Collective Efforts For Voluntary Action

CEVA's development efforts have transformed the remote tribal regions of Chamba, Lahaul Spiti, and Kinnaur, particularly focusing on women's empowerment. It provides employment, and social security, and promotes awareness of rights and laws. CEVA also combats corruption, and environmental exploitation, and advocates for biodiversity conservation. It has empowered women in handloom and handicraft work, provided market access, and formed Self-Help Groups to uplift the community and reduce poverty.

CEVA has played a transformative role in the tribal regions of Chamba, Lahaul Spiti, and Kinnaur by uplifting the social and economic lives of the indigenous people, with a special focus on women. Its efforts encompass providing employment opportunities, social security, and raising awareness about legal rights and Government programmes. CEVA also actively safeguards against corruption, exploitation, and environmental harm, vigilantly protecting traditional, constitutional, and human rights, while working on biodiversity conservation and combating the trafficking of endangered wildlife species like Snow leopards and Musk Deer.

CEVA is actively working in Mehla, Pangi, Bharmour, Lahaul Spiti, and Kinnaur Districts, striving to promote organic farming among local farmers to reverse harmful farming practices. It educates farmers about the environmental and economic benefits of organic farming, including its long-term health advantages. Through Farmer Clubs and FPOs, farmers receive training in organic farming, utilizing eco-friendly methods without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. CEVA also emphasizes forest conservation and the reduction of forest dependency by engaging communities in alternative livelihoods. These efforts have led to a significant reduction in tree felling in its work areas, fostering environmental awareness and sustainable practices among villagers.

Pangi Hills is a tribal marketplace dedicated to the holistic development of indigenous communities. It focuses on utilizing natural resources, traditional tribal art, culture, and organic farming techniques to create sustainable livelihoods. Its vision is not only to empower these communities but also to promote a healthy and safe planet through an organic way of life. Pangi Hills aims to offer a fair pricing platform to local tribal artisans, farmers, and women who lack market access. It works closely with the tribal community, maintaining transparency to benefit both the community and consumers.

CEVA serves as the primary healthcare provider in the challenging tribal region of Chamba, where harsh geography and snowbound conditions limit access to healthcare services. CEVA has taken the initiative to conduct health camps, offering accessible and high-quality healthcare services to tribal communities right at their doorsteps. In the most recent efforts, health camps were conducted in June across various villages in the Pangi block. Notably, CEVA expanded its reach into the remote Gandhari valley in Jammu and Kashmir. This valley, with its lack of basic amenities, electricity, roads, and healthcare facilities, presents considerable challenges for healthcare provision. The camps included medical consultations, the distribution of free medicines, and educational awareness programmes focusing on personal health, hygiene, cleanliness, routine habits, and lifestyle diseases, which have proven beneficial for these underserved tribal populations.

CEVA has initiated a financial literacy programme in remote tribal areas, resulting in approximately 6,000 tribal individuals opening bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna. The programme aims to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of financial literacy, equipping them with the skills to make independent financial decisions. Participants learn to distinguish between "needs" and "wants," manage debt, comprehend loan mechanics and EMI components, and utilise banking facilities such as ATMs and chequebooks. This financial literacy empowers them to make informed decisions, take responsibility for their finances, and expand their economic opportunities. CEVA employs various educational tools like street plays, local dialect dramas, flipcharts, and colourful financial diaries to impart financial knowledge.

CEVA has established 30 Farmer Clubs in Mehla, Pangi, Bharmour, Lahaul Spiti, and Kinnaur, where traditional agriculture is a major livelihood. These clubs aim to increase crop productivity through small but essential interventions, including the introduction of new crops and technologies. CEVA promotes low-cost, eco-friendly farming methods and provides financial support to boost farmers' economic development. By forming these clubs, individual farmers are empowered, benefiting from skill enhancement, improved water management, and soil fertility maintenance. The primary goal is to promote development in tribal areas through credit, technology transfer, awareness, and capacity building, with a strong emphasis on organic farming methods to ensure nutrient-rich products, soil health, and long-term health benefits for consumers. CEVA's overarching mission is to make agriculture more sustainable, efficient, and equitable.