Inclusion

Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP), a union of scrap collectors started by Dr Baba Adhav in 1993, has now become a force much larger than just a collection of waste pickers, mostly women. It serves as a platform for voicing grievances and as a medium for pushing developmental programmes to this highly marginalised segment of the society. From financial support, education and insurance facilities to intangibles like dignity of labour and quality of life, read how a collective can change lives.

Take a moment to meet Shibumon and Elizabeth - a couple who have come a long, long way from their home in Kerala to live among a marginalized community of snake charmers in the outskirts of Delhi, so that they can give the children there a chance at life! Read a story that will take your breath away and restore your faith in humanity!

Govind Singh Rathore was 14 years old when he realised that in his patriarchal society widows have no status, respect or any rights! Together with his family and friends, he took steps to raise the status of Dalit women in the caste-prejudiced state of Rajasthan, and so Sambhali Trust was born in 2007. This is what they do.

An advertising creative professional, Swasti Ray, went beyond just feeling bad for the disabled, and worked hard to create a product that helps bring colour and art in the lives of the visually impaired. Read about his innovation and what inspired him to think out-of-the-box!

There are innumerable construction sites in our cities, but scarcely any arrangements for the education of the workers' children. Nestled among the landscaped villas and high-rise apartments of Gurgaon, Bagiya is one such school. Here we present an interview with the founder, Shilpa Sonal, to know what made her get started on this mission and what all she has achieved in six short years.

Literacy rate in India might be cited at around 74% (in 2011), but the ground reality is that even among the so-called educated youth, 'employability' remains a key challenge. The main reasons behind this are a lack of communications and other finer skills. This is an important gap that needs to be bridged, and we bring to you an organization in Bangalore committed to doing this from the past several years, with great success.

Read about the efforts of a unique financial inclusion programme that aims at empowering women in the the rural parts of the hilly state of Uttaranchal where employment opportunities are scarce, infrastructure is patchy and banks are practically virtually non-existent.