Empowering Himalayan communities

Buddhist stupa & prayer flags in the windy Himalaya

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has” Margaret Mead

A sign displaying this quote greets any visitor to the Pragya office. The philosophy is deeply ingrained in each of the different programmes run by Pragya, none more so than this one. This project gives the indigenous tribes living in the high altitude region of Northern India a political voice.

Despite its natural beauty, clean air and deep culture of hospitality the Himalaya area is deeply deprived. The inhabitants, mostly shepherding and farming families, are untouched by modernity and technology; they have some of the lowest levels of education and healthcare in the whole of the country. Just under half of the population of the region is literate compared to a national average of 65%. They live tough lives, in grinding poverty, cut off from the rest of India for seven months of the year by snow. The problem in these communities is simple- the people want the rights and privileges which come with living in a democracy but because of the area’s remoteness and the inhospitable terrain, the region is forgotten by the government.

Karuna and Pragya are working with the community and the government to give these forgotten people a voice, through a combination of education, infrastructure, motivation, vision and support- the Himalayan tribal people will get the chance to lobby government for the funding and services they need. In 2006 Karuna was awarded almost £400,000 of funding from the DFID for the project. The money is being used in a number of different ways for the advancement of the region.

The project has created The High Himalayan Network, which is a grassroots pressure group of indigenous peoples, who have the power to lobby local, state and national government and highlight some of the regions problems. Twelve resource centres were setup to conduct and publish research relevant to the region and to gain a deeper understanding of some of the regions issues. Five enterprise groups were also setup, which establish and fund microfinance initiatives, to promote the entrepreneurial spirit and socio-economic status of the region.

Overall the programmes run by Karuna and our partners are shaping government policy, giving 500,000 people a voice and a chance to change their lives. The project has directly improved the lives of approximately 10,000 people giving education opportunities for women, creating jobs for people with disabilities and establishing microfinance schemes for people of lower caste.

Print this page | Back to top