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    • An elderly woman wearing a sari bends down to collect waste from the ground, holding a plastic bag beside a white bucket. She is surrounded by scattered garbage in an outdoor area with sparse trees in the background--waste management
    Environment

    The case for counting rural plastic waste

    Rural India generates millions of tonnes of unmeasured plastic waste. Integrating village-level data through existing platforms can help build a truly inclusive circular economy.
    by Amaraja Kulkarni, Lakshmi Raghupathy | 6 min read
    On The Contrary Podcast – Social Impact

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    Latest

    A board saying
    Livelihoods
    Tripura’s only hill station treads between tourism and heritage
    The entrepreneurial spirit of the homestay owners and government initiatives have placed Jampui on the tourism map. But there are concerns about sustainability.
    by Hansatanu Roy | 2 min read
    three young boys on a hill near Laitmawsiang, Meghalaya--northeast india hiring
    Leadership & Talent
    Hiring for the long run in Northeast India
    Funding constraints shape hiring in Mizoram and Meghalaya, prompting nonprofits to prioritise passion and train skills on the job.
    by Malsawmdawngliani Tara, Samme Massar | 6 min read
    a black and white photo of a wall clock--nonprofit humour
    Humour
    It’s 2016
    How much has really changed?
    by Shriya Roy | 2 min read
    The image shows an elderly male voter inside a polling booth station in a village. He stands in front of a table as a polling booth officer applies blue ink to his index finger.--local self-governance
    Perspectives
    From the village to the Republic
    The idea of local self-governance has been a key part of India’s political imagination. However, development has often meant centralisation, undermining communities’ rights over jal, jangal, and zameen.
    by Ramesh Sharma | 6 min read
    hexagonal lattice stone windows--queer-affirmative therapy
    Health & Well-being
    Therapist training in India overlooks queer experiences
    Why is queer-affirmative mental health therapy so inaccessible and expensive? A key reason may be the absence of queer-focused pedagogies in psychology education.
    by Kanav Narayan Sahgal | 8 min read

    Ground Up

    SEE ALL
    Bite-sized stories from the people closest to the action.
    Livelihoods
    photo
    Tripura’s only hill station treads between tourism and heritage
    by Hansatanu Roy
    Location Icon North Tripura district, Tripura
    Environment
    photo
    In Chhattisgarh, Baiga Adivasis map their food, forest, and fires
    by Chandra Pratap Singh, Premlal Baiga
    Location Icon Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district, Chhattisgarh
    Livelihoods
    photo
    Is this the last generation of the Negamam saree weavers?
    by Prasanth Shanmugasundaram
    Location Icon Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu
    Livelihoods
    photo
    Women weavers find a solar way to Eri silk in Meghalaya
    by Samme Massar
    Location Icon Ri Bhoi district, Meghalaya

    Videos

    SEE ALL
    A day in the life of: A Deaf student and founder of a community-led book club
    IDR Ground up | Women weavers find a solar way to Eri silk in Meghalaya
    IDR Explains | A guide to multimedia storytelling for nonprofits

    A day in the life of

    SEE ALL
    Frontline workers and first responders share their insights from working at the grassroots.
    A picture of Parmeet in black t-shirt and blue jeans, sitting on a couch--deaf community
    Social Justice
    A book club, sign language, and our fight for Deaf rights
    A day in the life of a Deaf student and founder of a book club as he strives for awareness, inclusion, and building a shared space for the Deaf community.
    by Parmeet Singh | 2 min read
    a female forest guard puts out a forest fire in Mewar Biodiversity Park, Udaipur district, Rajasthan--forest guard
    Environment
    Why conservation needs connection: Guarding Rajasthan’s forests
    A day in the life of a forest guard, who navigates gender roles, community needs, and conservation in Rajasthan.
    by Santosh Kunwar Bhati | 5 min read
    Women in a village standing in a group and talking_mental health stigma
    Health & Well-being
    From self to society: Navigating silence and stigma around mental health
    A day in the life of a community health worker in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, who tackles mental health stigma through trust and support—in her own life and for the people she serves.
    by Geeta Shakya | 6 min read

    Failure Files

    SEE ALL
    Social change leaders chronicle their failures and lessons learnt.
    Silhouetted birds perched on bare tree_leadership failure
    Leadership & Talent
    Building team culture isn’t optional
    A nonprofit co-founder reflects on how scaling rapidly unintentionally alienated employees, which led to cracks in organisational culture.
    by Vijayalakshmi Mohan | 7 min read
    Aerial shot of women protestors sitting_well-being
    Social Justice
    Preparing for a marathon, not a sprint 
    Dalit civil rights activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan on why failure is an opportunity to build power, how systems of oppression affect well-being, and what healing looks like for individuals and communities.
    by India Development Review | 10 min read
    Barbed wire_nonprofits
    Leadership & Talent
    Why don’t nonprofits talk about their failures?
    A number of risks, both real and perceived, stop nonprofits from talking about failure. Here's how various stakeholders can work together to overcome them.
    by Tanaya Jagtiani, Rachita Vora | 7 min read

    IDR Interviews

    SEE ALL
    Conversations with visionaries on their life's work, and their efforts to challenge the status quo in our country.
    an illustration of Rajim Ketwas, a Dalit, Adivasi, and gender rights activist from Chhattisgarh--Dalit and Adivasi rights
    "Even if you struggle equally, get beaten up, and go to jail, it is hard for men to accept women as leaders. They may accept a woman from an upper caste, because caste hierarchy plays a role. But it is much more difficult for an Adivasi or Dalit woman, no matter how educated or capable she is."
    Rajim Ketwas
    9 min read
    The image is an illustration of Devika Singh._Early childhood care
    "You can’t talk about childcare without talking about labour. About migration. About how women work long hours for low wages. About where they live, what they eat, how invisible they are to systems meant to serve them."
    Devika Singh
    9 min read
    an image of Dayamani Barla against a turquoise background-adivasi
    "Activists should go to places where laws are made and also where laws are implemented. If you don’t get into politics, you won’t be able to save the country."
    Dayamani Barla
    3 min read

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    Sectors

    SEE ALL
    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 & Well-being
  • Livelihoods
  • Rights
  • Water & Sanitation
    • An elderly woman wearing a sari bends down to collect waste from the ground, holding a plastic bag beside a white bucket. She is surrounded by scattered garbage in an outdoor area with sparse trees in the background--waste management
    Environment
    The case for counting rural plastic waste
    Rural India generates millions of tonnes of unmeasured plastic waste. Integrating village-level data through existing platforms can help build a truly inclusive circular economy.
    by Amaraja Kulkarni, Lakshmi Raghupathy | 6 min read
    hexagonal lattice stone windows--queer-affirmative therapy
    Health & Well-being
    Therapist training in India overlooks queer experiences
    Why is queer-affirmative mental health therapy so inaccessible and expensive? A key reason may be the absence of queer-focused pedagogies in psychology education.
    by Kanav Narayan Sahgal | 8 min read
    a paper-mache figurine of Santa Claus and a camel--paper-mache in Kashmir
    Livelihoods
    Tariffs, war, and a 600-year-old craft: Kashmir’s paper-mache artisans face uncertainty
    From intricate masks to Christmas ornaments, Kashmiri paper-mache has long served an international market. As global political and economic conflicts disrupt exports, artisans fear a loss of not just livelihoods, but identity.
    by Danish Showkat, Mehendi Mehraj | 5 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
    • An elderly woman wearing a sari bends down to collect waste from the ground, holding a plastic bag beside a white bucket. She is surrounded by scattered garbage in an outdoor area with sparse trees in the background--waste management
    Environment
    The case for counting rural plastic waste
    Rural India generates millions of tonnes of unmeasured plastic waste. Integrating village-level data through existing platforms can help build a truly inclusive circular economy.
    by Amaraja Kulkarni, Lakshmi Raghupathy | 6 min read
    three young boys on a hill near Laitmawsiang, Meghalaya--northeast india hiring
    Leadership & Talent
    Hiring for the long run in Northeast India
    Funding constraints shape hiring in Mizoram and Meghalaya, prompting nonprofits to prioritise passion and train skills on the job.
    by Malsawmdawngliani Tara, Samme Massar | 6 min read
    The image shows an elderly male voter inside a polling booth station in a village. He stands in front of a table as a polling booth officer applies blue ink to his index finger.--local self-governance
    Perspectives
    From the village to the Republic
    The idea of local self-governance has been a key part of India’s political imagination. However, development has often meant centralisation, undermining communities’ rights over jal, jangal, and zameen.
    by Ramesh Sharma | 6 min read

    Expertise

    SEE ALL
    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
    • three young boys on a hill near Laitmawsiang, Meghalaya--northeast india hiring
    Leadership & Talent
    Hiring for the long run in Northeast India
    Funding constraints shape hiring in Mizoram and Meghalaya, prompting nonprofits to prioritise passion and train skills on the job.
    by Malsawmdawngliani Tara, Samme Massar | 6 min read
    A collage showing field documentation activities: on the left, two people sit on a bamboo floor inside a small rural shop during an interview; on the right, a group walks through a forested area above an image of a man filming with a camera on a tripod outdoors--fellowships
    Leadership & Talent
    Three fellows in a boat
    A free-flowing conversation among three social sector fellows on public policy and the importance of youth led development in shaping a better Tripura.
    by Anupam Sharma, Hansatanu Roy, Ishika Chakma | 8 min read
    a woman looking at a smartphone, with a blue wall in the background--multimedia storytelling
    Fundraising & Communications
    Multimedia storytelling for nonprofits: Your phone can do it all
    Simple methods for creating engaging videos, audios, and graphics for your nonprofit.
    by Shriya Roy | 2 min read
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