images/tuition-centre-group.jpgStudents and teachers at an NCDS tuition centre
About NCDS

Who we are

A 50-year thread from one home in Katra to five states and beyond.

Our story

From one act of kindness to a movement.

Navjeevan Community Development Society works for the upliftment of marginalised communities in remote rural India. Our inspiration traces back to 30th October 1972, when our founder Mrs. Lilly Vargis arrived in Katra, Jammu & Kashmir, and began teaching the children of manual scavengers in her own home.

Today, NCDS runs four core projects — Literacy, Empowerment, Medical, and Disaster Relief — across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir, and beyond. Our focus has never changed: empower women and children through education, healthcare, livelihood skills, and a steady hand in crisis.

What guides us

Vision, mission & values

Our vision

Empowered, self-reliant communities in every remote corner of India — where every child learns, every woman earns, and no family is left behind in crisis.

Our mission

To empower women and children in marginalised rural communities through free education, accessible healthcare, livelihood training, and rapid disaster relief.

Our values

Dignity first. Service without discrimination. Transparency with every rupee. Presence on the ground, not promises from a distance.

Our team

The people behind the work

images/surgery-team.jpgDr. Babitha Kallemel leading a surgical camp

Dr. Babitha Kallemel

Lead, Free Surgery Programme. MBBS (Govt. Medical College, Kottayam), MD Family Medicine (Tulsa, Oklahoma), with clinical experience in Minnesota.

images/teacher-home-visit.jpgField organiser teaching children during a home visit

Robina Tandon

Field Organizer since August 2018, coordinating tuition centres and community outreach on the ground.

images/classroom-hands-raised.jpgZonal leaders and teachers with students

53 teachers & zonal leaders

Our Hindi Zone leadership in Madhya Pradesh coordinates 53 teachers delivering free tuition six days a week.

images/children-smiling.jpgSmiling children

Continue the thread that began in 1972.

Help us reach the next village, the next child, the next family.

Donate now 80G tax exemption · transparent reporting · serving since 1972