CRTDP
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) · Community Organization
About Us:
CRTDP
Working Towards a Better Tomorrow
Dealing with the challenges of today requires problem-solvers who bring different perspectives and are willing to take risks. CRTDP emerged out of a pursuit to inspire and support the community, and a desire for actions to speak louder than words. Established in 1987, we’re an organization driven by progressive ideas, bold actions, and a strong foundation of support.
CRTDP is a people’s association to combat poverty and to bring awareness to the masses in areas of exploitation of the powerless. Situated in central India, Nagpur in the state of Maharashtra, CRTDP started its work in 1980. Today the organization is working in 39 villages in Hingna block, Kalmeshwar block and Samudrapur block of Nagpur and Wardha districts, as well as in 3 urban slums in the city itself. It works in close collaboration with governmental and other voluntary organizations in the field of development for underprivileged people.
Our Vision:
CRTDP’s vision is to improve the living conditions of rural and slum people by bringing awareness to the powerless in areas of exploitation in and around Nagpur.
Our Mission:
To educate, organize and guide people for constructive change in the society, irrespective of cast, creed or religion.
Our Objectives:
- To strengthen the communities with unity in their struggle for justice and dignified human living.
- To promote people’s awareness to understand the root causes for their poverty and the actions required to overcome them.
- To promote economic training for underprivileged men and women for self employment.
- To promote health care and awareness in the community with special attention to mothers and children.
- To provide emergency relief and medical attention to the poor in times of calamities like drought, floods, fire and epidemics.
Our Story:
Comprehensive Rural Tribal Development Programme (CRTDP) was founded by Rev. K. David in 1980 and registered on 19/11/1989 having Trust Registration number: F-7676 and Society Registration Number: 502/87 dated 7/9/1987 in Nagpur.
- Rev K. David was working in Mure Memorial Hospital, Nagpur as a Manager when he met a number of poor people who had some illness but didn’t have money for the treatment. He was really shocked to see their poverty and decided to help those people for the betterment of their living. He arranged a field visit to their homes and was relatively surprised to see their living conditions, poverty, unawareness, lifestyle, superstitions and illiteracy.
- Their main sources of income coolie, daily laborers in tea stalls, pulling rickshaws, road works, cycle repairs on roadside, rag pickers.
- He felt so bad for those people that he made a decision to help those people as a messenger of God to improve their living standards.
- The church gave him a small room in 1840 church compound to plan and work for these people with a donation of just 28 Rs with a chair and a table.
- He named the office as Industrial Service Institute (ISI) for resolving the problems of laborers as a mediator between the owners and the laborers.
- He grabbed a huge response from the poor side of the society. They named him as a savior of the poor.
- In those days, Nagpur was witnessing industrialization with many companies coming over and investing and there was a lot of exploitation on labors from their owners. He made a union of labor groups and passed some laws in favor of labor to reduce their exploitation.
- Once Mr. David saw a poor rickshaw puller earning just 25 Rs per day and paying 10 Rs to the owner of Rickshaw and keeping 5 Rs for himself and taking care of 6-7 members of his family in remaining 10 Rs. He was delated with his condition. The owners gave them rickshaws only for 12 hours and if mistakenly, they got late to return the rickshaw, they were charged double by the owner. Mr. David came up with a solution to this exploitation to make the rickshaw pullers, the owners of their rickshaws. This movement was called ‘THE RICKSHAW CHALAK MALAK’ in which Mr. David distributed 5000 Rickshaws to the poor Rickshaw pullers.
- He started Rickshaw production plant in which the cost of a Rickshaw was 1500 Rs out of which 500 Rs were donated by ICCO(International Churches Council of Organization), contribution of 500 Rs from the rickshaw pullers and 500 Rs from loan from 28 banks to 5000 people for a tenure of 2 years. 98 % rickshaw puller reimbursed the bank loan in this period.
- Mr. David got a huge response from the weaker section of the society and this movement was a huge success at that time.
- He worked for 16 years in ISI and started skill development courses, agriculture development, borewell and handpumps for drinking water through casa and cooperative farming for the poor.
- One day, Government Officer called him to visit the tribal belt of Hingna’s interior villages. It was the first time for him to see the poor, tribal and neglected people from the society which transformed his mind towards development of tribes.
- He resigned from ISI and started his own NGO named CRTDP for the upliftment of tribes and rural development.
- He visited a village in Hingna called Nagazari whose villagers were poor, sick, dirty and away from the society.
- They didn’t have a proper place to sleep/live, they didn’t have shelter to cook, no clothes to wear, no food, no electricity, no medical facilities, no pure water for drinking, they used to migrate from village to village for begging.
- They were lonely in the forest and used to hunt forest animals to live.
- Their main source of income was liquor production, pick-pocketing, hunting, begging, stealing wood from the forest and selling it.
- When the Director/ Founder of CRTDP met these tribes, tears automatically came out from his eyes and he decided that God has sent me to these people for development and I will turn these wild people to social human beings and work for their betterment for the rest of his life.
- Mr. Simon Byworth with his wife Jean Byworth visited India. He had heard a lot about Mr. David and his social desire for the poor. Mr Simon was eager to meet Mr.David. He was a mechanical engineer in Roll Royce and he used to build engines of flights. He visited Nagpur and his deepest feelings were invoked so he started supporting Mr. David for social activities and gave birth to CRTDP in Nagpur and a charitable trust called Phoenix India in England.
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“ A testimonial by Mr. Ken Hossack specifying his experiences in India and CRTDP specifically. “On 15th September 1995, I arrived in Nagpur and was met at the airport by Rev. Karim David. The welcome I received was akin to that of a father greeting a son home after a long absence, and this was the first time we had met. During the next 15 years I returned to Nagpur many times and on every occasion Mr. David welcomed me ‘home’ with the same enthusiasm and affection and looked after me and my family with the utmost love and consideration. Having the privilege of knowing Mr. David as a dear friend and experiencing his tremendous influence changed my life so much for the better, as it did all those who were fortunate enough to come in contact with him. He worked tirelessly for some of the poorest and most destitute people in the Nagpur area irrespective of religion, caste or creed. He never tried to convert any of the thousands of Hindu people for whom he laboured, for to do so would have created barriers and hindered the vital work that he and his staff were striving to do. However, everyone knew that he was a Christian and bestowed upon him the greatest respect because of it. His work was his witness. He was the living embodiment of the Good Samaritan, devoting his life to his people and to God. On the 8th of December 2009 God called him home. His passing left a huge void in the lives of all who knew and loved him.”