70 years in India

Major Milestones

CARE’s relationship with India began over seven decades ago, at the precipice of its independence, when the country was facing a severe shortage of food. Much like other developing nations, India received ‘CARE Packages’, containing food and other essential items as CARE’s first offering. The relationship grew remarkably over the decades, transitioning into a large-scale movement backing India’s socio-economic development.

The

1940’s

The

1940’s

CARE is Born

The organisation is formed to help the survivors of World War II, as 22 American charities form the ‘Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe’ (CARE)

The

1950’s

CARE Arrives in India and Launch of Larger Initiatives

The ‘Indo-CARE Bilateral Agreement’ signed between CARE and Government of India – first ‘CARE Packages’ arrive in India.

Distributed over 20,000 tonnes of food across the country, laying the foundation for CARE’s nutrition programme.

Introduced Disaster Relief, Nutrition, Agriculture, Health, and Education programmes.

Provided medical and food assistance to thousands of Tibetan refugees that came along with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The

1950’s

The

1960’s

The

1960’s

Increased Focus on Food Programs

The expansion of the ‘Mid-Day Meal Scheme’ and the establishment of ‘Central Kitchens’. Extending nutrition to those affected by famines.

Five million people were given free lunch every day by CARE and over 155,000 tons of food was distributed, during the one-square-meal-a-day project, running through 27,000 primary schools.

A million children were given a glass of milk on each school day at the request of the Punjab government.

Received a letter of appreciation from former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.

The

1970’s

Concerted Efforts for Disaster and Drought Relief

Provided relief to several natural disasters including flood relief in West Bengal in 1979, and cyclones in Andhra Pradesh in 1977.

Collaborated with the Rajasthan State government to provide food grain support and digging 10,000 irrigation wells in Udaipur district, which was hit severely by drought — honoured by the district administration during the 1975 Independence Day celebrations.

The construction of 400 warehouses started — at a cost of INR 20 million.

Provided INR 35 million for the construction of 5,500 Balwadis (preschools) in 14 Indian states.

The

1970’s

The

1980’s

The

1980’s

Emphasis on India’s Nutrition Needs

Started ‘Project Poshak’ and supported the Government’s ‘Integrated Child Development Services’ to provide nutrition to malnourished children.

Midday meal beneficiaries rose from 750,000 in 1960 to 12 million children daily in 130,000 schools in 14 States.

CARE changed the meaning of its acronym to ‘Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere’, owing to its diverse global interventions.

The

1990’s

Sharper Focus on Marginalised Women & Girls

Shifted attention to the widespread concerns involving women and girls — population control, Girl’s Primary Education, reproductive health, food security, unemployment, and access to credit facilities.

CARE’s Integrated Nutrition and Health Programme (INHP) impacted approximately 80,00,000 mothers and children in 1,23,000 villages every day.

Launched the Girls’ Primary Education (GPE) project to support the Government of India’s goal of “Education for All”.

Provided relief in several disaster-struck regions, including cyclones in Andhra Pradesh in 1996, and earthquake relief in Latur, Maharashtra in 1993 and Chamoli, Uttar Pradesh, in 1999.

Distributed 10,303 metric tons of food, to over 425,000 families, in Odisha, after the super cyclone of 1999.

The

1990’s

The

2000’s

The

2000’s

Addressing the Underlying Causes of Poverty

With an increased understanding of poverty, CARE starts addressing the root causes of poverty — inequality, social injustice, and marginalisation.

Provided relief to the victims of the Gujarat earthquake by building 5,554 houses, 15 schools, 11 community centres, 21 crèches, 12 Panchayat buildings, 5 sub-health centres, and water and sanitation infrastructure.

Became a key partner in the Enhancing Mobile Population Access to HIV/AIDS Services Information and Support (EMPHASIS) along with CARE Nepal and CARE Bangladesh.

The Community Savings and Household Enterprise (CASHE) project, supported by DFID, implemented in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal, reached over 5 lakhs SHG members.

The

2010’s

The Birth of ‘CARE India’

CARE in India started functioning as an independent entity – CARE India in 2013. Becomes a member of the CARE International Confederation.

Implementation of the Bihar Technical Support Program to improve maternal, newborn, and child health in the state.

The launch of the AMANAT project to build the capacity of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in managing emergency childbirth complications and newborn care in Bihar.

The

2010’s

The

2020’s

The

2020’s

Delivering Transformations through Innovative Solutions

Over the years, CARE India emerged as a preferred partner for communities, governments, project implementation partners, donors, and other key stakeholders, by delivering planned outcomes at the grassroot level through innovative solutions, while generating knowledge that can be shared and adapted to diverse development challenges.

Our work in India continues to play a significant role in the global CARE outreach, accounting for more than 50% of direct reach globally.

CARE India worked in difficult times to reach communities, with state and local governments across India towards control and containment of COVID-19. We have contributed to 2% vaccination and reached over 10 million people with our response through system strengthening, community resilience and vaccinations.

2030’s

Vision

Impact 100 Million People from Poor and Marginalised Communities

Working with individuals to nurture their consciousness, self-esteem, and confidence, instilling the aspiration, knowledge, skills, and capabilities to change their world.

Address inequality that persists in intimate relations, family and social networks, marketplaces, and community or citizen groups, and to heal and activate these networks.

Work closely with systems and multiply impact at scale through opportunities stemming from increased social investment by governments.

2030’s

Vision

Connect with Us

Corporate and Registered Office

Module No. 411, 4th Floor, NSIC-MDBP Building
Okhla Industrial Estate, New Delhi – 110020 (INDIA)