Samarthya
Samarthya
Madat Programme · Marathwada Flood Relief · Osmanabad, Maharashtra · 2025–26
VERIFIED · MARCH 2026
Samarthya team at pre-distribution community meeting
Marathwada Flood Response — 2026
Madat Programme · Osmanabad, Maharashtra · September 2025 – March 2026 · Pre-distribution community meeting, Lohara block
Madat Programme · Emergency flood relief 2025–26
3,000 families. 55 habitations. One team.
Samarthya's emergency response to the September 2025 floods in Osmanabad (Dharashiv), Maharashtra. 3,000 vulnerable households across 55 habitations received GPS-tagged, photo-verified dry ration kits — 68.3% of them female-headed, 68.5% carrying two or more simultaneous vulnerabilities.
Beneficiary households
3,000
Photo + signature verified
Habitations covered
55
Omerga & Lohara blocks
Female-headed households
68.3%
2,049 of 3,000 — above IASC standard
Team members
15
80% women-led operation
Relief value distributed
₹30L
₹1,000 per household kit
Compound vulnerability
68.5%
Carried 2+ simultaneous vulnerabilities
Gender of head of household
Every record disaggregated by gender
Female — 2,049 (68.3%) Male — 951 (31.7%)
68.3%
31.7%
IASC Sphere standard: minimum 50% female targeting in emergency food distributions. Samarthya reached 68.3% — 18 percentage points above the international benchmark.
Monthly distribution
Kits distributed per month
Rainfall anomaly
830mm
148% above average
Mandals hit
22/48
Osmanabad district
Villages affected
270+
Across district
Houses damaged
766
Partially or fully
Crop loss
140+ Ha
Soybean, onion, pulses
People rescued
300+
By emergency teams
Needs assessed
1,067
Households surveyed
Food insecure
97.7%
Of surveyed households
Vulnerability profiling
Who was reached — 3,000 households
Every household was assessed against 10 vulnerability criteria. 68.5% carried two or more simultaneously — confirming the operation prioritised those with the deepest structural disadvantage, not just the most accessible families.
Vulnerability categories
All 3,000 households — count and percentage
Compound vulnerability distribution
Number of simultaneous vulnerabilities per household
34% of households carried 3 or more vulnerabilities simultaneously. This is the deepest tier of structural disadvantage — and they were reached first.
Recipient relationship to head of family
Who collected the kit at the distribution point
Vulnerability profile by gender
Female vs male household heads per category
Geographic coverage
55 habitations across Osmanabad district
Every distribution point is GPS-tagged. Dot size reflects kits distributed. 99.1% of beneficiaries received no other government or NGO assistance — confirming Samarthya filled an unaddressed gap in the most remote DNT settlements.
1–50 kits 51–120 kits 121+ kits 84.5% GPS accuracy within 50m · 99.1% received no other aid · Click any dot for details
Project location
India → Maharashtra → Osmanabad district → Omerga, Lohara blocks
Project location map: India, Maharashtra, Osmanabad district, Omerga and Lohara blocks
Samarthya team members walking to a distribution site
The Samarthya team
15 members · 80% women-led · Osmanabad, Maharashtra · On the way to a distribution site, 2026
The people behind the work
Samarthya team — 15 members, 55 habitations
All team members are from DNT communities in Osmanabad. 12 of 15 are women. Every kit distributed was personally recorded by a named team member — GPS-tagged and photo-verified.
15
Team members
80%
Women-led
57
Days active
200
Avg records each
Records by team member
Top contributors
Rohit
1,039
Shatrughan
677
Disha
568
Pooja
214
Girija
144
Ranjita
122
Rakhi
103
Puja
42
Kajal
36
Shubhangi
28
Kavita
14
Rajendra
12
Gender composition
12 women · 3 men
80% women-led — exceeds the global humanitarian standard of 50% women in field roles. All 15 members belong to DNT communities they served.
Field photographs
Hover to identify · Click to enlarge
Rohit Chavan
Rohit Chavan
1,039 records
Shatrughan Pawar
Shatrughan Pawar
677 records
Disha Rathod
Disha Rathod
568 records
Pooja Rathod
Pooja Rathod
214 records
Girija Rathod
Girija Rathod
144 records
Ranjita Pawar
Ranjita Pawar
122 records
Rakhi Rathod
Rakhi Rathod
103 records
Puja Pawar
Puja Pawar
42 records
Kajal Chavan
Kajal Chavan
36 records
Shubhangi Pawar
Shubhangi Pawar
28 records
Kavita Pawar
Kavita Pawar
14 records
Rajendra Jadhav
Rajendra Jadhav
12 records
Avinash Chavan
Avinash Chavan
Field ops
Babita Rathod
Babita Rathod
Field ops
Prem Rathod
Prem Rathod
Field ops
Evidence & verification
Verified accountability for every distribution
GPS coordinates, beneficiary photo, and signature or thumb impression — collected for every single one of the 3,000 distributions. This equals the accountability standard required by UNHCR and WFP of their implementing partners.
GPS-tagged records
3,000
100% coverage
Photo evidence
100%
Every beneficiary photographed
Signature/thumb impression
100%
Digital + paper collected
Beneficiary consent
100%
Verbal consent recorded
GPS accuracy ≤50m
84.5%
2,534 of 3,000 records
Duplicate aid received
0.9%
99.1% reached no other aid
13-step accountability workflow
Ensuring dignity, inclusion, and precision from mobilization to feedback
13-step accountability workflow across three phases: inclusive targeting and preparation, dignified distribution, and verification and feedback loop
Verification in practice
Photo and GPS capture, then the household survey — both recorded in the field
Beneficiary being photographed on a phone in front of the distribution banner Enumerator recording household data on a paper form during a home visit
Data collection method
KoboToolbox — 59 individual project forms
✓Individual beneficiary records for every household
✓Real-time GPS at point of distribution
✓Unique submission UUID + timestamp per record
✓Head of household ID linked to vulnerability profile
✓40-column master dataset — all demographic variables
✓Gender-disaggregated data for all 3,000 records
Post-Distribution Monitoring · April 2026
What the community said — PDM findings
111 households surveyed · 12 FGDs · 7 enumerators · 2–18 April 2026 · Mixed methods — KoboToolbox interviews, focused group discussions, complaint box analysis, staff interactions.
Surveyed
111
Households
Women respondents
91%
101 of 111
FGDs conducted
12
Across habitations
Average age
46.9
28 respondents aged 60+
Enumerators
7
All Samarthya team
Survey period
17 days
2–18 April 2026
PDM in the field — household interviews
111 face-to-face interviews · April 2–18, 2026 · KoboToolbox + paper forms
PDM field
PDM field
PDM field
PDM field
CHS Performance — community assessment
1
Rights & participation
100% consent
Verbal consent obtained111/111
Women consulted84/111
Leaders involved101/111
"सामर्थ्याच्या टीमने योग्य वेळी रेशन किट देऊन काही दिवसाची उपजीविका भागवली"
2
Timely & effective support
100% kits received
Received kit111/111
Lasted more than 1 week65/111
All items received111/111
Learning: 85 said "somewhat late" — team waited for oos todani workers to return before distributing.
3
Strengthening resilience
Community looks ahead
Food security improved71/111
Somewhat more prepared75/111
Community requestsSeeds · livelihood · soil restoration
4
Do no harm
97% no tension
No community tension97/111
Dignity fully maintained95/111
Equal treatment107/111
5
Complaints & feedback
4-channel system
Knew right to complain79/111
Suchna Peti seen106/111
Complaints raised46/111
6
Coordination
99.1% gap-filling
No other NGO/govt aid110/111
Samarthya only source99.1%
110 of 111 families confirmed Samarthya was the only organisation that reached them.
7
Learning & adaptation
Kobo M&E cycle
Item flagged as not useful7/111 (Masoor Dal)
Missing item requested57/111
Most requested additionSugar/tea — 34 requests
8
Staff & volunteer conduct
High dignity
Very respectful60/111
Respectful47/111
Dignity fully maintained95/111
"सामर्थ्य ची टीम खूप चांगलं काम करत आहे आणि आमच्या सारख्या तळागाळातील लोकांना मदत करतात"
9
Responsible resource management
₹1,000 per kit · 100% verified
No payment asked111/111
Total operation value₹30,00,000
Kit satisfied62 gave 5/5 · 49 gave 4/5
Community impact — survey findings
PDM respondents (out of 111) across six impact indicators
Significant livelihood impact
91
of 111 respondents
Complete crop loss
78
Soybean, onion, pulses
Felt significant relief
58
from the ration kit
Greatly trust Samarthya
82
of 111 respondents
Severe psychological impact
38
मानसिक आधार provided
Quality rated Very Good
78%
87 of 111
Community voices
What they said — PDM respondents · April 2026
"सामर्थ्याच्या टीमने योग्य वेळी रेशन किट देऊन काही दिवसाची उपजीविका भागवली"
"Samarthya's team gave us a ration kit at the right time — it helped our family survive for a few days."
PDM respondent · Omerga block
"सामर्थ्य ची टीम खूप चांगलं काम करत आहे — आमच्या सारख्या तळागाळातील लोकांना मदत करतात"
"Samarthya's team does very good work — they help people like us at the grassroots, and care for us again and again."
PDM respondent · Lohara block
"सामर्थ्य खूप चांगल्या पद्धतीने काम करणारी ही आमची मुलं आहेत — यांनी भविष्यातही महिलांबरोबर काम करत राहावं"
"These young people from Samarthya work in such a good way — they are our own children. We hope they keep working with women in the future too."
Community elder · Osmanabad
Focused Group Discussions — community in conversation
12 FGDs across habitations · Evening and daytime discussions · Women, men and mixed groups
PDM field
PDM field
PDM field
PDM field
PDM field
PDM field
PDM field
PDM field
Core Humanitarian Standard · 2024 edition
CHS compliance — Marathwada Flood Relief 2025
Samarthya implemented the Core Humanitarian Standard across all 9 commitments during this operation. Evidence drawn from the pre-distribution baseline survey (1,067 households), distribution records (3,000 beneficiaries), and Post-Distribution Monitoring (111 respondents).
🤝
Humanity
Swift emergency services, psychosocial support, and food security assistance for 3,000 flood-affected households. Human dignity centred at every step.
⚖️
Impartiality
Assistance was directed exclusively to De-notified and Nomadic Tribe (DNT) households — communities historically excluded from mainstream relief systems — based on 10 measurable vulnerability criteria applied consistently across all 55 habitations.
🛡️
Neutrality
No political entanglement. Coordinated transparently with gram panchayats and district officials to ensure safe, open access for all verified beneficiaries.
🌱
Independence
Operational decisions based entirely on field assessments. Funded by APPI, Mama Cash, WFA, and crowdfunding — free from external pressure.
1
Rights & participation
Beneficiary consent documented — elderly Banjara woman at distribution point
100% informed consent
Verbal consent documented100% (111/111)
Laman Banjara community81.98%
Wadar community9.01%
Berad/Bedar community6.31%
Single woman-headed HH53.15%
2
Timely & effective support
Volunteer capturing photo evidence at distribution — 100% documentation maintained
100% targeted kits delivered
Kit lasted 1+ week58.56%
Kit lasted ~1 week31.53%
Items rated Very Good78.38%
Cultural/dietary match93.69%
Pre-distribution needs assessment1,067 HH surveyed
3
Strengthening resilience
Samarthya team with DNT community women — 17 years of presence in Osmanabad
17-year community presence
Years in Omerga & Lohara blocksSince 2008
Villages with long-term presence50 villages
PDM captured resilience needsYes
Transition to recovery plannedSoil, livelihoods, shelter
4
Do no harm
Community meeting — 25 January 2026, participatory distribution briefing
87.39% no social tension
No social tension reported87.39%
Home delivery to elderly/disabled100%
DNH framework activeYes
POSH policy activeYes
Safeguarding policy activeYes
5
Complaints & feedback
Suchna Peti (feedback box) placed at every distribution point — CHS Commitment 5
4-channel feedback system
Aware of right to complain71.17%
Direct staff engagement86.49%
Physical complaint boxes76.58%
Telephonic helpdesk (8888026292)71.17%
Community committees52.25%
6
Coordination
Humanitarian Response Form — Alur Tanda, verifying beneficiary eligibility
99.1% gap-filling reach
Received no other NGO/govt aid99.1%
Govt coordination villages9 villages
Loss registration supportedYes
Duplicate aid prevented100%
7
Learning & adaptation
Samarthya team carrying kits to remote habitation — data collected at point of delivery
Kobo M&E cycle completed
Baseline → PDM learning loopCompleted
Masoor Dal → local dal preference6.31% flagged
Solar torch / NFI request notedYes
Kit composition to be updatedNext operation
8
Staff & volunteer conduct
Samarthya team members at field distribution — respectful, community-rooted approach
High dignity & trust
Dedicated staff30+ staff
Community volunteers100+
Psychosocial support providedYes — मानसिक आधार
Beneficiary dignity confirmedPDM verified
9
Responsible resource management
Distribution register with beneficiary verification — transparent resource management
FCRA · 12A · 80G · CSR-1
Statutory registrations active4 frameworks
Beneficiary list verification100%
Cost per household kit₹1,000
Total operation value₹30,00,000
Proxy verification enforcedYes
Final evaluation: Samarthya's 2025 flood relief operation demonstrates an exceptionally high level of compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard. The systematic use of digital data collection, structured multi-channel complaint mechanisms, proactive targeting of DNT communities, and rigorous post-distribution monitoring sets a strong benchmark for localised, accountable humanitarian practice. — Humanitarian Accountability & Compliance Report, 2025
Context, timeline & field gallery
About Samarthya & the Osmanabad flood
Women-led, youth-initiated grassroots organisation working across 50 villages in Osmanabad since 2008. The Madat programme is one of five thematic areas — all centred on the rights of De-notified and Nomadic Tribe communities.
Flood impact — Osmanabad, September 2025
Impact areaDetails
Rainfall830mm — 148% above average
Mandals affected22 of 48
Villages affected270+
Houses damaged750–766
Crop loss140+ Ha — soybean, onion, pulses
Livestock lost186 cattle
People rescued300+ by emergency teams
Response timeline
September 2025
Floods hit Osmanabad. Samarthya begins rescue — 120 persons evacuated. Psychosocial support to 240 families. Coordination with district administration for loss registration and government compensation claims.
Oct – Nov 2025
Rapid Needs Assessment — 1,067 households surveyed. 97.7% reported food insecurity. 98.1% identified dry ration as priority need. Appeal launched to donors and government for support.
January 2026
Distribution begins. 1,548 kits delivered — largest single-month phase. GPS-tagged, photo-verified, with signature for every record.
February 2026
1,272 kits distributed. Coverage expanded across remaining habitations in Omerga and Lohara blocks.
March 2026
Final 180 kits distributed. 111-household Post-Distribution Monitoring survey completed. Operation verified and closed.
Field gallery — relief work 2025–26
48 photographs · Click any image to view full size
Flood impact
Soybean crop destroyed under standing water — 78 of 111 PDM respondents reported complete crop loss
Flood impact
Harvested soybean spoiled by moisture — a full season of income lost, October 2025
Flood impact
Local press coverage — Tarun Bharat reports rain havoc and crop damage, Osmanabad region, September 2025
Flood impact
Mud-brick wall collapsed after sustained rainfall — family shelter damaged
Flood impact
Milch cow collapsed after the floods — livestock loss hit household income directly
Flood impact
Calf lost to flood conditions — 830mm seasonal rainfall, 148% above average
Flood impact
Burial of a cow lost in the floods — families gave their animals a dignified farewell
Flood impact
RNA visit — Samarthya team member recording losses with a resident whose roof sheets collapsed
Flood impact
Needs assessment at a damaged home — noting losses beside a fallen brick wall
Flood impact
Documenting damage — team member photographing losses at a Banjara family home
Flood impact
Mansik aadhar — team member sits with an elderly Banjara woman beside her chulha, recording her losses
Flood impact
Roadside conversation in a flooded vasti — team members listening to women about immediate needs
Samarthya's five programmes
Bharari
Gender justice
Saksham Shikshan
Quality education
Umed
Youth & citizenship
Swayampurn
Entitlement & resilience
Madat
Relief & rebuilding