Outreach Association of Volunteers for Rural Development

Outreach Association of Volunteers for Rural Development (OUTREACH) was established to work with vulnerable rural communities of degraded and drought-prone regions to enable them to organize themselves into viable institutions. The aim is to empower these communities to place legitimate demands on the system to address developmental needs for sustainable livelihoods.

Major Interventions:

The integrated farming system is a sustainable agriculture system which focuses on intensification of farm productivity by increasing diversification, resource integration and creating market linkages. Farmer Field Schools (FFS) groups are provided with trainings and necessary equipment to promote climate smart villages. Activities involving Social Forestry and Environment, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Food security along with the Capacity building of NGOs, Panchayats, and Government Officials are carried out by the NGO.

It aims at poverty alleviation of the rural population. Training is imparted to the community and they are organized into Committees to take up activities like stabilisation of drainage line, soil conservation, and horticulture crop & fodder production in the watershed areas. It works to increase the water holding capacity of the tanks & pond areas, groundwater recharge from farm ponds, and using this water for irrigation during critical times.

Joint Forest Planning and Management programme aims at participation of local communities in enhancing the forest cover thereby motivating people towards forest conservation, protection, and development, by organizing communities into Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

The objective also includes improvement of livelihood, and income & food security for the small holder communities, especially in the context of climate change adaptation. SHGs are encouraged to take up income generating activities like basket making, bee keeping, manufacturing areca plates, sheep rearing, etc. OUTREACH has been facilitating the SHGs’ access to economic resources through credit linkage with banks and wherever the support is not adequate, extended its micro credit funds supported by Donors in the form of revolving funds. It also supports women by training them in different skills and provide better livelihood options, healthcare facilities, linkages of women SHGs with banks, etc.