Mahiti ™

PAC is a CSO set up in 1994, with a mandate to improve the quality of governance in India.  The focus of PAC is primarily in areas where citizens and civil society organizations can play a proactive role in improving governance. PAC undertakes and supports research, disseminates research findings, facilitates collective citizen action through awareness raising and capacity building and provides advisory services to non-state agencies. The Centre is globally known for its pioneering Citizen Report Cards and audits of the Right to Information Act and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in India.

PAC is developing a platform for government and citizens to easily monitor the cleanliness of its cities with regard to Solid Waste Management. In a bid to tap technology to connect citizens with the authorities, PAC contracted Mahiti to develop an application for handheld devices that lets any citizen monitor the status of Solid Waste Management under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) of the Govt of India. 

The project ‘I track SBM’ leverages this concept to gauge the success/outcome in the Solid Waste Management (SWM) -component of SBM, ensuring cleanliness and hygiene in urban public places. The goal of this project is to provide evidence to the system to take cognisance and act.

 Mahiti has maintained PAC's  web portal since 2006, redesigning  and developing it in a manner that could illustrate the areas that they research into and the context of their policy research and action groups. The portal covers a large range of PAC’s  research and working papers.  Illustrations have been created by Mahiti, that depict the core areas of  PAC’s research and give website visitors a real sense of the impact of such research and programmes.

Mahiti also developed a micro-site for PAC’s publications.  Know More

Duration: Since 2006

READ is a  CSO established in 2001, to bring sustainable change to the Arundhatiar Community who are the most marginalized among Dalits in Tamil Nadu. Considered ‘Dalits among Dalits’, there are 6 million Arundhatiars in Tamil Nadu. Working at a community level, READ ensures Arundhatiar children have good quality education through its Child Activity Centres and women from this community are organized into thrift and credit federations for microcredit support. READ’s programmes benefit 5000 Arundhatiar households, in particular 8000 children and 2000 women in 101 villages of Sathyamangalam and Salem Districts. 

The team of READ and community members were trained by Mahiti in the use of FOSS(Free and Open Source Software) tools, internet and social media to help them reach out to wider audiences and bring visibility to the cause of Dalit rights.  READ has been using the knowledge and skills gained from Mahiti, to empower youth from the Arunthathiyar community with FOSS tools and Internet, through its computer training centre. Know More

Initiated in 1993, Samraksha is a grassroots CSO in Karnataka dedicated to the empowerment of disadvantaged and excluded community groups. It has been demonstrating that the people and communities impacted by HIV are themselves the best agents of change, and have the capacity to initiate and sustain a vibrant HIV response. Samraksha engages in catalyzing HIV responses in these communities, and with time the communities extend these responses to other social and developmental issues which they face. Samraksha has facilitated the collectivisation of about 10,000 women in sex work across North Karnataka. The collectives provide education on safe sex, sexual and reproductive health and rights; and support in times of violence and abuse.

Recognising the role of technology in empowering people, Samraksha chose to train 50+ women leaders in ICT and the use of a tablet (for which Mahiti coined the term ‘Magic Slate’). Mahiti conducted a four-month training to ensure that the women understood internet and learned to develop their own content and methods to communicate. To quote them ”People usually think that sex workers are of no good. But now we can walk with chins up and heads held high…” Know More

Duration: 2013-14

BAPLA is a trade association for picture libraries in the UK and the largest organisation of its kind in the world. Members include major news, stock and production agencies as well as sole traders and cultural heritage institutions. BAPLA has nearly 200 members, ranging from the biggest names in the business to smaller, specialist collections. BAPLA members offer an enormous range of high quality imagery across all subjects, together with price structures and licence types to service all requirements.

Mahiti rebuilt BAPLA’s web presence, transforming a static site into a dynamic portal which enables  BAPLA members to manage their portfolio independently.  Know More