The action north east trust (the ant) is registered as a Public Charitable Trust, based in Chirang District of Assam, India.

 

Works at 2 levels - directly with village communities in villages of Chirang district north of Bongaigaon town and indirectly as a resource to organisations in other parts of northeast India.

 

Working directly at the village level in about 90 villages across 9 Village Council Development Committees (VCDC which is equivalent to a Gaon Panchayat) on issues of health, women’s empowerment, information, livelihoods and sensitising people to press for their entitlements from the government ; village pharmacists through women volunteers & community laboratory technicians; women’s groups; alternate income opportunities through weaving, agriculture and off farm activities; information collection & distribution in user-friendly ways.

 

It had been training village barefoot doctors and village pharmacists until 2007 but has decided to now limit its role to strengthening the government health system through community monitoring and engaging with the ASHAs or community health workers; women’s groups that not only save and revolve loans amongst themselves, but also take up social issues like violence against women; farmers resource centres that involve themselves in leading people back to organic yet scientific agriculture and animal husbandry. The weaving work of the ant has already resulted in the formation of a weavers organisation called Aagor Daagra Afad which is consistently selling garments, upholstery and desktop products at five star hotels, airport shops and since 2005 has also been selling in the US (see www.dreamsonlooms.com) and in 2007-08 managed to distribute INR 2.3 million amongst the poorest of weavers. It has also used interest-free loans to set up a Handicrafts store to display the traditional craft of the northeast region and to highlight the positive aspects of the communities here.

 

Indirectly, it plays support & training roles on various issues: community health, malaria, rational drugs; social analysis; leadership training, NGO formation & management through the Institute of Development Action that it has started since 2007.

 

It is also part of the People’s Rights Forum that attempts to play a watchdog role on food related government schemes for the poor in Assam because of the appointment of one of the founder trustees as Advisor to the Commissioners appointed by the Supreme Court in response to a Public Interest Litigation 196/2001.