COHESION was set up in 1996 by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals, who started as a support body, providing professional services to other organizations. As a strategic move in the year 2000-01, Cohesion initiated its implementation programmes, with a view to transferring the learning to the communities.  We are involved in implementing development programmes in the socio-economically poorer districts of Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and providing support to civil societies and government departments across PAN India. With almost two decades of experience, we are a trusted organization by many partners and well known for our transparency and accountability.

Vision: Striving for a World in which people, men, women and the natural environment are in harmony with each other, all have enough to meet their genuine emotional and physical needs and the diversity of humankind is celebrated.

Mission: Sustainable socio-economic development of vulnerable in under-serviced areas with special focus on women.

Cohesion’s approach is community-based and bottom-up to ensure the needs and issues faced by communities get represented and addressed by programs. Strengthening people’s institutions and prioritizing women’s’ role in decision-making ensure processes that help in mainstreaming gender. On the other hand, most vulnerable communities are identified at the micro-planning stage to empower them and help secure a proper position in community-based institutions. Cohesion’s mission and vision support that participation should aim at empowerment of the community, wherein the process would lead to enhancing the ability of individuals to decide and take control over matters affecting their own lives.

Cohesion wishes to contribute to the development of practical solutions at grass-root level in a holistic manner i.e. addressing economic, social, and political poverty. Thus, it is an organization striving to empower vulnerable communities to significantly and sustainably enhance their livelihood security; and building their capacities to manage their day-to-day Livelihood, Health and Education needs in a sustainable manner. 

Since 2001 Cohesion has expanded in terms of diverse programs and geography. All these changes have not been random but based on a clear logical analysis of why we want to do it. “India lives in villages” were the golden words of Mahatma Gandhi many decades ago. Ironically after almost 70 years, the data does not seem to disagree. Within the villages, there are people who are forest dwellers or connected to the forest for their livelihoods especially Schedule Tribes. Cohesion reaches this tribal population, often located in hard to reach geographies, and address their issues by finding solutions within their environment. 

Our work is mainly centred around rural India but the migrants and their issues when they move to cities cannot be ignored too. Thus, we have been diversifying our approach and work based on needs and vulnerability. Our work with IGSSS for slums in Raipur is one such example, where we focus on informal labour - domestic workers and construction workers. We are working to reduce the vulnerabilities of people caused by their physical environment or their own social and economic status in the habitats where they live. 

• A multi-disciplinary team including agriculture experts, MBA, Civil Engineers, MSW, MEd etc. with alumni from IRMA, EDI, CEPT, KSRM and XIM
• Internally we have ensured women leadership in key positions of the organization.
• There is limited turnover in the organization due to high job satisfaction, positive work environment and equal opportunities.
• Cohesion has grassroots strength and ability to work with vulnerable sections of the community

While partnering with CSR we consider the following: 

• Who we want to address i.e. the target group
• Where does the CSR wish to work i.e. the geography
• What sectors or issues CSR wishes to address

The corporate should partner with our organization because we have the following competencies

• We have standard practices, policies and manuals complying to the current scenario.
• 19 years of experience implementing development programmes and 14 years in education
• Working in 255 villages, 6 slums of 3 states reaching out 44145 direct beneficiaries of which 65% are children
• Established as a reliable partner at the very beginning by communities, other NGOs, international donors and Government of Gujarat in the first five years resulting in multiple partnerships
• We developed a model for integrated development with CSR support that is getting replicated in other geographical areas
• National and state-level awards for its work in education, Girls empowerment, CSR, use of Information Technology etc.