The Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development, known as CORD, is an organization that helps with rural development throughout
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
South Asia
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
. It is the service wing of
Chinmaya Mission
The Chinmaya Mission () is a Hindu religious and spiritual organization that disseminates Vedanta, the science of the self as described in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita. Followers ...
. CORD aims to promote sustainable development in India through activities such as empowering women, helping with
microfinancing
Microfinance consists of financial services targeting individuals and small businesses (SMEs) who lack access to conventional banking and related services.
Microfinance includes microcredit, the provision of small loans to poor clients; saving ...
, and forming ''Mahila Mandals'' or self-help groups. Rather than just giving aid, CORD focuses on helping people by teaching them necessary skills to be self-sufficient and independent.
History
The beginnings of CORD came from the service efforts of
Dr. Kshama Metre, who worked as a doctor in India. Her experience with meeting
Swami Chinmayananda inspired her to leave her medical practice and join the
Chinmaya Mission
The Chinmaya Mission () is a Hindu religious and spiritual organization that disseminates Vedanta, the science of the self as described in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita. Followers ...
to assist in their work in the rural areas of the country.
Metre set up health centres for women and children in the village of
Sidhbhari,
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...
. In 2003, the service efforts of Chinmaya Mission were merged into the organization CORD, so CORD was born.
References
{{reflist
Rural development organisations in India