In the work that we do in the villages of the Sunderbans in West Bengal, India, we seek to help individuals become conscious of their inner resources, learn to overcome poverty, and to live with dignity and self-reliance.

Thousands of men, women, and children who are part of our developmental and empowerment programs realize their inner potential, and live a life of dignity and self-reliance. Charity should not create dependence, but free people from the clutches of poverty and deprivation. Therefore, we help those who are ready to awaken to their innate dignity, their personal initiative, and their inherent, immense capacity to generate wealth.

Anything people create for themselves, they will work to sustain as they do their own child, because it is their creation. This concept of positive self-creation preserves and enhances the character and spirit of the people, reducing the self-created illusion of dependence. The villagers, as a result, grow together to build a healthy community with deep mutual regard for one another and all beings on Mother Earth.