Action Village India

Who we are

Action Village India (AVI) is a small UK based organisation that since 1989, has been supporting Indian partner organisations who work alongside villagers in some of the most remote parts of rural India so they can improve their lives, livelihoods and resilience. We work towards an India which is just, fair and inclusive, where all people regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, caste, religion can benefit from the country’s economic development and lift themselves out of poverty.

At the heart of our work, are our partnerships; many of which have spanned decades. Our partner organisations are led by Indians and whether these are large or small organisations, or social movements, all work directly at the grassroots level across rural India – from Bihar and Jharkhand in the North, in Odisha and down to Tamil Nadu in the South. The communities they work with, are some of the poorest in India. They are experts in their fields and work hand in hand with local people to design and inform projects to best serve their local communities and secure rights and social justice for women, men and children.

We accompany our partners for the long term, solidarity with our partners and their communities is at the core of how we work. This means we have developed relationships over the years, based on mutual respect, reciprocity and transparency. We are not governed by donor funding cycles and agendas but are led by our partners and the needs they identify and are committed to shared learning and collaboration. We keep our UK costs to a minimum with core staff and rely on an active and engaged set of Trustees, volunteers and supporters.Both staff and Trustees of Action Village India have relationships with staff from our partner organisations, created through ongoing dialogue, partner and community visits and participation in learning forums.