CASA believes in Care, Awareness, Service and Action - Contributing to the development and empowerment of the weaker
sections of the society. We acknowledge the idea of
'People Helping people'.
Having completed more than seven decades of service, CASA since 1947, has been constantly re-defining its approach and adapting to serve the needs of people better.
Believing in the axiom ‘See the picture through the victims’ eyes’, CASA could identify with the concerns of people, and thus provide an immediate response in emergencies. Relentless efforts to address people’s concerns gradually led CASA to become a household name in humanitarian support.
The 1980s saw CASA‘s need-based approach come to the fore, wherein emphasis was given to capacity building and awareness propagation of the reference communities in distress. CASA’s Core Programmes or direct interventions focused on building and strengthening Community-Based Organisations (CBOs). From creating awareness on issues like livelihood to gender mainstreaming, CASA is building capacities of local organisations that were owned and managed by the community itself, besides continuing the role of a rehabilitator.
Recognising the need and importance of addressing the root causes of issues, the approach of the organisation shifted to an issue-based approach in the 1990s. There arose a need to address concerns like the existing structural poverty. Studies like the Participatory Strategic Planning (PSP) and other context assessments were and continue to be undertaken in different states to identify look the manifestations of the real issues responsible for poverty.
The focus was on linking efforts at the micro-level (village level) with the macro-level (national) for sustainable change.
The dawn of a new millennium saw CASA assume the role of a facilitator. The rights-based approach emerged as a key instrument for addressing the structural causes of poverty, inequality and injustice. The organisation focused on mobilising and encouraging the communities to facilitate the process of change and motivated them towards social transformation.
CASA helped people to connect to government welfare schemes to avail the facilities. Networking and collective action became an instrument to strengthen people’s movements. Today, CASA is involved in disaster response management and people-centred empowerment interventions across the country.
The Participatory Strategic Planning (PSP) and other processes have resulted in the identification of key thrust areas and articulation of the perspective plans for the current decade. This periodic assessment has enabled CASA to be contextual, relevant and has led to the integration of the needs and aspirations of its reference community in its organisational and programme functions.
