About Us
Our Story
More Than Four Decades of Community-Led Rural Development
NASA was established in 1980 to work with communities that had historically experienced social and economic exclusion. Its early work focused primarily on Dalit communities and later expanded to include Adivasi communities and other vulnerable rural populations.
The Early Years
NASA received renewed direction in 1985 through the vision and persistent efforts of Christopher Premdas. The early work focused on the economic empowerment of Dalit communities in 10 villages. From 1991, the organization expanded its integrated rural-development activities into an additional 12 villages.
Why This Work Matters
Dalit and Adivasi communities have historically faced barriers to land ownership, livelihoods, education, healthcare, essential infrastructure, and public resources. NASA's approach has been to work alongside communities through awareness, capacity building, local leadership development, practical support, and constructive engagement with public institutions.
NASA's programs have expanded over time, but its commitment to dignity, equality, and opportunity for historically marginalized communities remains central to its identity.
A Rights-Based Development Model
NASA's rural-development approach has evolved around the principle that sustainable change requires more than short-term assistance. Communities need awareness, confidence, local leadership, access to resources, and the ability to engage constructively with relevant institutions.
This rights-based rural-development approach helps Dalit and Adivasi communities and other vulnerable rural populations better understand available protections, access eligible government entitlements, strengthen local institutions, and pursue lawful pathways for addressing practical needs.
Development is stronger when communities understand their rights, build local leadership, and sustain their own institutions.
An Integrated Approach
By 1996, NASA adopted an area-based, issue-oriented approach. This allowed the organization to respond to interconnected challenges affecting rural communities, including access to land, education, healthcare, livelihoods, clean water, community assets, and public services.
Rather than addressing each issue in isolation, NASA worked with communities to strengthen awareness, build local leadership, and improve access to practical resources.
From Programs to Community Ownership
A distinctive feature of NASA's work is its emphasis on community ownership. NASA does not seek to permanently manage every initiative that emerges from its programs. Instead, it helps communities develop the confidence, knowledge, and organizational capacity to sustain their own institutions.
Dalit Pragati Ikya Sangham — DPIS — is a beneficiary-led community organization that emerged from NASA's rights-based rural-development work. It supports local leadership, legal literacy, rights awareness, access to eligible government entitlements, and constructive engagement through lawful channels.
DPIS is managed by its members. NASA does not direct or control its activities.
Lasting development is not only measured by the services delivered today. It is also measured by the community institutions that continue tomorrow.
Our Work Today
Today, NASA continues to work across child development, healthcare, HIV/AIDS-related support, assistance for leprosy-affected families, women's livelihoods, skill development, sustainable agriculture, clean water, community support, legal literacy, and access to government entitlements.
Our Journey
1980
Nazareth Association for Social Awareness was established.
1985
NASA received renewed direction through the vision and persistent efforts of Christopher Premdas.
1991
Integrated rural-development activities expanded into additional villages.
1996
NASA adopted an area-based, issue-oriented approach.
Over the following decades
Programs expanded across education, healthcare, livelihoods, land-based development, clean water, community assets, leadership development, and access to essential services.
Today
NASA continues to strengthen rural communities through practical support and long-term local ownership.