1. Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development
CORD
Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development

2. What is CORD? (Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development)?
CORD is a non-profit organization established with a mission to facilitate integrated, sustainable social help programs in local communities
Present across close to 700 villages in India
Developed programs around:
Child and maternal health
Income generation training
Micro-financing
Child and Adult education
Natural Resource management
Treatment of the differently-abled
Providing Social Justice
Training on self-governance and woman's leadership
Creation of self help groups for empowerment of villagers
Instead of just providing temporary aid, CORD created a highly successful rural development methodology in India that is based on active participation where it trains and empowers the villagers and provides sustainable solutions to these problems.
Cord enables the poor to transform their lives through programs driven by themselves on the simple premise that inspiration from within brings out the best in everyone. Mahila mandals, the heart and core of the CORD programmes have a motto “ whatever you do. Do it to the best of your ability”
The outcome is heightened efficiency and productivity which we recognize as the corner stones of success!

3. CORD’s holistic transformation is based on a set of Integrated Participatory Programs
Holistic Approach
Self Unfoldment
Self Participatory
Services
Primary health
Disability treatment
Social justice
Legal cell
Trainings
Economic
Governance
Education
Environment
Preventive health
Rehabilitation for disabled
CORD offers certain services like primary health, social justice etc. which the villagers will unable to provide for themselves. At the same time they train the villagers to take their life into their own hands in the fields of income generation, governance, education etc. Through Community based organizations, CORD builds these capacities of the people to resolve their social and economic issues, by empowering them to assess, analyze and prioritize the problems facing them as a community.

4. The Vision
CORD’s work involves extensive human capital investment. Reaching out to each individual family and supporting their progress is slow to develop but the ripples create multi directional growth and sustainability That’s what makes the program successful!
Infusing money and other handouts is easy, generating hope and confidence takes time, persistence, belief! Belief in one’s ability to motivate another to change life long thinking patterns and habits.
To harness human resources and enable the poor to transform their lives through programs driven by themselves

5. The Mission
Cord’s work is based on 4 principles-participation, integration, networking and sustainability.
These processes lead to responsibility, ownership, sustainability and integrated programmes that are relevant to people. As the organizational capacity and confidence of the beneficiaries increase, the activities of the groups gain momentum. Our program emphasis is process oriented rather than result oriented. The result is successful as each step in the process increases people's capacity to handle issues as independently as possible
The main goal of the program is to engage the villager to take charge of his/her life through multi faceted support
We believe that the participatory and integrated nature of our programmes increases ownership and stability leading gradually to sustainability. Nevertheless we realize that sustainability does not happen spontaneously but calls for participation and integration. Hence a deliberate attempt is made to enhance the capacity of the people to run their own programme from the very beginning because the result lies in the steps of the process.
To facilitate participatory and integrated sustainable development through Active Participation

6. CORD centers across India & Sri Lanka
SIDHBARI, Himachal Pradesh
DEULADIHA, Orissa.
LATHIKATA, Orissa.
KAZA, Andra Pradesh
SIRUVANI, Tamil Nadu
THAMARAIPAKKAM, Tamil Nadu
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka
RAMBODA, Sri Lanka

7. Natural Resource Management Social Justice Child Education
Farm Based
Activities
Non Farm and
Service activities
Natural Resource
Management
Treatment of
the disabled
Social Justice
Adult Literacy
Child Education
Self Help
Groups
Training
Here are some examples of cords programs. (Slide show 1 picture per click) CORD has developed Income generation in Farm based activities and also in the non farm service sectors where they teach people to tailoring and other courses. Water scarcity is a big issue which led to the introduction of the natural resource management program. The treatment of the disabled and programs of community inclusion was started after Dr. Kshama discovered a family who had hidden their quadriplegic child in a dark room for 15 years as they were embarrassed to have this child and they didn’t want anyone to know so that they could get their daughter married!!
Women were going through several problems including rapes and they were too intimidated by the police and thus several crimes went unpunished. When CORD started the social program the police agreed to visit CORD center once a month where the villagers could express their grievances in front of the police and CORD attorney in a friendly environment.
CORD also facilitates adult and child education. They assist women in starting the self help groups which is the base for all the cord trainings and activity. Cord trains the villagers in several areas including income generation, micro-finance, entrepreneurship etc.

8. Impact of CORD
~700 villages in 4 states impacting over half a million people directly and indirectly
National Bank for Rural Development mandated that bank managers be trained in CORD and ~ 30,000 people have been trained on self- help groups and micro financing
Almost 24,000 women in Mahila Mandals and Self Help Groups facilitating income generation and micro-credits
Nearly 10,000 beneficiaries in the Farm and Allied Sector
Almost 7,000 disabled patients treated annually
Resolved 450 social injustice legal cases

9. CORD Center in Sidhabari
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari

10. With Dr. Kshama Metre
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari

11. With CORD Workers/Volunteers
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari

12. Morning Prayers
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari

13. Farm Sector
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari

14. Kangra Painters Generating income for deaf villagers
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari
Generating income for deaf villagers
Accessibility, education, and self-employment for the differently-abled

15. Mahila Mandals – Empowering Women
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari
discuss personal and economic concerns, and actively participate in common village interests and issues; address alcoholism among men and other social injustices through informal legal counseling and victim support groups; micro-banking in village communities, etc.

16. Programs for disabled children
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari

17. Teaching Livelihood skills to women
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari
Sustainable income generation for women: vocational training in diverse activities, including agriculture, dairy, petty shops, food products, fabrics (weaving, sewing, knitting, and embroidery), traditional painting and bamboo products

18. Teaching Livelihood skills to women
Pictures from our trip to Sidhbari

19. How can we Help?

20. CORD Walk-a-thon
Help raise money to support CORD by participating in the Walk-a-thon
Raised $18,000 in 2016, $18,000 in 2014, $6,500 in 2013, $10,000 in 2012; $8,000 in 2011
Seventh Annual Walkathon
Goal - $15,000
When: On Saturday May 6, 2017 at 8:30 AM
What: Run/Walk/Jog along a scenic 2 mile trail
Where: Deer Haven Preserve, 4183 Liberty Road Delaware
Contact Sonali, Meghana, Nishant or Milind with any questions