At DBDS, our understanding of the problems faced by communities is one that focuses on their strengths and the context in which they live. By bringing community members together to examine their world and their position in it, DBDS helps them understand what their rights are, realise the ways in which they are exploited, discover their individual and collective strengths and act together to claim their rights.

In most cases, the Self Help Groups have been our starting point for organising the community. Although these groups were initially formed for savings and economic transactions, they are now changing direction and taking up issues such as people’s participation in governance and access to resources through laws like the NREGA. The Self Help Groups in our work areas in Gujarat have taken the lead in helping their community members secure their lands under the Forest Dwellers’ Act.

Currently, the Self Help Groups are as follows:

Rural

 Urban

At present, we are focusing on enabling communities to claim their right to employment through the correct implementation of the NREGA, and on ensuring that people have control over their local self government through effective Gram Sabhas. Our future plans include enabling the community to direct and monitor the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. However, the issues selected by the people will finally determine the direction of our community work.