Our Impact

Our Impact

PRADAN is making a measurable impact on India.

People

We have more trained professionals working in villages in the field of rural development than any other organisation except for the government. Our pioneering contribution has been in inducting educated and socially inspired youth, grooming them through a structured programme and placing them directly in villages to facilitate change. Over 80% of the more than 3,000 development professionals we have trained continue to be engaged in eradicating poverty.

Models

Our innovations are adopted by government and civil society organisations at the national, state and local levels. Using our field experience, we have helped create appropriate policies and programmes that bring opportunity for the rural poor. Our work on self-help groups (SHGs), Natural Resource Management and tasar silk are now mainstream programmes.

Scaling Up

PRADAN works directly with more than 1 million families across seven of India’s poorest states today, and we support 116 NGOs. The livelihoods we have directly promoted with women and communities today generate a gross yearly output of $80 million. Our work in sectors such as tasar silk, vegetables, fruit and poultry have helped community organisations become leading players in these business sectors.

Women

In 1987, PRADAN pioneered the model of organizing women into self-help groups (SHG) as an approach to mobilize poor communities and improve their livelihoods. Today, our program to link SHGs with banks is the world’s largest microfinance movement with 625,000 women having their bank accounts for their businesses. It is also now the central strategy of many grass-roots NGOs and public programs.

We engage with more than 1 million women organized into 83,315 SHGs, making it one of the largest civil society efforts in the world.

These SHGs have cumulatively disbursed credit of nearly INR 7,209 billion (~US$88m). PRADAN supports 190 women's Block Level and Cluster Level Federations, an associative tier of self-help groups. These Federations give strength to their members to raising their voices against exploitation and violence.

1 million WOMEN ORGANIZED INTO 83,315 SHGS

Food Security

PRADAN has assisted nearly 714,437 rural families with crop selection and access to modern markets, enhancing their productivity by three to four times and ensuring year-round food security. The families grow cash crops, such as tomatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, broccolis, chillies that not only add to their incomes but also help the participating farmers augment nutritional benefits from.

714,437 FAMILIES FOOD-SECURE YEAR ROUND

Water

PRADAN has worked with more than 141,449 families to assure irrigation in 56,634 hectare (ha) and has improved soil-moisture availability in an additional 45,194 hectare (ha).

Every year, PRADAN directly supports these families in adopting the models of water conservation, which increase household incomes by 75-100%

141,449 FAMILIES SUPPORTED EVERY YEAR IN WATER CONSERVATION

Managing Natural Resources

PRADAN supports more than 200,944 small-holding farmers with integrated natural resource management to build resilience to water variability caused by climate change. We have designed methods ranging from small-scale on-farm water control measures to selecting crops that utilise residual moisture and are more adaptive to water stress and water surplus conditions.

Farmers adopt eco-friendly technologies and use weather prediction tools made available by PRADAN to diversify production risks and adapt crop choices.

200,944 FAMILIES SUPPORTED IN BUILDING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Income

PRADAN optimises the resources available to the poor by helping them access funds and build their assets and capabilities so they can earn a decent living.

PRADAN has helped nearly 516,000 people participate in income generation activities like agriculture, fruit orchards, tasar silk and poultry. For example, our home-grown chicken initiative is the largest of its kind in India. We promoted National Smallholder Poultry Development Trust (NSPDT) which supports 14,000 women poultry producers organised in 27 producers' organisations in Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Assam posted sales of Rs. 5947 million and earned over Rs. 400 million profit (FY21-22). Tasar Development Foundation worked with 20, 000 farmers rearing the seed cocoons needed to make in Tasar silk. At par in quality with the Central Silk Board’s standards, the seed cocoons produced by these farmers were enough to cover the entire year’s requirement at their local levels. This helped the rearers earn an income of Rs. 188 million (~US$ 2.5 million) during the last year.

681,721 FAMILIES PARTICIPATED IN INCOME GENERATION INTERVETNIONS

Grassroots Governance

PRADAN enables isolated and excluded women to build their skills on grassroots governance by mobilizing, motivating and training them. This builds their capacities for accessing entitlements and participating in different institutions like Gram Sabha (village council), block level and district level forums. Community engagement ensures relevant public investments and efficient delivery of public services.

In 41 of India’s poorest districts, communities have started accessing their rights and entitlements, making claims on constitutionally guaranteed provisions, and holding local village councils accountable. .

COMMUNITIES IN 41 DISTRICTS ACCESSING RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS

As on 31st March 2023, PRADAN, along with its partners worked with 2.64 million households spread across 25,421 villages, in 575 community development blocks, 133 districts, and 8 states of India. We have a special project in Tamil Nadu.

PRADAN by the Numbers(Direct Action Team)

Individuals Reached 5 million

Socio-economic Profile 65% of the individuals we work with belong to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) from the economically weakest sections in rural and tribal India.

Households (direct reach) 1 million

Revenue Villages 9,495

States 8 (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal)

Districts 41

Administrative blocks 125

*As of March 31, 2023

Women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) 83,315

Village Organizations 5,412

Federations of SHGs and other collectives 190 (Block Level and Cluster Level Federations)

Highlight

Across seven states, village communities led by their women’s SHGs mobilized more than INR 2,178 million (US$27 m) under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to create infrastructure for themselves as well as for their villages.

Total Staff 810

Development Apprentices 66

Partners

Foundations & Multilaterals 25

Corporates 8

Government Departments (Central & State) 19

Research Institutes 5

Civil Society Organizations 116

Milestones

  • 2023

    Yashraj Bharati Samman 2022-23, Transforming People's Lives category

    Development Catalyst 2022 Award by ACCESS Development Services in the 25+ years category

  • 2022

    HCL Grant 2022, Environment category

  • 2021

    Water.org & Sa-Dhan Awards 2021, for excellence in water and sanitation financing in 2021

    7th CSR Impact Award 2021 under Environment category

  • 2018

    Business Standard Social Enterprise Award 2017 for Women Empowerment

  • 2017

    Spirit of Humanity Award for Women Empowerment

  • 2016

    Process Excellence Award for grass-roots work by Axis Bank Foundation

  • 2015

    Times Social Impact Award for livelihoods promotion

  • 2013

    Microfinance India Award as the Self-help Group Promoting Institution of the Year 2013 by ACCESS Development Services and HSBC

    Appointed National Support Organisation for National Rural Livelihoods Mission to support development work in Extremist affected areas

  • 2011

    M. Phil in development practice in collaboration with Ambedkar University, Delhi

  • 2010

    Ranked 1st in NGO category and 47th in over all India's best companies to work for 2010 by Great Place to work institute and the Economic Times

    Rozgar Jagrookta Puraskar by Ministry of Rural Development for efforts in generating awareness about implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

  • 2009

    Deep Joshi received the Ramon Magsaysay award for nurturing the idea of PRADAN

  • 2006

    First NGO to received ‘NGO of the year’ award by Jeet and Khemka Foundation and Resource Alliance Group

  • 2003

    Started first System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in eastern India

  • 1995

    Awarded K P Goenka award for innovative work on Natural Resource Management (NRM)

  • 1991

    Launched one-year Development Apprenticeship programme to train professionals

  • 1987

    Among the first to pioneer self-help groups

  • 1983

    Founded by Vijay Mahajan and Deep Joshi

We are currently working with nearly 963,324 poor households in more than 9,000 villages across 7 states.

Partners

Acknowledgements

Institutional Donors for Corpus

  • Sir Ratan Tata Trust
  • Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
  • Jamsetji Tata Trust
  • Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust
  • ICICI Bank Limited
  • IFCI Limited
  • L & T Finance Ltd.
  • IDBI Bank Limited

Corpus Donor

  • Azim Premji Foundation
  • ICICI Bank Limited
  • IDBI Bank Limited
  • IFCI Limited
  • Individual Donors
  • Jamsetji Tata Trust
  • L & T Finance Limited
  • Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust
  • Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
  • Sir Ratan Tata Trust

Indian Donors

Philanthropies

  • Azim Premji Foundation
  • Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation
  • Education for Employability Foundation
  • FICCI Socio Economic Development Foundation
  • GiveIndia
  • Jamsetji Tata Trust
  • Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust
  • Polaris Foundation
  • Rainmatter Foundation
  • RG Manudhane Foundation for Excellence
  • Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
  • Sir Mathuradas Vissanji Foundation

Corporate- CSR

  • Aditya Birla Capital Foundation
  • Axis Bank Foundation
  • Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd.
  • Bajaj Housing Finance Limited
  • Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
  • Capri Global Capital Limited
  • Corteva Agriscience India Private Limited
  • Dharampal Satyapal Limited
  • E. I. DuPont India Private Limited
  • Experian Credit Information Company of India Private Limited
  • HCL Foundation
  • HDFC Bank Limited
  • Hindustan Unilever Foundation
  • ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth
  • India Panchayat Foundation
  • IndusInd Bank Limited
  • Infibeam Avenues Limited
  • InterGlobe Aviation Limited
  • JAMIPOL Limited
  • Mahindra & Mahindra Limited
  • Marubeni India Private Limited
  • NABARD Consultancy Services Private Limited
  • Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited
  • Pioneer Hi-bred Private Limited
  • RBL Bank Limited
  • Reliance Foundation
  • Schneider Electric India Foundation
  • Society for Promotion of Road Safety and Safe Driving
  • Wallace Flour Mills Co. Pvt. Ltd.

Ministries, Departments, Societies and Agencies (Government)

National
  • Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles
  • Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology
  • Indian Micro Enterprises Development Foundation
  • National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.
  • National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
  • National Cooperative Development Corporation
  • Science for Equity Empowerment and Development Division
  • Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium
State
  • Deputy Director Horticulture, supported by District Mineral Foundation (DMF), Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Angul, and Jharsuguda districts of Odisha
  • MP Rajya Ajeevika Forum
  • Panchayati Raj Department, West Bengal
  • The Agriculture Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited
  • West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission
District
  • Agriculture Technology Management Agency, Koraput
  • Office of Deputy Commissioner, Lohardaga
  • District Rural Development Agency, Kalahandi
  • Integrated Tribal Development Agency, West Singhbhum

UN and International Agencies

  • International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
  • International Food Policy Research Institute
  • UN Women - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
  • UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

Research and Other Agencies

  • Foundation for Ecological Security
  • Indian Institute of Millets Research
  • Self-Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action (SRIJAN)

Individual

  • Ashish Kacholia
  • Individual Donations

Foreign Donor

Philanthropies and Corporates

  • Bank of America
  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Charities Aid Foundation of America
  • CInI-Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives
  • Co-Impact Philanthropic Funds, Inc.
  • Commonland Foundation
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
  • Fidelity Asia Pacific Foundation
  • Give US
  • Heifer Project International
  • IKEA Foundation
  • Livelihoods Funds
  • MENASA Asset Management
  • NatWest Group plc
  • NatWest (RBS SIPL)
  • New Venture Fund
  • Oxford South Asian Society
  • Sequoia Climate Foundation
  • Share & Care Foundation
  • Ford Foundation
  • Walmart Foundation
  • Water.org
  • Welthungerhilfe

Research and Other Agencies

  • Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
  • Individual Donations
  • Institute for Financial Management and Research
  • Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge
  • The Regents of the University of California, San Diego
  • The University of East Anglia

Corpus Donor

  • Every Good Thing, LLC
  • HDFC Limited
  • Individual Donors
  • Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation
  • NatWest Group
  • Paul Hamlyn Foundation
  • RBS Foundation
  • Silicon Valley Community Foundation
  • Ford Foundation