DNT Community and Empowerment
Why ABI Works with the DNT Communities
De-Notified Tribes (DNTs), historically labelled as “criminal tribes” during British rule, continue to face discrimination, invisibility, and deep-rooted exclusion even decades after their legal denotification in 1952. In Varanasi district, DNT groups like the Musahar, Dharkar, Kanjar, Kol, and Kuchbandhiya are among the most marginalised, often living without land, documents, or access to even basic government services like housing, health, education, or employment.
ABI believes that true justice begins with inclusion. By working directly with DNT communities, especially youth and women, we aim to dismantle generations of systemic neglect and support them in claiming their rightful place in society.
ABI’s approach is grounded in empowering people not just providing services. We work with communities with following holistic approach;
- Youth-Centric: We train young people from within the community to become leaders, educators, and watchdogs for rights and entitlements.
- Women-Led Change: We prioritize the leadership of women and adolescent girls in every intervention.
- Facilitation, not Dependency: We help people access what is already theirs—through awareness, documentation, legal support, and persistent follow-up with authorities.
- Grassroots to Policy: From household-level documentation to district-level advocacy, we connect ground realities to state-level change.
0 +
Years of
Service
Empowering De-Notified Tribes through Rights-Based Mobilization, Legal Empowerment, and Grassroots Leadership through;
- Training DNT youth in constitutional rights, governance, legal processes, and social accountability tools.
- Building and mentoring a grassroots volunteer network to mobilize communities and facilitate access to entitlements in target villages.
- Conducting door-to-door surveys to identify gaps in access to welfare schemes and supporting eligible families to apply.
- Operating a Community Facilitation Centre to assist with documentation, RTI filing, and grievance redressal.
- Organizing leadership and capacity-building programs for women to strengthen their participation in community decision-making.
- Facilitating women’s access to government schemes, employment opportunities, and vocational skill training.
- Providing legal aid to resolve land disputes and assisting families in securing land ownership documentation.
- Training youth to use the Right to Information (RTI) Act to improve transparency and demand local accountability.`
Our Latest Projects
Explore the Our Recent
Projects
asianbridge
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“बुरा न मानो होली है – पर बुरा
Asian Bridge India organized a “बुरा न मानो होली है – पर
asianbridge
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A Memorable Evening of Dialogue, Unity, and Shared
Under the “Youth Initiative for Equality,” a special programme was organized on
asianbridge
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26
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Supporting Vulnerable Voters During the SIR Process
Our team members Anil and Suraj are currently on a fact-finding mission
