Community Development Society

Major Programs:

• Community Health/Immunization/HIV/AIDS Awareness: CDS reaches out to the needy communities in urban and rural slums in Maharashtra through its branches. They conduct health awareness campaigns and provide medicines and vaccines free of cost. The necessity of this comes from the poor and under privileged communities in which they work.
• Academic Education Program: As per the request of slum dwellers, English is used as the medium of instruction at kindergarten schools in urban and rural slums.
• Entrepreneurship Training: Start up and development skills are taught to Self-Help Group members so that they may sustain their businesses. The organisation also provides consultations for those women who may be facing problems in running their own businesses. Vocational training is given to potential clients for starting or expanding small businesses. CDS offers career and vocational guidance to high school and college students and organises Leadership Training Camps for them.
• Investments in Microfinance: CDS arranges loans for women in Self-Help Groups. Most members repay their loans and run small businesses profitably. CDS encourages these members to put money aside in savings at higher interest rates to keep micro finance activities operational. Through its micro sized loans CDS has touched and transformed the lives of about 1,81,000 individuals across several districts of Maharashtra since 1985.
• Agriculture Experiment Program: CDS conducts social awareness programs in villages, targeting small land owners in Nagpur and Amravati district. CDS provides guidance, consultation and small loans to buy fertilisers, seeds, cows, goats and buffaloes to enable them to do a side business. Some generous donors give grants to buy tractors and farm equipment.