Top 10 NGOs in India

An independent group or organization is called a Non-governmental organization or in simple terms NGOs. They are called independent group because their operations do not function under any government oversight. The individuals who wish to make a change in the society can become an integral part of the NGO.

NGOs are not technically registered for the benefit of a group of individuals founded on the ideals of equality, generosity, and volunteer labor to promote NGO "human development (including environment and biodiversity) and country building." NGO is gaining popularity worldwide and is known to secure the society.

This group seeks government funding, although it is at least guided by its ideals and goals. In general, any individual can become a member of an NGO as mentioned earlier. If the person wants to discontinue working in NGO then he or she can leave the organization whenever they wish. There are no boundaries.

The NGO has been included in the government's five-year plans over the years. The government is now introducing programs like the 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' and is spending millions of dollars to the budget. To create awareness about education all these measures are taken. Poverty and illiteracy are two major problems in our country. These two are the major reasons for all other problems the country faces.

As NGOs can form bonds with volunteers and linked institutions, it helps in the implementation and execution of many different government projects. They have played a vital role in helping people realize the need for education. They have also created awareness among people and helped them realize the dangers of societal problems such as child marriage and infanticide. Night schools, where children and working people may learn, have grown prevalent in rural regions. In recent years, crime against women has increased tremendously. These crimes are in the form of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. These heinous actions leave permanent scars on the young minds as well as on their families. Young girls and women face difficulties to overcome. Eventually, they tend to lose their self-esteem and hope of living.

Now, after all these heinous activities, NGOs come into action. They take care of them and help them regain their lost self-esteem. They work on making them self-sufficient. Also, NGOs are conducting legal battles on behalf of the victim. In addition to assisting women, NGOs have also played a vital role in training farmers. New technologies are introduced to the farmers. Farmers in certain areas in India continue to utilize antiquated farming practices, and there is little information available concerning the government's specific advantages to them. As the government has an excellent bond with the NGOs, they could reach out to the farmers and educate them.

There are NGOs that create awareness and provide free medical treatments for fatal diseases wherever required. They provide vaccinations for polio and they also reach out to HIV patients to help them out. NGOs and WHO work together in this work and spread awareness among people.

As we have seen a tremendous increase in the global temperature, NGOs pull up their socks to create public awareness about this issue. They educate young school-going children about the importance of flora and fauna. NGOs routinely arrange various plantation drives, awareness seminars, and walkathons. In these drives, they also involve youth. For these reasons, it plays an essential role in public sensitization.

Further we can also see that many individuals have stepped forward to take up the issue of disaster management. NGOs provide rehabilitation centers for the impacted individuals in different disasters. We have an example of the devastating flood in Chennai or a massive earthquake in Nepal. We have seen a fast growth of NGOs in this field.

As India is still a developing country; NGOs are frequently established to fill the gaps left by the government. NGOs work on various demanding topics and provide solutions to them. Some of the national topics are health, education, employment and opportunities, and rural development.

Here in this article, we have provided detailed information on the Top 10 Non-Governmental Organizations in India. These organizations have set an example for others by providing humanitarian services. They have earned the nation’s trust, respect and pride.  

1.   CHILDLINE India Foundation

The first NGO on this list of top NGOs is CHILDLINE. Do you remember any CHILDLINE volunteer coming to your school and providing you the complete knowledge of their services? If no, then here we have it for you. CHILDLINE's mission is to reach out to every kid in need and preserve their rights and safety. Connect, Catalyze, Collaborate, and Communicate is their four Cs strategy which helps them to reach out to new youngsters in need of their program every coming year.

Their vision is to make a child-friendly nation that ensures all children's rights and protection.

2.    Pratham

Pratham ranks second in this list of top 10 NGOs. Pratham influences the creative learning approach to improve the country's education quality. This NGO high-qualityhigh quality education and low –cost for that education and its problems.

From the year 1995, Pratham is working to achieve its goal. They started with a motive to give education to youngsters living in Mumbai's slums. In the forthcoming years Pratham has established its contacts and has developed to serve teenagers from all over India. Pratham also collaborates with many state governments in order to assist children in developing fundamental skills. Millions of youngsters receive help from Pratham every year.

3.   Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation is a well-known NGO in India that helps around 750000 children and their families every year. Its 350 live initiatives in education, livelihood, healthcare, and women empowerment serve over 1000 distant communities and slums throughout 25 Indian states. From the year 2002, Smile Foundation is spreading smiles. Smile foundation works for impoverished families and children. Their goal is to reach out to every corner of the nation and make a positive difference. Their mission is providing education and Smiles on Wheels programs to give basic education and healthcare to the most vulnerable members of society.

Smile Foundation aims to improve the lives of the impoverished by influencing the society and asking them to be an active part of this NGO. With the power of education, healthcare initiatives, market knowledge Smile foundation is bringing change in the nation.

4.   CRY (Child Rights and You)

Rippon Kapur is the founder of Cry. Cry is known to be India’s one of the oldest and efficient NGOs. From the year 1979 Cry is serving as a NGO. Cry wants to reach every struggling youngster of the nation and help them. He was a staunch believer that every one of us, in our own tiny way, can be agents of change.

They have a very pure motive to bring smiles on the face of every kid and youngster. They wish to see them as well to do future generation. They work to safeguard their rights.  Its mission is to make them strong and responsible enough to take charge of their life efficiently. They also want to make them aware of their abilities. If any individual knows about its abilities, then that person can too encourage individuals to pledge to assist, safeguard, preserve and honor Indian children's rights.

5.    Akanksha Foundation

The Akanksha Foundation was founded by Shaheen Mistri.  The Akanksha Foundation is creating an inspiration since 1991. When this NGO started functioning it had only 15 students and one instructor. This NGO proves itself by becoming a leading NGO of Mumbai. They are owners of many respectable awards and honors like the India NGO of the Year Award in the year 2010, the GuideStar Transparency Award in 2016, and many others.

Their aim is simple. They believe in providing a high-quality education to everyone, regardless of their circumstances and financial status.

In the beginning they established 60 after-school facilities. These facilities serve around 3000 poor children.

After more than 28 years, Akanksha, a well-known NGO for education in Mumbai, today operates 21 schools with over 700 employees, including teachers and volunteers, and 9300 students.

6.   Spark-A-Change Foundation

Spark-A-Change Foundation makes its place in one of the renowned NGOs of India. They operate from Mumbai. They work for the education of impoverished children. This NGO works for clearing out the gaps in education for these children. They run after-school and in-school programs for the children who do not have a good financial status. They accomplish making the children efficient with good skills, values etc.

With the help of over 60 volunteers, they are now making a significant difference in the lives of almost 800 youngsters. Their vision is in believing that literacy has the potential to change people's lives. They want education to reach each and every corner of the nation.

Their Mission is to effect good change in poor children by offering them education, mentorship, and support in order to help them recognize and reach their actual potential.

They believe in providing a forum for well-intentioned educated persons to contribute to real social change.

They also want to address the issue of child healthcare by empowering local communities and raising awareness about this critical subject.

7.   Nanhi Kali

Anand Mahindra, the Chairman of Mahindra Group, is the founder of Nanhi Kali. Nanhi Kali is a NGO in Mumbai especially for female children. They work to give education to impoverished girls in India. It started working for the females from the year 1996. It has helped females across 14 Indian states.

This Mumbai-based education NGO seeks to positively affect India's development through educating females and motivating others to donate for this noble cause. Nanhi Kali has guaranteed that 90 percent of the girls in their program finish their education up to Class X.

Project Nanhi Kali helps poor girls by giving them daily academic support through Academic Support Centers.

8.   Make a Difference

Make a Difference or MAD as it is popular. It is a well-known NGO in India. It works for the children in the orphanages and also for the ones who live on roadsides or slums. It was formed in 2006 with the goal of addressing the needs of vulnerable children who require care and protection.

They assist children and work for making them independent. They want everyone to lead a good and decent life.

Make a Difference now has their presence and functioning in 23 different locations and 60 shelters. They have proved their name by making a difference in the lives of 3485 youngsters every year. They have a family of 3020 committed volunteers. They have received several honors, including Top 10 Best NGOs to Work For in India, Guidestar Compliant, and others.

9.   Bachpan Bachao Andolan

Mr. Kailash Satyarthi is the founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan. From the year 1980, Bachpan Bachao Andolan is working for children. It works for the abolition of bonded labor, child labor, and human trafficking, as well as the right of all children to an education.

This group collaborates with government to improve the working of the system and safeguard children.

Since 2005, they have rescued 90008 children and rehabilitated 5230 of them. Bachpan Bachao Andolan aspires to establish a child-friendly society in which children are not exploited and get free quality education.

They pursue an end-to-end approach in which victims of trafficking are discovered and returned to their families before establishing a secure environment for them in their home countries, while also creating a deterrent by punishing traffickers and employers.

10. Magic bus

Matthew Space is the founder of Magic Bus. Since 1999 they are working with the motto of Childhood to Livelihood. It is known to be Mumbai’s top NGO. This NGO can proudly tell that have successfully improved the lives of one million children over the last two decades. Magic Bus works for children and young people. The age group they basically deal with is from 12 to 18 years old. To achieve this noble goal, they seek the assistance of parents, peers, and local and community institutions. With their help they establish a network that promotes and supports a person's transition out of poverty.

They do this by ensuring that the children complete their secondary school, marry at a later age, and have the necessary skills for work.

Magic Bus now operates in 22 states and works with 375,000 children and 10,000 young people each year. This Mumbai-based NGO promoting education has expanded over the years and now provides services in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar too.