Genesis

Sustainable Development
Life in rural southern Rajasthan in the 1980s’ was characterized by subsistence farming, labor migration, and little to no access to government and private healthcare or education facilities.

A Call to Action
Twenty one years ago, two enthusiastic young men came together out of concern for rural communities and their lack of educational opportunities in their native area of southern Rajasthan. The organization they founded — Mahan Seva Sansthan (MSS) — has since grown into one of the most trusted NGOs in the community in which they work. Both Mr Rajendra Gamath and Mr Lalit Prakash Joshi, the founders, continue to spear head the organization, which they officially registered in 1991 under the Rajasthan Societies Registration Act of 1958.

Two Decades of Expansion
Since its founding in 1989, MSS has expanded its scope of assistance to rural communities from education to include natural resource management, livelihood development, healthcare, and women’s rights and self governance. Thanks to its success with these programs in the village where it was established, Kolyari, MSS has been able to expand the geographic area in which it works. Today the organization operates in 140 villages of 32 Gram Panchayats, reaching roughly 12,000 families.

Working for the Future

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the MSS team and the support of our funding partners, MSS has helped better the lives of thousands of men, women and children. While we are proud of our many accomplishments, MSS recognizes that there is still a great deal of work to be done. We are committed to a gender sensitive and value driven sustainable development approach, which will continue to propel our region of southern Rajasthan into the 21st century.