Women’s participation in grassroots development is essential for fostering sustainable and inclusive progress

Women’s participation in grassroots development is essential for fostering sustainable and inclusive progress

Shahab Naqvi

Dehradun , March 8

In 2014, after the Uttarakhand flash floods, I traveled to the affected areas for work while serving a prominent institution. Among the many people I met, two women from a remote village in Chamoli district left a lasting impression on me. Their village was accessible only after an uphill trek. One of these women had lost her house to the floods and relied on selling handwoven woolen wear for income. The other spent her days farming and tending to cattle. Both were nearing middle age. Amidst the devastation, their resilience and warm response stood out to me. Their ability to accept their circumstances, struggle through hardship, and still extend support to others was truly inspiring.

This experience reshaped my understanding of human perseverance. Over the years, I have encountered people of various age groups who negotiate with calamities, organize resources for the common good, and work towards environmental and community well-being.

Life in the hills is far more challenging than one can fathom, and especially for women. As someone who does not live in the mountains, I recognize that it is easy to make assumptions about struggles one does not experience firsthand. The mountains teach a person to live on actuals—where survival is not guaranteed, yet the vastness offers a deep connection to life and liberty.

Women play a crucial role in grassroots development, leading initiatives that address local needs, from education and healthcare to environmental conservation and economic empowerment. However,  women-led grassroots organizations often face a severe lack of support from large philanthropic institutions. This article explores the importance of women’s participation in grassroots development, the financial challenges they encounter, and the urgent need for more robust philanthropic engagement at the grassroots level; emphasizing mountain life interdependencies.

Women are at the heart of grassroots development efforts worldwide. Whether in rural villages or urban slums, they spearhead initiatives that directly impact their communities. Despite their invaluable contributions, these women-led initiatives often operate with minimal financial resources and struggle to scale their impact due to systemic funding disparities.

Many grassroots organizations do not meet the formal requirements set by large institutions, such as rigid reporting structures, legal registration, and financial documentation. For the most part, priorities are set with well-established NGOs with strong promotional visibility, leaving smaller, community-based organizations struggling for resources. Traditional philanthropic models tend to overlook the informal but highly effective structures of women-led grassroots initiatives.

Many available resources are short-term and project-specific, limiting the ability of grassroots organizations to plan long-term, sustainable solutions, to a large extent inaccessible anyway. Core or seed funding for operational costs is rarely provided, making it difficult for these organizations to retain skilled personnel and scale their impact. A performing women-led grassroot organization in rural Uttarakhand generally is reduced to a life of maximum two years. Many grassroots organizations also lack the expertise to navigate complex grant applications and donor reporting processes. Training in financial management, proposal writing, and donor engagement is crucial but often inaccessible to mostly women-led initiatives.

While large philanthropic organizations contribute billions of dollars to development projects worldwide, very little of this funding reaches small, grassroots initiatives. Large donors often prefer partnering with big, international NGOs that have established track records, leaving grassroots groups excluded from major funding streams. Many have stringent bureaucratic processes that small grassroots groups cannot navigate. Additionally, large philanthropic organizations lack effective mechanisms to identify, assess, and directly fund small, local initiatives, leading to an over-reliance on intermediary organizations. This, we look at, as a problem itself.

The absence of large philanthropic support at the grassroots level means that the very organizations closest to community issues are the least resourced to drive meaningful change. Addressing the resource disparity and increasing philanthropic engagement at the grassroots level requires intentional action from govt., agencies, policymakers, and development organizations. Philanthropic institutions should develop models that are directly accessible to grassroots organizations, reducing bureaucratic barriers. Providing long-term, unrestricted funding can help these organizations build sustainability and expand their reach. Funders and NGOs should invest in training programs for grassroots women leaders on grant writing, financial management, and leadership.

Simplified processes and mentorship programs can help bridge knowledge gaps and improve accessibility. More philanthropic organizations should commit to gender-responsive resources, ensuring that women-led initiatives receive adequate support. Gender lens investing, which prioritizes women’s empowerment, should be mainstreamed into funding strategies.

Women’s participation in grassroots development is indispensable for building sustainable and inclusive communities. However, funding disparities and the absence of large philanthropic organizations at the grassroots level continue to hinder progress. To unlock the full potential of women-led initiatives, donors and development stakeholders must commit to more accessible, equitable, and long-term funding solutions. By investing in grassroots women leaders, we can drive transformative change where it is needed most.

Shahab Naqvi is a social entrepreneur. He  has around twenty years of professional experience, split between two distinct domains. The first half was in a fast-paced IT-enabled services environment, primarily focused on training and learning development. The second half has been dedicated to project planning and delivery within rights-based social development spaces.

In the development sector, Shahab has extensive experience working with a corporation, where he led planning and implementation operations across two states, covering nearly fifty districts — most recently at the grassroots level in Uttarakhand’s Himalayan region. His work is marked by a certain rigor that has drawn the attention of prominent research institutions.