We equip rural communities to shape their economies — using clean energy as the foundation for integrated livelihoods, enterprise support, and solutions built to scale across Jharkhand.
Mlinda Charitable Trust (MCT) is an independent Public Charitable Trust registered in India under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 (Registration No. 01465, registered 09/03/2012). MCT works at the intersection of clean energy-based livelihood, sustainable agriculture, livestock management, and rural enterprise development to drive economic growth in some of India's most underserved regions.
A world where rural communities drive just and diversified economies — free from poverty, in harmony with nature, and resilient to climate change.
We equip rural communities to shape their economies — using clean energy as the foundation for integrated livelihoods, enterprise support, systems change, and solutions built to scale.
Across 50 villages, 44 solar mini-grids reach 10,500+ households and 1,300+ micro-enterprises — programme outcomes as of FY2025.
MCT delivers a systems-based model that pairs solar mini-grid infrastructure with end-to-end micro-enterprise development — addressing both the supply (energy) and demand (enterprise and market) sides of rural economic growth.
Our programme portfolio spans climate-resilient farming, NTFP and agricultural value chains, women-led collection centres and processing units, gender and nutrition initiatives, and enterprise incubation — supported by partners including Azim Premji Foundation, Vista Hermosa Foundation, Oak Foundation, SIDBI, and NABARD.
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Donor-funded programmes and core initiatives across climate-resilient agriculture, enterprise development, and women's livelihoods.
Climate-smart farming, irrigation access, crop diversification, livestock management, and collective marketing for better productivity and price realisation.
Enterprise identification, business planning, skills training, access to finance, and value addition — from community mobilisation through to ongoing monitoring.
Women-led collection centres, turmeric and karanj processing, sal leaf enterprises, and market linkages under the Deep Sakhi brand.
44 solar mini-grids powering farm and non-farm loads — irrigation pumps, grain processing, oil expellers, and village street lighting.
Mustard and karanj oil, turmeric value addition, groundnut decorticators, millet products, and tamarind procurement across tribal collector networks.
Nutrition-sensitive farming, gender initiatives, and community well-being programmes scaling sustainable livelihoods across tribal Jharkhand.
Select a project to view full details, objectives, impact, and photos from the field.
Integrated climate-smart agriculture, livestock, and collective marketing for 1,500 small and marginal farmer households.
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Climate-resilient agriculture, nutrition-sensitive farming, and women-led enterprises across tribal Jharkhand.
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Business incubation, value-chain development, and carbon-credit readiness for clean-energy micro-enterprises.
View project detailsThird-party evaluation of economic, social, and environmental outcomes across MCT programme communities.
The challenge that Mlinda addresses — ensuring environmentally sustainable development — must take place on a global scale, far beyond the capacity of a single charity. We see our role as a catalyst for change.
We research, pilot, and prove effective models that can be replicated at scale by others around the world. We welcome collaboration with like-minded partners to further this work and are happy to accept contributions, financial or otherwise, to further our work.
