Apnalaya

Apnalaya or 'Our Space' in English, is a non-profit organization, founded in 1973. Our key goal is to empower underserved men and women to believe in themselves and in their abilities to change their lives for the better. At present, our work focuses on 31 clusters of M-East Ward of Mumbai (Shivaji Nagar, Govandi) -- one of the most backward, socially and environmentally hazardous urban areas. For ensuring sustainable development in extremely marginalized communities, we employ the highly strategic and prevention-oriented 'Integrated Community Development' approach, which seeks to attend to the interconnected aspects of urban poverty like Health, Education and Livelihood - key UN Sustainable Development Goals. These necessities of life are seldom realized in isolation and the fulfillment of one inevitably depends on the realization of others. Apnalaya’s role is that of a catalyst encouraging the community to proactively participate, own and eventually lead the process of its transformation.