About Us

In the pandemic we saw how all the people were suffering and skeptical about future. We also saw that the environment was rejuvenating itself. To deal with such a situation we tried to connect people to face the situation bravely with connection with environment.
As per the vision of Ankur Foundation, we have adopted Adapatiguda village of Malligaon GP in Rayagada block in close vicinity of Nagavali river and adapatiguda Dumaguda hills, approximately 4km range.
This village has 150 house predominantly inhabited by telenga khonds, these tribals have migrated from the Andhra Pradesh border, and here we have a centre for education/activities for children.
Here we have seen the tribals used to burn trees, shrubs on the hill for cultivation, result of it was that soils which the trees used to hold, started to erode into the river and the boulders descend in rainy season, which was hazardous to life of people and places started getting hot.
We tried to convince those people and ensured they don’t harm and destroy the nature. First we had very few volunteers in the villages. But we have planted few trees on the hills and foothills slowly we could achieve green cover. By our team efforts  and the benefits of saving trees now we have 50 volunteers engaged in saving nature.
We educate them how to manage eco system by little means we have, we have asked them not to burn leafs fallen from trees on the hills and forest cause it helps to nutrients the upper layer of soils.
We have planted lots of plants like, cashew, mangoes, goose berry, black berry, jack fruit and wood apple. We have received many plants and seeds for forest department.
We and our volunteers get motivated by seeing the growth of the trees.
Consequently we have also adopted another village: Nua-kusa of haat Seskhal GP in Rayagada block, this is border village to Andhra Pradesh.
Last year we have celebrated rajo with our Ankur kids(little guardians of nature) and give hybrid mango varieties to each parent of the kids, asked them to plant and name it with their kids name, to have sense of belonging and care for them as if they were their own.

We have volunteers of different age groups, both male and female. One of our senior volunteer(Ram Chandra Miniaka) is of 80 years young man fit and fine, one day he met us and he seemed angry. On interacting with him he expressed his anger that the cashew seedlings plants which he planted in 2020 was not fruiting, he had made his mind to cut all the full grown plant of 4 years. After talking to him and convincing how and in how much time it will fruit, we have succeed in convincing him, we have planned for inter crop plantation of turmeric and ginger which would give him yearly returns.
We have provided him hybrid mango varieties plants which he planted along with his son, grandson and grandsons son last year. This year those mango plants flowered, these people were very much happy. We are encouraged by people’s happiness.Rayagada district is very rich in it’s forest cover,water bodies and high ranges of mountains makeing it in good and convenient habitat for wildlife reptiles and birds. In recent times we have noticed due to industrialisation and other infrastructure developments many forest cover degraded. our district forest ranges was natural habitat of elephants,wild cats, pangolin, Komodo dragons, many other wild life, reptiles and birds. Due to degradation count of these species came down. To balance it in many places we have placed nests on tree to attract birds. On our adapatiguda dumaguda hills is the habitat of monkeys we have also planted goolar, banaya and pipal trees cause the fruits of these trees are food for monkeys and birds.we are just doing our responsibility towards theses life’s, even though little want to do more.
Our program in theses two villages has attracted lots of by various departments and Ankur Foundation was felicitated in annual chaiti festival 2023.villages/GP in near by are also interested to join in our mission. Ultimately upliftment of living, livelihood, conservation of forest cover and good environment for coexistence is the motto of Ankur Foundation.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      – By  Mr Rajendra Dwivedi