A Public Charitable Trust Registered under Registration Act 1908, guided by Indian Trust Act 1882. Registration No: 131/2008-09 under Section 12 A of Income Tax Act, 1961. File No: 80G/08-09/2211-14 under Section 80G A of Income Tax Act, 1961
Also, registered under Section 11 (1) of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. Registration No: 031170582 (Nature: Social)
KAUSHALYA Foundation (KF) is a non-government, non-profit organization aimed at achieving socio-economic empowerment of the rural and urban poor and underprivileged as well as developing youth of the state. The organization is founded by a cohort of IIM-Ahmedabad graduates to work for the holistic development of the resource-poor touching upon their livelihoods, education, and health. KF has strong imprints through implementing work in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh (UP) while it has also given consultancy both across and outside India.
Team KAUSHALYA Foundation (KF) comprises committed professionals and experts as young professionals in the area of rural and agriculture development from the core and cross-cutting disciplines with rich and extensive experience.
“To develop models to improve quality of life, increase income and generate employment at the grass root level by an equitable and holistic development.”
“Empowering poor to live a life of dignity and enhancing their social and economic wellbeing through Knowledge, Innovation, and transformative action.”
- End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all while promoting gender equality
- Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being
- Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
- Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning andentrepreneurship opportunities for all
In addition to its multispectral implementation work in Bihar, KAUSHALYA Foundation (KF) has undertaken various development research and implementation projects as well as consultancy assignments in partnership with much-reputed government, non-government, international organizations, and multilateral agencies, viz. World Bank, BMGF, Aga Khan Foundation, CII-FACE, USAID, IFPRI, ILRI, Friends for Women’s World Banking (FWWB), NRLM, SFAC, NABARD to name a few.
A lot of innovations, technological introductions (Samriddhii AC Green Carts, low-cost cold storage, low-cost bamboo polyhouses etc.) and best practices (Sustainable Farming, Climate Smart Agriculture, Conservation agriculture etc.) have been disseminated to the communities and societies for a range of benefits. ICT4D innovations and solutions have been extended to the communities to leverage the latest solutions of technological advancements for tapping the maximum value therein for both social and economic gains. Our innovations have been recognized by the State Government of Bihar that announced welfare schemes around these announcing subsidies for their wider adoption.
Climate-smart agriculture covers the three important aspects of sustainably increasing a farmers’ income in his local environment, building resistance to climate change and adopting eco-friendly practices. Kaushalya Foundation has facilitated the creation of platforms for better interaction between the scientists and farmer to educate them about the same.
In today’s era of business where bigger is better small farmers were at a disadvantage when they had to deal with big companies. Then came the idea of farmer institutions like FPOs and FIGs. Farmers came together to stand up for their common interests. Kaushalya Foundation helps in collecting and sensitizing the farmers about the issue, make them aware of the possible solution and help them in executing it.
The sensitization program is an intensive effort to inform and introduce the target beneficiaries on the value of collective action and on the value of coming together under an institutional model. This is being done through sensitization meets and continuous interactions with communities taking help of dialogues, bottom-up brainstorming sessions, and behavior change communications.
To ensure the value of intervention, the first effort is to enhance social solidarity through organized collectivism. Secondly, productivity and marketability are enhanced – both in terms of economic value and volume. This is being done through the first level of a capacity building, value addition, introduction of efficient technology, making systems more efficient, infusion of finance and environmental-solidarity for sustainability etc.
Through a participatory process, community groups are encouraged to develop an agenda for the meetings, are initiated in developing micro-plans and encouraged for credit mobilization through savings to develop their ownership in the undertakings. The members are requested to provide critical information on their demographic details, livelihoods, credit history, health, and education status to help build and consolidate a database.
The capacitated communities are then integrated into the market, conforming to the business ethics by developing and leveraging employment opportunities and enterprise creation.
A key strategy of the approach is to develop dedicated operational and strategic relationships with the communities, implementation partners and other key players like development agencies, banks, insurance companies etc. We invite collaborations of all the Good Samaritans from all walks of life for supplementing our efforts for a better humankind.