✶ Help the People to Help Themselves — A Principle That Works on the Ground

As someone deeply rooted in voluntary social service, I’ve come to believe that the most powerful principle in social work is simple yet transformative:

“Help the people to help themselves.”

I first encountered this principle during my BSW/Master in Social Work studies (2010–2015), and while I may have forgotten much of the academic content, this one idea stayed with me. Over the years, I’ve seen how it works—not just in theory, but in the real world, especially in the grassroots context of Assam.

Why This Principle Matters ?

This principle shifts the focus from charity to empowerment. It doesn’t treat people as passive recipients of aid, but as active participants in their own progress. It respects their dignity, their potential, and their right to shape their future.

In my experience, when communities are given the tools, knowledge, and space to act, they respond with resilience and creativity. Whether it’s environmental awareness, poverty alleviation, or social education—solutions become sustainable only when people own them.

Practical Effectiveness in Grassroots Work

In Assam’s diverse regions, I’ve seen firsthand how this principle translates into action:

• Awareness drives that help villagers understand their rights, health, and environment.
• Community-led initiatives where local volunteers take charge of sanitation, education, or cultural preservation.
• Information sharing that enables people to access government schemes without dependency.
• Strategic guidance that helps youth and families solve problems without waiting for external aid.

Often, we assume funding is the key to impact. But I’ve found that strategy, awareness, education, and proper information can solve nearly 60% of social problems—without money. What’s needed is committed human energy, not just financial resources.

My Stand and Invitation

I humbly declare:
If ever my voluntary social service becomes entangled with personal economic or political interests, I invite you to openly boycott me and hold me accountable. My commitment to this principle is firm. If I deviate, question me, stop me, and reject me.

Currently, I bear small costs personally, but I do not believe in dependency. I believe in self-dependency and people’s rights. That’s why we are moving forward—without any external fund, but with full faith in voluntary manpower.

We welcome anyone who shares this vision. Even 400 hours a year, from your own place, can make a meaningful contribution.

Let us build a movement where service is not about control, but about liberation.
Let us help people help themselves—and in doing so, help society heal itself.