Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society Key Issues and
Operational Areas, Major Activiities & Achivements
Operational Districts: South
Operational States: DELHI
AchieveMents: SEEDS (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society) is a national humanitarian agency that engages with the local communities in enhancing their resilience to environmental threats, such as extreme weather events, natural calamities etc. SEEDS is driven by the organizational vision of ââ¬ËBuilding Resilient Communitiesââ¬â¢. As a humanitarian organization, SEEDS works closely with the local government authorities and reaches out to communities that have been impacted by disasters. Going beyond relief, SEEDS has helped them adapt to future such events through process of raising awareness, learning, introduction of resilient technologies, weather monitoring etc. Such measures have helped strengthen the communityââ¬â¢s coping capacities.
Founded in 1994, SEEDS originated as a college based interest group in School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi, delving in research on environment and habitat issues.
In the initial years, majority of the projects were actually the study undertaken to understand the depleting environment and its impact on communities. The core of this vision still remains. However, over the period of time SEEDS focused on Building Resilience through Disaster Risk Education; wherein acknowledging the depletion of eco systems and environment as the inherent cause for perpetuating disasters.
The Gujarat earthquake of 2001 was a major turning point, when SEEDS got fully involved in relief and rehabilitation activities. Support was mobilised from a wide range of donor agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, governments and individuals to create a model rehabilitation project in Patan district, Gujarat. The success of the project, wherein people built their own homes their own ways with their own designs and measured inputs from SEEDS to ensure earthquake resistance, paved the way for sustained disaster management programmes not only in Gujarat, but also to other vulnerable states in the hill and coastal regions of the country.
SEEDS has worked in more than 12 emergencies and have been able to achieve highest level of professionalism and quality in all its endeavors. This is attributed to its team of young professionals consisting of planners, architects, engineers, project management specialists and media experts.
SEEDS is governed and advised by a board of eminent academicians and practitioners from international organization. SEEDS, primarily engages in shelter reconstruction and adopts locally based approaches to reduce the impact of future disasters on vulnerable communities. Over the years, SEEDS has constructed more than 5000 houses and restored over 50 schools across the country. Today, SEEDS continues to advocate for and work with communities across Asia to build a safer and more sustainable world.
SEEDS is a member of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) constituted by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
It is the first Indian agency to be certified by ââ¬ÅHumanitarian Accountability Partnershipsââ¬Â ââ¬â which is signatory to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent.
SEEDS Indiaââ¬â¢s long term Rehabilitation Project after Gujarat Earthquake, focused on participatory rehabilitation and reconstruction in Patanka Village in Patan District of Gujarat was termed by United Nations as an International best Practice in Rehabilitation. The project was also covered as a good practice on community disaster resilience in the world disaster report 2004.
In 2010, SEEDS was adjudged as ââ¬ËIndian of the Yearââ¬â¢ in the public Service category by CNN IBN for its efforts in Leh.
SEEDS holds key membership in almost all national and internal networks working towards of Disaster risk reduction including International Red Cross and Red Cresent, Asian Disaster Risk Reduction Network, Sphere etc.
