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Failure Files podcast written on a dark blue background and an illustration of a person watering a bit F in the ground-nonprofit programme
Failure Files
Assume less, prepare more | Sarita Upadhyay
Sarita Upadhyay reflects on her initial years at Medha, when the team got an opportunity to scale the organisation’s programme. However, decisions based on assumptions and an overall lack of preparedness resulted in the team losing out on almost two years of work.
2 min read

Latest

Aerial view of a road that is bustling with traffic-carbon neutral
Climate Emergency
How can Indian cities achieve net-zero emissions?
India's rapid urbanisation, limited governance capacities, and lack of climate-friendly policies hinder its path to carbon neutrality. Here's how this can change.
by Ashali Bhandari, Vinaya Padmanabhan | 6 min read
a royal bengal tiger standing on a rock - tiger conservation
Environment
Tiger conservation: Will humans ever change their stripes?
From creating more unpopulated spaces for tigers to roam freely to justifying the killing of ‘man-eating’ tigers—here are the many sides of the human-tiger conflict debate.
by Niranjana Rajalakshmi | 8 min read
Rina Sethi holds up a leaf plate in the manufacturing unit
Livelihoods
Building sustainable products and livelihoods
A day in the life of an eco-friendly tableware producer, who shares how her first formal job as a leaf-crushing machine operator helped her gain independence and support her family through a difficult time.
by Rina Sethi | 5 min read
Modified poster of Chak De India with Cheque De India written under SRK's photo_ Bollywood nonprofit humour
Humour
Bollywood movies reimagined for the development sector: Part II
Funding abhi baaki hai mere dost!
by India Development Review | 3 min read
A topshot of two hands holding a vaccine_PM-JAY
Health
How a lack of awareness is hindering PM-JAY’s reach
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana can provide relief to countless low-income Indian families facing health expenditures. However, insufficient information about the scheme is preventing people from accessing its benefits.
by Garima Agrawal, Kanishka Sharan | 4 min read

Ground Up

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Bite-sized stories from the people closest to the action.


Environment
Human vs wild: Kashmiris bear the brunt of deforestation
by Khuwaja Yousaf Jameel
Location Icon Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir
Livelihoods
photo
A click away: Social media helps a batik artisan reinvent traditional methods
by Shakil Khatri
Location Icon Kachchh district, Gujarat
Water & Sanitation
A flood of fear: Women in Assam refuse food to avoid defecation
by Geeta Lama
Location Icon Nagaon district, Assam
Livelihoods
Of war and apples: How the Ukraine crisis affects Himachal’s farmers
by Raman Kant
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A day in the life of

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Frontline workers and first responders share their insights from working at the grassroots.


Rina Sethi holds up a leaf plate in the manufacturing unit
Livelihoods
Building sustainable products and livelihoods
A day in the life of an eco-friendly tableware producer, who shares how her first formal job as a leaf-crushing machine operator helped her gain independence and support her family through a difficult time.
by Rina Sethi | 5 min read
Atiben working in a field-paralegal
Rights
“A piece of land can permanently secure a woman’s future”
A day in the life of a paralegal worker in Gujarat who builds awareness about the importance of women’s land rights and supports widows in claiming land ownership.
by Atiben Varsat | 7 min read
Nirupama working with her team-artisan
Livelihoods
An artisan from Odisha crafts her own story
A day in the life of an artisan and cluster head in Odisha, who shares how her work with fellow craftswomen has helped her find a new identity and a community that she can rely on.
by Nirupama Jana | 5 min read

Failure Files

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Social change leaders chronicle their failures and lessons learnt.

Girls in a classroom, listening to a lecture. A nonprofit learns the importance of strategy and communication when planning for scale.
Scale
Assume less, prepare more
Learning the importance of strategy and communication when planning for scale.
by Sarita Upadhyay | 7 min read
close up of a person walking on a tightrope-nonprofit sector
Leadership & Talent
When ambition exceeds ability
In an effort to do everything at once, two co-founders lose out on the project of their dreams.
by Gaurav Singh | 5 min read
Close up of burning incense sticks
Social Business
Let’s talk about burnout
Why cultivating well-being is one of the most essential skills a social entrepreneur can have.
by Mary Ellen Matsui | 5 min read

IDR Interviews

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Conversations with visionaries on their life's work, and their efforts to challenge the status quo in our country.

Illustration of Sushma Iyengar, a social activist and founder of Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS), an organisation that seeks to empower women to become capable and confident decision-making partners in their village, community, and regional development initiatives. - women's empowerment
"If we do not allow ourselves to be a medium to shift the moral compass in society today, then we may regret it in the future."
Sushma Iyengar
11 min read
An illustration of Aruna Roy, social activist, driving force behind the RTI Act and MGNREGA, and Magsaysay Award winner
"Deep down we have to understand that everybody is an equal, that everybody has a right to think, to talk, to be."
Aruna Roy
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Illustration of Aloysius Fernandez-self-help groups
"When I started working at MYRADA, I discovered that even if you teach people to fish, they can’t reach the river—since there are social barriers, caste barriers, great power imbalances."
Aloysius Fernandez
10 min read

Sectors

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Insights and analysis of specific sectors in the development arena—what works, what doesn't, and what needs to change.

See all coverage by topic:
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Livelihoods
  • Rights
  • Water & Sanitation
    • a royal bengal tiger standing on a rock - tiger conservation
    Environment
    Tiger conservation: Will humans ever change their stripes?
    From creating more unpopulated spaces for tigers to roam freely to justifying the killing of ‘man-eating’ tigers—here are the many sides of the human-tiger conflict debate.
    by Niranjana Rajalakshmi | 8 min read
    Rina Sethi holds up a leaf plate in the manufacturing unit
    Livelihoods
    Building sustainable products and livelihoods
    A day in the life of an eco-friendly tableware producer, who shares how her first formal job as a leaf-crushing machine operator helped her gain independence and support her family through a difficult time.
    by Rina Sethi | 5 min read
    A topshot of two hands holding a vaccine_PM-JAY
    Health
    How a lack of awareness is hindering PM-JAY’s reach
    The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana can provide relief to countless low-income Indian families facing health expenditures. However, insufficient information about the scheme is preventing people from accessing its benefits.
    by Garima Agrawal, Kanishka Sharan | 4 min read

    Themes

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    Approaches and ideas that cut across sectors and counter the dominant narratives around us.

    See all coverage by topic:
  • Advocacy & Government
  • Climate Emergency
  • Collaboration
  • COVID-19
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Ecosystem Development
  • Gender
  • Inequality
  • Philanthropy & CSR
  • Scale
  • Social Business
  • Social Justice
  • Urban
  • Youth
    • Failure Files podcast written on a dark blue background and an illustration of a person watering a bit F in the ground-nonprofit programme
    Failure Files
    Assume less, prepare more | Sarita Upadhyay
    Sarita Upadhyay reflects on her initial years at Medha, when the team got an opportunity to scale the organisation’s programme. However, decisions based on assumptions and an overall lack of preparedness resulted in the team losing out on almost two years of work.
    2 min read
    Aerial view of a road that is bustling with traffic-carbon neutral
    Climate Emergency
    How can Indian cities achieve net-zero emissions?
    India's rapid urbanisation, limited governance capacities, and lack of climate-friendly policies hinder its path to carbon neutrality. Here's how this can change.
    by Ashali Bhandari, Vinaya Padmanabhan | 6 min read
    Atiben working in a field-paralegal
    Rights
    “A piece of land can permanently secure a woman’s future”
    A day in the life of a paralegal worker in Gujarat who builds awareness about the importance of women’s land rights and supports widows in claiming land ownership.
    by Atiben Varsat | 7 min read

    Expertise

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    Skills and functions that are core to growing programmes and organisations.

    See all coverage by topic:
  • Board & Governance
  • Fundraising & Communications
  • Leadership & Talent
  • Monitoring & Evaluation
  • Programme
  • Technology
    • Failure Files podcast written on a dark blue background and an illustration of a person watering a bit F in the ground-nonprofit programme
    Failure Files
    Assume less, prepare more | Sarita Upadhyay
    Sarita Upadhyay reflects on her initial years at Medha, when the team got an opportunity to scale the organisation’s programme. However, decisions based on assumptions and an overall lack of preparedness resulted in the team losing out on almost two years of work.
    2 min read
    Failure Files podcast written on a dark blue background and an illustration of a person watering a bit F in the ground-nonprofit programme
    Failure Files
    When ambition exceeds ability | Gaurav Singh
    Gaurav Singh of Slam Out Loud talks about the time when he and his co-founder took on more work than they had the capacity to manage, and how this led to them losing the project of their dreams.
    2 min read
    some leaves visible through a web - fundraising
    Collaboration
    Collective fundraising for greater impact
    Fundraising among the Indian diaspora tends to be fragmented. Here are some practical lessons on overcoming these challenges from a coalition of US-based organisations working to advance development goals in India.
    by Alex Counts, Balakrishnan Venkatachalam | 6 min read

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