Gravis

GRAVIS’ strategic focus has been on restoration of dwindling natural resources and on the promotion of marginalized groups. It believes in blending the traditional wisdom with new techniques to create long-term, sustainable and cost effective means for improving the lives of rural inhabitants. In order to achieve its overall goal of creating self reliant village communities, it strives to involve the local communities in its programmes and interventions, train and build their capacities further and develop community ownership. Keeping above in view, GRAVIS continuously promotes people’s organizations. It values and respects the wisdom and experience of local village communities in all their diversity and affirms their power to unite and build people’s movements for change following Gandhian ethics.   

GRAVIS’ actions focus on poor, backward and marginalized section of Thar Desert communities with particular emphasis on women, children and elderly. GRAVIS has a deep concern for the development of children, women empowerment and gender justice. Accordingly, the participation of women has been ensured in all the programmes and activities. Major programmatic areas for GRAVIS include promoting education, improving health status, water security, agriculture and forestry and training, capacity building and human rights.  GRAVIS focuses on social development issues such as adolescent health, hygiene, child health, nutrition, girl child education, water and sanitation. It also focuses on entitlements of mineworkers which contribute a large chunk of labour population of the Thar Desert. It intervenes with awareness and educational activities for mineworkers and their families, health and safety measure and provision of legal aid for their entitlements.  The organization has deep faith in developing appropriate partnerships with groups, organizations, government agencies and individuals working on similar ideologies.

GRAVIS inculcates the idea of Gram Swarajya as a practical philosophy for integrated development. In all its activities, participation and commitment of people is ensured. The interventions made by GRAVIS have been need based and community driven. GRAVIS takes a holistic approach to rural reconstruction and pursues the roles of facilitator and catalyst for rural reconstruction and social development.