See our recommended NGOs

MANUVIKASA was started in 2003 by Mr. Harishchandra Bhat. It operates in the Haveri and Uttara Kannada districts of Karnataka. The organization was established to address issues related to natural resource conservation, education for poor children, livelihood development, and human/child rights and women empowerment. To improve economic conditions of the farmer community, the organization introduced safe means of water harvesting that enabled farmers to increase their agricultural production.

Some of their 2014-15 activities were:

• Building small tanks/springs: MANUVIKASA is helping build small tanks and springs in the Sirsi, Siddapur, Mundgod and Yallapur areas of North Kannada district, Karnataka, in association with the Deshpande Foundation, Hubli. Till date, they have helped develop around 930 tanks of which 430 were built in FY15. This has enabled the NGO to provide irrigation to over 2,000 farmers covering 2,500 acres of land.
• Implementing System of Rice Intensification (SRI): SRI is a paddy cultivation system which requires 10x less water than by using traditional methods. Training and field development were conducted in 13 villages of the working area and covered 419 farmers. An estimated 35% yield increased after adoption of SRI method.
• Women Empowerment: MANUVIKASA has helped form Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in rural areas and small cities to help empower women. So far they have helped form 400 SHGs which in turn have saved funds in monthly installments and then used this capital for lending. MANUVIKASA has also helped 340 SHGs raise bank loans. It has collaborated with MicroGraam Social Development Foundation (a peer-to-peer lending platform) to support income generation activities of poor women through micro loans.
• Educational Support: The organization provides vital necessities like medicines, clothes and stationery to children. In FY15, 163 school children were sponsored and 255 students were awarded scholarships for higher education.
• Conservation of environment: MANUVIKASA is implementing a project in collaboration with UNDP and CEE to improve the economic conditions of Betta land in north Kanara district. Betta lands are minor forest areas with rare endangered species of plant life and animals. The organization has developed over 10,000 nursery saplings of globally threatened and endangered species.