Today, more than ever, we need ambitious, accelerated climate action that targets the most vulnerable. We need to start from the first mile, where the impact is felt most. We need approaches that enhance community resilience against the health, livelihood, and other shocks arising from climate change related disasters.
We hope this paper will inspire you to do more, with its showcase of the diversity of actors and their approaches in advancing community resilience. The report also identifies opportunities for philanthropy, and collaborative action. Many communities are creatively preparing themselves for the future, with the support of dedicated civil society organisations, and governments. If we put a climate lens on our philanthropy, perhaps we could alleviate some of the cascading impacts of climate change; such as we have seen in the COVID-19 pandemic. We could enable communities and local governments to be more inclusive and self-reliant, more collaborative and much more prepared.
From September 2018 to April 2019, Sattva undertook a first-of-its-kind study on the everyday giving ecosystem in India, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. The study does a comprehensive mapping of the giving ecosystem, including the givers, the NGOs that engage with retail givers, online and offline giving channels, and the enabling ecosystem, their practices, successes and barriers, and provides actionable recommendations into unlocking more potential from India’s everyday giver.
In Rohini’s words, “Kindness to strangers is an idea that has deep philosophical roots. It is a vision of humanity that transcends all religions and also tribalism. It is a cosmopolitan, universalist idea that allows ordinary people to stretch themselves. While it is natural and desirable that we give of our resources to those we know and trust, or to those who are like us, there is also something deeply ingrained in us that allows us to feel empathy to the stranger in distress. We can, if we are mindful, see ourselves in that stranger. And we respond with the same kindness that we would hope to receive ourselves. This report on Everyday Giving is about all kindness, but perhaps especially about kindness to strangers.”
This is a first attempt at uncovering the everyday giving market in India. We deeply appreciate your feedback, comments, and suggestions. Please write to: knowledge@sattva.co.in
Agriculture makes 15.4% of India’s GDP. It employs 45% of people in traditional farming and modern agriculture methods and its contribution towards the betterment of the Indian economy is declining due to various reasons. Rising climate changes are leading to low crop yields across the world. Despite a drop in hunger rates, India’s economic growth has not translated to better food availability or better nutrition. A common cause for both the problems has been low profitability from agriculture and a prevailing gender gap in farming which results in unavailability of resources towards women farmers who make 70% of the farming population.
The idea of this report is to highlight organisations & individuals working/researching in the above mentioned fields of agriculture. The accompanying matrix with this report specifically breaks down the fields of work of these organizations.
The objective of this research enquiry is to understand what the barriers and opportunities are to accelerate work with boys and men towards gender equality in India, and to initiate a national conversation towards the same goal. The research was conceived because Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Equal Community Foundation (ECF) identified a lack of publicly available information on how social sector organisations are working with boys and men towards gender equality, including what the barriers are and what the available opportunities are for supporting them.
This research is considered to be formative. We anticipate repeating similar research in the future. During the process of completing this research we identified improvements to the structure and content of the questionnaires and the use of language that we used, that will improve future iterations.
We are grateful to everyone who participated in the research, and for your feedback. We hope that the results are useful.
Since the beginning of this decade, crowdfunding has enabled an ever-growing number of projects, from films to products to charitable work, to be successfully funded through online platforms. The proliferation of crowdfunding platforms in India that enable individuals and groups to seek funds for non-profit and charitable causes, is an indication that the public is open to new ways of engaging and participating in positive social change.
1 in 4 people in the world will be affected by mental health disorders at some point in their lives.
How can all persons with mental illness have access to care and support to live to their full potential?
The Forum for Environmental Journalists in India and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment have partnered to implement three years of journalism fellowships in India. Over the last three years, FEJI has tried to bridge the divide between the scientific community and journalists in order to bring the public the news it needs to make informed decisions about their political vote or economic spending. This report is an assessment of the work.
Today, more than ever, we need ambitious, accelerated climate action that targets the most vulnerable. We need to start from the first mile, where the impact is felt most. We need approaches that enhance community resilience against the health, livelihood, and other shocks arising from climate change related disasters.
