Founded in 1995, Atmashakti is a right-based catalyst organization that coalesces marginalized communities for socio-economic and political empowerment. It incubates people's collectives, handholds them until they are mature, and acts as a mentor and facilitator for local people's collectives and their federations at the state and national levels. Atmashakti currently serves over one million families and plans to reach eight million families by expanding its work in these states to cover 10% of rural low-income families in India.
Atmashakti is committed to eradicating malnutrition in remote parts of Odisha, an eastern state with a significant indigenous population. With over 500 malnutrition-free villages (MFVs) established since 2013, the focus has been on infrastructure, services, and cultural practices. Villagers actively engage with government programs to improve their communities, including better school facilities and healthcare and addressing cultural practices contributing to malnutrition. After eight years of successful implementation, Atmashakti aims to create a national consortium, expand into five other states with similar challenges, and advocate for policy changes based on evidence from these villages.
The other five states face similar malnutrition challenges, with more than 40% of children affected. Using malnutrition as a common issue, we can unite stakeholders for synchronized action and pressure the government to address this pressing problem. Stakeholders for this work include Grassroot Action Groups, Intellectuals, Academics, Political Representatives, Media, Mothers, and Grassroot Leaders.
We would like a Fels capstone student to develop a strategic plan for this new National Consortium consisting of diverse stakeholders addressing malnutrition. The plan must outline clear governance structure and shared objectives for coordinated action.
Benefits to a Capstone Student: This project offers students a unique opportunity to develop essential skills in the development sector, including:
- Strategic Planning: Students will learn how to develop strategies for scaling up initiatives, a crucial skill in the development field.
- Networking: Building a nationwide consortium requires students to learn how to create and manage networks of like-minded organisations, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
- Negotiation and Advocacy: Students will gain experience in negotiation and advocacy, which are essential for influencing policy changes at the national level
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Using evidence from successful MFVs, students will understand the importance of data in shaping policies and programs.
- Cross-Cultural Competence: Engaging with indigenous communities in different states will enhance students' cross-cultural communication skills.
- Policy Analysis: Students will gain insights into policy analysis and its impact on community development.
In summary, this project equips students with a diverse skill set, allowing them to play a vital role in scaling operations, building networks, advocating for policy changes, and contributing to the mission of making villages malnutrition-free across multiple states.
We are willing to be flexible on deliverables. Although we would like the student to develop a strategic plan for a National Consortium consisting of diverse stakeholders addressing malnutrition, a student can also provide (depending on interest):
- An advocacy plan for evidence based policy changes to combat malnutrition in North Indian states
- A policy advocacy toolkit
- A cross cultural training program for collaborative action for a common cause of combating malnutrition
Atmashakti aims to have a National consortium of diverse stakeholders to combat malnutrition by 2025.
