Setu Centre for Social Knowledge and Action

Setu: Centre for Social Knowledge and Action is a non-profit organization based in Ahmedabad and registered as a trust and a society in Gujarat. Setu Read more, which means bridge in several Indian languages, aims to act as a link between social knowledge and social action. Since its inception in 1982, Setu’s activities have been focused on deprived, oppressed and marginalized communities like Adivasis, Dalits, women, and the rural and urban poor of western India. Setu’s efforts are centered on issues of equity and justice, the primacy of local knowledge traditions, and community control over natural resources. At the grassroots level, Setu’s activities have been focused on direct action – mobilization and organization of local communities and establishing organizations of marginalized sections of society as well as supporting them to develop local leadership. During the last thirty-nine years, Setu has helped to establish organizations of Dalits, Adivasi women, pastoralists, and fish workers in different parts of Gujarat. While Gujarat is considered one of India’s most affluent states, these communities are yet to benefit from the state’s prosperity. In the area of generation of social knowledge, Setu conducted action research for the United Nations University, Tokyo in the 1980s. For the UNICEF, research and publication were carried out in the 1990s around the issues of the girl child and unnatural death of women in Gujarat. During the last decade, research was carried out for the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi on the gender context of girls studying in municipal primary schools in Ahmedabad. Setu has published over 50 books and training materials in Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, and English. Members of Setu have also authored books published by leading publishers and have contributed to scholarly journals and are frequently consulted by national and international media on a variety of issues. Since Setu was established, academicians and research scholars from universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, India, Japan, and Korea have benefited from Setu’s resource center, field offices in rural Gujarat, and its networks in the rest of India. In this way, Setu has provided a space for meaningful dialogue and exchange among academic researchers and media persons working in and around Gujarat. SETU carried out the following activities. Health, Education, Livelihood, and awareness activities. Education for All Community leadership Rural Development Rescue, Relief and Rehabilitation during natural calamities and pandemic situation Target Groups: Vulnerable communities Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Caste, Other Backward castes, Women, and children