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India Programme

Supporting equitable opportunities for all

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    India programme / Partner story

    Seeds of freedom

    Transform Trade (formerly known as Traidcraft Exchange), a not-for-profit based in the UK, works closely with the indigenous Pahadiya community in Jharkhand, India to create community seed banks that help communities enjoy better health and nutrition 

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    India programme / Partner story

    Amplifying the voices of communities in India

    Many of our partners working in India aim to strengthen communities to bring about the positive change they feel they need. Click below to read more about their work. 

Overview

Everyone should have a fair chance at creating a life for themselves in which they can move beyond mere survival to achieve their full potential. Many, however, lack those opportunities simply because of where they are born or who they are.

The India Programme supports efforts to sustainably improve the lives of marginalised people in West Bengal, a state in the eastern region of India on the Bay of Bengal. These include vulnerable workers, Indigenous communities known as Adivasis, and adult and child migrants, whose needs and rights have been neglected for decades.

Our primary grant-making focus centres on two sub-regions within West Bengal where all three groups live – the tea gardens of North Bengal and the Sundarbans coastal region, which also face a range of climate-related and other challenges.

Our secondary grant-making focus is in other districts in West Bengal that are home to one or more of the three priority groups – unorganised workers, Indigenous communities, and migrants. We hope to produce evidence from locations across West Bengal that can inform and influence desired systemic changes at the state and national levels so that all people have a chance to thrive.

 
India programme / Strategy paper

Programme strategy paper

Oak Foundation’s India Programme strategically partners with and invests in not-for-profit organisations that supports efforts to sustainably improve the lives of marginalised people in West Bengal, a state in the eastern region of India on the Bay of Bengal. These include vulnerable workers, Indigenous communities known as Adivasis, and adult and child migrants, whose needs and rights have been neglected for decades.


Our programme grant-making in 2022

We made 10 grants totalling USD 4.63 million


Discover our partner stories

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    India programme / Partner story / Video

    Helping communities craft solutions 

    In India, Praxis is leading a group of 7 local organisations working to find solutions to help communities thrive – reaching over 106,650 people across 20 villages in the Sundarbans. Click below to find out more.

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    India programme / Partner story

    Seeds of freedom

    Transform Trade (formerly known as Traidcraft Exchange), a not-for-profit based in the UK, works closely with the indigenous Pahadiya community in Jharkhand, India to create community seed banks that help communities enjoy better health and nutrition. Today, it supports five seed banks, with a membership of 1,428 Pahadiya households. Click to read more below.

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    India programme / Partner story

    Amplifying the voices of communities in India

    Many of our partners working in India aim to strengthen communities to bring about the positive change they feel they need. Click below to read more about their work.

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    India programme / Partner story

    Supporting informal workers in India during Covid-19

    In India, women account for 32 per cent of the informal workforce. They work in agriculture, forestry, construction, and mining, and also as domestic workers and street vendors. Based in Jharkhand in the east of India, SEWA Bharat supports women informal workers to claim labour rights and social protection.

Would you like to read more stories like this? Please visit our “Stories” page.


Watch our latest videos

The women who are leading the way
Hundreds of millions of informal workers form the backbone of India’s economy. Despite being in great numbers, informal workers, in particular women, are often invisible. The work of our partners in Jharkhand and West Bengal has strengthened women working in the informal sector to negotiate better wages and ultimately, build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Helping communities craft solutions
In the coastal district of South 24 Parganas, in the state of West Bengal, people are facing disruptions to normal life, as irregular weather patterns and extreme climate events like super-cyclones and tidal surges create unstable livelihoods and living conditions. This has led to increased migration and other knock-on effects such as increased domestic violence, trafficking of children and young adults, early marriage, water and food crises In response, local organisations are working with to find solutions to help communities thrive.

Would you like to see more videos? Please visit our YouTube channel.