We, humans are exceptional by the very fact that, we have the ability to create, design and build on the available resources of nature. This potent ability has enabled humankind to sustain and flourish into massive economic societies globally. Thus, Livelihoods befall as one of the significant aspects of our survival and development.
Agriculture and allied activities support livelihoods of nearly 70 percent of India’s rural population. Though in recent years, land based livelihoods of small and marginal farmers are increasingly becoming unsustainable with the growing pace of development. Loss of livelihood options and the break-up of the socio-cultural fabric of society have brought about changes in the socio economic structures across the country. This has widened disparity among the rural and urban, rich and poor, men and women. In an attempt to bridge this gap, Government of India with the help of development organizations has introduced various programmes and policies.
This allowed the nonprofit Organizations and the Corporate Houses to participate actively in the sector of Livelihood and Employability. Eventually, the programmes not only implemented the government policies but also focused on the capacity building of the community, so as to equip them with skills to cope with change in the society.
Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation (NSF) has a vision to raise the scale of employability, and hence financially support Livelihood Projects specifically for development and programme costs for the implementation of the various projects both in urban and rural India. The Foundation endeavors to promote, encourage, and assist in the promotion of entrepreneurship and self employment in all possible manner by providing training, vocational guidance and making funds available by way of grants. The vital feature of Livelihood Vertical is that most of the projects supported by Foundation are gigantic in nature with vast experience of working in this sector.
PRADAN (Professional Assistance in Development Action), a not for profit organization, working with around 200,000 families and formed over 12,000 SHG’s through 30 teams covering 43 poverty districts. NSF supports, a demonstrating model of land-water crop based livelihoods, in Abu Road, located in the Sirohi district of Rajasthan. One of the significant achievements of this project has been the ability and acknowledgement received to replicate this demonstrative model in other parts of Rajasthan by the Government and other NGO’s.
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Minal Chheda