Compassionate Rural Association for Social Action (CRASA) focuses on holistic development of weaker and underprivileged sections of Society. CRASA is committed to serve the needy in areas such as women, child and youth empowerment, alternative means of livelihood and health and sanitation.
Activities of CRASA include:
Women Empowerment: CRASA works for women empowerment through its literacy programme, self-help group promotions and micro enterprise development programme. Currently, CRASA runs literacy centres in two villages with 60 women and has helped form 500 SHGs to encourage savings and facilitate easy finance from banks and government. CRASA trained about 120 women in micro enterprise programmes such as fish processing, pickle and dress making.
Child Development: With the support of CRY, CRASA initiates child rights programmes in various villages. Through this programme, CRASA aims to reduce child labour and support children by providing school supplies. It also tries to integrate these children in mainstream schools. CRASA supports orphan, semi orphan and children affected with HIV/AIDS by providing them with fees, books and uniforms for professional courses.
Youth Development: Vocational training courses such as tailoring and embroidery are imparted to the youth to help them learn and earn their living. Computer training is also imparted to make them computer literate.
Support to differently abled and elderly: Training sessions on self-employment and self-managed enterprises are conducted by CRASA for the benefit of the differently abled. They work as an intermediary in making available finance for self-employment initiatives from government, banks and other philanthropic institutions. CRASA identifies poor, needy and destitute elderly women and helps them with their basic needs.
Health, sanitation and environment: CRASA frequently organises medical camps and also conducts programmes to build awareness about environment protection.