Recognising complexity and inter-linkages:

A girl studying at a night school

Manthan firmly believes in working towards long-term and durable changes in society instead of quick fix solutions that are not linked to the wider changes and events taking place in the society. In order to achieve sustainable changes, Manthan takes a holistic view of the various development challenges in the region while recognising the complexities in the socio-economic as well as natural systems. For example, in its approach to improve girl child’s access to edu-cation, it considers the relationships between girls’ education and means of livelihood (she may need to take care of the goats during the day), local culture (the community norms may not allow her to travel to the school alone if it far) and specific family circumstances (she may need to take care of her younger siblings during the day when their parents are at work).

Capacity building of local people:

A villager trained as solar engineer running a workshop for repairing solar lanterns in the villages

Manthan believes that the knowledge that people acquire through hands-on experiences stays with them forever. Hence it creates opportunities for villagers for ‘learning by doing’. It created several opportunities for villagers to acquire new skills as well as to enhance their existing skills and capabilities for earning a living through tapping into their inherent talents. In addi-tion to learning new skills, Manthan also constantly works towards increasing the access to education and information. The rationale for an emphasis on education and awareness is to empower the villagers to increase their level of self-reliance so that they do not need to rely on help from outside for everything. Moreover, it increases their self-confidence and belief in their own abilities to confront and solve new problems and challenges that that emerge as a result of changes in their livelihoods, lifestyle, ecosystem as well as changes that result from wider social, economic and environmental challenges taking place in a globalised world.

Constant dialogue:

Manthan fieldworkers holding a general discussion with women

Manthan maintains a continuous dialogue with the various stakeholders that it works with, particularly the communities. In addition to issue-specific and project-specific meetings with them, Manthan keeps up a continuos engagement on wide-ranging issues according to the concerns of the communities. Often such deliberations lead to conception of new projects. Where this is not possible Manthan provides relevant guidance and support to the communities to address their problems through other channels. The constant dialogue also brings about a relationship that is based on mutual trust and respect for diverse viewpoints. It also ensures that Manthan’s work remains rooted in the local conditions and reflects the changes in local aspirations or circumstances as they take place over time.