ActionAid Association and Mazdoor Adhikar Manch brought together 45 workers from eight districts for a state-level meeting at the Human Development and Research Centre (HDRC) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Farm, construction, brick kiln, and domestic workers shared the challenges they face, including low wages, unsafe workplaces, inadequate housing, and limited access to healthcare and social security. Together, the workers developed a common set of demands for fair wages, safer working conditions, and access to education for their children. ActionAid Association will present these demands to the Gujarat State Government. #ActionAidAssociation #WorkersRights #Gujarat @sndeep @psushila92

Cities Must Belong to Everyone | World Cities Day | 31 October Who gets to call a city home? This year’s theme for the World Cities Day, set by UN-Habitat is: “Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All”. Urban development must put the rights of CityMakers at its centre. ActionAid Association adopted the term CityMakers to recognise homeless people and underserved urban communities through their contribution to city life. As construction workers, street vendors, waste pickers, domestic workers and in countless other roles, they build, maintain and sustain the cities we all depend on. Yet the people whose labour makes cities liveable often find their own needs—for secure housing, basic services, social protection and dignified work—ignored by city governments. Calling them CityMakers asserts their rightful place in the city: as workers and residents entitled to dignity, rights and a voice in shaping its future. As climate change intensifies, safe homes, green spaces and protection from heat and flooding must reach those most exposed. CityMakers must have a decisive voice in shaping these priorities, while respecting the rights of the rural communities and the ecological systems that sustain cities. An ecologically just future must make dignified life possible everywhere. @sndeep

National Unity Day | Rashtriya Ekta Diwas | 31 October It was in 2014 that the Government of India instituted the observance of the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, to honour his contribution to the country’s political integration. As independent India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Patel played a central role in bringing more than 500 princely states into the Indian Union. At Independence, princely states accounted for roughly two-fifths of the territory of the Indian Empire. The overwhelming majority of these states, encompassing most of their combined territory, were subsequently integrated into the Indian Union. Sardar Patel helped establish the territorial and administrative foundations of India after colonial rule and Partition. The day commemorates that achievement and encourages a commitment to national unity, integrity and solidarity. Observances include unity pledges, public programmes and the “Run for Unity”. Its wider significance offers an opportunity to reflect on what sustains unity in a diverse society: equal citizenship, respect for different languages, religions and cultures, and the assurance that every community belongs. From this perspective, national unity is an ongoing commitment to justice, dignity and solidarity across differences. @sndeep

ActionAid Association is helping workers in Indhiravanam village, Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, access essential government benefits and services. Through our Workers’ Facilitation Centre, 10 workers received help applying for health insurance, renewing construction worker cards, accessing ration card services, and obtaining community and income certificates. A community meeting also gave agricultural workers a chance to share concerns about low daily wages and demand fair pay. These efforts help workers access support and build stronger, more secure livelihoods. #ActionAidAssociation #TamilNadu #CommunityImpact #WorkersRights @sndeep

ActionAid Association’s Wayanad Livelihood Project has started a recycled paper processing unit in Thariyode, Kerala, creating new earning opportunities for 26 Haritha Karma Sena members. Through practical training, members learned to make envelopes, files, bags and other useful items from waste paper. This initiative helps them learn new skills, earn extra income and explore self-employment. By turning waste paper into useful products, the project supports local families, reduces waste and helps build a cleaner, greener and more sustainable community. #ActionAidAssociation #SustainableLivelihoods #WasteToWealth @sndeep

ActionAid Association, in collaboration with the Centre for Social Work Studies at Dibrugarh University and the Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC), Akajan, organised a Mazdoor Pathshala programme at Dibrugarh University in Assam. The workshop brought together construction workers, MGNREGA workers’ unions, domestic workers’ unions, and young students from Dhemaji, Tinsukia, and Dibrugarh districts. Participants discussed workers’ issues and the importance of collective action to improve working conditions and access to social security schemes. The programme concluded with a collective commitment to continue working together to strengthen workers’ voices and promote their welfare. @sndeep

ActionAid Association conducted an eight-day digital literacy workshop across four Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) schools in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, reaching 443 adolescent girls. The workshop aimed to strengthen their digital skills and build confidence in using technology. The sessions covered navigating search engines and web browsers, creating digital accounts, searching for information online, preparing documents using Microsoft Word, and creating presentations. The initiative equipped adolescent girls with essential digital skills to support their education, access information, and use technology confidently in their everyday lives. @sndeep

On the International Day of Care and Support, ActionAid Association honours the invaluable contribution of paid and unpaid care workers in sustaining families and communities. Care work—largely undertaken by women—remains undervalued, with paid care workers often underpaid. Care is essential to children’s well-being, growth, protection and development, providing the love, attention and support they need to thrive. Everyone who needs care and support—including persons with disabilities, older people and people living with chronic illnesses—should have access to services that uphold their rights, dignity, choice and autonomy. We call for action to recognise, redistribute and socialise care: •Recognise care as essential work, value unpaid care, uphold care workers’ rights, and ensure fair wages and decent working conditions for paid care workers. •Redistribute care responsibilities fairly among all genders and across households, the state, employers and communities, challenging the expectation that women and girls must shoulder them. •Socialise care by making it a shared societal responsibility, backed by public investment in accessible, affordable, quality care and support services. These must include childcare and services that support older people, persons with disabilities and people living with chronic illnesses to live with dignity and autonomy. Valuing care and making it a shared responsibility is vital to building a more equal, inclusive and just society. Those who care deserve care too. #CareEconomy #ChildRights #GenderEquality #DecentWork #InternationalDayOfCareAndSupport @sndeep

ActionAid Association is helping families in Parayapatti village, Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu, access essential services and social security benefits. Through a community camp, 72 beneficiaries received support in applying for children’s educational certificates, essential documents and social security entitlements. This initiative helps families overcome barriers to accessing essential services, secure their entitlements and build a better future for their children. #ActionAidAssociation #CommunityEmpowerment #SocialSecurity @sndeep

ActionAid Association held an entitlement camp at its Community Resource Centre (CRC) in Shanthinagar tribal hamlet, Thariode Grama Panchayath, Wayanad, Kerala, connecting more than 40 community members with essential services. Participants received support with birth, death and marriage certificates, Aadhaar updates, and Voter ID registrations. The initiative helped tribal families access government services, social security benefits and other opportunities—advancing inclusion and making it easier to claim their entitlements. #ActionAidAssociation #TribalRights #AccessToEntitlements @sndeep

ActionAid Association organised a community meeting in Kunda Basti, Rajasthan, under the Kaam Mango Abhiyan (Demand for Work Campaign). The meeting focused on the Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme, providing a platform for community members to discuss challenges in accessing employment opportunities. Applications for work were also submitted to help workers access employment under the scheme. @sndeep

ActionAid Association conducted a Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) awareness campaign across various locations in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, reaching out to informal women workers, many of whom have migrated from nearby rural districts in search of employment. The campaign aimed to raise awareness about protection from sexual harassment and the importance of safe and secure workplaces, empowering women to recognise and address workplace harassment. @sndeep

ActionAid Association organised a BOCW registration camp at Nehru Nagar, Ward No. 4, Titilagarh, Odisha. The camp engaged 25 construction workers and helped them understand how registration works. Five workers received support to submit new applications, taking an important step toward accessing social security, welfare schemes and entitlements for themselves and their families. #ActionAidAssociation #WorkersRights #SocialSecurity @sndeep

As drought intensifies across Maharashtra, ActionAid Association is mobilising communities across 139 talukas in five districts to demand timely relief for vulnerable households. In Sangli, Beed, Nanded, Hingoli, Nagpur and Parbhani, teams are engaging district and block-level authorities, identifying families needing urgent assistance, and advocating for effective relief measures. ActionAid Association is also addressing concerns about women facing alleged harassment by microfinance recovery agents, advocating for protection from coercive recovery practices during this crisis. #ActionAidAssociation #DroughtRelief #CommunityAction @sndeep @mashkooralig

ActionAid Association, through its Worker Facilitation Centre (WFC), supported two workers by connecting them with the relevant government departments. Door-to-door outreach was conducted in Barwa Kala Gram Panchayat, Padrauna Block, and Thadh Bhar village, Dudahi Block, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. Many workers had temporarily migrated to other areas for harvesting work. During the visits, support was provided to prepare an application for road construction. Workers were also informed about social security schemes related to housing, pensions, and ration cards, including adding names to ration cards, obtaining Aadhaar cards, and correcting existing details. Information was also shared on other Labour Department schemes, eligibility requirements, and the documents needed to access these benefits. @sndeep

Meet Pratyusha: A Young Changemaker Driving Community Transformation In the informal settlements of Balaji Nagar, Medchal district, Telangana, many rural-to-urban migrant families depend on daily-wage labour, waste picking, and domestic work to make ends meet. Following ActionAid Association’s first Community Leaders Training in 2025, Pratyusha gained a deeper understanding of labour entitlements and social justice, inspiring her to take meaningful action for her community. She initiated the community’s first Workers’ Facilitation Camp, supported 88 workers in applying for labour cards, organised legal awareness sessions for women, and conducted school-based programmes on child protection and the harmful consequences of early marriage. With support from ActionAid Association and collaboration with the Labour Department, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), and District Medical and Health Office (DMHO), she also helped her father obtain a disability card, enabling him to access a government disability pension. Pratyusha envisions a society where women can speak out against harassment, challenge discrimination, and live with equality and dignity. Her journey demonstrates how awareness, courage, and community leadership can inspire meaningful change. @sndeep

For women in informal work, knowing their rights is a step towards greater security. On 24th October 2026, ActionAid Association held an awareness meeting in Nehru Nagar, Titilagarh Municipality, Odisha, to help women informal workers learn about the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) scheme and how to access entitlements. Participants also received BOCW information booklets to help them take the next steps towards accessing support. #InformalWorkers #WomenWorkers #SocialSecurity #Odisha #India

On 25 October 2026, ActionAid Association held social security camps in Binburu and Podabhunmari villages in Jharkhand, helping informal workers navigate social security schemes and take a step towards greater security for themselves and their families. #informalworkers #India