Chaitanya Educational and Rural Development Society
Empowers rural communities through participatory problem-solving and sustainable development initiatives
- Gold Certified 2023
- FCRA
- 80G
- 12A
- CSR-1
About
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Headquarters
Chilakaluripet, Andhra Pradesh
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Since
1996
To create sustainable and self-reliant rural communities is the mission of the NGO, Chaitanya Educational and Rural Development Society (CERDS). CERDS Read more was created to work exclusively in the dry-land and coastal regions of Prakasam and Guntur Districts of Andhra Pradesh, to help poor communities overcome the effects of poverty and create a new future for themselves. They aim to help the poor overcome their socio-economic problems by involving them in the problem and inculcating attitudes of change. PCDP is a participatory, non-violent process of problem-solving, consciousness-raising and empowering the poor. CERDS used this approach to mobilize people to act and solve their problems. Skill Development for Women, livelihood support to disadvantaged women, nutrition support to HIV/AIDS infected people, sanitation support for disabled people and drinking water facilities for disadvantaged are a few programs undertaken by CERDS. About 12,000 families and 55,000 population belonging to tribal and other vulnerable communities in the sea-coastal villages of Prakasam and Guntur Districts have been ensured safe drinking water facilities. CERDS have been honored with numerous awards for their selfless service in uplifting the rural communities and helping them to make themselves self-sustained.
Issue
Disadvantaged social groups such as scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, fishermen and weavers emerged as the main target population for CERDS. In all these target groups the poorest of the poor, such as the artisans, agricultural laborers, small and marginal farmers, migratory workers and bonded laborers became a natural option for CERDS’s program intervention. The designing of programs has been with focus on the most vulnerable category of society i.e. women, children, disabled, old age and tribal. Women: We “progressive” women may not like it, but the realities in rural areas are harsh and rigid. Girls aren’t encouraged to pursue jobs and dreams beyond their village, because understandably, their safety is an issue. For parents to confidently send their daughters even to the nearest town for anything – better education, jobs – is a big deal. The rural hinterlands, picturesque as they are from a road trip in a car, are not accessible by bus or other public transport. Even if they are, there is never an assurance that the roads are safe for young women. Many of these girls are content in their little worlds, not really caring for an education. Noting that poor, uneducated women are usually left financially helpless after the death of their respective husbands, CERDS helps them earn money by donating milch animals to widows in the villages nearby. Water and sanitation: Though the target communities were formed many years ago, there were no civic amenities existed properly resulting in people have been suffering lot with lack of water and sanitary facilities. They used to go far away places and spend most of their time and energy for fetching every pot of water. The water, which they used to collect from open wells, was unsafe to use and causing to people affect from skin and other water born diseases. As the habitation is located in sandy soil, they do not have surface water storage structures, and so, people needs bore wells, which are cost effective and easy to install and safe to use, for their needs. Develop targets for water and sanitation will never be equitably met unless disabled people's needs are included. The lack of running water puts many Indian villages at a point in development that the rest of the country has passed by decades ago. Another biggest problem for disabled and old age people are obstacles in the environment, not their own impairment. Water and sanitation providers have a key role in reducing physical and infrastructural barriers in the environment. Disabled people often need only minor changes to be made to enable them to be included in ordinary water and sanitation service provision. Specialist skills and knowledge are therefore not required. CERDS helps disabled people construct toilets for themselves right in their own homes HIV/AIDS: HIV does not only affect individuals, but the whole family. The financial burden of HIV can be enormous on a family, especially if several family members are sick. Many HIV patients also report losing their livelihood after being diagnosed with HIV. The combination of decreasing income and increasing health care costs may prevent the family living with HIV from getting their basic needs met. The epidemic disrupts livelihoods, affecting productive activities and increasing the household dependency ratio (due to disease and orphans), and resulting in increased food insecurity and malnutrition. Tribal fishermen: Most of the target tribal families live in Sea-Coastal areas depend up on fishing, collecting firewood, rickshaw pulling, scavenge and domestic services. Fishermen life is miserable and they are leading a life with hardship with their meager income. Sometimes, their economical conditions force them to live with hunger. Fishing is their traditional occupation and though the younger generation was given facilities for education, their performance was very poor and there were many dropouts from the school. Most of them still continue fishing. Fishing in the lake, small ponds and canals is done mostly “Vatty and hook and line practices, which are traditional and need much time and energy to catch fish. Sometimes, they wouldn’t get enough fish even to meet their daily expenses and thus, the conditions force them to live with hunger.
Action
Over the years, CERDS has become increasingly sensitive to the vulnerable target groups, particularly socially disadvantaged sections. The organisation has been making strong efforts to study these groups, in hopes of enabling them to improve their state of poverty. CERDS has been responding, in a scientific manner, to the requests emerging from the new communities and continues to intervene and address the problems at hand. The organization has been making strong efforts to study the target groups, in hopes of enabling them to improve their state of poverty. CERDS has been responding, in a scientific manner, to the requests emerging from the new communities and continues to intervene and address the problems at hand. Since its inception 1996, CERDS has been assisting the underprivileged through various programs like nutrition for HIV/AIDS infected, basic food provision for disabled and elderly, livelihood for fisherfolk families and disadvantaged women, drinking water facility for tribal fisherfolk families in the coastal area, support for skill training and promotion of livelihood units for disadvantaged women etc., We can categorize them into three main services as follows: 1) Humanitarian services. 2) Community Development and 3) Economical Humanitarian Services: Nutrition support to HIV /AIDs infected people Assistance of dry food provisions to disabled and old age people Community Services: Establishment of Drinking water facilities Sanitary toilets in needy communities Organize of Medical and health camps Relief services during emergency (floods, cyclones, fire victims, drought etc.,). Economical Services: Assistance to obtain skill training and promote skill based livelihood units for women Assistance to fishing nets for fishermen families to get sustainable livelihoods Assistance to promote livestock units for rural women
Demographies Served
Cause Area
Impact
Although its programs /services are spread far and wide in the society, CERDS strongly believes that there is no limit to lend our hands to socially disadvantaged individuals/families/communities. CERDS can confidently say that the following activities/services have had a great impact on its target communities. Drinking Water: Since 2008, about 642 bore wells have been installed by CERDS. About 13,000 families and 58,000 populations have been ensured water for their drinking and household consumption. The surrounding hamlet families, especially the women and children, are very happy to have one of the basic civic amenities in an accessible place for all disadvantaged families in their hamlets. This is a cost-effective solution to what had previously been a challenging daily obstacle – sourcing clean drinkable water which is a basic human need. Nutrition support to HIV/Aids people: The program is helping them to improve their immune system and to lead life confidently. Also it is helping to them to improve working capacities and life span. The number of beneficiaries under this scheme is 250. A bag of nutrition provisions containing Raagi Powder, Wheat Ravva, Red gram, Milk Powder and Eggs are provided to HIV-affected people every month. We can note, sadly, how much they look forward to their monthly groceries from our organization. And also sensitize the people infected HIV/Aids to get proper health and medical support from concern linked ART Centers timely. Sanitary toilets for vulnerable people: So far, 189 toilets have been installed for disabled people across several villages. This project changes lives in a significant way. The benefited all families are very happy for having worthy civic amenity, a right solution to one of their daily nuisances, at their house premises. This facility is addressing not only a solution for disabled natural calls and also protecting dignity and honor of disabled people and their family members. There have also been environmental benefits. Fishing nets tribal fishermen families: CERDS is providing fishing nets, which helps them to catch many fish in all seasons in all types of water bodies. These nets help them to improve their economic status and to get better yields by their traditional occupation of fish catching. There are several types of fishing nets available in the market for catching various sea-fishes. The program has been helping several ways to the poor fishermen families. Since having proper fishing nets, these families can able to have better yielding in their profession and can lead life sustain and self-reliant. Thus, the small net helped them to improve their livelihood conditions and brought lot of changes in her family economical conditions and their attitudes. So far 267 tribal fishermen families had been provided fishing nets by CERDS. Skill Training to women: The number of trainees covered in this project till date are 246. Sewing machines are donated too. What this achieves is self-reliance for all those involved, without them having to step out of their habitations. The program has been helping them to acquire training in proper skills and making women / adolescents from dependent level to independent income earners. Milch animals to women: 410 widows have been supported in this activity. These are people from extremely poor communities, and own only a bare minimum of necessities. The benefited women turned from underprivileged conditions to have stable income for leading life with their own sources.
Vision & Mission
Vision: Sustainable and self-reliant village communities
Mission: Helps the needy to overcome their obstacles by creating awareness among people towards integral development and living together for their development.
Donor History
Give Foundation,
Rotary Clubs & Individuals of New Zealand,
I Do Good Charity Group Inc., USA,
Shamdasani Foundation
Jiv Daya Foundation
Programs
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Ensuring Drinking Water to All
Water scarcity has left many of the sea-coastal villages underdeveloped. Due to the unavailability of water sources in the vicinity, most families would have to spend their time and effort having water for their daily needs. This impact on their wages and children's education. Keeping in view of the conditions, CERDS is installing bore wells at low cost in such sea-coastal villages by using simple technology and locally available material at their vicinity.
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Humanitarian Service - Nutrition Support to Disadvantaged People
HIV does not only affect individuals, but the whole family. The financial burden of HIV can be enormous on a family, especially if several family members are sick. Many HIV patients also report losing their livelihood after being diagnosed with HIV. The combination of decreasing income and increasing health care costs may prevent the family living with HIV from getting their basic needs met. The epidemic disrupts livelihoods, affecting productive activities and increasing the household dependency ratio (due to disease and orphans), and resulting in increased food insecurity and malnutrition. Keeping in view of the vulnerability of these people, CERDS provides a bag of nutrition provisions containing Raagi Powder, Wheat Ravva, Red gram, Milk Powder and Eggs to HIV-affected people every month. And also sensitise the people infected HIV/Aids to get proper health and medical support from concern linked ART Centres timely. Due to this, life span and working capacities these people would be increased.
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Sustainable Livelihoods of Fishermen Families
Most of the tribal families live in Sea-Coastal areas depend up on fishing, collecting firewood, rickshaw pulling, scavenge and domestic services. Fishermen life is miserable and they are leading a life with hardship with their meager income. Sometimes, their economical conditions force them to live with hunger. Fishing is their traditional occupation and though the younger generation was given facilities for education, their performance was very poor and there were many dropouts from the school. Most of them still continue fishing. Fishing in the lake, small ponds and canals is done mostly “Vatty and hook and line practices, which are traditional and need much time and energy to catch fish. Sometimes, they wouldn’t get enough fish even to meet their daily expenses and thus, the conditions force them to live with hunger. CERDS provides fishing nets, which helps them to catch many fish in all seasons in all types of water bodies. These nets help them to improve their economic status and to get better yields by their traditional occupation of fish catching. There are several types of fishing nets available in the market for catching various sea-fishes.
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Livelihood Promotion of Disadvantaged Women
Promote rural based and low risk profile livelihood units for improving the economical status of disadvantaged women. Noting that poor, uneducated women are usually left financially helpless in the society. CERDS helps them earn money by donating milch animals to widows in the villages nearby. One animal, usually a buffalo, is donated to each beneficiary. Eventually, the animal gives birth to a calf. It immensely helps its owner to have at least two milch animals. After 3 years, in the season that one of them doesn’t produce milk, the other one will helps to earn by selling milk products. Hence, target women can have always stable livelihood by her milch animals
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Skill Training to Women in Tailoring Trade
We may like “progressive” women, but the realities in rural areas are harsh and rigid. Girls aren’t encouraged to pursue jobs and dreams beyond their village, because understandably, their safety is an issue. For parents to confidently send their daughters even to the nearest town for anything – better education, jobs – is a big deal. The rural hinterlands, picturesque as they are from a road trip in a car, are not accessible by bus or other public transport. Even if they are, there is never an assurance that the roads are safe for young women. Many of these girls are content in their little worlds, not really caring for an education. CERDS tries to work within these constraints, and helps women build skills and earn money right within the limits of their villages. The Society does this by training teenage girls and young women in tailoring at local master tailors for a period of three months.
Impact Metrics
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No. of Nutrition Kits Distributed
Program Name
Nutrition support to HIV/Aids infected people
Year-wise Metrics- 2019-20 720
- 2020-21 530
- 2021-22 445
- 2022-23 334
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No of Families Get Accessibility of Drinking Water
Program Name
Drinking Water
Year-wise Metrics- 2019-20 980
- 2020-21 330
- 2021-22 540
- 2022-23 180
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Total Population Get Accessibility of Drinking Water
Program Name
Drinking Water
Year-wise Metrics- 2019-20 4200
- 2020-21 1400
- 2021-22 2250
- 2022-23 750
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No. of Women Initiated Dairy Animal Units as Part of Sustainable Livelihood Promotion
Program Name
Women - Livelihoods
Year-wise Metrics- 2019-20 14
- 2020-21 35
- 2021-22 17
- 2022-23 0
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How Many Women Have Been Trained and Sewing Machine Units Have Been Set Up
Program Name
Skill Training
Year-wise Metrics- 2019-20 15
- 2020-21 8
- 2021-22 1
- 2022-23 0
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No. of People Living With Hiv/Aids Supported
Program Name
Nutrition support to HIV/Aids infected women and children
Year-wise Metrics- 2019-20 70
- 2020-21 45
- 2021-22 38
- 2022-23 50
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No. of Tribal Fisher Families Having Stable Livelihoods by Acquiring Fishing Nets
Program Name
Promoting livelihoods of Tribal fishermen families
Year-wise Metrics- 2019-20 13
- 2020-21 19
- 2021-22 14
- 2022-23 13
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How Many Toilets Were Constructed for Disabled / Elderly People
Program Name
Sanitation
Year-wise Metrics- 2020-21 5
- 2021-22 12
- 2022-23 2
Theory of Change
Sustainable and self-reliant communities
Milestones & Track Record
Chaitanya Educational and Rural Development Society (CERDS) works with poor communities to help them to identify and resolve their own problems. CERDS approach assists whole communities develop the capacity to overcome the affects of poverty and create a new future. To attain this task, right from the inception, organisation is working in a different way following a unique approach i.e., promoting and working with community organisations according to the identified felt-needs of the communities. CERDS believe that promotion of sustainable and self-reliant communities is possible, when the poor themselves are the initiators in resolving the problems of poverty. CERDS use a development process that intimately involves the poor themselves in their own development. CERDS call it the Participatory Community Development Process (PCDP).
It has been an uphill battle for CERDS, confronting and surmounting the social, economic and political realities within which the NGO sector is operating. However, given these limitations, CERDS has been attempting to explore various possibilities, in becoming more relevant to the needs of the disadvantaged poor in its target communities.
Disadvantaged social groups such as scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, fishermen and weavers emerged as the main target population for CERDS. In all these target groups the poorest of the poor, such as the artisans, agricultural laborers, small and marginal farmers, migratory workers and bonded laborers became a natural option for CERDS’s programme intervention. The designing of programmes has been with focus on the most vulnerable category of society i.e. women, children, disabled and farmers. At operational level, more vulnerable group-based movements also emerged, including a village leadership movement; women’s movement, a child care movement, support to disabled movement, creating employment opportunities to adolescents by skill training, save water and safe water and sustainable farming movements. The pace and intensity of these movements has varied, due to the fact that they have emerged at different points in time, in relation to micro interventions. Over the years, CERDS has become increasingly sensitive to the vulnerable target groups, particularly socially disadvantaged sections. The organisation has been making strong efforts to study these groups, in hopes of enabling them to improve their state of poverty. CERDS has been responding, in a scientific manner, to the requests emerging from the new communities and continues to intervene and address the problems at hand.
Donor Testimonial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phk19QBB3y0
http://rotarystories-nzandpacific.blogspot.com/2012/06/district-9940-rotary-clubs-provide.html
Leadership Team
Demographics & Structure
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No. of Employees
0-5
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Strength of Governing Body
7
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Diversity Metrics
25% women
M&E
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Internal, External Assessors
No
Policies
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Ethics and Transparency Policies
No
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Formal CEO Oversight & Compensation Policy
Yes
Political & Religious Declarations
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On Affiliation if any
No
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On Deployment Bias if any
No
Organisation Structure
Yes
Awards & Recognitions
Bharat Vikas Ratan Award, Glory of India Award with Gold Medal, Mother Teresa Excellence Award, Honorary Doctorate & Lifetime Achievement Award, Indira Gandhi Excellence Award, NGO Excellence Award, Rashtra Vibhushan Award, The Best Citizen of India, Swami Vivekanda and Sister Margaret Award, Book of Records-2016 Award & Meritorious Service Award with Gold Medal, Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam Award with Gold Medal
Registration Details
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PAN Card
AAAAC5162C
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Registration ID
499/1996
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VO ID / Darpan ID
AP/2009/0016640
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12A
AAAAC5162CE20211
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80G
AAAAC5162CF20214
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FCRA
010190438
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CSR Registration Number
CSR00000554
Location
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Headquarters
H.No: 5-469/2, Near Geetha Residency, Behind Rekha Nursing Home, NRT Centre, Chilakaluripet, 522616
Directions
Other Details
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Parent Organisation
NA
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Sister Organisation
NA
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Type & Sub Type
Non-profit
Society
Website
Financial Details
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2019-20
IncomeRs.1,520,678ExpensesRs.1,378,815Admin ExpensesRs.317,127Program ExpensesRs.1,061,688Tip: Click on any value above to exclude it. -
2020-21
IncomeRs.2,275,605ExpensesRs.1,990,533Admin ExpensesRs.258,769Program ExpensesRs.1,731,764Tip: Click on any value above to exclude it. -
2021-22
IncomeRs.1,861,783ExpensesRs.1,823,856Admin ExpensesRs.237,101Program ExpensesRs.1,586,755Tip: Click on any value above to exclude it. -
2022-23
IncomeRs.656,870ExpensesRs.600,267Admin ExpensesRs.161,469Program ExpensesRs.438,798Tip: Click on any value above to exclude it.