Spandan Samaj Seva Samiti

Spandan Samaj Seva Samiti is dedicated to the empowerment of the Korku tribe in Madhya Pradesh. It operates with the mission to ensure human and constitutional rights for marginalized families, enabling them to lead a life of dignity. Its core vision focuses on a society where every individual thrives with equality, enriched by cultural heritage and sustainable opportunities. The NGO adopts a multisectoral approach to eliminate household hunger and chronic malnutrition through community-driven solutions and sustainable advocacy.

Major Interventions:

Spandan implements a smoke reduction initiative aimed at reducing indoor air pollution caused by traditional wood-burning chulhas (stoves). These traditional chulhas produce smoke that contributes to respiratory health issues, especially among women, children, and pregnant women. The program introduces Smokeless Chulhas that use less firewood, cook more efficiently, and produce significantly less smoke. The initiative has already reached multiple villages around Khandwa and helped make several hundred homes smoke-free, and it continues to scale toward many more households in the tribal areas.

Malnutrition Management: A mobile health unit provides doorstep diagnosis and treatment for common illnesses, reducing the need for institutional hospital care. Staff members offer home-based counseling to mothers regarding diet diversification and child care practices. This program transforms local government centers into child-friendly spaces equipped with learning materials in the tribal dialect.

Backyard Nutrition Gardens and Food Security: This initiative assists families in cultivating seasonal vegetables within their home premises to improve daily nutrient intake. The NGO distributes various seeds and provides technical advice on growing multiple crops in limited spaces. To combat peak hunger periods, it establishes community-managed grain banks. These banks allow food-insecure families to borrow grains during lean seasons and repay them after the harvest, preventing debt and distress migration.

The NGO sets up seed banks and encourages farmers to allocate land for indigenous varieties like kodo-kutki and jowar. It also promotes organic farming practices by demonstrating the use of natural manure and pesticides. These efforts aim to restore soil health and improve crop yields while preserving the community’s agricultural heritage.