SEARCH

SEARCH (Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty)

SEARCH is a rural development NGO based in Andhra Pradesh, formerly registered as Resources Innovative Development Society (RIDS) in 1995. It was renamed SEARCH in 2006 under the tagline "Empowering Communities." Over its 27 year history, the organization has focused on empowering vulnerable communities through participatory, community centred development programmes, with a strong emphasis on sustainable institution building and women's empowerment. It works with the poor and disadvantaged in Andhra Pradesh, having been recognised by NABARD and the Guntur District Administration, and awarded GuideStar India Platinum status in 2016 for transparency and accountability.

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Head Quaters: Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India

Major Areas of Work

• Natural Resource Management: Running drought proofing initiatives, watershed development, and institutional capacity building for sustainable water and land use.
• Health, Sanitation and WASH: Building community led total sanitation programmes and improving rural access to safe water and hygiene. Institutional Development, Farmer Producer Organizations: Strengthening Community Based Organizations and Farmer Producer Organizations for long term rural institution building.
• Rural Development: Supporting broader livelihoods and community development work across program districts.
• Skill Development: Building livelihood and enterprise skills, including support for fisherfolk communities.
• Education and Child Development: Improving infrastructure and access for Anganwadi centres and rural schools.

Major Initiatives and Programs

• Drought Proofing Technologies and Water User Group Project, addressing water scarcity through watershed activities in Prakasam district
• Borewell Recharge and Plantations, supporting groundwater recharge and afforestation
• Community Owned Rural Solid and Liquid Waste Management, building rural sanitation systems
• Promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations, strengthening rural institutional and market linkages
• Health Camps for Humans and Milch Animals, delivering combined human and livestock health services
• Improving Infrastructure for Anganwadi Schools, supporting early education access
• Ornamental Fish Breeding and Aquarium Resource Center, a livelihood initiative in Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh
• Long term projects funded by the European Union, CASA, Red Cross, IFAD, and the World Bank

Impact SEARCH's work currently spans 738 or more villages across 127 mandals in 2 states, reaching 19,50,000 beneficiaries and 4,35,000 households across 5 districts of Andhra Pradesh, namely Krishna, SPS Nellore, Prakasam, Chittoor, and Guntur. The organization has been recognised by NABARD and the Guntur District Administration for its community development work, and received GuideStar India's Platinum certification for transparency and accountability in 2016.

Leadership

• Hanuma Prasad, President
• C. Pardha Saradhi, Secretary
• G. Dhanamjaya Rao, Project Lead, Natural Resource Management
• B. Sudhakar, Project Lead, Institution Development and Farmer Producer Organizations

Partners NABARD, Guntur District Administration, European Union, CASA, Red Cross, IFAD, World Bank, ITC Limited, GuideStar India

SEARCH offers the chance to work with a well established, 27 year old grassroots organization with a strong institutional track record and recognised transparency standards. Staff get exposure to a genuinely broad range of rural development work, from watershed management and sanitation to farmer institution building and disaster risk reduction, backed by long standing funding relationships with international agencies like the EU, IFAD, and the World Bank.