Oak Foundation commits its resources to address issues of global, social and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged. With offices in Europe, Africa, India and North America, Oak Foundation makes grants to organisations in approximately 40 countries worldwide.

Johar, our Current Project in India, has been made possible thanks to the support of Oak Foundation.

Find Your Feet’s 'Johar Project' is a five year initiative which will reach 21,600 marginalised tribal families living in 240 villages across the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, north eastern India.

The project will empower tribal people, particularly tribal women, to access and monitor public services to which they are legally entitled, and advocate for their proper implementation when they cannot access them. By empowering marginalised and isolated communities to make their voices heard and access public services, the project will help people put an end to the poverty and exclusion they experience for themselves.

By the end of the project:

• 90% of the project beneficiaries will be accessing public services and government schemes to improve their quality of life, such as pensions, healthcare and education.
• All 21,600 people involved in the project will be actively involved in monitoring the delivery of public services and making their voices heard in local decision making through a robust network of 240 tribal-led community based organisations.
• Eight Public Information Centres (one in each of the districts covered by the project) will be established to provide information on public schemes available to the community, and support families to prepare the documents required to access these vital sources of assistance.

"Since I have begun visiting the Public Information Centre and learning about how to access schemes and services, I have applied on behalf of my village for the construction of two wells and the excavation of 1 water tank…Knowledge and information is power, so I keep encouraging other people in my village to visit the centre to learn about their entitlements."
Mirulal Murmu

Wedlake Bell is one of the UK’s top 100 law firms offering an extensive range of legal services to corporate and private clients around the world. Based in London with over 130 legal minds working under one roof, the firm has created a working culture which enables their staff to offer consistently high standards of client service. They pride themselves on partners who are actively involved in day-to-day practise, and this extends to their charitable giving.

Each year a Charity of the Year is selected which has a personal connection to a member of staff, and firm wide, staff support the cause through a whole host of activities. In May 2013 we were fortunate to be selected following a nomination from Adam Edwards, Find Your Feet Trustee and a partner at Wedlake Bell.

Our partnership came to an end in May 2014 and was the most successful to date! Not only did they produce an impressive London marathon team raising over £20,000, but they raised an incredible £30,000 through company activities and donations. They organised a charity cricket day with their partners, a curry evening, cake sales, Christmas jumper day, charity calendars and much more to support our work. 

A huge thank you to all the staff and clients of Wedlake Bell, your support will have a life-changing impact, so thank you for doing your bit to fight poverty.

Martin Arnold, partner and member of the charity committee commented:

"This is a great opportunity to support a small charity and have a big impact. It is important for staff to get involved in our charitable activities, and hearing about the difference our support can make from my colleague Adam, our efforts will go a long way in helping families to tackle the poverty they face."

By signing up to hear the latest updates on our work you have become another important addition to the Find Your Feet family!

You'll be receiving the updates from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so please make sure you add us to your safe list and you will also receive an email where you’ll need to confirm you subscription.

In our e-newsletters you’ll find out more about the communities we work, how you can help, and what your support can achieve.  But if you can’t wait until then, take a look at our Get involved page for fundraising activities, and visit Support Us to see the impact you could have.

You can also follow us on Twitter @FindYourFeet or find us on Facebook, to hear our latest news and help us spread the word!

Thank you again for signing up and sharing our commitment to helping families build a future free from poverty. We'll be in touch very soon with the latest news.