Action Research in Community Health and Development (ARCH, also known as ARCH-Vahini) has worked in Gujarat's tribal areas for 44 years, focusing on health, education, tribal land and forest rights, and overall development.

Health Programs in Mangrol and Dharampur

Mangrol Centre (Started 1981):
Began as a small primary health care dispensary in Mangrol village (Rajpipla), serving surrounding areas through trained local health workers supervised by a doctor. Now delivers affordable, rational care for all ailments—including TB, malaria, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease—to thousands of tribal patients from Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. Serves ~25,000 patients annually, mostly at the dispensary. Dr. Anil Patel has built deep expertise in TB eradication among the remote tribal poor. Rising lifestyle diseases have elevated the program's scope. Read More

Dharampur Centre (Started 1997):
Extends primary care to Dharampur and Kaparada talukas (Valsad district), with 16,000–18,000 annual patients, mostly tribals. Over four decades, ARCH has gained insights into tribal health beliefs and care-seeking behaviour, creating innovative rural models. Key initiatives:
  o  Mother-and-child health program (via trained health workers and traditional birth attendants) for ~15 years.
  o  Focused diabetes and hypertension program (dispensary + community outreach) since 2021.
  o  Dental services: Dispensary + mobile units for interior villages including schools.
  o  Infertility clinic (since 2017): 800–900 new couples annually; counselling on reproduction yields strong results.
  o  Training for other agencies; health education via 25+ simple Gujarati booklets (using local terms), widely distributed and adopted across Gujarat (some translated elsewhere).
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Education Program in Dharampur
ARCH develops innovative models, books, and teaching aids for primary language instruction and secondary math/science. These are highly popular among urban and rural teachers. Focus: Teacher capacity building for long-term sustainability. Read More

Tribal Land and Forest Rights

• Dediapada Taluka (Started 1988):
Addressed Forest Department evictions via PILs in Gujarat High Court, securing stay orders.Enabled soil erosion control (farm bunds), forest protection, and modern farming (improved seeds/fertilisers).

• Forest Rights Act 2006:
ARCH joined national campaigns leading to this law, recognising individual forest land rights and community rights over resources, minor forest produce, and sustainable management. Read More

• Implementation Focus:
Trained Forest Rights Committees in GPS surveying and satellite imagery to prove pre-2005 cultivation. Results in Gujarat:
o 50,000 families received joint spousal titles for individual lands.
o 200 Gram Sabhas in Narmada district gained community forest resource rights.
o In close-partner Dediapada villages: 96%+ families titled; all Gram Sabhas CFR/ CFRR titled. Transformation: Self-reliant farming (land leveling, bore wells, solar pumps, horticulture); 2–3 crops/year (vs. one); higher incomes; Gram Sabha empowerment, active forest protection (fire prevention, anti-poaching plans, regeneration), management and governance. Read More