Previous Programs & Projects

Literacy Campaign

Our involvement in this campaign, in two districts of M.P. in the late ’80s and early ’90s, required close interaction with the state government as well as a cross-section of the community, and gave us initial experiences of organising community work in rural areas.

Activities in Rural Technology

This area of work included studies of selected artisans and other rural communities followed by initiation of some development projects in rural areas. For various reasons, including our inability to sufficiently ground these programs in local communities, we did not succeed in establishing these projects as sustained activities.

Panchayat Training and Studies

After the panchayat elections in 1994, we participated in training and studies with the State Government for new panchayat representatives. We worked with rural dalit, tribal and women representatives. A series of training manuals and booklets were prepared and used extensively during panchayat raj trainings in Madhya Pradesh.

Aagaz Academy

Aagaz Foundation through its Aagaz Academies is dedicated to work with elected women representatives in institutions of local governance, with a positive bias towards elected women representatives coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Toys Design and Production Workshop

Samavesh promotes a small workshop to design toys and educational material for balwadis/anganwadis and children of primary school age. Some of this material has found wide usage in primary schools and anganwadis in different parts of the country.

Media & Communication

Work in developing communication strategies and media tools to support community-based programs and awareness campaigns.

Access to Justice

Initiatives to improve access to the justice system for marginalised and vulnerable community members.

Natural Resource Management

Initiated around 1996, this program aimed at organising a small community to manage their own resources. Through this program we gained a better understanding of community dynamics involved in the management of common resources.

Watershed Development

There is need to develop methods for the assessment of availability of water in the area under consideration — current usages for different needs (drinking, agriculture, livestock, industry) and across different classes (marginal and big farmers, men, women). Based on such assessments, plans for water assuring minimum livelihoods for all can be developed.