For generations, the Agariya's have been making salt in the extreme desert conditions of the Rann during the dry season (8 months per year) when the water drains away and the salt marsh turns in to a desert.
Utthan envisions a society that imbibes and ensures the values of gender justice, equality, peace and happiness in practice. Utthan’s mission is to initiate gender sensitive processes of empowerment amongst the most vulnerable communities, through a process of building conscientiousness and organizing around their major issues.
Agariyas are the traditional salt-making community in Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) who toil hard in extreme desert conditions for 10 months/year to make organic salt. Due to non-recognition by the government as traditional saltmakers, provision of basic amenities like water, electricity, medicals services and sanitation is very poor. Lack of schools makes education a distant dream. This project currently supported by AID-Buffalo (Rs 2 lakhs), spearheaded by the NGO Janpath supports two grassroot field level workers who work with the Agariya community to ensure they get necessary recognition and access to basic amenities. Very few groups are working in this area to provide support and facilitate the empowerment of Agariyas.
Flood relief work in an estimated 150 households in Nindhwada village affected of flooding by providing short term relief to flood affected villagers by providing a food packet to each family in the village.
NGO: Vishwagram Area of Focus: Provide shelter, education, training and social values to homeless children. Budget: $15,000 Chapter: Dallas
VISHVAGRAM is our endeavor to make our good community living more beautiful. With this commitment, we have been working in the areas of KARUNA GRAM - Signifying COMPASSION, YUVA GRAM - Signifying YOUTH, SHANTI GRAM - Signifying PEACE, KITAB GRAM - Signifying BOOKS and JIVAN GRAM - Signifying LIVING.
NGO Partner : Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP) Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat Chapters : College Station, TX; College Park, MD; Duke/RTP, NC Budget: $14,900 (1 yr)
This project supports efforts to spread awareness about the Right to Information Act, which was introduced in 2005 as a means to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the Indian Government and Public Utility Services. RTI on wheels Program is an outreach program intended to inform remote villages in Gujarat about the RTI Act and provide assistance with filing RTI applications. RTI on Wheels will emphasize on groups like daily earners, migrant workers. (Slums and working class areas) especially focus Large scale .
Amount Supported: $16000 (Rs. 404400 in 2011)
The project does counting, training, mentoring and resettling (CTMR) of the Dispossessed Solicitors (beggars) in the city of Baroda.
Flood relief work in an estimated 150 households in Nindhwada village affected of flooding by providing short term relief to flood affected villagers by providing a food packet to each family in the village. 
NGO: Vishwagram 
