Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN)

PRADAN was created in 1983 by two young professionals, Deep Joshi and Vijay Mahajan, who were convinced that even the stubborn, endemic poverty of rural India can be solved. It works in the poorest regions of India to help vulnerable communities organize collectives that help people, especially women, earn a decent living and support their families. It also helps them access government programs and other entitlements as citizens. It focuses primarily on women. To achieve this, it recruits well-educated young professionals to work alongside people in the poorest villages. They come from many fields – such as management, engineering, agriculture, and the social sciences - and they are chosen as much for their empathy as for their technical expertise.