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.

NGO List

  • Drishti 

    https://www.drishtimedia.org/

    Founded: 1993

    Geographical Focus: Gujarat

    Organization Overview:

    Drishti is a non-profit, which uses arts and communication tools to cultivate grassroots development in India. Their programs are all approached through the prism of equality and with a commitment to community participation and outreach. 

  • Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC)

    www.durbar.org

    Founded: 1997

    Headquarters: Kolkata, West Bengal

    Geographical Focus: West Bengal

    Lives Impacted: 120,000

    Organization Overview:

    DMSC aims to bring dignity to the lives of female sex workers (FSWs) and counter the social stigma associated with their profession. They work in 50 red light districts through their interventions focused on anti-trafficking and education access for children of sex workers. They also work with other vulnerable communities to facilitate access to social security benefits.  

  • ECONET

    econetindia.org

    Founded: 1993

    Headquarters: Pune, Maharashtra

    Geographical Focus: Maharashtra

    Lives Impacted: 98,000+

    Organization Overview:

    Econet was started as a program under Jan Vikas until 1993 when the organization was registered as an independent entity. They work with Gond, Kolam, Thakar, Mahadev Koli, Korku, and Pawra tribes and NT-DNT Phase Pardhi tribe communities on tribal development and participatory research on issues of environment sustainability. Econet also promotes the use of bioenergy in villages and leadership development in these communities.

  • Ekal Nari Shakti Sansthan

    https://ekalnari.org/

    Founded: 2002 

    Geographical Focus: Rajasthan  

    Organization Overview:

    Ekal Nari Shakti Sansthan focuses on creating an identity for single women and empowers them to advocate for their rights by forming membership groups of single women. ENSS mobilizes single women into block, district and state level committees, all of which are democratically elected by single women in the area. They capacitate these groups to liaise with relevant authorities and support them with planning projects to solve problems at a local level. They also build a clear growth path for women leaders who go on to represent the group at the state level. 

  • EKTA Resource Centre for Women

    ektaforwomen.org

    Founded: 1990

    Headquarters: Madurai, Tamil Nadu

    Geographical Focus: Tamil Nadu

    Lives Impacted: 17,000+

    Organization Overview:

    Established as a resource centre in 1990, EKTA focuses on building awareness, capacity and promoting consultative, participatory, and inclusive practices to achieve a gender just society. It works with children and adolescents, youth, women, and men in rural and urban areas from Dalit, minority, tribal, and Backward Caste (BC) communities that are vulnerable to patriarchal norms. They focus on behaviour change in communities through training and facilitating participatory action.

  • Faith Foundation

    faithfoundationshillong.org

    Founded: 2013

    Headquarters: Shillong, Meghalaya

    Geographical Focus: Meghalaya

    Lives Impacted: 13,400+

    Organization Overview:

    Faith Foundation is an indigenous child rights organization working to create safe growth environment for children and adolescents from Khasi tribes (Scheduled Tribes) in Shillong (Meghalaya). It aims to empower them by focusing on teaching them gender-equitable values and prevention strategies in diverse educational institutions to reduce the risk to abuse and exploitation (sexual, physical as well as emotional).

  • Front for Rapid Economic Advancement of India (FREA): Akshara Centre

    www.aksharacentre.org

    Founded: 1986

    Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra

    Geographical Focus: Maharashtra

    Lives Impacted: 30,000+

    Organization Overview:

    Akshara Centre enables access to education for girls from deprived communities by building safe public spaces and college campuses for women and girls. They work with girls from families headed by single women, migrant and minority families, students in government colleges from marginalized communities and children from SC-ST communities. They do this through youth mobilisation, scholarship opportunities and advocacy efforts with local institutions. 

  • Goranbose Gram Bikash Kendra (GGBK)

    /https://ggbk.in/

    Founded: 1987

    Headquarters: South 24 Parganas

    Geographical Focus: West Bengal

    Lives Impacted: 50,000

    Organization Overview:

    GGBK was started as a post cyclone relief organization in the Sundarbans and has evolved over the years to create opportunities for socially vulnerable groups – especially women and children from Dalit families and tribes such as Munda, Santhal and Oraon, to end discrimination against them and enable them to live a life of dignity. GGBK emphasizes on developing leadership among women, youth and children to address violence, mental health and livelihoods issues by keeping the agency of the community at the core.

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  • Gram Jagat 

    www.gramjapat.org

    Founded: 2004

    Geographical Focus: Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi 

    Organization Overview:

    The organization is led by Satyender, a Dalit leader who represents the target community the organization works with. The larger goal of the organization is to make the first-generation learners (youth) into role model figures for the communities. Gram Jagat has been able to partner with several Community Led Organizations (CLOs) across Bihar to work with socially excluded communities including Dalit, Adivasi and minority children and youth to facilitate their access to education including higher education, leadership on rights and entitlements, making local governance inclusive and enhancing employability and entrepreneurship among the most marginalized. 

  • Gram Mitra Samaj Sevi Sansthan (GMSSS) 

    http://www.grammitracg.org/

    Founded: 1999 

    Geographical Focus: Chhattisgarh 

    Organization Overview:

    Gram Mitra Samaj Sevi Sansthan has been working towards tribal development for the past two decades. GMSS raises awareness, builds capacity, and empowers marginalized tribal communities with ‘strength in cooperation’ as its motto, Gram Mitra Samaj Sevi Sansthan envisions an exploitation-free society, ensuring dignity and protected rights for tribal people. Focused on livelihoods, education, health, and women’s empowerment, the organization promotes sustainable agriculture, runs tribal schools, enhances healthcare, and empowers women through vocational training. Their collective action approach has significantly improved the economic and social standing of Chhattisgarh’s tribal communities. 

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  • Gram Vikas Yuva Trust 

    https://www.gvtbharuch.org/

    Founded: 1999 

    Geographical Focus: Bihar 

    Organization Overview:

    Gram Vikas Yuva Trust was set up by youth from Madhubani district. Gram Vikas Yuva Trust works with communities through a systems-strengthening approach to identify the community’s core needs and supports government schemes access to remote geographies. They engage directly with community members at the village level to discuss key issues and how to address these. They further contribute to building strong youth leaders from these vulnerable communities through skill-based training and capacity building initiatives. As a result, many youth leaders have joined the state administration and community representatives at the panchayat and ward levels.

  • Grameen Mahila Vikas Sansthan (GMVS)

    Founded: 1996

    Headquarters: Latur, Maharashtra

    Geographical Focus: Maharashtra

    Lives Impacted: 57,400+

    Organization Overview:

    Grameen Mahila Vikas Sansthan works with women and girls from underserved communities in the drought prone district of Latur. GMVS works on addressing issues of gender-based violence, child marriage and farmer suicides amongst others. They work to build capacities within the communities they serve and harness the transformative potential of collective action.

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