About CHIRAG
Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG) is a non-profit grassroots development organisation working with rural communities in the Central Himalayan state of Uttaranchal. CHIRAG made a modest beginning in 1986 when we initiated forest management and health services related work in Ramgarh block of Nainital district.
In sixteen years of close association with local communities, CHIRAG has come a long way. While remaining true to the founding ideals of improving the lives of rural people in these hills, we has grown to emerge as one of the largest NGOs in Uttaranchal, funded by both national and international
donor agencies.
Today, CHIRAG's programmes are being carried out in over 150 villages in the five hill development blocks of Nainital district. In 2002 we extended our work to a socially backward and environmentally degraded part of Bageshwar district.
The apex body of CHIRAG is the Board of Governors, which meets four times a year to review the performance of the organisation. The day to day running is overseen by the staff of the organisation headed by the Executive Director. At present, CHIRAG has 105 full time employees and over 130 part time employees.
Since its inception CHIRAG has grown not only in terms of geographical spread of intervention and resource base but also in terms of range of activities.
Natural Resource Management
Since its inception, the cornerstone of the intervention strategy of CHIRAG has been natural resource management. Given the close dependence of local communities on forest and water resources, it was imperative to improve the quality of these resources and their management for any real progress to occur in the region. Under the category of Natural Resource Management Programmes CHIRAG is involved with forest management and reafforestation, water management, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, alternate energy and integrated watershed management.
Social Programmes
Whereas natural resource management is central to CHIRAG's strategy, the organisation considers social empowerment and community mobilisation to be critical to its integrated development strategy. CHIRAG has a vibrant social programme implemented through a number of village level institutions and community groups. Areas of intervention include preparatory schools or balwaris, primary school support programmes with a thrust on environmental education, village libraries, science laboratories, centres for adolescent girl empowerment, preventive and curative health programmes, and a local self governance (Panchayati Raj) programme.
Income Generation
Realising that social empowerment means little without economic empowerment, CHIRAG set up a separate centre dedicated to exploring ways of boosting the income of local people, especially women. Kumaun Grammen Udyog (KGU) runs a weaving centre where shawls, mufflers, scarves and tweed are made on handlooms using local raw material, designs and patterns. In addition to the weaving centre, KGU also has an apricot oil extraction unit and works with groups of knitters. At present, KGU has three retail outlets. In addition, many of the interventions of the agriculture programme, and activities carried out through women's groups are aimed at boosting local income.
Training and Communication
Training and Communication is the most recent of CHIRAG's activities. After sixteen years of experience and expertise we feel that the time is ripe to share our experiences with like-minded individuals and organisations. In addition, we feel that the time has come when CHIRAG should give its inputs on policy formulation and implementation.
With these ideas in mind CHIRAG has initiated the exercise of training ten grassroots development organisations in the area of watershed management. In addition, trainings are being carried out for village level institutions in Panchayati Raj and agro-horticultural techniques.
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