Lucknow,
27 Feb (HS): According
to the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), India has over 33 lakh
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as of 2024. While their collective impact
could have driven significant societal and economic progress, their sheer
number makes it difficult to evaluate each one’s contribution. Still, some NGOs
have profoundly impacted lives through meaningful interventions, emerging as torchbearers
of positive change. On World NGO Day (February 27), here is a curated list of
four organisations and their most successful initiatives that are uplifting
communities. From feeding millions of schoolchildren to empowering adolescent
girls and promoting sustainable rural development, they truly embody innovation
and compassion.
Pratham –
Teaching at the Right Level: One of India’s largest non-governmental
organisations, Pratham was co-founded by Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambay in
1995 to provide preschool education to children in slums. Today, it operates
across 23 states and union territories in India, with supporting chapters in
the United States, UK, Germany, Sweden, and Australia. Among its most successful
initiatives is ‘Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL),’ a structured approach to
improving foundational learning. Between 2012 and 2017, Pratham focused on
helping children in Grade-Three and above to catch up on basic reading and
arithmetic through TaRL. Designed for government school students in Grades
Three to five, the programme consists of intensive learning camps lasting 30 to
50 days or three to five cycles of 10 days each. By the final camp, over 70% of
children can read simple texts fluently and perform basic arithmetic with
confidence.
Transform
Rural India (TRI) – Millionaire Farmer Development Programme (MFDP):
Making a
lasting impact across eight states, 42 districts, 165 blocks, 2,405 grama
panchayats, and 20,399 villages, Transform Rural India (TRI) is one of the
country’s most successful non-profit organisations working in rural
development. With a vision to design systemic solutions for change and expand
opportunities for rural communities, TRI is redefining rural development.
One of its
most impactful initiatives is the ‘Millionaire Farmer Development Programme
(MFDP),’ which classifies farmers into three categories, small, medium and star
farmers. The programme connects star farmers with medium and small farmers,
equipping them with knowledge on crop selection, efficient production
techniques, market opportunities, and government support. It also provides
training in modern agricultural practices and access to initiatives like the
Birsa Green Village Scheme, irrigation enhancement projects, and carbon credit
programmes. Farmers participating in MFDP are now earning lakhs by applying
these techniques. The success of the MFDP has been particularly evident in
regions like Jharkhand, with farmers like Haricharan Oraon and Nikki Kumari
already gaining wide attention as millionaire farmers.
Population
Foundation of India – Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon (MKBKSH): Founded in 1970 by
the late JRD Tata, the Population Foundation of India is a leading NGO focused
on population dynamics, gender equity, and sexual and reproductive health (SRH)
through impactful grassroots initiatives. In 2014, it launched Main Kuch Bhi
Kar Sakti Hoon (MKBKSH), an entertainment-education initiative promoting gender
equality, women’s empowerment and health-seeking behaviours. Spanning three
seasons, the series aired 183 episodes on Doordarshan and All India Radio,
reaching 150 million people across India. The audience comprised 52% women and
48% men, with 40% aged between 15–24. Evaluation of the seasons revealed a
major increase in positive attitudes and awareness of various SRH-related
issues among viewers.
In 2019,
as part of MKBKSH, it introduced SnehAI, a free chatbot hosted on Facebook
Messenger. Modelled after Dr. Sneha, the lead protagonist of the MKBKSH show,
the chatbot serves as a personalised, non-judgmental companion, offering
guidance on virginity, safe online behaviour, contraception, puberty, mental
health, consent, gender-based violence, same-sex attraction and masturbation,
the topics often considered taboo. Since its launch, SnehAI has facilitated
over 2.4 million conversations and reached 22 million people through online
promotions, making it one of the most impactful chatbots of its kind.
Goonj –
Not Just A Piece of Cloth: An award-winning social enterprise, Goonj aims to
foster an equitable relationship of strength and dignity between urban and
rural India by utilising underutilised materials as a tool for development. By
repurposing urban surplus materials to address basic issues in underserved
regions and involving local communities in designing and implementing their
solutions, Goonj has launched several impactful initiatives. These efforts
empower people with knowledge and dignity.
One of
Goonj’s major initiatives, ‘Not Just a Piece of Cloth (NJPC),’ encourages urban
populations to contribute cloth for making MY Pads – cloth sanitary pads for
women in rural areas who struggle to access basic hygiene products. For over
two decades, Goonj has worked across India to help women in rural areas
transition from using cloth to sanitary pads. To date, more than 5 million MY
Pads made from urban surplus cloth have reached women nationwide. In the
Delhi-NCR region alone, Goonj has distributed pads to over 1,000 women.
Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi
