Our Work in India
Lutheran World Relief has been working in India since the 1950s, and today operates in three of India’s poorest states, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkland, where farming is a primary means of income for families. Our programs in agriculture and food security, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and emergency response break the cycle of poverty for rural, marginalized populations, including tribals, women and Dalits.
Agriculture: Food security
Lutheran World Relief is an internationally-recognized leader in transforming poor rural economies. In India, our experienced staff and partners develop and implement programs that create linkages along value chains that benefi t smallholder farming families. We work alongside communities to help farmers replace decades-old farming methods with climatesmart sustainable solutions so they can grow nutritious food — such as vegetables and pulses — and improve yields and quality to ultimately generate higher income.
Climate change adaptation & disaster risk reduction
India is vulnerable to frequent natural disasters, including flash foods, landslides and earthquakes. And poor, rural communities have few resources to prepare for or mitigate the effects of these hazards and even fewer resources to recover. To reduce the impact of these hazards, Lutheran World Relief helps communities develop disaster risk management plans and form village-level Disaster Management Committees. We also partner with local universities to provide fl ood-tolerant rice and wheat seed varieties to farmers, which can survive up to 14 days submerged in water. Additionally, we are helping farmers purchase insurance to fi nancially protect their families and livelihoods in case of a disaster.
Emergency operations
In the aftermath of a disaster, Lutheran World Relief provides immediate aid — like food, water, household essentials, shelter construction materials and support for livelihood recovery. We are committed to international standards of quality and accountability in emergency operations and believe strongly that those affected by disasters have a right to life with dignity, the right to receive humanitarian assistance, and the right to protection and security, in line with the Humanitarian Charter. Therefore, Lutheran World Relief provides appropriate and effective services to the communities we serve and is accountable to these populations, as well as donors funding our work. In India, Lutheran World Relief and our partners responded to families affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2008 and 2017 Bihar fl oods.
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