20 years of altruism in action
November 26 2020
20 years of altruism in action. 270,000 people helped each year. Ten of thousands of supporters. Karuna is a family of people united and committed for 20 years to build a more altruistic world...
Karuna-Shechen began its work in Bihar, one of India’s most destitute states, in the late 1990s by sending a mobile clinic to distribute medical help to poor villages. This small-scale humanitarian project has evolved into a successful movement for rural development.
We have a creative approach to helping vulnerable communities become sustainable and self-reliant. In addition to our health and education programs for adults and children, a crucial part of our work entails providing villagers with the tools and knowledge they need to make sustainable use of local resources and to contribute concretely to their community’s well-being.
Each of our activities is interconnected, and together they create an eco-system of interventions in which they build on each other’s success to empower rural communities. For example, our distribution of seeds and plants to villagers so that they can grow organic kitchen gardens gives them access to nutritious food, which leads to better health. Our water-harvesting teaches water management and proper use of precious resources to communities in drought-prone areas.
In each village, local committees are set up and a motivator is chosen to act as an essential link between the people and us. By working with villagers in this way, we seek to affirm their dignity and self-determination.
Our Small Money, BIG CHANGE program allows communities to plan and implement small-scale projects that directly address their specific needs with a minimum of start-up funding. This directly benefits villagers’ daily lives while also teaching them about transparency and the responsibilities of ownership. Equally, it helps us identify the hidden talents and natural ingenuity of the people we serve.
We will continue to engage villagers in projects that build their resilience and self-sufficiency. With this strategy, we strive to create a better and more sustainable world, one village at a time.
Shamsul Akhtar
November 26 2020
20 years of altruism in action. 270,000 people helped each year. Ten of thousands of supporters. Karuna is a family of people united and committed for 20 years to build a more altruistic world...
November 20 2020
“One of the essential components of happiness can be summed up in three words: altruism, love and compassion. How can we find happiness for ourselves when those around us are constantly suffering? M...
November 13 2020
Back in pictures on Action for Karuna and its week of solidarity held from November 2 to 8. 65 teams and project leaders mobilized to bring altruism to life and raise funds, supported by more than 1 ...
November 9 2020
Jharkhand, the "Land of Forests", is a state in North-East India, born from a separation with the neighboring state of Bihar in 2000. Though rich in nature and landscapes, this region is afflicted by ...
October 28 2020
“Karuna-Shechen breaks taboos on what rural women can and cannot do, thus changing attitudes. As Dalai Lama often points out, we more than ever need empathy, altruism and compassion: that is why it ...