Maldhari Rural Action Group

About MARAG

Maldhari Rural Action Group (MARAG) is a grassroots organization working since 1994 for the education, organization and empowerment of the communities who rely on Common Property Resources. These communities include Pastoralists, Dalits, Tribals, youth, women, children and other marginalized groups.

MARAG focuses predominantly on promoting and utilizing the knowledge of rural people who possess a great understanding and innate knowledge of their unique ecosystems. Since inception MARAG has worked with people from marginalized communities, who within the complex socio-political climate, are vulnerable to exploitation.

Besides implementing directly, MARAG acts as a facilitator for networks and alliances that work for pastoralists and marginalised groups on issues related to education, women empowerment, youth engagement, traditional livelihoods promotion, land and commons at national and global level.

MARAG was established at the time when pastoralists were not recognized as development actors and there was no other organization working exclusively with them. Those initial steps today have shaped into a movement of the pastoralists in Gujarat and outside. At present MARAG has a presence from grassroots with a growing presence at national level, national and global level.

Vision

To form a healthy, self-reliant, educated, self-governed society through empowerment of the marginalized communities and collective ownership over natural resources. To create socio-economic, political and cultural opportunities for members of the marginalized communities, especially women, youth and children.

Mission

Our Mission is "to create a Swasthaya (Healthy), Swavlambi (Self dependent), Sushikshit (Educated), Sahbhagi (Participatory), Samnyayi (Equal justice), Swabhimani (Dignified), Samaan (Equal) Society.”

PROGRAMME

LIVELIHOOD

The program aims to improve the lives of pastoralist women and their communities by giving access to use, manage and regenerate the commons land.

Education

The aim of the project is to safeguard the rights of children which include eliminating child labor, ensuring access to education for every child, addressing child marriage and malnutrition, preventing child trafficking,

Health

Indigenous women with HIV face disparities in healthcare access and are more vulnerable to gender-based violence and rights violations.

Founder Message

founder image

Neeta Pandya

Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of Gram Swaraj meant a self-dependent, self-governed and an educated society. MARAG was formed to fulfill this dream. Taking a step forward, MARAG also dreamt that the marginalized are in the decision making to get access and control over common property resources.

In our country, 20 per cent people own 80 per cent resources. This means that 80 per cent of people depend on remaining 20 percent resources. This great inequity leads to undesirable problems and social unrest. Until a vast majority of society are marginalized and its victims, world peace cannot be attained. We believe that a civil society organization's commitment is to promote equity and peace. To achieve this dram, MARAG worked at various levels with the marginalized, children and women. In particular, MARAG focused on the pastoralist community among the marginalized.

The lives of pastoralists is linked to water, land, forest and livestock. Their traditional way of life demonstrates a sustainable living which has become very important in today’s context. On the contrary, this community is pushed out from the mainstream. The commons are grabbed in the name of development. MARAG dream’s to provide a platform so that pastoralists can raise their voice and secure their rights.

MARAG also envisions that women, indigenous peoples, laborers, pastoralists are equally involved in the social change process. Effective policy can result in positive results for our communities. MARAG successfully raised the grassroots issues at the global policy level by creating pressure groups. MARAG was able to take the voice of the marginalized in the global policies for Food, Land, livestock and indigenous peoples. In this process MARAG was also targeted by the government for being anti-national.

Nevertheless MARAG is committed to continue to fight for social equity. MARAG believes in the power of the community and their unity.  We hope that in coming future marginalized will successfully fight for the equitable distribution of common property resources; and through nonviolence and truth we will achieve Swaraj.