The Institute for Development, Education & Action (IDEA) is a secular, non-government development organisation launched co-operatively by the representatives of community organisers and leaders of people’s organisations in 1986, in an aim to steer the region’s evolution towards new prosperity. In this effort, IDEA also aims to establish partnerships with community groups to affect uplift in the overall socio-economic condition of the rural and urban poor. The organisation operates in the rural and urban areas of East Midnapore, Howrah and Kolkata districts of West Bengal and Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kanyakumari district. of Tamil Nadu in India. The IDEA was registered on 25th Aug. 1987 at Calcutta under the W.B. Societies Registration Act of 1961 with Registration No.: S/56113 of 1987-88. IDEA is also registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which allows the organisation to receive foreign funding. The FCRA No: 147000167 dated 4th Aug. 2003.
IDEA believes in the intrinsic dignity of the human soul and strives to ensure that each person, no matter how poor, lives a life of simple dignity and self-dependence. Thus, every activity of the organisation is inevitably linked to the mitigation of human suffering and pain. The projects implemented by IDEA are designed to be platforms on which a variety of sustainable development initiatives can be founded. Through the programmes IDEA attempts to work in a spirit of enabling the communities to build upon their skills, initiative, resources and entitlements rather than delivering services or solutions to them. The organisation seeks an identity of enablers rather than givers. The basic elements of its approach to grassroots work includes developing peoples’ stakes, identifying, reorienting and maturing functional leaders in the community, fostering and strengthening community level organisations, helping the community to learn effective dealing with government and other resource institutions and simplifying and demystifying technology. In the spirit of being catalytic and incremental, IDEA collaborates widely with other actors in development.
A new confidence has begun to take root ever since field operations commenced way back in 1985. People who have been accustomed to promises from every quarter with little results are now seeing ways to make real differences in their own lives through their own efforts. Nearly 20,000 families, both rural and urban, in the Howrah and Kolkata districts, urban poor communities in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai have found a new ray of hope in their march towards the future through undying zest of IDEA staffs and associates. Over the years there has been substantial progress particularly in the spheres of community health, education, rural sanitation, housing, community development through vocational training, community organising, networking, micro-credit programme, awareness generation though different socio-economic and cultural aspects, etc.
The GoI has declared Shyampur Block II as fully sanitised through the Total Sanitation Campaign implemented by IDEA covering 36,000 families approximately with the support from UNICEF.
The Community Organising Programme dates back to the late 1970s, which was implemented by CISRS all over the country. Almost 30 years ago, two CBOs viz. PROUD and POWER were formed in Dharavi and Wadala, Mumbai and to fight against the local problems particularly eviction. Since 2002, IDEA is supporting this initiative in the target areas mentioned. However, in recent years, the character of the issues has changed and there is a need for new imagination and creativity in order to strategise the issues into action. Towards this end, the organization has been emphasizing on environmental and scientific awareness generation, on the one hand, and cultural activism in promoting community bondage and harmony, on the other.
IDEA is also implementing the Slum Rehabilitation Programme in New Delhi for the evicted families since 2007.
IDEA assists the Tsunami affected families in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu and provides housing to Dalit homeless, boat and fishing net to fishermen through self help groups of fisherman.
IDEA is actively involved in Slum Rehabilitation Programme (on site Development) in Dharavi, Mumbai (60,000 residential, 20,000 commercial units) through its Partner Organization PROUD.
We believe that we have been able to present a brief idea of our organization. Should you have further queries, please feel free to ask so.
We, at IDEA, sincerely look forward to your support and cooperation through this potential partnership and community solidarity through social, economic and cultural partnerships.
Bandita Mallick
Director cum Secretary
Flat - 703B Block – A
Shree Appartment
138 G.T.Road (South)
Howrah - 711102
West Bengal, INDIA
E-mail – rabial.idea@gmail.com
Web site : www.indianidea.org
