Last Updated:
August 9, 2002 (partial)
Note: Short summaries of the following organizations were compiled from mission statements, web pages, and personal communications, and are not authoritative. If interested, please contact the listed organisation for more complete and up-to-date information. - R.R.
Dehra Dun:
Location of Many
Organization Offices
Uttarakhand:
The Field of Operations
Veteran Organizations
People's Association for Himalayan Area Research
Shri Bhuvaneshwari Mahila Ashram
Trusts
The Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
The Vishnu-Heera-Umesh-Pooran Public Charitable Trust
Training Institutes
Uttarakhand Environmental Education Centre
Research Organizations
Academy for Mountain Environics
Centre for Research on Ecology, Environmental Applications, Training, and Education
Himalayan Action Research Centre
Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation
Research, Advocacy, and Communication in Himalayan Areas
Rural Development
Rural Organization for Social Education
Multipurpose Organizations
International Society For Alternative Medicine
Rural Entrepreneurship for Art & Cultural Heritage
Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra
Society for Advancement and Awareness for Training Heritage & Integration
Society for Environment, Wildlife Action and Awareness
All-India
Council for Advancement of People Action & Rural Technology
G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development
Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology
NRI Resources
India Development Information Network
Mahiti - Knowledge Democracy through Internet Technology
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
A Service of the:
| Veteran Organizations
PAHAR (People's Association for Himalayan Area Research) PAHAR is a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the fragile Himalayan environment and bringing together scientists, social activists, and common people to save the Himalayas. Parikrama, Talla Danda Tallital
SBMA (Shri Bhuvaneshwari Mahila Ashram) SBMA is an independent organisation that works with the people of the Garhwal Himalayas. The Ashram evolved out of community struggle led by the late Swami Manmathan, a crusader from Kerala who formed a passionate commitment to the progress of Uttarakhand. As the name suggests, the Ashram has always been a shelter or open house for women and children: a platform for the activist, a refuge for the destitute. It now works in more than three hundred villages in Garhwal, with national and international initiatives. Born out of the alchemy of activist fire and social concern, SBMA looks to be, above all, a force for change that is led by the community. Campus:
1. Anjanisain Campus, 2. Village Women, 3. Children at the Anjanisain Paryavaran Vidyalaya, 4. Panchayat Raj in Action. All photos by Manu Bahuguna, Ganesh Saili, Jaiprakash Kumar, SBMA Archives
DGSM (Dasholi Gram Swaraj Mandal) A band of dedicated Sarvodaya activists under the leadership of Chandi Prasad Bhatt founded DGSM (earlier DGSS) in 1964 at Gopeshwar to work for the socio-economic, cultural, and environmental development of the region. The strength of DGSM's activities lies in the organised strength of the local people, especially women. DGSM has provided aid to many villages over the year, providing the impetus to the setting up of Mahila Mangal Dals (village women's groups) and safeguarding the forests from exploitation. DGSM has also conducted study tours, and has recently set up a People's Information and Assistance Center. Mandir Marg
Information pertaining to the Chipko and Tehri Dam (Save the Himalayas Movement) struggles can be obtained from the following office: P.O. Silyara via Ghansyali Photo of Sunderlal Bahuguna camped outside Tehri Dam by PGRS India/Phal S. Girota
The Himalaya Trust was set up in 1993 in response to the need expressed by a group of grassroots social workers and environmental professionals working in the Western Himalayan region, to join together under an umbrella organization to collectively address issues of environmental degradation and increasing impoverishment of mountain communities in the Himalaya. Inspired and supported in its endeavours by Swami Chidananda of the Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, the Trust's objectives are to fulfill the development aspiration of the small isolated mountain communities, while safeguarding their ecological resource base, and their cultural and spiritual heritage. Head Office:
HF is a pioneering NGO set up as a non-profit charitable action-oriented organisation aiming to mobilize public opinion and generate resources for supporting developmental activities in the Himalayas. The foundation is engaged in the preservation of the social, cultural, and environmental heritage of the Himalayan region. The Foundation came into existence in 1991 and has a registered office in Chamoli district. It has a panel of experts of different disciplines guiding its activities and area of work. The Foundation is working under Himalayan eco-task forces organised at the local level working for the development and conservation of depleted forest resources. It is the first organisation in India to be given permission by the government to conduct large-scale afforestation and to promote environmental conservation in 26,864.72 hectares of panchayat forests in the Garhwal Himalayas. The foundation is actively involved and acting as a catalyst for making suitable amendments to the old forest policy of the Government of India so that the density of forests can be enhanced through active public participation. The efforts of the foundation have convinced the Government of India to seriously work out suitable eco-friendly forest policies for the hills. Regd. Office:
The Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust HIHT is a nonprofit organisation committed to the premise that all human beings have the right to health, education, and economic self-sufficiency. The comprehensive health care and social development programs of HIHT incorporate medical care, education, and research. Today it is the site of a world standard medical city and educational campus that includes: a large state-of-the-art hospital offering a full range of medical specialities and services; a holistic health program; a medical collegeâ a school of nursing; a rural development institute; and accommodations for staff, students, and patientsâ families. This transformation is the result of the vision of H.H. Dr. Swami Rama. Trust Address:
The Vishnu-Heera-Umesh-Pooran Public Charitable Trust Mr. Ganesh Chandra Pande, ex-director Shri Ram Research Institute, Delhi has donated his entire savings and property to help the poor and needy of Almora District. His organization would accept donations in cash as well as kind. It distributes sustenance allowances, scholarship, books, clothes & shoes etc. Office:
PSI (People's Science Institute) 252 Vasant Vihar, Phase-I Mandir Marg
UEEC (Uttarakhand Environmental Education Centre) The UEEC arranges training facilities and funds for Uttarakhandis dedicated to the development of their village. Jakhandevi
The Academy for Mountain Environics is a collective of professionals striving to promote values of conservation with on-the-ground technologies devised to help generate energy and manage water without the fuss of huge systems and "infrastructure". Working now in the once picturesque, now denuded hills of Garhwal in the sub-Himalayan devbhumi, the Academy's 40-odd geologists, geophysicists, vernacular architects, and conservationists have managed to marry technology to enterprise in ways that enhance values of conservation. The Academy has strong community contact in several villages of Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal, Dehradun district of Uttar Pradesh, and in several tribal villages of Anantagiri and Paderu Mandal of Visakhapatnnam district, Andhra Pradesh. 51/5 Rajpur Road
CREATE (Centre for Research on Ecology, Environmental Applications, Training, and Education) CREATE is an autonomous centre and non-government organization dedicated to promoting and supporting initiatives for sustainable biosphere management through natural and human resource appraisal. 91/2 Vijay Park
HARC (Himalayan Action Research Centre) HARC was established as a community organization in 1988. The intention was to upgrade the socio-economic status of hill people and enhance the capabilities of all actors in the development process. HARC was built on the principle that sustainable development runs parallel to capacity building and adopted the role of development educator and catalyst, cooperating with various institutional networks as well as different individuals and society. Field Office: Liason Office:
HESCO (Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation) HESCO is the recent recipient of the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru award for the year 1999-2000. The organization will utilise the award money of Rs one lakh for extension of traditional technologies in the hills. The organisation has focused on preserving ethnic resources and indigenous technologies, as well as leading the water movement (jal andolan) that has included resurrecting the traditional water mills of the region. In 1998, the movement had organised two padyatras last year to highlight the water problem and continues to work on issues pertinent to the lives of villagers throughout the interior. HESCO is recognised as a Technology Resource Centre for Mountaineering by CAPAART. Field Office: Dehra Dun Office:
RACHNA (Research, Advocacy, and Communication in Himalayan Areas) RACHNA aims to meet the information, technical, research, and professional training needs of social movements, community groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and development agencies working in or working for the Himalayan region. RACHNA hopes to foster greater people-to-people communication, increased flow of necessary technology and the sharing of knowledge and expertise among groups interested in making a difference in the lives of mountain communities. 12/26, Ashirwad Enclave
ERA (Experiments in Rural Advancement) The ERA helps deprived communities manage their depleting resources in a sustainable way. At the micro level, ERA works directly in community education, health care, agriculture, and projects on women's empowerment through income generation. At the macro level, it strengthens small but influential local groups, functioning as a sort of resource agency. ERA has developed primary water sources for safe drinking water and small irrigation projects. It has encouraged the cultivation of the hill rose for oil extraction and launched a women-managed training-cum-production centre. It also promotes leadership amongst youth and women, in order to strengthen local panchayats.The community-run ERA primary schools are a platform for providing health and environmental education to children. Address:
Rural Organisation for Social Elevation (ROSE)/KSS Address:
SIDH (Society for the Integrated Development of Himalayas) SIDH has done work in the tribal belt of Garhwal. SIDH aims to enable people who have been deprived of appropriate education to increase their happiness by providing holistic education and bringing about a change in their attitude towards life. Address:
Dhami Dham Tours, an enterprise of brothers Ramesh and Kamaan, attempts to curb the effects of explotative mass tourism in the Himalaya by exploring and popularising community based, people friendly and ecologically sensitive alternatives. The brothers offer travel programs in their native region Kumaon in Central Himalaya focussing broadly on culture, spirituality, and adventure. 592, Egipura, Viveknagar P.O
International Society For Alternative Medicine ISAM provides health care particularly to the disabled, under-privileged, weaker sections of society, women and children, and victims of natural disasters. ISAM has promoted the National Institute of Alternative Medicine to provide education and treatment in time-tested drugless treatment without side effects under various therapies and also conducts formal education programs on alternative medicine. It has also promoted a National Institute of Tourism (NIT) to train and equip young people to find their rightful place in the commercial world of Tourism Management. Recently, ISAM has set up a 15-bed, hospital-cum-rehabilitation centre for AIDS patients at village Bungalow Ki Kandi, Tehri Garhwal. ISAM is also running a mobile medicare unit which takes medical aid to inaccessible hill villages and also serves as a transport to bring children/trainees to the Hospital-cum-vocational centre. Furthermore, ISAM welcomes voluntary workers and can offer hospitality exchange programmes. The society also offers courses in Alternative Medicine and Health Tourism (Stress Relief Programmes for higher productivity of company's executives). ISAM further offers accommodations/land for construction of company guest houses/senior citizens cottages. Alternative medicine treatments are available on the premises. Dehra Dun Office:
REACH aims at setting up a Himalayan Heritage Center in Uttarakhand, the Gateway to the Himalayas, with the aim of preserving, documenting, and silently providing wherewithal for conservation of the traditions that have sustained the communities in this region. It also has, as part of its agenda, the setting up of a Gurukul where seminal minds shall spend time to impart wisdom to their chosen disciples. It intends to study the symbiotic relationship between culture and development to suggest a different paradigm. The main aim of REACH is to bring culture on the center stage of policy planning and strengthen it at the grassroots. 11 Vasant Vihar
The primary aim of RLEK is to fight the cause of the under-privileged. Hence, RLEK began with the objective of getting the underprivileged their due. The aim was to get whatever was legally due to them. Thus, the first recourse was through legal remedy. But, if legal remedies were not available, RLEK aimed to prompt the government to bring out new laws to further the cause. For this RLEK also organised the poor. Current campaigns focus on the cause of the Van Gujjars, nomadic tribes-people of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. The campaigns include literacy, elementary health, and veterinary care, community forest management, and Panchayat Raj enfranchisement education. Main Office:
SAATHI (Society for Advancement and Awareness for Training Heritage & Integration) Delhi Address: Dehradun Address (Head office):
SEWAA (Society for Environment, Wildlife Action and Awareness) SEWAA has been working in Uttarakhand over the last few years for the overall development of the region by disseminating appropriate technologies, educational awareness, and providing support and guidance to other voluntary organisations. SEWAA also seeks to strengthen people's movements by raising and bringing the issues to the attention of appropriate governmental authorities and by initiating and running programmes for the social and economic development of the people. It is our endeavour to maintain a healthy coexistence of mankind and nature by linking science and technology to meeting society's environmental needs. 34 Mohini Road
CAPART is a unique organisation. While it is a governmental body providing grants to voluntary organizations (NGOs) for implementing a variety of independently-conceived projects or government schemes aimed at rural development, it is a self-governing society whose members are themselves NGOs. Head Office:
GBPIHED undertakes in-depth research and development studies on environmental problems of the Indian Himalayan region to identify and strengthen the local knowledge of the environment and contribute towards strengthening research of regional relevance in other organisations in the Himalayan region through interactive networking. Address: Photo of Dr. Palni by Edwin Birnbaum
The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology is an autonomous research institute of the Department of the Science & Technology, Govt. of India. During the last quarter century the Institute has grown into a centre of excellence in Himalayan geology and is recognised as a national laboratory of international repute with well equipped laboratories and other infrastructural facilities for undertaking advance level of research in the country. Campus Address:
WII (Wildlife Institute Of India) In seeking to fulfil its mandate, WII has set itself the following tasks: train managers and biologists for protected area management and wildlife research; train education and extension specialists for protected areas so as to get public support for wildlife conservation; provide orientation courses for those involved in land-use management; conduct and coordinate applied wildlife research and evolve relevant techniques suited to Indian conditions; create a database for building up a wildlife information system employing modern computerized analytical techniques; and provide advisory and consultancy services to central and state governments, universities, research institutions and other official and non-official agencies. Address:
Asha for Education is an organisation dedicated to socio-economic change in India. In pursuit of this goal, Asha focuses on basic education in the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic change. In keeping with this focus, ASHA volunteers get involved with and support projects that have an education-related component to them. Asha's focus of basic education for children has galvanised a number of volunteers across many cities of the US. Today, as Asha nears a decade of existence, it has over 35 chapters in the US, India and other countries. Volunteers in each of these chapters take personal interest in identifying education-related projects in India, and supporting them through funds and other means. General Internet Contacts: US Address: India Address:
AID (Association for India's Development) AID is a charitable organisation. Its main objectives are to raise awareness about poverty and related issues, raise funds, and to make charitable contributions for the development and welfare of the poor people and poor communities of India. This development and welfare is achieved through assisting, implementing, and supporting charitable projects focusing mainly on literacy, education, rural development, family planning, health care, social welfare, empowerment of people, and environmental responsibility. These projects are focused in villages, rural areas, slum areas or in other economically underprivileged regions. US Address:
ICA (Indians for Collective Action) Indians for Collective Action (ICA) is a group of individuals dedicated to the pursuit of a secure life for every Indian, in a sustainable environment and a just society. For over 25 years, ICA has supported community-led action to address educational, environmental, and social issues in India. ICA is a San Francisco Bay Area organisation active in supporting a wide variety of community development and education projects in India for the past twenty-eight years. Working with people of Indian origin in the United States and other supporters, ICA has been a leader in addressing social, educational, and environmental issues. In addition ICA has nurtured and provided critical support to other organizations - including ASHA, SEVA, and Foundation for Excellence - that are deeply involved in the education of poor and disadvantaged people in India. Address:
RIM (Rejuvenate India Movement) Born out of the shared aspirations of hundreds of Indians living abroad, the Rejuvenate India Movement (RIM) hopes to unite all who wish to act on dreams for a better India. Scores of Indians from all walks of life, including volunteers from various well-known non-profit organizations have been inspired and motivated to work in solidarity towards a common goal. Initiated in April 1999 by Dr. B.V. Parameswara Rao, RIM volunteers took a pledge at the first national meeting (August 1999) to actively participate in a peaceful movement to bring about a change in India for the better by acting as facilitators or catalysts. RIM hopes to work to assist and promote the initiatives of local people working to solve their own problems at the community level. Through these actions RIM intends to shape a peaceful movement that will effect a positive change in the social climate of the country. The functional unit of RIM (Rejuvenate India Movement) in US will be the city group made up of volunteers in the city. US Address: |
