We support nearly 150 organisations working with Adivasi and other communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on forests, land, and natural resources
Our partners work with communities recognised as Scheduled Tribes, including Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs), pastoralists, and rural Nomadic and De-notified Tribes (NT-DNTs) across India.
They work on issues affecting land and forest rights, local governance, access to government schemes and services, health and nutrition, livelihoods, and opportunities for young people and community leaders. This includes addressing the denial of individual and community rights, gaps in decentralised decision-making, limited access to identity documents and public infrastructure, and the lack of sustainable livelihood opportunities.
A significant area of work involves the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, commonly known as the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Our partners support forest-dependent communities in filing claims and pursuing the recognition of individual and community forest rights. They also help communities prepare plans to conserve and manage their natural resources.
Image credit – Purusottam Thakur
Through the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), our partners work to strengthen decentralised governance institutions and processes. This enables communities to assert ownership over local resources such as forests, water bodies, and minor minerals; identify and prioritise development needs; select beneficiaries; resolve disputes; and conduct gram sabhas at village and hamlet levels.
Our partners also help households access government schemes and services, including ration, pensions, maternity benefits, employment guarantees, housing, and scholarships. They support livelihoods through farming, the sale of non-timber forest produce, and employment under MGNREGA, now VB-GRAM-G.
Health and nutrition are another important area of our work. Our partners help forest-dependent households access healthcare facilities, maternal and child health services, and nutrition schemes. Their efforts have contributed to reduction in child malnutrition, maternal and child deaths during childbirth, and anaemia among pregnant women.
More recently, we have supported programmes for young people from these communities that combine perspective-building, legal and technical training, exposure, and mentorship. These programmes help them develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills to understand and address issues affecting their communities.
