Growing from grassroots.

• Author: Chaudhuri, Shomik

To initiate a new approach towards social work, I decided, with a few like-minded people, that a non-governmental organization (NGO) should be opened that would have the structure and the legal obligations of a business or corporation, believing this to be the answer to many of the problems that NGOs generally seem to face. So, we founded the Institute of International Social Development, in Calcutta, India, and constituted it as an NGO in October 1996. But, at the same time, we had it registered under the Indian Companies Act, 1956, to ensure that it would in fact be run along the lines of a corporation, though non-profit-making in nature.

The Institute was set up to conduct development programmes with special emphasis on women, children, youth and the disadvantaged. For its first venture, the Institute took on the task of bringing functional literacy to women in rural communities (Project Sushiksha). Other projects soon followed: providing health-care facilities, in particular for pregnant and lactating mothers and for children below the age of five (Project Susastha); creating jobs among youth (Project Shramdaan); and bringing awareness about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in red-light districts (Project Hope).

Initially, due to insufficient funding, we launched programmes by setting up joint ventures with other established NGOs and well-known organizations. One such venture enabled us to secure the site for Project Sushiksha, which provided the first opportunity for the Institute to serve people who had lost their moorings. Women and children, many from families whose breadwinners had a criminal record, were taught the "three R's" - reading, writing and arithmetic - and were given lessons in health, hygiene and sanitation, family planning and values. Also, they were taught the skills they needed for productive self-employment. In addition, the health care project and the job creation scheme provided good support to the literacy project.

Inspiration from the United Nations system helped us to observe various UN Days through special programmes. Although most of these were seminars and symposia, the "World Environment Week" was observed in a different way. Convinced that popular appreciation of the importance and beauty of nature needed to be fostered, we decided to collaborate with the Indo-Japan Welfare and Cultural Association to organize a workshop on "Ikebana" - the Japanese style of flower arrangement. Another...