We work with scheduled tribes (ST), scheduled castes (SC) communities and other marginalised and vulnerable communities, particularly women and children in southern Odisha. This region is known for its chronic poverty where 70% of the population lives below the poverty line and 68% of women are illiterate. Southern Odisha has a large diversity of tribal communities. The major tribes are Kondh, Poraja, Gond, Koya, Savara, Gadaba, Omanatya, and Bhumia, tribal communities. The region is also home to PVTGs like Kutia, DongariaKndha, Bonda, Hill Kharia, Birhore and Mankiria. We primarily work with these tribal communities in Koraput, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri and Raygada districts. Census figures of India for 2011 indicated that Malkangiri district has the highest proportion (57.4%), followed by Nabarangpur (55.79%), Rayagada (55.8 per cent) and Koraput (47.6%).

The main problems of tribal communities in southern Odisha are indebtedness, low literacy level, malnutrition, poverty, diseases and exploitation etc.  Because of poor earnings from wage employment and self-employment programmes, especially when faced with the maintenance of large families, many tribal families cannot afford quality housing and basic household amenities. Poverty remains one of the greatest hindrances to education because families are unable to provide essential requirements of education such as school clothes, extra food and appropriate home study environments for the children. A small land base, low agricultural productivity and low incomes have led to rising indebtedness, trapping them in a vicious circle of exploitation. Their life is increasingly vulnerable due to a persistent lack of assured entitlements to their resource base. Land alienation has deprived them of their land, forest legislation has turned them into encroachers on land they have always used, and they have also been disproportionately affected by displacement due to industrialisation, mining operations, irrigation projects, etc. These have led to social discontent and unrest which provide fertile ground for extremist activities and violent protests.

We dream of a complete transformation of the villages by improving social, economic and environmental indicators of livelihood and food security, quality education, child protection, women and child health, and environment protection through a community-oriented participatory approach. Our programme aims to build self-reliant communes through a linear development approach of assessment, awareness, activities, results and outcomes leading up to sustainability.