DHAN Foundation undertakes a variety of impactful activities centered on communitydriven
development:
1. Water Resource Management (Vayalagam): DHAN revitalizes traditional water bodies, supporting sustainable water use through community-managed institutions, improving water security across India.
2. Community Banking (Kalanjiam): It promotes financial inclusion via self-help groups, empowering women and alleviating poverty.
3. Rainfed Farming Development: Enhancing rainfed agriculture to support farmers' livelihoods in droughtprone regions, focusing on resilient practices and crop diversity.
4. Coastal Conservation and Livelihoods: Addressing climate resilience and sustainable fisheries to safeguard coastal communities’ welfare.
5. Education and Training (The DHAN Academy): Cultivates skilled development professionals through specialized training programs that promote leadership in grassroots initiatives.
6. Healthcare and Nutrition (SUHAM): Provides accessible healthcare services to underserved areas, ensuring better health and nutritional outcomes for communities.
7. Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainability: Integrates environmental values into practices, promoting ecological balance in all interventions.
8. Social Capital Building: Strengthens community ownership and governance through people-led institutions and participatory approaches.
9. Policy Advocacy: Engages in policy dialogues on water and agricultural practices, including usufruct rights and sustainable resource management.
10. New Initiatives: Pilots themes such as Youth for Development and Migration and Development, focusing emerging societal challenges.

DHAN Foundation works on poverty eradication and sustainable development through community empowerment. To date, it has served over 49.81 lakh families, with 5.89 lakh self-declaring they have “Moved out of Poverty” (MoP) as of October 2023. DHAN’s thematic reach spans across 16 states of India, empowering women through Kalanjiam (SHG-based financial initiatives) and Vayalagam (advancing grassroot level water conservation), CALL (Coastal Conservation and Livelihoods), Rainfed Agriculture Development and Climate Change Adaptation tackle environmental challenges at grassroot level.

Adopting a river basin approach, DHAN builds people’s institutions at the grassroots level, fostering local ownership and sustainability. Across 17 river basins, DHAN has restored over 6,000 traditional waterbodies, benefiting close to 0.5 million small and marginal farmers through Vayalagam water user associations and agricultural finance groups. Mr. Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog,stated that "DHAN Foundation's water programme models need to be replicated across the state."DHAN’s water conservation model, acknowledged by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and NITI Aayog, has notably conserved 22.95 billion liters of water across 14 blocks in a year. Its financial inclusion initiatives have enabled members to save Rs. 1010 Cr., access Rs.2200 Cr. in loans, and secure over 1 crore insurance policies.With affiliations to international networks like UN-ECOSOC and the Global Water Partnership, DHAN International’s value-driven strategic focus on policy advocacy, water resource renovation, and social enterprise highlights its commitment to scaling up sustainable solutions internationally.

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Membership No. DM/INS/2008/2025-2027

Contact : Mr. Vasimalai MP, Executive Director

Address : DHAN Foundation 1A, Vaidyanathapuram East, Kennet Cross Road, Madurai 625016 Tamil Nadu

Telephone : +91 04522302500

Mobile : +91 9578855114

Email : dhantank@dhan.org

Website : https://dhan.org/