Mumbai, December 16, 2025: Swades Foundation has announced the expansion of its rural development programmes to new geographies in Maharashtra, extending its community-driven model to Jawhar and Mokhada in Palghar district, Shahapur in Thane district, Akkalkuwa in Nandurbar district, and additional blocks in Nashik district. With this expansion, the Foundation will operate across five districts and 17 blocks, covering an estimated 2.33 lakh rural households and nearly 1.2 million people.
Previously active in Raigad and Nashik, Swades Foundation has now initiated baseline surveys in the newly added regions to design need-based and measurable interventions. The Foundation has been formally welcomed by the respective Zilla Parishads, marking the beginning of its engagement in these areas. The expansion strengthens Swades Foundation’s efforts to drive large-scale rural transformation through a scalable, community-led approach.
Swades Foundation works with the objective of lifting one million rural Indians out of poverty every five years. To date, the organisation has reached 1.1 million people and impacted around 600,000 lives through more than 1.3 million interventions spanning water and sanitation, health, education, and economic development. Its livelihood initiatives have also contributed approximately Rs 1.26 billion to the national GDP, supported by a network of over 11,600 community volunteers.
Zarina and Ronnie Screwvala, Co-Founders, Swades Foundation, said, “The impact of our community-driven, holistic model - one that alleviates both material & mental poverty, builds aspiration, and strengthens community resilience - has been profound. It has shown us what becomes possible when people begin to believe in themselves. With steady backing from the Government of Maharashtra, generosity of our donors and of course the drive of our communities, we now have the conviction to scale our work, expanding to 17 blocks across 5 districts. It will help us reach some of the poorest and most underserved communities, including large tribal populations. In line with our 1,000 Dream Village LOI with the Government of Maharashtra, we now look forward to creating Dream Villages in Thane, Palghar, and Nandurbar, along with our continued work in Raigad and Nashik.”
Vijay Suryawanshi, Divisional Commissioner of Konkan Division, said, “I welcome Swades Foundation to Palghar and Thane. The foundation has done remarkable work in Raigad and Nashik through their Dream Village model, which has evolved beautifully over the years. These villages have shown impressive progress, with the community always at the heart of the effort. I look forward to seeing villages in other districts flourish under the foundation’s guidance and, of course, through the collective strength and leadership of the communities who will drive the change on the ground.”
With this expansion, Swades Foundation deepens its grassroots presence in Maharashtra, aiming to extend its integrated development model to underserved and tribal communities while working in alignment with state-level development priorities.
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