Interconnected, not siloed. JaBaSu's cross-sector presence means every NGO partner benefits from learnings, networks, and resources across all nine thematic areas — because poverty, illiteracy, gender inequality, and cultural erosion are not separate problems.
Odisha has among India's highest rates of child malnutrition, child labour, and out-of-school children — concentrated in tribal districts like Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Nuapada. Despite significant progress on child health indicators nationally, Odisha's tribal blocks remain among the most challenging environments for child survival and development.
JaBaSu partners with NGOs working at the intersection of child rights, child welfare, and community development — providing the operational backbone so these organisations can focus entirely on reaching the most marginalised children.
Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi — Odisha's highest child vulnerability districts
Odisha's gender development indicators remain mixed. While female literacy has improved significantly, economic participation, safety, and political leadership remain critical challenges — particularly in rural and tribal areas where structural barriers are most entrenched.
JaBaSu partners with women-led and women-focused NGOs working on economic empowerment, safety, and leadership — and provides them the back office and funding infrastructure to scale their impact.
JaBaSu actively connects partner NGOs to Odisha's Mission Shakti ecosystem — helping NGOs support SHG federation, skill training, and livelihood linkage at the community level.
Supporting NGOs that operate shelter homes, legal aid clinics, and psychosocial services for survivors of gender-based violence across rural and tribal Odisha.
Training programmes for elected women representatives in Panchayati Raj institutions — building the confidence and capacity to govern effectively.
Odisha is home to 62 Scheduled Tribes constituting 22.8% of the population, and 93 Scheduled Castes. Land alienation, structural discrimination, and persistent exclusion from development benefits define the lived realities of these communities. JaBaSu partners with organisations working on rights, legal access, and dignity across these intersecting marginalised groups.
Odisha's extraordinary tribal diversity — from the Bonda of Malkangiri to the Juang of Keonjhar — represents some of India's most culturally rich yet economically marginalised communities. JaBaSu partners with NGOs deeply embedded in these communities.
Supporting NGOs in facilitating Individual Forest Rights (IFR) and Community Forest Rights (CFR) claims under the FRA 2006 — a critical instrument for tribal land security.
Special attention to Odisha's 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups — the Birhor, Bondo, Chuktia Bhunjia, and others — who face the most acute forms of deprivation.
Despite improvements, Odisha's rural and tribal learning outcomes lag significantly behind national averages. Dropout rates at secondary level remain high, and foundational learning quality is a critical concern — particularly for first-generation learners in tribal blocks where mother-tongue-based multilingual education is essential.
Odisha is custodian of one of India's richest civilisational heritages — from Odissi dance to Pattachitra painting, Dhokra metal craft to Gotipua performance, Sambalpuri weave to Raghurajpur scroll painting, and an extraordinary temple architectural tradition. Many art forms and practitioners face existential risk from economic precarity and cultural disinterest.
Supporting gurukuls and institutions preserving classical Odissi dance — one of India's eight classical dance forms — particularly for students from tribal and marginalised backgrounds.
Raghurajpur, Puri's famous Pattachitra village, and related craft clusters receive support through documentation, market linkage, and artisan welfare programmes.
Suras painting, tribal tattoo traditions, ceremonial textile arts, and other indigenous visual traditions of Odisha's 62 Scheduled Tribes — documented, celebrated, and linked to markets.
With large numbers of educated and semi-educated youth and significant out-migration to other states, Odisha urgently needs quality skill development and dignified local livelihood options. JaBaSu connects skilling NGOs to PMKVY, DDUGKY, ORMAS, and MSME-supported skilling schemes — while also facilitating CSR investment in the sector.
Odisha's 480km coastline offers enormous potential for maritime livelihoods — fishing, aquaculture, seafood processing, and coastal tourism. JaBaSu connects coastal NGOs with corporate CSR and government skilling schemes.
Preparing rural youth for digital livelihoods — from basic computer literacy to BPO readiness, freelancing skills, and platform economy participation.
Dedicated skilling programmes for women — particularly in sectors with sustainable local demand: food processing, care work, handlooms, nursery management, and allied health.
Odisha faces extreme climate vulnerability — cyclones, floods, and droughts — alongside deforestation, pollution, and mining-related environmental damage. Coastal communities face sea-level rise and storm surge intensification. Tribal communities dependent on forests face shrinking ecosystems. JaBaSu partners with environmental NGOs working on both mitigation and adaptation.
Odisha has made significant health system strides — its response to natural disasters and cyclones is now internationally recognised. But significant challenges persist in maternal and child health, anaemia, non-communicable diseases, and mental health in underserved areas, particularly tribal blocks with limited health infrastructure.
Deploying mobile health units to Odisha's most remote tribal blocks — reaching communities weeks away from the nearest functioning Primary Health Centre.
Odisha's maternal mortality rate, while improving, remains above the national average in tribal districts. JaBaSu supports NGOs working on antenatal care, institutional delivery, and postnatal follow-up.
Community-level mental health awareness, crisis support, and suicide prevention — addressing a growing but under-recognised public health challenge in Odisha.
Odisha's agrarian economy supports over 60% of its population, yet farmers and artisans remain trapped in low-income cycles — disconnected from fair markets, modern practices, and the buyers who would pay a premium for their produce and craftsmanship. The challenge is not the product; it is the pipeline. JaBaSu builds that pipeline.
This sector is JaBaSu's most distinctive offering — the Odisha Market Connect Platform creates direct links between producers and buyers, turning corporate procurement into a sustainable livelihood CSR model.
Odisha has pioneered millet promotion in India. JaBaSu connects Odisha Millets Mission-linked NGOs to corporate canteens, health food brands, and export markets — creating premium price realisation for tribal farmers.
A unique JaBaSu proposition: companies can satisfy CSR obligations while sourcing artisan products and organic produce for their offices, events, and gift programmes. Impact and procurement — combined.
Sambalpuri ikat, Pipili appliqué, Cuttack silver filigree, Dhokra metal casting — each artisan cluster receives JaBaSu's full support: design, quality, market, and digital presence.
OHDC, Utkalika, NABARD, SFAC, GI Registry of India, Odisha Millet Mission, TRIFED, National Cooperative Export Limited
JaBaSu's cross-sector presence creates unique convergence opportunities — where insights from one sector transform practice in another, and where funding from one domain can be leveraged to benefit another.