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In search of a better world – making a difference…

In remote villages in South-East Gujarat, most tribal families struggle to lead decent, dignified lives. Complex political and economic forces, coupled with limited access to productive resources, have threatened their rights to their land and other natural resources. They also have limited access to health care and quality education. ARCH is dedicated to improving the lives of the tribal population through grassroots action and community-level research in health, education, rights, and economic development.

We began by setting up a dispensary in a village, Mangrol, on the banks of the Narmada River, and organising tribal households in the villages of Rajpipla, Naswadi and Chhotaudepur tehsils respectively in Narmada and Vadodara districts threatened by the imminent submergence under the Sardar Sarovar Project being built on the Narmada River. Our early activism led to just resettlement policies and gave roots to our present community organising and mass action efforts for tribal land rights in the neighbouring Dediapada tehsil. We also moved further South to Dharampur in Valsad district in 2000, with our health and education activities.

ARCH was never conceived as a pure charity organisation. Behind our extensive services for poor tribals, we have always envisioned ARCH as an actor in a process of social change. Change is always incremental and happens over time. At the time of our conception in the early 1980s, the idea of “social change” often meant total and sweeping transformation of the social order, violent if necessary, was predominant. We rejected the powerful notion that the liberation of the poor can occur only through a revolutionary overhaul of the social order. We embraced the notion that peaceful, democratic social action was the way to move forward in search of a better world and our goal of making a difference. We deeply believe in the Gandhian values of Truth and Non-violence.

Our constructive activities to better the lives of poor people in rural Gujarat have flourished into a tangible piece of social change, but we never lose sight of our final goal – the well-being of individuals. A non-compromising individualism is at the core of action. For us, human beings are a measure of all things.

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Last updated on 14 Nov 2025, 10:04 AM