Northeast India is a land of great diversity with more than 220 ethnic communities, rich natural resources, and strong traditions of community life. Yet, it continues to face deep development challenges. Most people in the region live in rural areas and depend on agriculture or small-scale livelihoods. Geographical isolation, poor infrastructure, and recurring ethnic conflicts have made it harder for families to access opportunities and break free from poverty.

At the same time, many community-based and civil society organizations in the Northeast are doing important work to bring change at the grassroots. They are often the first to respond to local needs and understand the realities of the people. However, these organizations face several challenges that limit their growth and impact.

Most are small and founder-led, with limited systems for leadership development, governance, and people management. They struggle with project-based funding, lack of long-term financial stability, and have few opportunities for staff training or organizational learning. Many still rely on manual data systems, have little documentation of their work, and lack visibility to attract new partners and donors.

On the other hand, development efforts led from outside the region often fail to connect with its cultural, social, and ecological diversity. One-size-fits-all models and top-down approaches do not work in the Northeast’s complex context.

As a result, local organizations who best understand their communities remain under-supported and invisible in the larger development ecosystem.

NoDe (Northeast Organizational Development for Empowerment) was created to address this gap. It focuses on strengthening local civil society organizations by investing in their leadership, systems, people, and culture. By building stronger, more resilient organizations, NoDe aims to enable long-term, community-led change across the region.