This project invests in a new generation of grassroots leaders who can strengthen community action from within. By combining practical village-level engagement with storytelling, collective organising, and Gandhian values, the programme seeks to support more resilient, self-reliant, and community-led futures. This project will train 15 local leaders to work across 150 villages (4 states), bringing people together and helping communities learn from the successes and failures of each other.
Many rural communities in India face daily challenges such as poverty, environmental stress and limited access to resources. While people attempt to take action through community groups and local initiatives. These efforts are often isolated and not widely shared, leading to uneven development. Without support and coordination, it is difficult for ideas to grow or benefit other developing communities facing similar challenges and making similar mistakes.
The project will support 15 local leaders to work in their own communities across Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, constituting 150 villages. Each Fellow will work with 20 villages, connecting people through regular meetings, strengthening local capacity, and encouraging communities to work collectively on shared challenges. They will also document and distribute successful community initiatives, helping villages learn from each other and adopt solutions proven to work.
This project will build lasting leadership within 150 rural villages, enabling communities to organise themselves, make collective decisions, and address local challenges independently. By strengthening local groups' capacity and sharing successful approaches, communities will be better equipped to sustain and scale solutions long after the project ends, benefiting many more.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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