CINI is an Indian non-government organisation (NGO), regarded as one of the most influential institutions working for poor children in India. Over the past four decades, they have been partnering with central and state government, national and international donors, non-government organisations and local communities to strengthen the capacity of deprived children and women to improve their health, nutrition, education and protection conditions.
Distilling international and national experience, they seek to learn from the poor to improve their interventions in under-serviced rural and urban areas. They aim at strengthening local governance processes that give marginalised and poor communities a voice and influence national policy. They adopt a human rights-based approach in their programmes, fostering partnerships for local development among community actors, service providers and elected representatives.
CINI is a registered non-profit non-government organisation (NGO) registered under the Societies Registration Act in India. They work with over 1900 Indian professionals. They are guided by a Governing Body composed of experienced Indian practitioners, academics and administrators. Founded in 1974 by a pediatrician, Dr. Samir Chaudhuri, CINI is located in Kolkata (former Calcutta), West Bengal, India and runs operations in the states of West Bengal, and Jharkhand, assisting about 5 million people. They have been recipient of prestigious awards and recognitions in India and around the world.
What they do :
CINI’s overarching aim is to enable poor people, women and children to take control of their lives and have a share in sustainable development. They are active in deprived communities, both in villages and low-income urban settlements. They seek to break the vicious cycle of poverty, malnutrition, ill-health, illiteracy, abuse and violence, affecting in particular children and women. Their initial focus on health and nutrition has grown further in the areas of education and child protection. Their method is to converge sectoral interventions at the level of the family and the community. They adopt a human rights-based approach in strengthening local governance actors, such as rural Panchayat Institutions and Urban Local Bodies, service providers, such a health personnel and teachers, and adult and child community representatives, to use available resources and identify local solutions. Their programmes span project development and implementation, evaluation, network building, training and capacity development, to serve marginalised communities and contribute to government policy and programmes.
Who they work with :
CINI sees its role as a facilitator in fostering partnerships between people and government. They seek to achieve development and social justice by fostering alliances among key governance actors to increase access to quality basic services, fulfill fundamental rights and involve voiceless communities in decision-making processes. Building partnerships is core to their way of working with women and children. They partner with Government of India and state governments, UN and bilateral organisations, international and national donors, grassroots organisations and networks. In particular, they collaborate with community-based organisations, women’s self-help groups, local elected representatives, service providers, children and youth groups.
They seek to adapt international and national experience and knowledge to improve the capacity of local stakeholders. They learn from the poor and strive to improve their condition. They have fostered the formation of civil society networks and alliances in India and rely on a network of international support groups active in Australia, Holland, Italy, Uganda, UK and USA.
