Who We Work With

Our Communities

People at the Centre of Everything We Do

Since our founding, UJAS has been rooted in the belief that justice is not delivered from above — it is built from the ground up, in partnership with those who suffer injustice every day. Every programme, every campaign, every court case begins and ends with the people we serve.

Pakistani Hindu refugee children at a community programme in Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Priority Community

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Pakistani Hindu Refugees & Their Families

Thousands of Hindu minority families fled religious persecution in Pakistan's Sindh province, arriving in India with hope but without documents, land or legal identity. Across ~1,000 settlements in seven western districts of Rajasthan, UJAS stands with them in the long fight for citizenship, rights, and dignity.

Families without citizenship waiting years for identity documents
70% non-citizen refugees facing barriers to healthcare, education and employment
Women and children with no access to government welfare schemes
Approximately 4,000 refugees covered under the Dhaat Healthcare Initiative
School enrolment rising: 140 students enrolled, 19% from migrant families

13,000+ Citizenships Secured

1,000+ Settlements Reached

7 Districts Covered

Citizenship Campaign →

Women in a rural Rajasthan community meeting demanding rights

Women's Rights

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Women in Rural Communities

Women in Rajasthan's most marginalised villages carry a triple burden — poverty, patriarchy and caste discrimination. At UJAS, we believe women are not victims but powerful agents of change. Our women's programmes centre their voices, their leadership, and their right to land, wages and safety.

Women at brick kilns doing equal work for far less pay
Widows and single women denied land inheritance rights
Survivors of domestic violence with no access to justice
Women artisans seeking economic independence through craft
Rural women leaders learning to navigate gram sabhas and panchayats

3,500+ Women Reached

120+ SHG Members

60+ Women Leaders Trained

Women's Campaigns →

Dalit and Adivasi community members in a Jan Sunwaai public hearing

Caste Justice

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Dalit & Adivasi Communities

Caste discrimination remains one of India's most persistent forms of structural violence. Dalit and Adivasi families in Rajasthan are disproportionately found in hazardous labour situations, denied access to water, land, sanitation and public spaces. UJAS organises these communities to assert their constitutional rights.

Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families denied MNREGA payments
Communities facing untouchability in access to water and temples
Dalit farmers losing land to illegal encroachment
Adivasi youth displaced from forests and traditional livelihoods
Communities mobilising under PESA and Forest Rights Act

40+ Villages Organised

200+ Rights Cases Filed

15+ Jan Sunwaais Held

Our Campaigns →

Farmers in Rajasthan affected by drought and desertification

Climate Justice

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Climate-Affected Farmers & Labourers

Rajasthan is on the frontline of India's climate crisis. Erratic monsoons, expanding desertification, falling water tables and extreme heat are destroying livelihoods that have sustained communities for generations. When harvests fail, the poorest families are pushed into debt — and into bondage.

Small and marginal farmers losing crops to drought and unseasonal rain
Pastoralist communities losing grazing lands to desertification
Brick kiln workers facing extreme heat and health crises with no protection
Women bearing the burden of water collection as sources dry up
Families displaced by sand encroachment losing homes and fields

25+ Villages in Program

500+ Farmers Supported

3 Districts Covered

Climate Challenges →

"

Before UJAS came to our settlement, we didn't know we had rights. We didn't know the law was on our side. My children had no school. Today my son is in class 7 and my daughter wants to be a teacher. UJAS didn't give us charity — they gave us back ourselves.

Kamla Bai, refugee community member, Jodhpur

KB

Kamla Bai Community member, Jodhpur district

Our Approach

How We Work With Communities

UJAS does not work for communities — we work with them. Our model is built on trust, long-term presence and community ownership of change.

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Identify & Investigate

Our field teams work closely with local informants, government records and community networks to identify rights violations, cases requiring legal aid, and families in need of support before situations worsen.

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Rescue & Legal Aid

UJAS works with district magistrates and authorities to facilitate official interventions for refugee rights, citizenship and child protection cases, ensuring families receive immediate legal protection and rehabilitation support.

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Rehabilitate & Educate

Rescued children are enrolled in bridge education programmes. Adults receive vocational training, skill development and psychosocial support to rebuild their lives with confidence and agency.

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Organise & Campaign

We bring communities together through Jan Sunwaais, gram sabha mobilisations and public campaigns to collectively demand accountability from government, employers and the justice system.

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Build Leadership

UJAS trains community members — especially women — to become rights defenders and leaders in their own villages, so that change is sustained long after our field teams move on.

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Advocate & Network

We bring community voices to state and national forums, connecting local struggles with broader movements for labour rights, climate justice and constitutional equality across India.