New Entity for Social Action (NESA)

NESA is a rights-based network organization consisting of  42 constituents. The network includes Non-governmental  Organizations, Community Based Organizations and other Civil  Society Organizations in South  India. We journey with over  7.5  million people located in 7200 villages in rural areas and  urban  settlements in their struggles for a life with dignity. Besides capacity building and mobilization at grass roots level, partners  of  NESA are involved in campaigns and advocacy at national and international levels advocating the  rights of the poor and the marginalized for life, livelihood and identity.

 NESA works to secure life with dignity for dalits, adivasis and other vulnerable sections including transgender communities and religious minorities. Intervention strategies comprises of mainstreaming gender, integration of child rights, credit capacity building, natural resource management and addressing issues related to  HIV and AIDS. Since December 2004 NESA has also been working for the rehabilitation of coastal communities affected by Tsunami in Tamil Nadu and Kerala .

NESA constituents  work with over 7.2 million marginalized people spread in 7,200 villages and slums in 40 districts.  Of  NESA’s 42 constituents 28 are from Tamilnadu, 12 from Karnataka and 2 from Kerala. Ten are women-headed and 14 are networks containing 200 Dalit-headed rights-based organizations.  Besides, Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation  work is done through 12 of  NESA constitutents in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala.  

NESA is a rights-based network organisation that works through individual partners, network members with an integrated sectoral approach by decentralized power and programmes towards building a just-based civil society.

Mission
NESA’s mission concerns empowering, facilitation of people’s organizations and building a people’s movement among Dalits, Adivasis, women, oppressed and marginalized communities, enabling them to assert their rights to an identity, a culture and a life with dignity.

Strategy

• Enable partners to work with and through the CBOs
• Explore ‘collaborative space’ with other institutions as long as autonomy and mutual respect of all actors is ensured
• Working with a forum of experts who will serve as an advisory panel
  Be prepared to ‘outsource’ certain aspects of the work