

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  • Rubaroo

    https://www.rubaroo.org/

    Founded: 2014

    Headquarters: Hyderabad, Telangana 

    Geographical Focus: Telangana 

    Lives Impacted: 1,000 +

    Organization Overview:

    Rubaroo aims to be an organization where adolescents and young people are empowered to co-create a space to understand their ‘Self’ better, understand issues in society and take action. Their programs, campaigns, exposures, internships, camps, workshops, youth-led change initiatives, are all designed to challenge norms, stereotypes, social patterns by pushing some comfort zones through their activity-based curricula. 

  • Rural Aid Service (RAS)

    www.rasccpur.org

    Founded: 1995

    Headquarters: Churachandpur, Manipur

    Geographical Focus: Manipur

    Lives Impacted: 275,000

    Organization Overview:

    Rural Aid Service (RAS) was established during the period of Naga-Kuki ethnic conflict in the 1990s in Manipur to promote peace and provide relief and rehabilitation services in the conflict-ridden area. Since then, the organization has expanded its focus to development of sustainable natural resources and livelihoods for the local ethnic groups, primarily those within the Kuki tribe such as Thadou, Paite, Zou, Vaiphel Gangte, Mate, Hmar. 

  • Rural Development Council (RDC)

    http://www.rdctribal.org/

    Founded: 2002

    Headquarters: Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu

    Geographical Focus: Tamil Nadu

    Lives Impacted: 5,500 +

    Organization Overview:

    Rural Development Council (RDC) was founded and run by a tribal leader (Mrs. Gowri K) to work towards the upliftment and betterment of the Irula Adivasi and Dalit community. The community has no access to amenities which have further distanced them from society. Its focus is on enabling women and children from these communities as they are at risk of being exploited of their basic human rights. 

  • Rural Women Development Trust (RWDT)

    www.ruralwomenindia.org

    Founded: 2005

    Headquarters: Salem, Tamil Nadu

    Geographical Focus: Tamil Nadu

    Lives Impacted: 35,000+

    Organization Overview:

    Rural Women Development Trust (RWDT) was set up to work with Dalit Arunthathiyar communities in rural remote villages in the western Salem district of Tamil Nadu. 16.67% of the district’s population is from the Scheduled Castes. The organization works on the rescue and rehabilitation of women and children especially, who are Dalit Arunthathiyar and debt-bonded laborers, an exploited social class that is often treated as slaves.

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  • Sadbhavana Trust

    sadbhavanatrust.org.in

    Founded: 1990

    Headquarters: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

    Geographical Focus: Uttar Pradesh

    Lives Impacted: 15,000 (since 2009)

    Organization Overview:

    Sadbhavana Trust aims to build strong gender-based identities through youth empowerment leadership, awareness, and skills). Sadbhavna Trust works with women in difficult circumstances, survivors of domestic violence, widows, single mothers, and adolescent girls. Most come from marginalized communities living in poor socio-economic conditions in and around old Lucknow.

  • Sahaja Samrudha

    Founded: 2006

    Headquarters: Mysore, Karnataka

    Geographical Focus: Karnataka

    Lives Impacted: 7,000

    Organization Overview:

    Sahaja Samrudha is one of the leaders in traditional agrobiodiversity. They primarily operate in Karnataka where they create market-based models of conserving indigenous seeds/crops via farmer collectivization amongst tribals (Jenu kuruba), minorities and the landless community. Sahaja Samrudha then act as resource agency to advocate these models across the country and influence policy for the same.

  • Sahjani Shiksha Kendra (SSK)

    http://ssklalitpur.com/

    Founded: 2002

    Headquarters: Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh

    Geographical Focus: Uttar Pradesh

    Lives Impacted: 1,500+

    Organization Overview:

    Sahjani Shiksha Kendra (SSK) is a feminist organization that works towards empowering women and adolescent girls through education and literacy-based programming. The women from the target communities belong to Scheduled Castes (Dalits- Bankar and Pal), Scheduled Tribes (Sahariya), and Backward Classes. The organization also works on different social issues such as- employment,  food security and leadership.

  • Sahyogi 

    https://sahyogi.ngo/

    Founded: 2008

    Geographical Focus: Bihar

    Organization Overview:

    Sahyogi’s overarching objective is to empower women and girls by providing a platform for open dialogue and support through establishing safe spaces like Gender Resource Centres. Cadres form a volunteer base for the organization, support the team members in identifying needs, implementing monitoring programs, and running Gender Resource Centres. Each centre has two boxes; in the first one is called ‘sawaloon ka pitara’ (question box). Women and girls are encouraged to write their queries that they would like to talk about in upcoming group sessions, and the second box is for feedback. Anonymity and confidentiality are key to both boxes as they foster a safe environment for individuals to ask queries and share their experiences without judgment. Thus, each centre serves as a hub for local women and adolescent girls to learn, express their voices and collaborate with the team for need-based interventions to support survivors. 

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  • Salem People Trust (SPT)

    salempeopletrust.1ngo.in

    Founded: 2007

    Headquarters: Salem, Tamil Nadu

    Geographical Focus: Tamil Nadu

    Lives Impacted: 17,000+

    Organization Overview:

    SPT focuses on action against bonded labor and child rights in Salem district of Tamil Nadu. It was set up by Dalit families in response to the historic caste based discrimination that still retains many families in bonded labor. SPT focuses on rescue and rehabilitation of bonded families and children, informal schooling, livelihoods, advocacy and action against female infanticide, child marriage, child labor.

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  • Samaan Social Development Society 

    http://www.samaansociety.org/

    Founded: 2005 

    Geographical Focus: Uttar Pradesh 

    Organization Overview:

    Samaan works with the intent to empower women so that they can then empower other women in society. They start by creating awareness around women’s rights, entitlements, and ways to access rights with the objective of building structures of support for the larger community. They also build capacity amongst women to fight their own court cases through moot courts and mock trials. They pair all their training for women (such as driving) with knowledge of legal and gender equality laws to build their agency. Through their driving training module, they have empowered a group of women to set up their own mechanic garage, which they run end-to-end. Samaan also provides other support to their target communities, such as writing and accounting. 

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  • Samajik Seva Sadan (SSS)

    www.sssdklindia.org

    Founded: 1985

    Headquarters: Dhenkanal, Odisha

    Geographical Focus: Odisha

    Lives Impacted: 700,000+

    Organization Overview:

    Samajik Seva Sadan started as a non-formal school to teach the children of the Juang Tribe who faced challenges in accessing education as they live in remote areas in the aspirational district of Dhenkanal in Odisha. The organization works with a prime focus on women and children for education and builds financial security through microfinance schemes and self- help groups. 

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