Creating Resilient Community in Disaster Prone Geographies: Should AAGAAS Turn For-profit or Remain Not-for-profit?

Creating Resilient Community in Disaster Prone Geographies: Should AAGAAS Turn For-profit or Remain Not-for-profit?
Case Code: SUST019
Case Length: 20 Pages
Period: 2002-2014
Pub Date: 2015
Teaching Note: Not Available
Price: Rs.400
Organization: Alaknanda Ghaati Shilpi Federation (AAGAAS)
Industry: Non-Profit
Countries: India
Themes: Sustainable Livelihoods for Disaster Resilience
Creating Resilient Community in Disaster Prone Geographies: Should AAGAAS Turn For-profit or Remain Not-for-profit?
Abstract Case Intro 1 Case Intro 2 Excerpts

Excerpts

About AAGAAS

AAGAAS was founded in the year 2002 by Jagadamba Prasad Maithani as a voluntary non-profit organization in the small town of Pipalkoti. Pipalkoti, located in Chamoli district, is 262 km away from the state capital of Dehradun. Pipalkoti has seen very little economic and industrial development because of its geographic remoteness, difficult terrain, and sparse population. AAGAAS started with the idea of promoting community-based tourism, bio-diversity conservation, and promotion of lesser and unknown trekking routes around Pipalkoti town and adjacent areas.

The locals were keen to develop and enhance their skills, knowledge, and capacities in conservation of the local environment. The objective was to create local institutions that would focus on the inclusive sustainable growth of the poor tribals and weaker sections of society through livelihood promotion. In the last 10 years, AAGAAS had initiated and completed a number of projects...

The Cause

From June 14 to 17, 2013, the Indian state of Uttarakhand and adjoining areas received torrential rainfall of over 200mm within a short span of 24 hours. Over the next couple of days, the rainfall continued but with less intensity over the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins. This caused the Chorabari Glacier at a height of 3800 metres to melt and to the Mandakini River bursting its banks...

Relief Efforts of AAGAAS

In the aftermath of the Uttarakhand floods, AAGAAS worked with three NGOs namely Samoolam, Karm Marg, and Kadam to help the local survivors by building a phase-wise rehabilitation plan. The project "Help Uttarakhand" was especially focused on helping the villagers of Chamoli district to get their lives back to normal...

AAGAAS and People for Animals (PFA) - Dehradun

AAGAAS also worked closely with People for Animals, Dehradun (PFA) and Help Animals India to help rescue horses, donkeys, and mules that had been left stranded on the banks of the Alaknanda River....

Existing Initiatives of AAGAAS Towards Creating Sustainable Livelihoods

Maithani was able to quickly scale the relief work during the 2013 disaster because of his existing networks developed during last two decades of sustainable livelihood projects for his community. Some of the main initiatives are related to bio tourism and local craft promotion....

Establishment of Bio-Tourism Park (BTP)

In 2004, AAGAAS along with the Society for Community Involvement in Development (SFCID) set up a bio-tourism park at Pipalkoti...

Local Craft Promotion

The district of Chamoli was home to the Rudia community. The Rudia community was known for its craftsmanship in making household items from locally available hill bamboo popularly known as ringal (Drepanostachyum falcatum)...

Challenges

Maithani was deeply concerned about the sustainability of his organization. AAGAAS was heavily dependent on the grants received from funding agencies like the Uttarakhand Bamboo Forest Development Board (UBFDB), Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), Himmothan Society, Earth Charter International, National Institute of Animal Welfare, and Department of Animal Health....

Exhibits

Exhibit I: Location of Flood Hit Area in Uttrakhand
Exhibit II: Aerial View of Lambagarh
Exhibit III: The Badrinath National Highway washed away with recent flood in Chamoli
Exhibit IV: Govind Ghat
Exhibit V:
Exhibit VI: Villages being covered under " Help Uttarakhand"
Exhibit VII:
Exhibit VIII
Exhibit IX
Exhibit X
Exhibit XI
Exhibit XII
Exhibit XIII: Details of Aagaas Fiber Users Group List 2010
Exhibit XIV: Convergence of fund from MGNREGA (2011-12)
Exhibit XV: Convergence of Funds from Other Sources in 2011-12
Exhibit XVI: Major Disasters in Uttarakhand Region over Last 200 Years
Exhibit XVII: Major Earthquakes in Uttarakhand Region

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