What is unique to Utthan

• Demonstrated integration of gender equality and justice into all development and empowerment efforts.
• Through such demonstrations Utthan has established its identity as an organization with socio-technological alternatives that address the issues of the most marginalised.
• Created local teams of youth, both men and women from local areas to address local issues and manage local programmes. A sizeable number have been associated with Utthan for over 15 years, reflective of the organization’s growth and learning space.

Achievements

Utthan’s intense work for nearly 40 years has been in the drought-prone coastal districts of Ahmedabad, Amreli, Bhavnagar & Kutch and the poverty-stricken tribal districts of Dahod, Panchmahal, and Mahisagar. As of 2019, Utthan directly touches the lives of more than 1.4 million people of 412 villages in six districts of Gujarat. Continuing its quest for exploration and sharing of learning’s, Utthan’s leadership and work has extended to neighbourhood districts and communities in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and other States as well as to movements in South Asia and across the world. Some direct achievements in collaboration with various local institutions include;  

• Establishment of Mahiti, an independent CBO, which in turn, has now initiated a number of local institutions
• Supported 20000+ women to access their right to resources- rightful land, property, social welfare & livelihood schemes and freedom from domestic and public violence
• Introduction of improved local and organic varieties of maize, pigeon pea, paddy, gram, fruits to promote biodiversity with nearly 7200 farmers
• Directly supported nearly 1 lakh persons through Integrated Water Resource development on 30000 hectares of land
• Facilitated building of resources to provide over 360,000 people with sustainable and equitable access to safe water
• Facilitated adoption of eco-sanitation toilets with more than 300 families & 225 toilets catering to people with disabilities.

The process of replication, adaptation and movement building continues
Utthan has an inherent culture of sharing: through the medium of capacitated local institutions & the active engagement of its own leadership at national, regional and global levels.  Utthan’s empowerment mobilizational approach has been pivotal in building a critical mass of leadership amongst women, men and youth. The several formal and informal community based institutions play an important role in furthering this sharing. These institutions include Women’s Federations, Credit Cooperatives, Farmer Producer Organisations, Area Resource groups on, Livelihood, Peace, Water & Sanitation, Watershed Mgmt., Youth issues, Economic Empowerment, Women’s Land rights, alternative mechanisms for Justice for violence survivors; some mixed and some comprising only women.

Impact at the national, regional & global level: Advocacy done at national, regional & global level is a result of its powerful local actions and demonstrations. Having been instrumental and active in the setting up the state level  networks like Pravah, Mahila Swaraj Abhiyan & Working Group for Women & Land Ownership, has helped contribute to the larger human rights and development discourse. Utthan’s leadership has been able to voice local concern at the international level, be it the World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference, Hague March 2000, at which Gujarat’s Vision 21 was ratified by the international community and led to initiation of decentralized WASH systems in India or the Berlin Conference of Peace leaders from the world, where local contexts and strategies were shared.
A clear multiplier impact of direct technical and social demonstrations through various strategies clearly shows the powerful influence a group such as Utthan can wield.  

Awards & Recognitions, Utthan

• International Water Association (IWA) Women in Water Award, 2020: Awarded to Nafisa Barot Founder Trustee & Mentor
• Community appreciation of Covid relief work, 15th August 2021: Awarded to Utthan by Kuda Gram Panchayat, Ghogha block, Bhavnagar district, Gujarat.
• Woman of Substance, 8th March 2021: Recognition of Pallavi Sobti Rajpal, Deputy CEO by Kavita Mehta Foundation, Ahmedabad
• Best Performing WDF Project, Outstanding work on Watershed Development, NABARD: 2018-19
• Best State Nodal Agency & Best Performance Award, Vikaspedia,  Center for Development in Advanced computing: 2014-15 & 2015-16
• National Environment Awareness Award, Bharatiya Khadi Gram Udhyog, India: 2008
• T.N Khoshoo Memorial Award, Working with communities to achieve self-reliance: 2005