“Transforming rural lives is about making the poorer lot to thrive with vibrant opportunity, where residents experience hope, opportunity and scope for advancing their life style”
Sustainable livelihood forms the cornerstone of any society, ensuring economic stability for its people. When livelihoods falter, it leads not only to visible issues like poverty and malnutrition but also has the potential to unravel the very fabric of society, triggering complex socio-economic and political challenges. Studies show a clear link between poverty and crime, creating a destructive cycle where each exacerbates the other. Addressing poverty and establishing sustainable livelihoods is therefore urgent, aiming to mitigate its detrimental consequences.
Poverty is a global challenge, exacerbated by factors like conflict, unemployment, and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic alone pushed an additional 100 million people into poverty, disproportionately affecting fragile and conflict-affected regions where 40% of the global poor reside—a number expected to rise.
In India, over 800 million people are classified as poor, predominantly in rural areas reliant on unstable employment. This drives migration to large cities, where many end up in sprawling slums lacking basic amenities like clean water, sanitation, and electricity—conditions ripe for diseases like cholera and dysentery, particularly affecting children.
Recognizing the critical importance of sustainable livelihoods, ELFA International has implemented various programs aimed at uplifting economically marginalized groups and offering creative livelihood opportunities. These efforts span rural, semi-urban, and urban areas, tailored to the specific needs and resources available to each community. ELFA International not only initiates and implements its own programs but also acts as a catalyst and liaison between entrepreneurs and relevant agencies. We advocate for policy changes and organize awareness campaigns and training sessions for agriculturalists, artisans, and entrepreneurs.
In regions like the Union Territory (UT of J&K), ELFA International has been instrumental in launching livelihood projects such as Silai centres (Tailoring Centres) for women and capacity-building workshops for local entrepreneurs. Our initiatives extend to empowering women in aspirational districts like Kupwara and Baramulla, through projects supported by international entities like the Netherlands Embassy. Recognizing achievements in business and entrepreneurship, ELFA International hosts training and recognition events, contributing logistical and human resources support where needed.
ELFA International's comprehensive efforts in the field have earned widespread recognition for their impact on improving livelihoods across the UT, underscoring our commitment to sustainable development and social progress. Some of our main programs in the domain of livelihood are
