ARAVALI
Rs. 13,493,400 awarded over three years to Association for Rural Advancement through Voluntary Action and Local Involvement (ARAVALI)
The western Indian state of Rajasthan is among the country’s most developmentally backward, and no parts of the state better exemplify this than its south-eastern ‘Hadot’ region. A study undertaken by Aravali indicated that one of the reasons for this was the low quality of NGO activity. While there were many NGOs operating in the region, few had the skills or the scale to influence the development climate.
Aravali identified a role for itself in enabling NGOs to skill up, network more effectively with each other, link communities with development programmes, and advocate for better development services from the government. Towards this, it set up the Eastern Region Resource Centre (ERRC) for NGOs in 2009. Today, the ERRC is a nodal point for NGO activity, having made a space for itself in guiding and influencing the development discourse in the eight districts of eastern Rajasthan. It maintains contact with more than 100 NGOs in the region by providing a forum for meetings and discussion. It also maintains intense contact with 20 NGOs through fellowships and skills development programmes. According to Bharati Joshi, Aravali’s Progamme Director: “The results are beginning to show, with local governments gradually making space for NGOs in their plans.”
For Aravali, Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s ability to see the grant as one towards building an institution rather than implementing a project has been an important factor in the progress so far.
Aravali is now looking to include local elected representatives from Panchayats and municipal bodies in its programmes in the future, and to work with them to enable better development outcomes in the region.
