The nonprofit sector of our country serves as the infrastructure for corporate social responsibility. NGOs, or non-governmental organisations, are important players in this area, putting CSR strategies into practice and carrying out a variety of humanitarian programmes. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ (MCA) CSR regulations give specific weight to an NGO’s position as a partner in corporate citizenship implementation.
Top 10 NGOs in India
Following is the updated list of the top 10 NGOs that performed phenomenally well in 2022.
1. Smile Foundation
In 2002, the Smile Foundation was established in Delhi to support disadvantaged children’s education. This foundation assists over 15 lakh children and their families each year. In 25 Indian states and over 2,000 rural villages, they have established humanitarian initiatives focused on healthcare, women’s empowerment, and education. A group of young business workers founded this charity in an effort to make their life brighter, happier, and more pleasant. Some of their programs are Smile on Wheels, Mission Education and Smile Twin e-learning.
2. CRY
Child Rights and You (CRY), regarded as the most reliable NGO in India, works hard to give India’s underprivileged children better and healthier childhoods. By collaborating with parents, teachers, Anganwadi workers, communities, district and state-level governments, and the kids themselves, CRY addresses the vital needs of children in the areas of healthcare, nutrition, education, and protection from child labour and child marriage. Over 3 million children in 19 Indian states have benefited from CRY’s work over the past 42 years.
3. Nanhi Kali
The Nanhi Kali Project seeks to improve India by emphasising the education of women and girls. The Naandi Foundation and the KC Mahindra Education Trust share management of it. Both monetary and academic help is provided to the Nanhi Kali project students. In addition to instruction in math, science, and language, this gives pupils access to school supplies like textbooks, uniforms, and shoes. Funding for this nonprofit organisation comes from both private contributors and businesses. With the help of the Nanhi Kali project, the Mahindra group educates 22,000 young girls.
4. HelpAge India
HelpAge India was established in New Delhi in 1978. This organisation mostly focuses on elderly care and assists them in raising their standard of living. The goal of HelpAge India is to stop elder abuse, give pensions to seniors, and manage their health care.
They perform all responsibilities that they can to help the elderly who are in need and work to give them a respectable and healthy life that makes them happier and enables them to live happily ever after without feeling guilty or unsatisfied. Elders who feel rejected by their families and the community they have been a part of for years might benefit greatly from the words and deeds of HelpAge India.
5. Goonj
This multi-award-winning NGO, with its headquarters in Delhi, gives the impoverished dignity by utilising local resources and conventional wisdom. Anshu Gupta, the company’s founder, is a Magsaysay Award winner and one of Forbes’ most significant rural entrepreneurs. Goonj has been established for more than 20 years and, under his direction, has inspired widespread civic engagement in matters like rural infrastructure, water scarcity, education, and disaster assistance.
The fact that everyone is treated equally as a stakeholder is the secret to its success. Numerous long-running initiatives are run by Goonj, including the rural development programme Dignity for Work (formerly Cloth for Work), the disaster relief and recovery effort Rahat, the educational programme School to School, and the menstrual hygiene initiative Not Just A Piece Of Cloth.
6. Care India
CARE India has been working in India for 68 years and is a non-profit organisation focusing on reducing poverty and social injustice. Its overall goal is to empower women and girls from poor and marginalised communities and improve their lives and livelihoods. The NGO works towards achieving this objective through well-planned and comprehensive health, education, livelihood, disaster relief, and response projects. Care India reached 31.5 million people directly through 43 projects in 14 states, covering more than 90 districts.
7. Pratham
This is one of the largest NGOs in India and focuses on quality education through innovative learning. Pratham was founded back in 1995 yet continues to find new ways to ensure that children learn and stay strong. What started off as an education initiative for kids from a slum in Mumbai, Pratham has scaled up its reach and strength. It works directly with children and young people in 22 states and union territories of India.
The NGO’s TaRL approach (Teaching at the Right Level) was so impactful on learning outcomes of school kids here that it is being adapted for schools in other countries.
8. SaveLIFE Foundation
SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) is an independent, non-profit, NGO focused on improving road safety and emergency medical care across India. Founded in 2008, the foundation combines evidence-based research with policy advocacy, communication, and on-ground execution of projects in the two areas of crash prevention as well as post-crash response.
Over the past few years, SLF has facilitated the enactment of the Good Samaritan Law in India, which insulates lay rescuers of injured victims from ensuing legal and procedural hassles, adopted the Mumbai Pune Expressway- to transform it into a zero-fatality corridor, trained several thousand of Police personnel and citizens in basic life-saving techniques, and built technology platforms to assist road uses and those interested in road safety.
9. Salaam Baalak Trust
Salaam Baalak Trust was born in 1989 with a portion of the proceeds from the film ‘Salaam Bombay!’ directed by Mira Nair. The Trust began its work with an aim to give street children more choices in life. In the last 27 years, Salaam Baalak Trust in Mumbai has helped thousands of children come off the streets and into a safe and nurturing environment. Today they provide an integrated safety net of services catering to the individual needs of street children in Mumbai.
The NGO has three Day Care Centres in Mumbai (Chowpatty, Andheri and Kalyan) and a Balwadi at the Chowpaty centre. There is also a Careers Project that gives direct training and subsequent employment opportunities to street kids in partnership with CSR and other NGOs.
10. Oxfam India
Oxfam India is a movement of people working to end discrimination and create a free and just society. The organisation works to ensure that Adivasis, Dalits, Muslims, and women and girls have safe-violence-free lives with freedom to speak their minds, equal opportunities to realise their rights, and a discrimination-free future.
The NGO conducts research to find lasting solutions to end rising inequalities and exclusion of marginalised communities from getting decent jobs, quality free education and healthcare. It campaigns with the public to demand policy changes from governments to create a just and inclusive country as envisioned in the Indian Constitution. It also mobilises support to save, protect and rebuild the lives of the poorest of poor affected by crisis and humanitarian disasters.
