Thrust Areas

• Woman and child development
• Livelihood
• Natural resource management
• Water sanitation and hygiene
• Panchayati raj
• Networking and advocacy

These thrust areas have been chosen after years of interaction with the community in the area. This interaction has led to a deep understanding of the area’s problems.

It is rather too simplistic to say that poverty is the root cause of the problems of Bundelkhand, for poverty itself is a result of the combination of a complex web of the problems that plague this area. These problems arise due to peculiar geo-climatic situation of the area. The land is full of rocks and stones, with soil depth varying vastly. The area suffers perennial shortage of water as rain water runs off quickly and recurrent droughts and floods are common. Because of perennial water shortage and low quality of soil, agricultural production is low and most of the farming families are not able to raise grains that can last a full year. Feudal nature of the society completes the full circle.

Bundelkhand suffers from very skewed distribution of resources. It is stated that 80 per cent of the area’s resources are in the hands of 20 per cent of people, while the rest of the people manage their lives on 20 per cent resources. As a result there is rampant poverty in the area.

Poverty leads to low status of women. And poverty also leads to lack of interest among the masses regarding education. Lack of education, in turn, leads to lack of awareness. And this brings out the mess the community in Bundelkhand is in at present.