Dharti Gramotthan Evam Sahbhagi Gramin Vikas Samiti was founded in 1996 in Morena district of Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh. Ever since its inception, Dharti is working in favour of poor, marginalised, vulnerable and deprived sections of the society in remote, ravine and dacoit-affected areas of Chambal and Bundelkhand region. With its inception in 1996 Dharti is completing 25 years of working with the marginalised and deprived classes of the society. It works at present in eight districts and 19 blocks in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh covering about 1,165 villages and habitations. These districts are Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Datia, Sheopur, Chhatarpur, Panna and Agra.

Dharti is closely working on the issues of women empowerment and tribal upliftment among Sahariya and other tribal communities in Morena, Sheopur, Chhatarpur and Panna districts of Madhya Pradesh. Over the years Dharti has been able to mobilise women and marginalised communities to get together and come up as a tribal pressure group at the village level to demand for services and rights through advocacy efforts. Community based organisations like Village Development Committees, Water User Groups, Minor Forest Produce Groups, Women Self-Help Groups, Hum Sakhi (Peer) Groups, Sathiya Adolescents Groups and Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) have significantly contributed in amplifying the voices of marginalized communities.

History

Dharti came into existence almost two decades ago. It was visualised by its founders to be an agency for socio-economic and political growth of marginalised communities. Under the guidance of eminent social activists, Dharti chose to work with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Sahariya) community of this region. Besieged by host of exploitative and disempowering situation SC and ST are living in abject poverty and deprivation. Dharti became instrumental in their mobilisation and collectivisation for effecting change.

Starting with few SC and ST villages and hamlets in Ambah and Pahadgar blocks of Morena district, the initiative spread to large geographical area covering several hundreds of SC and ST women and communities. Dharti has been strong believer of participatory community engagements. It has seen itself as a learning organisation. Programme interventions are centered on women leadership and their empowerment. Community health, nutrition, education, watershed development, water, sanitation and hygiene, gender, women SHGs are some major programmes.