Chirag was registered as a society in 1986, with a mandate to work with rural communities in the hills of the Central Himalayas.  Chirag began its work in Ramgarh Block of Nainital district with a focus on primary health and afforestation. As our understanding of communities and the issues that inhibit their progress has increased, our activities have expanded to reflect this understanding.

We continue to learn and adapt each year. Our geographical area of operations has grown over time but we continue to remain true to our original idea of seeking to improve the quality of life of rural families and in particular the poor and women.

Chirag has been fortunate to benefit from the contribution of a diverse set of young professionals who have lived and worked here over time. However, the core and backbone of the organisation is comprised of people from the region who have grown with the organisation.

We are currently one of the larger organisations in the region and work closely with national and international institutions.Many of our partners have worked with us for close to a decade and one of them has partnered with us since our inception. The continuity of support has been crucial to our achievements thus far. We have worked with large governmental programmes in the region, in the past, such as SWAJAL and the Diversified Agriculture Support Programme. We currently work with Ajeevika – an initiative of the State Government to improve the quality of life of the poorest by improving their livelihoods and with CAPART on developing the Chiori Watershed.

We moved into our new office and training centre in October 2005. Till then, we had avoided the creation of any infrastructure since we believed that we should have the ability to move to another region. Our work with young people and in particular girls necessitated a training centre and an office was added. Both have proved to be a boon since the alarming increase in land prices could have rendered us without an office.