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OUTREACH was established in May l992 in response to the needs of communities living in the drought prone areas of South India and also in reponse to the growing need for training in the NGO sector and within Government. The idea was to focus on small NGOs working in drought prone regions in South India, particularly those engaged in Natural Resource Management type of activities such as Wastelands development, micro watershed development, forestry & agro forestry, tank rehabilitation and so on. This was done with a view towards enhancing their capabilities and effectiveness as development organizations. An important objective of OUTREACH was also to develop more effective interfacing between NGO's and GO's, especially those working in drought prone areas.
In order to demonstrate how the quality of life of poor communities living in these areas could be enhanced, OUTREACH established 8 direct projects and at the same time linked up with a number of small NGOs who were also involved in addressing the issue of poverty in drought prone regions. The main thrust of the approach is the development of local initiatives in the form of Self Help Groups, primarily women, enabling them to restore and manage the natural resources in their habitats and stabilize their livelihood systems. Non-land based economic activities also play a major role in the OUTREACH approach. The SHGs save & manage credit and at the same time take up integrated micro watershed development activities thereby improving their primary production base. Non-land based economic activities which follow the land based ones help to deflect pressure on the natural resources in the habitat.
This approach is actively promoted by OUTREACH among the other NGOs and Government projects working in similar regions in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Partner NGOs are a part of a network consisting of five regional clusters in the Rayalseema. (Chittoor, Cuddapah & Anantapur) region of Andhra Pradesh, the Dharmapuri District in Tamil Nadu and Bidar & Bijapur Districts in Northern Karnataka. Technical and managerial backup to NGO partners, specifically in the areas of community organisation, savings & credit management, natural resources management especially watershed development, basic project administration and accounts & financial management are offered.
This has led to its establishment as aleading Non Governmental Development Organization (NGDO) in South India. Primarily the organization has been able to establish a good standing with Government Donor Organizations, NGOs & other institutions working not only in the 3 Southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka but also in other parts of India. |
