The referral bridge to K.S. Hegde Medical Academy grew from 7 patients in its first year to over a thousand in 2017–18. Across the programme, more than 50,000 patients have benefited.

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2002–03: 7 beneficiaries
2003–04: 46 beneficiaries
2004–05: 102 beneficiaries
2005–06: 173 beneficiaries
2006–07: 346 beneficiaries
2007–08: 541 beneficiaries
2008–09: 619 beneficiaries
2009–10: 772 beneficiaries
2010–11: 521 beneficiaries
2011–12: 435 beneficiaries
2012–13: 489 beneficiaries
2013–14: 552 beneficiaries
2014–15: 635 beneficiaries
2015–16: 667 beneficiaries
2016–17: 725 beneficiaries
2017–18: 1151 beneficiaries
2018–19: 818 beneficiaries

KSHEMA beneficiaries per year (hover for values). Source: Kshema beneficiaries list.

Area-wise

Rural housing beneficiaries by taluk

Sirsi539
Siddapur319
Kumta268
Bhatkal220
Ankola161
Honnavar148
Yellapur137
Mundgod95

Rural Housing

Agriculture

Farmers joining cocoa intercropping, by year

2009–102,050
2010–11650
2011–12833
2012–13686
2013–14734
2014–15785
2016–1791

Total: farmers · 2,905 ha · 11,52,200 plants

Cocoa Cultivation

Geographic reach

Rooted in Uttara Kannada. Working across India.

Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

The heartland of Kadamba’s field work since 1999 — Sirsi, Siddapur, Kumta, Karwar, Dandeli, Honnavar, Bhatkal, Ankola, Yellapur, Mundgod, Joida and Haliyal.
Across Karnataka & Goa

Lac cultivation outreach in Belagavi, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Hunsur (Mysuru); solar lighting in Bengaluru; recognition for promoting lac in Karnataka and Goa.
Sikkim & the North-East

Focused engagement addressing regional and national development priorities.
Across India

A national organisation working on public health research, livelihoods, education, environment and policy advisory.

Lac growers by taluk

Sirsi 164
Siddapur 109
Mundgod 86
Yellapur 25
Honnavar 12
Joida 12
Kumta 10
Ankola 9
Haliyal 6
Bhatkal 5

Community stories

Change, told through the work

All Initiatives

2001–02 onwardsRural Housing (Synd Kuteer)India’s first NGO-implemented mass housing programme: 1,804 homes, 100% BPL women beneficiaries, 100% recovery.

StoryKadamba Shishu Vihar — Creche Centres25 crèches in far-flung Western Ghats villages where 6,500 children — many from tribal communities — have learned.

Since 2013Lac (Gumlac) CultivationKadamba pioneered the revival of lac farming in Karnataka — an inclusive, low-investment livelihood that earned a LAC Promotion Institutional Award.

Program milestones

25+ years, milestone by milestone

1999

Kadamba Foundation is registered

Registered as a Public Trust under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 on 25 November 1999, and begins working for the socio-economic development of rural women.
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2000

12(A) & 80(G) recognition; health camps begin

Income-tax registrations follow in August 2000. The first of hundreds of health camps across Uttara Kannada are held.
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2001–02

India’s first NGO-led mass housing programme

With RGRHCL and Syndicate Bank, Kadamba builds 1,804 homes for BPL women across 65 Gram Panchayats — with 100% loan recovery.
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2002–03

Micro finance and the health referral bridge

Kadamba enters micro finance through Self Help Groups, and the first patients are referred to KSHEMA, Mangaluru.
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2003

FCRA registration

Registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act on 17 April 2003.
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2005

Santwana Kendra opens in Kumta

A family counselling centre and women’s helpline, with the Women & Child Development Department of Karnataka.
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2009

E-Belaku, agar wood, cocoa and flood relief

Solar lighting launches in February; agar wood is introduced; cocoa intercropping scales to 3.5 lakh plants; and Kadamba reaches 5,000+ people after the monsoon disaster.
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2010

Sandalwood movement; micro credit handed on

The sandalwood cultivation movement begins. True to its not-for-profit principles, Kadamba reassigns its micro-credit network to The Shalmala Finance Limited.
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2011

E-Grama is designed

A rural electronic corridor for everyday services — a concept later reflected nationally in Digital India.
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2013

Lac revival, Betta land conservation, farm-tech

First lac cultivation seminar (June), the Betta Balakedaarara Sangha is formed, and the Farm Machinery Exhibition showcases 118+ technologies (December).
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Today

A national, impact-driven organisation

Kadamba works across India with focused engagement in Sikkim and the North-Eastern states — spanning public health research, livelihoods, education, environment and policy advisory, and introducing climate-resilient crops like teff.
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