About VIEWS : Voluntary Integration for Education and Welfare of Society (VIEWS) is a growing grass-root organization working to improve food and livelihoods security among marginal and landless farmers in Odisha.  Our attempt is to help reduce the food and nutrition issues faced by tribals, dalits and the socially deprived by helping them revive organic and multi-cropping practices.

Vision: Empowering marginalized communities to improve their quality of life.

Mission: Bringing holistic development through innovative solutions for a better society.

Operating from the eastern part of India- home to some of the poorest communities in the world, particularly vulnerable for food insecurity, VIEWS has been working with different national, international agencies and the Government on various high impact projects for the last 10 years enhancing the well being of communities in two broad areas.

• Improving of quality of life of children and youth through education
• Improving the livelihood and social security of rural farmers by adopting the 'Farm-Farmer-Family' approach; starting with transformation of the farms and complementing seasonal agricultural incomes through opportunities arising in the non-farm sector.
• Enhancing the income of small producers (farm, forest, fish, livestock), and covering other related themes such as Water, Financial Inclusion, Climatic Resilience and Energy.

This diversification has helped the community reduce vulnerability by spreading income risk. Household-based activities in the non-farm sector have been particularly rewarding for the rural women improving their  economic well-being and enabling them to spend more on healthcare, education, food, nutrition, etc. for their families.

Our future initiatives will continue to create an enabling environment of well-being for the poor with a focus on self -sustaining community led initiatives through knowledge, innovation and transformative action.

Genesis: VIEWS was founded in 2002 by a group of youth in Odisha who initially worked for relief and rehabilitation work after the 1999 super cyclone in the state with Lutheran World Service (India). The experience and exposure made them realize the need for a committed local organization to continue working for the critical social issues plaguing the community. 

Our Focus Areas

• Promoting quality education for underprivileged children and youth
• Food Security and Livelihoods Promotion 
• Sustainable Agriculture & Organic farming
• Revival of Millets for Nutritional Security
• Climate Change and Environment Protection
• Youth Empowerment & Social Entrepreneurship
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
• Clean Energy & Development Research

  Our Valued Partners 

• Nourish International, USA
• ICCO Cooperation, Netherlands 
• National Foundation for India, New Delhi
• The Hans Foundation, New Delhi
• Australian High Commission, New Delhi
• 1% Fund for Development, Switzerland
• Ministry of Environment and Forest, Govt. of India
• Nehru  Yuva Kendra (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt. of India) 
• University of Texas, Austin, USA
• Virginia Tech University, Virginia
• Wisconsin University, Madison
• Centurion University, Bhubaneswar

Legal Status

• Registered under Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 vide number GJM No: 7781 of 2008-2009 on 4th April 2008.
• Registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act FCRA 1976 vide Registration Number, 104910201, dated: 22/03/2012.
• Registered u/s 12AA of the Income Tax Act 1961 vide no: 38/2012-2013, dated: 10.08.2012.
• Registered u/s 80G (2) & (5) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, vide no: 206/11-12/2012-2013, dated: 10.08.2012.
• Permanent Account Number (PAN) AABTV0563A.
• Tax Deduction Account Number (TAN) BBNV00240C.

Our Key Accomplishments

• 3000 +farmers introduced tomodified paddycultivation method called the “SRI (systematic rice intensification)”,
• 2500 +organic farms created to replenish micro nutrients and restore soil health of their agricultural landscapes
• 3000+ marginal families provided with alternative livelihood in fishery, livestock, agribusiness and microenterprise development for ultra-poor.
• 3000 nutrition gardens created to help women access healthy greens with adequate macro and micronutrients at their backyards.
• 1500+ Youth empowered through training to enhance their employability and job opportunities
• 1000+ adolescent girls trained in menstrual hygiene solutions, reproductive and sexual health.
• 2500+ Women empowered and enabled via Self Help Groups as a new breed of community actors.

1. Education 

Continuing with our aim to develop better citizens while facilitating a shift in the outlook of communities towards girl child education and providing quality education at the in schools that are perennially fighting teacher vacancies and lack of infrastructure, we wish to provide high impact grassroots level projects to at least 1000 underprivileged students so that they are motivated to learn and improve their skills through the following interventions

2. SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS

During the last five years we have made efforts to address livelihood security through community mobilization, input facilitation along with locally suitable practices and technology, skill building and facilitating linkages with various stakeholders.

This entailed a range of intervention with focus on building capacities of organisations and community to attain food security at households and community level and there by enhancing income for sustainable livelihoods.

Our future focus will be to implement activities to ensure food security and enhance income through crop intensification and diversification besides undertaking market-led livelihood intervention with small and marginal producers around paddy, tomato, potato and herbal medicines.

2.YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

To reduce the prevalence of child labor and child marriage among adolescent girls, providing vulnerable girls with educational opportunities, skills training, and the knowledge needed to become empowered members in their communities.

3. RESEARCH AND PUBLISHING

VIEWS has been closely working with the farmers and agriculture dependent community in Odisha on various ground level programmes related to sustainable agriculture, re-orientation of organic  practices, addressing malnutrition and the challenges of food security. During these years, we have had the opportunity to collaborate with different Universities, experts and peer groups to come up with research work that can contribute to better the lives of these communities though information dissemination and various policy changes. We have in the past, developed materials on  sustainable agriculture, organic practices, nutrition gardens , conservation of medicinal plants, besides menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in rural India. Our research and findings are shared during different trainings and workshops with communities to help them in these processes.

The following are some of our notable publications:

• Study on Coastal Livelihoods Security of Marine Fishing Communities in Ganjam district of Odisha
• Value Chain Analysis of Marine Fish Products
• Packages of Practices on Organic Farming
• Sustainable Agriculture Practices on Vegetable Cultivation
• Study on Livelihoods Opportunities available for tribal and marginal communities in Ganjam district of Odisha
• Promoting Student Social Responsibilities through Active Citizenship and Volunteerism 

RECOGNITION & AWARDS

• Received Bharat Vikas Award in 2016 from Institute of Social Science, Bhubaneswar, Odisha for “Exemplary community development work”. 
• Received “ Kalinga Yuva Pratiba Award” in 2017  from Vinobahabe Seva Paristhan, Bhubaneswar for “ Social Entrepership”
• Special recognition for  “Youth empowerment through Student Social Responsibility (SSR) model from Odisha CSR Forum 2017