Swades Foundation Expands into Three New Districts of Maharashtra, Extending Its Potential Impact to Over 1 Million Rural Citizens

Swades Foundation, committed to holistic, community-driven, rural empowerment, has announced a major expansion of its footprint across Maharashtra. Having worked extensively in Raigad and Nashik, the Foundation is now extending its community-driven model to new regions - Jawhar and Mokhada in Palghar, Shahapur in Thane, and aspirational district of Akkalkuwa in Nandurbar, alongside Kalwan and Dindori in Nashik. This expansion covers an estimated 2.33 lakh rural households and nearly 1.2 million people, significantly increasing the organisation’s potential to scale impact. The Swades team, officially welcomed by the respective Zilla Parishads, has initiated a comprehensive baseline survey, marking the first step in designing need-based, measurable interventions for each community. With this, the Foundation will now be driving large-scale rural transformation across 5 districts and 17 blocks in Maharashtra.

Swades Foundation remains guided by its mission to lift one million rural Indians out of poverty every five years through community-driven change. With a network of more than 11,600 community volunteers, it has reached 1.1 million people and impacted 600,000 lives so far. Its integrated development model has enabled the delivery of over 1.3 million unique interventions across water, sanitation, health, education, and economic development, and contributed Rs 1.26 billion to the national GDP through livelihood initiatives.

Commenting on the expansion, Zarina and Ronnie Screwvala, Co-Founders, Swades Foundation, said, “The impact of our community-driven, holistic model - one that alleviates both material & mental poverty, builds aspiration, and strengthens community resilience - has been profound. It has shown us what becomes possible when people begin to believe in themselves.
With steady backing from Government of Maharashtra, generosity of our donors and of course the drive of our communities, we now have the conviction to scale our work, expanding to 17 blocks across 5 districts. It will help us reach some of the poorest and most underserved communities, including large tribal populations.
In line with our 1,000 Dream Village LOI with Government of Maharashtra, we now look forward to creating Dream Villages in Thane, Palghar, and Nandurbar, along with our continued work in Raigad and Nashik.”

Divisional commissioner of Konkan Division, Vijay Suryawanshi commented, “I welcome Swades Foundation to Palghar and Thane. The foundation has done remarkable work in Raigad and Nashik through their Dream Village model, which has evolved beautifully over the years. These villages have shown impressive progress, with the community always at the heart of the effort. I look forward to seeing villages in other districts flourish under the foundation’s guidance  and, of course, through the collective strength and leadership of the communities who will drive the change on the ground.”

About Swades Foundation

Founded by Ronnie and Zarina Screwvala, Swades Foundation is committed to community-driven holistic rural development, focusing on water and sanitation, health, education, and economic growth. The organization’s vision of an empowered, poverty-free rural India guides its mission to uplift one million rural lives every five years by creating a sustainable, community-centered model of development.