Avani Kumaon

AVANI means the ‘Earth’. For the team, this word epitomizes their core values. All that they do is in the service of the earth and her people. Avani was established as the Kumaon chapter of the Barefoot College Tilonia, Rajasthan in 1996. It was registered as a separate organisation in 1999 and Avani continued the work started by SWRC (as the Barefoot College was known at that time), Kumaon. The genesis was the founders' and the team’s deep desire to change our lifestyle from urban to simple – to live and contribute to the beautiful Himalayas that we love. That paved the way for Avani and its incredible journey.

The first step for the organisation was to shift to the Himalayas from Delhi and then zero in on the area where they would like to work. “We always felt that we would work in remote areas that were underserved both by the Government and the NGOs. Work was needed in areas that had limited or no access to livelihoods and services like electricity, education, etc. This is how we came to live in a small village, Tripuradevi where we established the head office of the organization. This is a five-acre campus that serves as the hub of activities that are coordinated from five field centers. We work in 108 villages with activities that focus on livelihood generation through revival of traditional crafts, appropriate technology, and farm-based activities. The core of all activities is women’s empowerment, natural resource management, and respect for traditional knowledge,” mentioned Rashmi Bharti, Co-founder, and Director Programs, Avani Society I Founder and Chairperson, Kumaon Earthcraft Self Reliant Cooperative.