Transforming Passion into Action

Advocacy / Lobbying related to Education, Health, Food Security, Environment & Natural
Resource Management, Women’s Empowerment, Civil Society Strengthening.

Advocacy is the pursuit of influencing outcomes — including public-policy and resource

allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions — that
directly affect people’s current lives. (Cohen, 2001)

Therefore, advocacy can be seen as a deliberate process of speaking out on issues of concern in
order to exert some influence on behalf of ideas or persons. Based on this definition, Cohen
(2001) states that “ideologues of all persuasions advocate” to bring a change in people’s lives.
However, advocacy has many interpretations depending on the issue at stake, which can be
different from this initial value-neutral definition.

Forms of advocacy
There are several forms of advocacy, which each represent a different approach in the way
change is brought into society. One of the most popular forms is social justice advocacy.
In a legal/law context: An 'advocate' is the title of a
Although it is true, the initial definition specific person who is authorized/appointed (in some
does not encompass the notions of power way) to speak on behalf of a person in a legal process.
relations, people’s participation and a See advocate.
vision of a just society that promoted by In a political context: An 'advocacy group' is an
social justice advocates. For them, organized collection of people who seek to influence
advocacy represents the series of actions political decisions and policy, without seeking election to
public office. See interest group.
taken and issues highlighted to change the
In a social care context: Both terms (and more specific
“what is” into a “what should be”, ones such as 'independent advocacy') are used in the UK
considering that this “what should be” is a in the context of a network of interconnected
more decent and a more just society (ib., organizations and projects which seek to benefit people
2001.) Those actions, which vary with the who are in difficulty (primarily in the context of disability
political, economical and social and mental health).
environment in which they are conducted, In the context of inclusion: Citizen Advocacy organizat-
have several points in common. ions (citizen advocacy programs) seek to cause benefit by
reconnecting people who have become isolated. Their
practice was defined in two key documents: CAPE, and
Characteristics of Advocacy Learning from Citizen Advocacy Programs.
• Question the way policy is administered
• Participate in the agenda setting as they raise significant issues
• Target political systems “because those systems are not responding to people’s needs”
• Advocacy is inclusive and engaging
• Propose policy solutions
• Open up space for public argumentation.
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Types of Advocacy
Some of the other forms of advocacy include:
• Ideological advocacy: in this approach, groups fight, sometimes during protests, to advance
their ideas in the decision-making Advocacy is:
circles. • Having the opportunity to speak up for ourselves and
• Mass advocacy: is any type of action represent others with whom we share the same concerns.
taken by large groups (petitions, • Knowing what our rights are, and seeing that they are
demonstrations, etc.) respected.
• Being able to be ourselves and get to know what we want
• Interest-group advocacy: lobbying is from life.
the main tool used by interests groups • Having the strength and confidence to say NO.
doing mass advocacy. It is a form of • Having access to information and not being isolated.
action that does not always succeed at • Being able to make our own choices and decisions.
influencing political decision-makers • Having a say in deciding the services we receive.
as it requires resources and • Being with people and having the chance to establish
organization to be effective. relationships.
• Feeling empowered to change the way services are run.
• Bureaucratic advocacy: people
considered “experts” have more chance
to succeed at presenting their issues to decision-makers. They use bureaucratic advocacy to
influence the agenda, however at a slower pace.
• Legislative advocacy: legislative advocacy is the “reliance on the state or federal legislative
process” as part of a strategy to create change.
• Media advocacy: is “the strategic use of the mass media as a resource to advance a social or
public policy initiative”. For example, how media advocacy is used to prevent HIV AIDS and
to fight alcohol and tobacco-related health issues.

Advocacy groups
Advocacy is led by advocates or, when they are organized in groups as is the case most of the
time, advocacy groups. Advocacy groups as defined by Young and Everritt (2004, 5) are
different from political parties which "seek to influence government policy by governing." They
are "any organization that seeks to influence government policy, but not to govern." This
definition includes social movements, sometimes network of organizations which are also
focused on encouraging social change. Social movements try to either influence governments or,
like the environmental movement, to influence people’s ideas or actions.

Functions of Advocacy Groups In the recent past an increasing number of the

1. Give a voice to (misrepresented) citizen population have become member of an
interests organization which has had an advocacy role and
2. Mobilize citizens to participate in the has tried to achieve political change. Such a level
democratic process
of participation is a positive indicator of the
3. Support the development of a culture of
democracy health of the democracy.
4. Assist in the development of better public
policy Transnational advocacy
Advocates and advocacy groups represent a wide
5. Ensure governments’ accountability to citizens.
range of categories and support several issues as
listed on World Advocacy. The Advocacy Institute, a US-based global organization, is dedicated
to strengthening the capacity of political, social, and economic justice advocates to influence and
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change public policy (Cohen, de la Vega & Watson, 2001.)

The phenomenon of globalization draws a special attention to advocacy beyond countries’

borders. The core existence of networks such as World Advocacy or the Advocacy Institute
demonstrates the increasing importance of transnational advocacy and international advocacy.
Transnational advocacy networks are more likely to emerge around issues where external
influence is necessary to ease the communication between internal groups and their government.
Groups of advocates willing to further their mission also tend to promote networks and to meet
with their internal counterparts to exchange ideas

Types of Advocacy including Lobbying

Advocacy
Advocacy encompasses a broad range of activities that involve identifying, embracing, and
promoting a cause. It is an effort to shape public perception to effect change that may or may not
require changes in the law. Advocacy is about using effective tools to create social change.
Lobbying is only one of these activities.

The following activities do not involve lobbying:

• Public Education
A nonprofit develops a public information campaign to raise awareness of the rise in childhood
obesity. In this campaign they recommend a variety of approaches to reverse this trend.
• Issue Research
A nonprofit regularly creates and distributes briefs describing policy barriers to improving end-
of-life care to its state’s legislative committees on health, insurance, and aging.
• Policy Education
At the request of a congressional committee investigating how to move children out of foster
care into adoptive families more quickly, several nonprofit organizations from various states
describe their innovative foster care reform models to help policymakers make a more informed
decision as they grapple with policy decisions on this topic.
• Voter and Candidate Education
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A nonprofit sends a questionnaire about their priority issue to all the mayoral candidates in a
local election and published the received responses (unedited) in their newsletter or the local
paper.
• Organizing and Mobilizing
A grantee nonprofit organized a series
of community meetings, public
hearings, interviews with target group
members, scientific surveys, and events
that drew hundreds of child welfare
system stakeholders together over a
period of months to “vision” a
comprehensive strategy to reform child
welfare system policies and practices in
its state.
• Judicial Advocacy
The NAACP files a class action suit to
compel a state to integrate public
schools.
• Executive (Administrative)
Advocacy
A nonprofit representing patients and
loved ones struggling with Alzheimer’s
disease consulted with state health
department officials to help rewrite
eligibility rules to ensure better access
to subsidized assisted living facilities.
Legislation is not discussed.
Millennium Development Goals
A nonprofit promoting school-based health centers met with representatives from its state’s
Medicaid office to recommend an innovative way to structure a Medicaid waiver that will
increase funding to all centers in its state.

A nonprofit urges the general public to send comments to the Department of Health and Human
Services on a proposed federal rulemaking that is open for public comment.

When these kinds of advocacy (above) take positions on specific pieces of legislation,
particularly pending legislation, they become lobbying. For example, if the Alzheimer’s
association mentioned immediately above, took a position on pending legislation and asked for
health department officials’ support for their position, they would be lobbying.

Lobbying -Definition
“Lobbying” is virtually any advocacy activity aimed at influencing a “legislator’s” vote on
specific legislation.
“Legislator” refers to
--Members of the Parliament /State legislators or their staff /Local legislative representatives /
the public, in case of a ballot measure /Members of an organization
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“Legislation” is defined as action by a legislative body including the introduction, amendment,

enactment, defeat or repeal of Acts, bills, resolutions, appropriations, and budgets.

Direct Lobbying
Direct lobbying occurs when a nonprofit organization attempts to influence specific legislation
by stating a position to a “legislator” or other government employee who participates in the
formulation of legislation. Leaders from a nonprofit offer unsolicited testimony before the local
city council meeting just before it was to vote on a proposed ban on soda in school vending
machines.

There are four statutory exceptions:

Nonpartisan analysis, study or research – may have a point of view but must provide a full
and fair exposition of the underlying facts to enable reader to form an independent opinion or
conclusion on the subject and be widely disseminated and not limited to people on one side of an
issue.
Request for technical advice or assistance – a written request from a legislative body that is
available to all members of the requesting body.
Self-defense – communication on an action which could impact an organization’s existence,
powers, duties, tax-exempt status or the deductibility of contributions to the organization.
Discussion of broad, social, economic, and similar problems – discussion on general topics
which may be the subject of specific legislation but must not refer to specific legislation or
directly encourage action.

Grass Roots Lobbying

Grass roots lobbying occurs when a nonprofit organization urges the general public to take action
on specific legislation.

Key indicators of Grass Roots Lobbying:

* Relates to specific legislation
* Reflects a point of view on the legislation’s merits
* Encourages the general public to contact legislators

Lobbying is legal and important

The term “lobbying” carries negative connotations for many people because it may raise the
specter of violating federal law and losing tax-exempt status, or because it is often associated
with scandals involving paid lobbyists representing corporate interests. Nonetheless, lobbying by
nonprofit organizations is a legal and acceptable activity that is often essential to creating good
public policy and stronger, more democratic communities.
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Advocacy in India
In India, the rights approach to development seems to be taking shape within significant domains. To
illustrate, there is wide recognition today of elementary education as a fundamental right of all Indian
children and this acknowledgement has played an important part in the comparatively rapid progress
of school attendance in the nineties (it is another matter that many children learn next to nothing at
school). Similarly, India’s "right to information" movement is a visionary response to the
disempowerment of the underprivileged in many walks of life due to the inaccessibility of public
records. More recently, the right to food has been invoked by citizen’s organizations to challenge the
scandalous persistence of endemic hunger in India – one of the most undernourished countries in the
world.
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Right to Food
What is meant by Right to Food?
The right to food is about freedom from
hunger. This can be interpreted in two • People have a right to adequate food.
• Governments are obligated to feed their people.
different ways, associated with different • Food safety is part of food rights.
readings of the term "hunger". In a narrow • The United Nations is obligated to provide food to
sense, hunger refers to the pangs of an empty countries that don"t have enough food.
stomach. Correspondingly, the right to food • The United States is one of the leading advocates of
can be understood, roughly speaking, as the the right to food.
right to have two square meals a day • Under normal conditions, the major obligation of
throughout the year. In a broader sense, national governments is to provide enabling
hunger refers to under nutrition. The right to conditions so that people can provide for themselves
and their families.
food (i.e. to be free from under nutrition)
• Infants have the right to be breastfed.
then links with a wide range of entitlements,
not only to food itself but also to other requirements of good nutrition such as clean water, health
care, and even elementary education

Right to adequate food is a human right, inherent in all people, to have regular, permanent and unrestricted
access, either directly or by means of financial purchases, to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and
sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of people to which the consumer belongs, and which
ensures a physical and mental, individual and collective fulfilling and dignified life free of fear.

Simply by being born, everyone has the right to food. Person doesn’t have to do anything to
“deserve ” it; The right to food is a birthright. But this Areas of Concern -India
does not entitle a person to sit back and ask for free Supreme Court Orders on the Right to Food
food. People are responsible or doing all they can to Employment Guarantee Act:
realize their own right to food. Governments that are Muster Roll Watch for Verification of
parties to the international Covenant on Economic, NREGA Muster Rolls
Social and Cultural Rights are responsible for Anganwadis For All:
ensuring that all those living within their borders have Mid-day Meals:
Strategies for Children under Six:
the means to do so. Broadly speaking, governments Focus on Children under Six
should create peaceful, stable, free and prosperous The Right to Information Act:
environments in which people can feed themselves in
dignity. Even without a legal obligation to do so, countries have a moral obligation to ensure
freedom from hunger.
The right to food was formally recognized in the very first international human rights document,
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948.Since then,
this pledge has been gradually strengthened at international and national level
The right was further elaborated in 1999 with General Comment 12 by the UN Committee on
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Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which oversees implementation of the Covenant. It states
that the right to adequate food is realized “when every man, woman and child, alone or in
community with others, has the physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or
means for its procurement.” Governments have to enable this right – by adopting policies and
taking actions that ensure people can either grow or buy sufficient food.
What is “adequate” food? It means an amount and variety of food sufficient to meet all of one ’s

nutritional needs for a healthy and active life. The right to food
is more than the right to basic staples or to sufficient dietary
energy.
The Covenant calls for the right to food to be realized
progressively to the maximum extent of available resources.
Even countries not experiencing economic growth can
progressively realize the right to food by eliminating obstacles
any person or group might encounter.
Indian Acts with Relevance for the Right to Food
The Indian Wild Life Protection) Act 1972
The Water Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974
The Forest Conservation Act 980
The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981
The Environment Protection) Act 986
The Plant varieties Protection and Farmers Rights Act 2001
Right to work ensures food security
Biological Diversity Act 2002
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Indian Forest Act, 1927

The Minimum Wages Act 1948
Workmen Compensation Act 1923
Maternity Benefit Act 1961
Equal Remuneration Act 1976
Contract Labor Abolition and Regulation
Act 1970
Bonded Labor System Abolition Act
1976
Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation)
Act 1986
The Equal Remuneration Act 1976
Untouchability Amendment and
Miscellaneous Provision Act 1976
Prevention of Block Marketing and
Maintenance of Supplies of Essential
Commodities Act 1980
Forest Conservation Act 1980
Maritime Zone of India (Regulation of
Fishing by Foreign Vessels) Act 1981
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989
Special Economic Zone Act 2005
The Special Economic Zones Rules,
2006.
Costal Aquaculture Authority Act
2005The Right to Information Act, 2005
The Seeds Act, 1966,
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005
The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993
The State/UT Minor forest Produce (Ownership Rights of
Forest Dependent Community) Act, 2005
Panchayati Raj 73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 The Scheduled
Tribal and other Traditional Forest Dwellers Recognition of
Forest Rights) Act,
Other Relevant Acts
Married Women’s Property Act, 1874
Children Pledging of Labor) Act, 1933
Public Debt Act, 1945
Minimum Wages Act, 1948
Plantation Labor Act, 1951
Essential Commodities Act, 1955
Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 Right to information also ensures food
Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1956 security
Married Women Property Extension Act, 1951
Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
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Food Corporation Act, 1967

Consumer Protection Act, 1986
Public Distribution System Control) Order, 2001
The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation)
Act 1995.
Specific Land related/ Property/Agriculture laws
Waste and Claims Act, 1863
Land Improvement Loan Act, 1883
Agriculture Loans Act, 1884
Indian Reserve Forest Act, 1884
Land Acquisition Act, 1894
Indian Forest Act, 1927
Resettlement of Displaced Persons Land Acquisition) Act, 1948
··

Food Security
Food security happens when all people at all times have access to enough food that
• is affordable, safe and healthy
• is culturally acceptable
• meets specific dietary needs
• is obtained in a dignified manner
• is produced in ways that are environmentally sound and socially just
The food system
Food security is not just a poverty issue; it is a much larger issue that involves the whole food system and
affects every one of us in some way.
The food system includes…
• Everyone who grows or catches food, like farmers, fishers, and hunters
• Earth, air, water, energy (the physical environment)
• Food processors, packagers, distributors, marketers, and advertisers
• Food wholesalers and the warehouses where food is stored
• The transportation system: trucks, planes, boats, trains
• Places that sell food: grocery stores, markets, bakeries, farm stands, co-ops, restaurants
• Places where food is served: hospitals, nursing homes
• Governments, policies, taxes (the political and economic environment)
• The health care system, the workforce, schools, technology (the social, educational and cultural
environment)
• Everyone who eats!
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Health
Health is "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity",
"Everyone has the right to a standard of living
adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and
his family...” Not only Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, Article 12 in 1948, guarantee the
"right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of health", but it also specifically
called for the "provision for the reductions of . . .
infant mortality and for the healthy development of
the child; the improvement of all aspects of
environmental and industrial hygiene; the
prevention, treatment and control of epidemic,
endemic, occupational, and other diseases; and the creation of conditions which could assure to
all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness."

Health advocacy
Health advocacy encompasses direct service to the individual or family as well as activities that
promote health and access to health care in communities and the larger public. Advocates
support and promote the rights of the patient in the health care arena, help build capacity to
improve community health and enhance health policy initiatives focused on available, safe and
quality care.

Patient representatives,
ombudsmen, educators,
care managers, patient
navigators and health
advisers are health
advocates who work in
direct patient care
environments, including
hospitals, community
health centers, long term
care facilities or patient
services programs of
non-profit organizations.
They collaborate with
other health care
providers to mediate
conflict and facilitate positive change, and as educators and health information specialists,
advocates work to empower others.
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In the policy arenas health advocates work for positive change in the health care system,
improved access to quality care, protection and enhancement of patient's rights from positions in
government agencies, disease-specific
voluntary associations, grassroots and
national health policy organizations and the
media.

Some make the distinction between patient

advocates, who work specifically with or on
behalf of individual patients and families, or
in disease-specific voluntary associations,
and health advocates, whose work is more
focused on communities, policies or the
system as a whole. Often, however, the terms
"patient advocate" and "health advocate" are
used interchangeably or depending on
immediate context.

Rapidly growing areas of health advocacy

include advocates in clinical research
settings, particularly those focused on
protecting the human subjects of medical
research, advocates in the many disease-
specific associations, particularly those
centered on genetic disorders or widespread
chronic conditions, and advocates who serve
clients in private practice, alone or in larger companies.

Education
Education narrowly refers to formal institutional instructions. The 1960 UNESCO Convention
against Discrimination in Education defines education in Article 1(2) as: "all types and levels of
education, (including) access to education, the standard and quality of education, and the
conditions under which it is given."

In a wider sense education means "all activities by which a human group transmits to its
descendants a body of knowledge and skills and a moral code which enable the group to subsist".
In this sense education refers to the transmission to a subsequent generation of those skills
needed to perform tasks of daily living, and further passing on the social, cultural, spiritual and
philosophical values of the particular community. The article states that education implies:
"the entire process of social life by means of which individuals and social groups learn to
develop consciously within, and for the benefit of, the national and international communities,
the whole of their personal capabilities, attitudes, aptitudes and knowledge."

The fulfillment of the right to education can be assessed using the 4 As framework, which asserts
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that for education to be a meaningful right it must be available, accessible, acceptable and
adaptable.
The 4 As framework proposes that governments, as the prime duty-bearer, has to respect,
protect and
fulfill the right
to education by
making educati -
on available,
accessible,
acceptable and
adaptable. The
framework also
places duties on
other stakehold
ers in the
education
process: the
child, which as
the privileged
subject of the
right to
education has the duty to comply with compulsory education requirements, the parents as the
‘first educators’, and professional educators, namely teachers.

NGOs Strategies The 4 As have been further elaborated as follows:

Education Person to Person:
Educating in Slums
Education for Victims
Educating Girl Child
Informal Work Life
Child Labor-back to school
Sex Exploitation
Putting Child Rights into Action
Media
Parental / Community Participation
International Participation
Protect Children from War
Lobbying
Making us to listen the voices of Kids
Availability – education is free and government-funded
and there is adequate infrastructure and trained teachers
able to support education delivery.
Accessibility – the system is non-discriminatory and
accessible to all, and positive steps are
taken to include the most marginalized.
Acceptability – the content of education is relevant, non-
discriminatory and culturally appropriate, and of quality.
The school itself is safe and teachers are professional.
Adaptability – education can evolve with the changing
needs of society and contribute to challenging inequalities,
such as gender discrimination, and can be adapted locally
to suit specific contexts.

Many international NGOs work with the right to education, often by using a rights-based
approach to development.
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Natural Resource Management& Environment

Natural resource management is a discipline in the management of natural
resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular
focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and
future generations. The discipline has given rise to the notion of sustainable
development, a
principle which Natural Resources
Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are
forms the basis
considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (natural)
for land management and environ- form. A natural resource's value rests in the amount and
mental governance throughout the extractability of the material available and the demand for it.
world. The latter is determined by its usefulness to production. A
commodity is generally considered a natural resource when the
Natural resource management primary activities associated with it are extraction and
specifically focuses on a scientific purification, as opposed to creation. Thus, mining, petroleum
and technical understanding of extraction, fishing, hunting, and forestry are generally
considered natural-resource industries, while agriculture is not.
resources and ecology and the life- The term was introduced to a broad audience by E. F.
supporting capacity of those Schumacher in his 1970s book Small is Beautiful. The term is
resources. defined in the United States by the United States Geological
Survey as "The Nation's natural resources include its minerals,
energy, land, water, and biota.
Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims
to meet human needs while preserving the environment so
that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the
indefinite future. The term was used by the Brundtland
Commission (Gro Harlem Brundtland (1939) is a politician,
former Prime Minister of Norway, Norwegian diplomat and
physician and an international leader in sustainable
development and public health and served as the Director
The United Nations Division for General of the World Health Organization) which coined what
Sustainable Development lists the has become the most often-quoted definition of sustainable
following areas as coming within the development as development that "meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations
scope of sustainable development to meet their own needs."
:*Agriculture *Atmosphere
*Biodiversity * Biotechnology * Capacity-building * Climate Change

List of Natural Resource Management Areas

Agriculture Atmosphere Biodiversity Capacity-building
Biotechnology Climate Change Demographics Forests
Oceans and Seas Energy Fresh Water Health
Sustainable tourism Human Settlements Industry Poverty
Transport Water Mountains Sanitation
Waste - Hazards Fisheries Mining Wild Life
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Environmental movements of various countries have emerged due to different

reasons. It is basically due to prevailing environmental quality of the locality. The
environmental movements in the north are basically on the issue of quality of life.
Whereas the environment movements in the south arise due to some other
reasons, such as due to conflicts for controling of natural resources and many
more. It is being said that the, environmental movements in U.S.A arises, when the
book silent spring written by Rachel Carson came in the market in the year 1962.
In this book she had written about the impacts of poisonous chemicals, particularly
the DDT on the environment. This book had raised the public consciousness. And
it leads to the emergence of environmental movements in the U.S.A. The
participants of these movements in North are the middle class and upper class
people, who have concern for the nature. But in the south the protesters are
generally the marginal population – hill peasants, tribal communities, fishermen
and other underprivileged people. The different environmental movements in our
own country support this argument. The examples could be taken as Chipko,
N.B.A. , Mitti Bachao Andolan, Koel-Karo Andolan etc. That is why the
environmentalism of the North is refereed as “full stomach” environmentalism and
the environmentalism of the south is called as “empty – belly” environmentalism.

Environmental movements in India, therefore, are not necessarily for the 'green' or
'clean' earth or for saving mankinds' heritage and endangered species as in the
west, but for the very survival of the local poor (Rao, 1994). Even amon g these
ecological movements, only a few can claim success in achieving some of their
objectives. On the other hand, the overwhelming popularity or coverage received
by some of these movements overshadows the importance of other environmental
problems whi ch may be equally, if not more strident. And the success of the
movement is often
linked with its'
popularity rather
than the importance
of the issue.
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The first lesson is that the main source of environmental

destruction in the world is the demand for natural resources
generated by the consum- ption of the rich (weather they are
rich nations or rich individuals and groups within nations)….
The second lesson is that it is the poor who are affected the
most by environmental destruction. (Anil Agrawal, 1986)

Some Popular Environmental Movements & NGOs in India

Chipko movement
Tehri Dam (river Bhageerathi in the Garhwal region -Tehri Baandh Virodhi
Sangarshan Samithi- Veerendra Datta Saklani,-Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna ),
Silent Valley Project Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishat (KSSP)
Narmada Bacho Andolan .Medha Patkar
Ralegan Sidhi experiment (named after the village Shri Anna Hazare);
Pani-Panchayat (w ater council),Shri Vilasrao Salunke (the force behind Pani-
Panchayat)
Rajendra Singh Tarun Bharat Sangh
C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre
Center for Science & Environment
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Indian NGOs Working For Saving the Environment

India has a number of NGOs that work in the field of environmental conservation and ecology.
Here is a comprehensive list:
Assam Science Society
BAIF Development Research Foundation Kamdahnu
Bombay Natural History Society
Centre for Environmental Education (CEE)
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)
Clean Ahmedabad Abhiyan
CPR Environmental Education Centre (C.P.Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation)
Dasholi Gram Swarajya Mandal
Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Development Alternatives
Friendicoes, Society for the Eradication of Cruelty to Animals
Friends of the Doon
Gandhi Peace Foundation – Environment Cell
Green Future Foundation
Indian Association for Environmental Management (IAEM)
INTACH Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
Jammu and Kashmir Environment and Wasteland Development Society
Environment and Wasteland Development Society
Kerala Sastra Sahitiya Parishad
Kalpavriksh
Ladakh Ecology Development Group (LEDG)
Madras Naturalists Society (MNS)
Narmada Bachao Andalon
Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association
Orissa Environmental Society
Rajasthan Environment Preservation Society
Ramakrishna Mission Lokashiksha Parishad
Srishti
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Theatre in Education Company
Tarun Bharat Sangh
Tiger link
Uttarkhand Seva Nidhi
Vanarai
Vatavaran
World Wide Fund for Nature
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Women’s Empowerment
Women's advancement involves the process of
empowerment and defines it as a process, by
which women achieve increased control over
public decision making.
ethnicity, religion, or gender. Empowerment as a methodology is often associated with
feminism:
The term Human Empowerment covers a vast
landscape of meanings, interpretations,
definitions and disciplines ranging from
psychology and philosophy to the highly
commercialized Self-Help industry and
Motivational sciences.
Sociological empowerment often addresses
members of groups that social discrimination
processes have excluded from decision-
making processes through - for example -
discrimination based on disability, race,

Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals
and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities.
Empowerment is probably the totality of the following or similar capabilities:
* Having decision-making power of their own
* Having access to information and resources for taking proper decision
* Having a range of options from which you can make choices (not just yes/no, either/or.)
* Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making
* Having positive thinking on the ability to make change
* Ability to learn skills for improving one's personal or group power.
* Ability to change others’ perceptions by democratic means.
* Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated
* Increasing one's positive self-image and overcoming stigma

Strategies for Intervention

The intervention strategy for empowering women to have informed and effective choices on
their health and nutrition and for the development of children and adolescents has to be multi-
pronged.

i) Convergence of service delivery at village levels

There are two main programs in the Department of Women and Child Development, which aim
at convergence of services delivery at the village level, namely, Integrated Child Development
Scheme (ICDS) and Integrated Women's Empowerment Program (IWEP). The ICDS network
through Anganwadi Centres reaches 85% of the villages and hamlets in the country. The IWEP
(erstwhile Indira Mahila Yojana) which extends to 650 blocks operates through the self help
groups of women. Both these programs can be effective vehicles for the implementation of the
National Population Policy. It is therefore critical that both the schemes are universalized.
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ii) Nutrition
The Supplementary Nutrition provided under the ICDS Scheme is one of the most vital
Operational Strategies for achieving the goal of
Empowering Women for Improved Health and
Nutrition
Creating an enabling environment through convergence
with other programs;
• Opening more child care centers for working women;
• Using energy saving devices to reduce drudgery of
women;
• Improving access to drinking water, fuel wood and
fodder;
• Improving health management at all levels;
• Improving accessibility and quality of maternal and child
health care services;
• Monitoring performance of maternal and health care
services;
• Disseminating IEC material intensively;
• Expanding the availability of safe abortion care;
• Supporting community activities package;
• Developing a health package for adolescence;
• Enforcing standards for clinical services;
• Contraception service delivery;
• Focusing on distribution of non-clinical method of
contraception;
• Create a national network of public, private and NGO
centers for delivering reproductive and child health
services free to any client.
organization, mobilization and self development of women. With the feeling of ownership and
management of their own resources and
savings, poor women have been able to
choose their priorities and have even been
found to cover the cost of additional nutrition
and health gaps. The success of this approach
has resulted in universalization of this mode
of organization in all the southern States.
There is a need to replicate this mode
throughout the country.
iv) Access to Resources
For women to be empowered we need to
ensure
a) Equitable access and distribution of
resources like land, credit etc.
b) Access to education.
c) Access to health /nutrition
d) Access to water and sanitation
components under Basic Minimum
Service Program aimed at eradication of
the menace of malnutrition of children
and women. The success of the program
however depends largely on adequate
provision of funds to the States and UTs.
An Action plan needs to be drawn up for
taking up nutrition in a mission mode to
cover infants, adolescent girls, pregnant
and lactating mothers - the three critical
links in the inter-generational cycle of
malnutrition. One intervention that has
successfully worked in improving
nutrition levels as well as impacting
favorably on retention of children in
schools is the mid-day meal scheme.
This has shown positive results in
programs like TINP and needs to be
replicated widely.
iii) Formation of Self-Help Groups
The formation of self-help groups as a
basis for the social and economic
empowerment of deprived and
disadvantaged women has been found to
be a successful mechanism for the
Components of Social, Legal, Political and
Economic Empowerment
Child Marriage, Trafficking of Women and
Children
Child Labor
Exploitative Social Practices
Gender Violence
Food Security
Health Insurance for the Poor
Disabled Persons
Land Access for Tribal’s and the Poor
Improved Farming Practices
Economic Empowerment
Political Empowerment
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v) Women's Component Plan

While the Planning Commission has already incorporated the concept of Women's Component
Plan in the 9th Five Year Plan whereby
NGOs working in the following areas with a 30% of funds/ benefit on every women
gender perspective can be very well called as related sector actually flow to women, it
NGOs working for Women’s Empowerment is important that guidelines are finalized
v Economic Empowerment of women early so that this could be implemented
Ø Working for Poverty Eradication effectively.
Ø Micro Credit vi)Development of Gender
Ø Promoting women’ participation in economic Disaggre- gated Data System
production & distribution. One of the constraints in the
Ø Lobbying for reinterpretation and redefinition of preparation, implementation and
conventional concepts of work monitoring of plans for the
Ø Raising awareness on globalization and its development of women is the absence
impact on women of gender segregated data on various
Ø Attempting to create enabling environment for indices of development at the State,
Women involved in agriculture district and sub district levels. This
Ø Providing support services to achieve the above lacuna in our statistical system should
v Social Empowerment of Women be addressed on a priority basis.
Ø Promoting women’s education vii) Legislation
Ø Promoting women’s health Many of the existing statutes such as
Ø Promoting women’s nutrition Indecent Representation of Women's
Ø Drinking Water and Sanitation Act, Minimum Wages Act, Equal
Ø Housing and Shelter Remuneration Act, and Pre-natal
v Environment Diagnostic Act, Maternity Benefit Act,
v Science and Technology etc., are implemented more in their
v Women in Difficult Circumstances violation. A number of these Acts are
v Violence against women under review in order to strengthen their
v Rights of the Girl Child provisions. The Maternity Benefit Act
v Mass Media needs to be strictly implemented and
v Institutional Mechanisms expanded to cover women in the
v Resource Management informal sector, along with provision of
v Legislation paid leave for a longer period.
v Gender Sensitization viii) Freedom from Violence
v Panchayati Raj Institutions Women and girls face violence in
v Partnership with the voluntary sector various forms at various stages of their
organizations life cycle. This takes the form of female
v International Cooperation foeticide and infanticide, rape, dowry
death and more indirect forms such as
desertion or abandonment of older women. This calls for a multipronged strategy of
implementation of laws, awareness, community sanctions etc.
ix) Participation in Political Life
For empowerment, women need to have a voice in decision making and planning through
adequate representation. Reservation of women in the rural and urban local bodies had enabled
representation of nearly a million women at the grassroots who play a very important catalytic
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role in transforming the society. Similar representation in State Legislature and Parliament would
further strengthen the process of empowerment of women.
x) Sustained Media Campaign
One of the most effective interventions that can take place to address the issues of attitude and
mind sets of men and women, of the community and also of the functionaries of the government
- the bureaucracy, police and judiciary is media campaigns. A sustained campaign through the
print, electronic and folk media is necessary on various issues related to empowerment of
women, health and nutrition, laws, value of the girl child, violence against women etc.
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Civil Society Organizations

Definition
Ø Civil Society is a collective name for all kinds of organizations and associations that are not
part of government but that represent professions, interest groups or sections of society. It
includes (for example) trade unions, employers' associations, environmental lobbies and
groups representing women, farmers, people with disabilities and so on. Since these
organizations have a lot of expertise in particular areas and are involved in implementing and
monitoring government policies, the governments regularly consults civil society and wants
it to become more involved in policymaking.
There are myriad definitions of civil society in the post-modern sense. The London School of Economics
(LSE) Centre for Civil Society's working definition is illustrative:
Civil society refers to the arena of uncoerced collective action around shared interests, purposes and values.
In theory, its institutional forms are distinct from those of the state, family and market, though in practice,
the boundaries between state, civil society, family and market are often complex, blurred and negotiated.
Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of spaces, actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree
of formality, autonomy and power. Civil societies are often populated by organizations such as registered
charities, development non-governmental organizations, community groups, women's organizations, faith-
based organizations, professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business
associations, coalitions and advocacy groups.
Perhaps the simplest way to see civil society is as a "third sector," distinct from government and business. In
this view, civil society refers essentially to the so-called "intermediary institutions" such as professional
associations, religious groups, labor unions, citizen advocacy organizations that give voice to various sectors
of society and enrich public participation in democracies.
Ø Civil Society means all the incorporated association, charitable trust, foundation, society,
etc., that is operated as a non-
profit organization. If any profit
is earned by a civil society, it
can be saved or spent but
cannot be distributed among its
founders, members, trustees,
etc. Also called friendly
society.
Ø Civil society is composed of
the totality of voluntary civic
and social organizations and
institutions that form the basis
of a functioning society as
opposed to the force-backed
structures of a state (regardless
of that state's political system) and commercial institutions of the market.
Ø Civil Society (in German bürgerliche Gesellschaft or bourgeois society) refers to the system
of social relations based on the association of people independently of the State and the family
which first emerged in Europe in the seventeenth century. Civil society is characterized by
"free" labour and a commodity market, a system of law enforcement and voluntary
association.
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But this does not solve every definitional question that the idea of civil society can give rise to.
Many would hold that a free and vigorous press is an essential element in civil society. But most
newspapers and TV stations in the U.S. are run as for-profit businesses. Should they be counted
as part of civil society, of the third sector, or should they be seen as part of the commercial
world?

Ø The set of intermediate associations which are neither the state nor the (extended)
family; civil society therefore includes voluntary associations and firms and other corporate
bodies. The term has been used with different meanings by various writers since the
eighteenth century, but this main current usage is derived from Hegel.

The need to (re)build civil society

after the collapse of communism in
eastern Europe has been a common
theme of reformers and
commentators there since 1991.
The communist regime had
disapproved of the institutions of
civil society. Therefore, apart from
hardy examples such as the
Catholic Church in Poland, there
was not a lot of it about.
Marxian Perspective of Civil
Society
Civil Society (in German
bürgerliche Gesellschaft or
bourgeois society) refers to the
system of social relations based on
the association of people
independently of the State and the
family which first emerged in Europe in the seventeenth century. Civil society is characterised
by "free" labour and a commodity market, a system of law enforcement and voluntary
association.

Early bourgeois thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Social
Contract) generally saw Civil Society as expressing human nature and tried to work out how it
could be managed to avoid catastrophe.
It was Hegel who showed in his Philosophy of Right, that it was the growth of Civil Society
which was the most characteristic feature of modern society, in contrast to medieval society in
which the state was inseparable from the kinship system which determined the station of every
person in life and even their occupation.

Nowadays, the term "Civil Society" is sometimes used to refer to the emergence of a petty
bourgeoisie independent from the State, sometimes to strengthening of the "rule of law", and
sometimes to refer to the development of voluntary association independently of commercial
relations.
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Why civil society?

What is this sudden interest in civil society all about? Some may recall that the term was in
vogue in the 18th and 19th centuries, but had long fallen into disuse, and became a term of
interest to historians primarily. For a long time, social scientists believed that we lived in a two-
sector world. There was the market or the economy on the one hand, and the state or government
on the other. Our great theories speak to them, and virtually all our energy was dedicated to
exploring the two institutional complexes of market and state. Nothing else seemed to matter
much.

Not surprisingly, 'society' was pushed to the sidelines and ultimately became a very abstract
notion, relegated to the confines of sociological theorizing and social philosophy, not fitting the
two-sector world view that has dominated the social sciences for the last fifty years. Likewise,
the notion that a 'third sector' might exist between market and state somehow got lost in the two-
sector view of the world. Of course, there were and are many private institutions that serve
public purposes-voluntary associations, charities, nonprofits, foundations and non-governmental
organizations-that do not fit the state-market dichotomy. Yet, until quite recently, such third-
sector institutions were neglected if not ignored outright by all social sciences.

Such a short-sided approach has had disastrous consequences for our understanding of how
economy and society interact, of which the inability of the social sciences to predict and
understand the fall of communism in central and eastern Europe is just one of many examples.
One of the most important events of the 20th century escaped the attention of mainstream social
science until after the fact. Looking back, we can see how events in central and eastern Europe
were indeed instrumental in bringing the topic of civil society to the attention of social scientists
in the West.

CCS researchers would reach similar conclusions for the way in which the social sciences
typically approached 'development' in the South. For too long we have held preconceived notions
of 'the' market and 'the' state that were seemingly independent of local societies and cultures. The
debate about civil society ultimately is about how culture, market and state relate to each other.

Concern about civil society, however, is not only relevant to central and eastern Europe and the
developing world. It is very much of interest to the European Union as well. The Civil Dialogue
initiated by the Commission in the 1990s was a first attempt by the EU to give the institutions of
society-and not only governments and businesses-a voice at the policy-making tables in Brussels.
The EU, like other international institutions, has a long way to go in trying to accommodate the
frequently divergent interests of non-governmental organizations and citizen groups. There is
increasing recognition that international and national governments have to open up to civil
society institutions.

One could reach a similar conclusion about the United Kingdom, where the transition to post-
industrial society brings up many important questions about social cohesion and social
participation in a country that is becoming increasingly heterogeneous and diverse. What role
will civil society institutions play; what is the function of charity and philanthropy in a more
diverse Britain, and what will be the impact of devolution on the voluntary sector?