The year was 1998 when Sukarya was founded with the firm belief that health was one of the most important and fundamental rights of every individual. Several government programmes like Pulse Polio and the national Tuberculosis programme had been introduced. There was talk amongst government circles and agencies working in the area of social welfare as to how to ensure every Indian gets to access healthcare services.
While the government set its own agenda, Sukarya decided to do its bit by strengthening healthcare in the geographies it was covering. It identified, invested in and brought visibility to pressing global issues of infant mortality, women’s health and nutrition. These were subsequently aligned to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) established in 2000 by the United Nations, urging Member countries to raise the bar and help them achieve a healthier and more equitable world.
The vision of its founder, Meera Satpathy guided its initial scope and defined its strategic approach. Sukarya’s Mission has been to ensure fair and equitable access to quality health services for all, including the poorest sections of society, especially women, adolescents and children. Each of the interventions are designed and implemented to meet the following objectives:
- To improve maternal and child health;
- To advocate, promote and sensitise communities on Primary Health Care, Reproductive Child Health and Family Planning;
- To advocate, encourage and guide positive health-seeking behaviours with special emphasis on physical, mental and social well-being;
- To empower women by strengthening their physical, emotional well-being and economic stability;
- To educate and empower children and youth to lead a healthier and more dignified life; and
- To promote gender equality, equity, and justice.
Sukarya’s Vision is to enable local communities believe in their own abilities to bring about change by providing them access to basic healthcare, nutrition and education to live a healthy successful life and strive for a better society.