Sharana is a South India–based NGO founded in 2000, working towards lasting development and change with vulnerable children, women, and communities in and around Pondicherry. Rather than bringing ready-made solutions, Sharana listens to communities, understands the challenges they identify, and works alongside them to facilitate solutions that respond to their needs, and context. Through action-driven, community-centred initiatives that respect local culture and lived realities, Sharana supports communities in creating sustainable pathways for change.
Our work is built around three pillars: Children’s Integrative Development, Women’s Financial Autonomy, and Community Development. We ensure children’s access to education, provide women with interest-free loans to start or grow small businesses, and work with communities to improve access to opportunities and essential resources that strengthen livelihoods.
Sharana aims to engage with grassroots and overwhelmingly Below Poverty Line communities ensuring their socio-economic progress while respecting their culture and tradition.
We adapt our programs to meet the changing needs of the communities we serve, supporting the physical, social, and emotional well-being of every beneficiary.
- – Ensure sustained schooling and, in some cases, higher education.
– Support children’s academic growth through evening tuition classes
– Equip youth and women with digital skills to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
– Improve employment opportunities by sponsoring youth to access market-relevant skill development and vocational training.
– Provide women with interest-free loans to start or grow small businesses.
– Care for their all-round well-being via Expressive Art therapy, mentoring, guidance, and counselling.
