ABOUT US
A catalyst for change.
A bridge between people and possibilities.
Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra (SSK) is a leading civil society organization and resource centre based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Established in 1990, SSK specializes in participatory governance, rights-based development, and community-led resilience building.
We are both a resource organization-equipping Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), community-based groups, and governance institutions with the knowledge, skills, and tools to lead change-and a field implementation agency, piloting innovative models that can be scaled across geographies.
At its core, SSK is both a catalyst and a bridge- a catalyst in empowering communities to assert their rights and a bridge that connects grassroots realities with systemic responses. Our journey reflects a simple truth: lasting change emerges when people's voices, institutions, and resources converge in a shared pursuit of equity and dignity.
Our vision
A society based on equality, equity, and justice — where equality in rights and entitlements for the poor and excluded is ensured and respected.
Our mission
To play a catalytic role in enabling poor, marginalized, and excluded sections of society by mobilizing and organizing them to enhance their participation in the process of their own development.
Knowledge meets action
Our centres of excellence
Connecting learning and field practice to create inclusive, sustainable development.
Centre for Knowledge Promotion and Skill Development
This Centre fulfils two pivotal roles. Firstly, it enhances the capacities of CSOs and other stakeholders through structured training programs on thematic issues and emerging knowledge domains. Secondly, it promotes livelihood enhancement and skill development with a strong focus on youth empowerment. Through these efforts, it nurtures resilient communities equipped with knowledge, skills, and opportunities for sustainable growth.
Centre for Community Participation and Learning
This Centre leads direct field-based interventions across diverse developmental contexts. Its core function is to generate insights, consolidate learning, and transform field experiences into actionable knowledge. These learnings are shared with civil society actors, stakeholders, and government institutions to inform advocacy and catalyse systemic change. By serving as a bridge between practice and policy, the Centre fosters inclusive and sustainable development.
Training of Trainers, Project Management, PRA, Leadership, Strategic Planning, Team Building, training on PRI/FRA and Disaster Management are among the courses organised for CSOs in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and other Hindi-speaking states of India.
What guides us
Our core values
Participatory Approach
We believe development is most effective when communities are active architects of change. We co-create our interventions through dialogue and collaboration, ensuring ownership, accountability, and sustainability at the grassroots.
Innovation and Adaptability
We operate with openness and honesty, ensuring that our actions remain answerable to the communities we serve, our partners, and our own ethical standards. Accountability is not a compliance measure for us—it is a principle of trust-building.
Gender Equality & Social Inclusion
We are committed to dismantling structural barriers and creating equal opportunities for women, children, and marginalised communities. By mainstreaming gender equity and social inclusion, we ensure that no voice remains unheard and no potential remains unrealised.
Professional Integrity
We uphold the highest standards of professional conduct in all our work. Guided by ethical practice, respect, and fairness, we ensure that our organisational culture reflects credibility and reliability.
Innovation and Adaptability
We value innovation that is grounded in local realities and adaptable to emerging challenges. By blending indigenous wisdom with modern practices, we design solutions that are creative, context-sensitive, and resilient to change.
Knowledge Promotion
We see knowledge as a transformative force. By investing in research, documentation, training, and dissemination, we empower communities and institutions to make informed choices and replicate successful models of development.
Our direction
From field action to lasting change
Innovation in Action
Impact through Field Experimentation
We pursue deep, context-specific experimentation to address complex developmental issues. By piloting innovative, evidence-driven, and community-rooted solutions, we generate tangible improvements in the lives of marginalised populations and provide demonstrable models of sustainable change.
Blueprints for Scale
Replication and Model Building
Our commitment is to evolve successful field practices into replicable models. Through rigorous documentation, participatory research, and knowledge sharing, we create adaptable frameworks that can be scaled and institutionalised across diverse geographies, ensuring wider adoption and long-term sustainability.
Beyond Projects
Systemic Change
Our vision of systemic change rests on building credible and continuous evidence of impact, nurturing a movement of champions and change leaders within every intervention, and creating ecosystems of collaboration among practitioners, institutions, and stakeholders. By embedding participation and accountability at every stage, we promote inclusive problem-solving and ensure that change is not confined to projects but is woven into the very fabric of governance and community life
Shaping Tomorrow
Framework Change
We aspire to shift paradigms by influencing policies, reframing discourses, and shaping new ways of thinking about development. Through multi-stakeholder engagement, evidence-based advocacy, and dissemination of grounded knowledge, we contribute to societal transformation that redefines how equity, justice, and sustainability are pursued.
The people behind our purpose
Board of trustees
Dr. Rajesh Tandon
Emeritus Chairman
Dr. Tandon is the Co-Founder and President of PRIA, since 1982. He has nearly four decades of experience in articulating, elaborating, and facilitating philosophical and methodological issues of participatory research and popular participation in India, South Asia, and across the world. He has written extensively on participatory research and participatory development. He has also championed the cause of strengthening civil society organisations and the capacities of the marginalised through the twin process of learning and organising.
Dr. Tandon is the Co-Founder and President of PRIA, since 1982. He has nearly four decades of experience in articulating, elaborating, & facilitating
Dr. Neelam Singh
Board of Trustees
Dr. Neelam Singh is a reputed gynaecologist associated with Vatsalya, a state-level resource centre for women's causes. She was also the former chairperson of UPVAN-Lucknow and is deeply concerned about eradicating female feticide.
Dr. Neelam Singh is a reputed gynaecologist associated with Vatsalya, a state-level resource centre for women's causes.
Ms. Bitiya Murmu
Board of Trustees
Founder and Chief Functionary of Lahanti (Dumka, Jharkhand), Ms. Murmu works to empower Adivasi communities through education, women's leadership, and local governance.
Founder and Chief Functionary of Lahanti (Dumka, Jharkhand), Ms. Murmu works to empower Adivasi communities
Dr. Awadhesh Kumar Singh
Board of Trustees
Dr. Awadhesh Kumar Singh is a social scientist, development researcher, author, and institution builder with over 40 years of experience in research, training, education, and development administration. He is currently Director of the Ananya Institute for Development Research.
Dr. Awadhesh Kumar Singh is a social scientist, development researcher, author, and institution builder with over 40 years of experience in research, training, education, and development administration.
Dr. Yogesh Kumar
Board of Trustees
Dr. Yogesh Kumar is a well-known development economist and activist for making civil society watch the manner of governance, and a partner in the National Social Watch movement, Bhopal. He is the founder director of Samarthan, a reputed voluntary organisation active in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Dr. Yogesh Kumar is a well-known development economist and activist for making civil society watch the manner of governance,
Dr. Binoy Acharya
Board of Trustees
Binoy Acharya is the founder director of Unnati, a support organisation based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which also works in western Rajasthan. He has long experience in the voluntary sector and has contributed to research, training, documentation and disaster risk reduction.
Binoy Acharya is the founder director of Unnati, a support organisation based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which also works in western Rajasthan.
Mr. Prabhat Jha
Board of Trustees
Executive Director of the Nalanda Resource Centre for Education Innovation, Mr. Jha has more than 14 years of experience in strengthening primary education systems. His educational models bridge joyful learning with pedagogy. He remains a passionate advocate for inclusive, quality education.
Executive Director of the Nalanda Resource Centre for Education Innovation, Mr. Jha has more than 14 years of experience in strengthening primary education systems.
Mr. Ashok Singh
Founder & Director, SSK
Mr. Ashok Singh is a well-known champion for institution-building in civil society at national and regional levels. A Founder Member of UPVAN, the state-level network of NGOs of Uttar Pradesh, he is a popular trainer on participatory training. He supports CSOs in U.P., Bihar and Jharkhand. He founded SSK in 1990 and currently serves as its Founder Director.
Mr. Ashok Singh is a well-known champion for institution-building in civil society at national and regional levels.
Dr. Atul Pratap Singh
Board of Trustees
Dr. Atul Pratap Singh is a professor of Social Work at University of Delhi. He has over two decades of academic and field experience in professional social work education. His writings and training programmes bridge theoretical knowledge with practical community engagement.
Dr. Atul Pratap Singh is a professor of Social Work at University of Delhi. He has over two decades of academic & field experience in professional.
Mr. Dileep Kumar Singh
Board of Trustees
Founder–Secretary of the Himalayan Institute for Rural Awakening (HIRA) in Rishikesh, Mr. Singh has dedicated his career to sustainable rural development. Since 2000, he has led initiatives on organic agriculture, women's empowerment, and environmental awareness across the Himalayan region.
Founder–Secretary of the Himalayan Institute for Rural Awakening (HIRA) in Rishikesh, Mr. Singh has dedicated his career to sustainable rural development.
Ms. Sunita Sharma
Board of Trustees
Ms. Sunita Sharma has worked with a number of renowned national and international social development organisations including World Education, Institute of International Education and CARE, as India Country Director, Country Representative and National Coordinator for a considerable number of years.
Ms. Sunita Sharma has worked with a number of renowned national & international social development organisations
Ms. Mukta Sharma
Board of Trustees
A public health specialist with a master's in Public Health, Sociology, and Mass Communication, Ms. Sharma has 22 years of experience across six Indian states. She has led large-scale HIV/AIDS, TB, and leprosy control programmes with UNICEF, UNDP, and the Government of India.
A public health specialist with a master's in Public Health, Sociology, and Mass Communication, Ms. Sharma has 22 years of experience.
Mr. Srimanta Kumar Patra
Board of Trustees
With over 28 years in development management, Mr. Patra has worked across Odisha, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh. His expertise spans women's empowerment, livelihood promotion, enterprise development, and partnership management.
With over 28 years in development management, Mr. Patra has worked across Odisha, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh.