Introduction: HETONA has worked as an FNGO in Livelihood improvements project for the Himalayas or known as ‘Ajeevika Pariyojna’ amongst its stakeholders in Dunda block of Uttarkashi district from 2007 to 2012.  The primary objective of the project is to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable groups sustainably by promoting greater livelihood opportunities and strengthening the local institutions concerned with livelihood developments. Specific objectives are to promote a more sensitive approach to the design and implementation of development interventions, enhance the capabilities of local people to select appropriate livelihood opportunities, access required financial resources and to manage new technologies and institutions at the village level. Increase incomes through more sustainable income-generating cultivation system and establishment of non-farm enterprises and the micro and small scale level and establish an effective and appropriate delivery system for inputs and for the maintenance of assets and resources with emphasis on microfinance, savings and thrift, and micro insurance products along with access to business development services that will link households-based livelihood activities with the larger economy. 

Outputs/outcomes: 74 SHGs were formed in 25 villages, which did total savings over 10 lakhs and of them two cooperatives; 1. Nagraja Ajeevika Swayat Sahkarita and 2 Bokhnag Ajeevika Swayat Sahkarita were formed and registered under Cooperative Act in 2009. Both cooperatives undertook the business of backward-forward linkages like the supply of seeds and sale of agricultural and horticultural produce to the markets. They also established inlet-outlet centers, where local produce of leguminous pulses like cowpea, dry beans, pigeonpea, kidneypea, horse gram and millets like Jhangora (barnyard) and  Mandua (finger), plastic materials and agricultural implements. The turnover of these cooperatives in 2011-12 was Rs. 8, 89,419.00 of Nagraja and 5, 22,298.00 of Bhoknag and 2012-13 was Rs. 6,44,178.00 and Rs. 8,77,472.00 respectively. SHGs have undertaken a lot of demonstrations of vegetables, produced organic manure mostly vermin-compost and in five villages; Pujargaon, Bandu, Lolda, Jineth and Painthar of Dunda block with 295 farmers owning 85.32 hectares land were selected for organic certification and linked with Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board.In 2013, the project was handed over to the cooperatives after our withdrawals and the progress onward is with District Management Unit a branch of Project Management Unit of the Government of Uttarakhand.  

• Empowerment and capacity building of communities i.e. to build community based organization capable of making informed choices and planning and managing livelihood activities in a micro-enterprise mode.
• Livelihood enhancement and development i.e. to include the choice of various livelihood interventions viz agriculture, horticulture, forestry, eco-tourism and marketing of products based on the needs of the beneficiary group.
• Livelihood support system; nearly two thirds of the project’s investment are in livelihood support system that will leverage substantial amounts of financing from domestic financial institutions. Within the above frameworks the project will offer the rural finance services mainly by mobilizing the SHGs. The project through a social venture capital company with broad based capability of promoting business development will also provide equity/near equity funding to the companies, mutually aided cooperative societies and individual interested in establishing enterprises related to backward and forward linkages.