We partner with rural communities to enable them to lead a dignified life. We do this by building their capabilities, strengthening community institutions and mobilising resources.
At Gram Vikas, inclusion and equity are at the heart of what we do.
Our Impact
We've reached 600,000 people in 1700 villages.
And we continue to work hard and create change at scale.
10,000
hectares of wasteland regenerated for natural resources based livelihoods
211,907
women with access to safe, private bathrooms with running water
54,000
families with renewable energy sources for cooking
STORIES OF CHANGE
Gumla
Tukutoli village first gets tap water and now grows vegetables using greywater
Families in Tukutoli village in Gumla, Jharkhand, once suffered from diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera. Open defecation was prevalent, there were few sources of safe water and an acute water shortage in summer. Today, every household in the village has a toilet and a bathing room (TBR), and piped water supply. READ MORE
Sundargarh Cluster
Pramila gives up her land, fights cancer to get water and toilets for her village
One woman’s tenacity and leadership inspire every household in Kapatmunda village in rural Odisha to come together for water, toilets and bathrooms. READ MORE
Keonjhar Cluster
Piped water helps rural women to bathe in private
In Odisha, a high number of rural households lack enclosed bathing spaces. The construction of bathrooms and piped water supply afford women safety and the dignity of privacy. READ MORE
Kalahandi Cluster
Sibaratri escapes child marriage and becomes a teacher by following her role model
Sibaratri Naik studied in a Gram Vikas Residential School, became a teacher and inspired other families in her village, with less than 25% literate women, to educate their daughters. READ MORE
Gajapati Cluster
Livingstone Gamango realises his clean water dream
Two villages in Gajapati district gets a joint piped water supply system, toilets and bathrooms for every household. READ MORE
Ganjam Cluster
Damayanti Patra becomes a mason to build her house in rural Odisha
Damayanti Patra of rural Ganjam shows exemplary determination to overcome personal tragedy and natural disaster to secure a sustainable vocation. READ MORE
What We're Hearing
The Walking Stick
"The hidden agenda was to address the problem of exclusion, but the open agenda was to see that people got quality water and sanitation facilities in rural areas."
IT'S BEEN FOUR DECADES SINCE WE STARTED
From mobilising indigenous communities to fight for their rights to partnering with them to build better lives, our legacy is of a commitment to advancing equity and dignity for the poorest.
GIVE
Your smallest contribution can bring water, increase incomes, build toilets or light up homes in the remotest villages in India.
Choose your cause.
Our volunteers have got clean water to villages, digitised schools, filmed stories from the field and much more.
Come, be a part of the team.
FIELD NOTES
Gram Vikas completed a landmark of 40 years of work, in partnership with rural communities, across Odisha, Jharkhand and other states in 2019. Our Executive Director, Liby Johnson, shares a brief overview of our work and initiatives in the past year.
Pramila Bisoi, India’s leader from Aska, Odisha
Pramila Bisoi had a resounding victory in the 2019 elections. She has been leading Gram Vikas’ work for over two decades now and setting the agendas right – water, toilets, land, women.
Community-owned forestry to help tribals reclaim their forests and livelihoods
The initiative aims to enable erstwhile forest-dependent communities to create, own and manage their own productive forests.