LWSIT

What LWSIT does

LWSIT (Lutheran World Service India Trust) is a registered Indian non-profit trust established in 2008, though its operational presence in India dates back to 1974 when Lutheran World Service India (LWSI) was initiated as a Country Program of Lutheran World Federation/Department for World Service (LWF/DWS) Geneva to extend relief to Bangladesh War of Independence refugees. The organization is jointly promoted by the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI) and the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), with its national headquarters in Kolkata, West Bengal. LWSIT focuses on empowering marginalized communities — specifically Dalits, Tribals/Adivasis, and women — in rural and urban areas of eastern India across four states: Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal.

LWSIT delivers its impact through an integrated portfolio of thematic programs including Sustainable Livelihood, Community Resilience (climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction), Education, Health, Gender Justice, and Peace Building, executed under its Gender Inclusive Rights-Based Approach (GIRBA) and Integrated Approach methodology. Named flagship programs include the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CCAM) Project, Social Transformation Economic Empowerment and Risk Reduction (STEER), Gender Empowerment Project (GEP), Humanitarian Response Program (pan-India disaster response), Child Care Institutions, Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH), and various district-level livelihood enhancement projects funded by partners like The Hans Foundation. The organization maintains field operations through unit offices in over ten locations and a network of Self-Help Groups, community-based organizations, and local church partnerships. Reach across major projects spans 200–250 communities per program, 11,000–14,500 households per program, and beneficiary populations of 18,000–59,000 individuals per program.

As a charitable trust, LWSIT operates on a non-commercial revenue model funded by institutional grants and donations from international and domestic resource partners including Normisjon, ACT Church of Sweden, ELCA, JELA Foundation, Kerk-in-Actie (Netherlands), The Hans Foundation, RILM, and SFDBF, alongside government partnerships and CSR contributions. Services are provided free of cost to beneficiaries, and the organization holds memberships in ACT Alliance, CHS Alliance, and SPHERE India. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the entity has 16 disclosed employees supporting field operations across multiple states.

Name

LWSIT

Legal name

Lutheran World Service India Trust

Website

https://lwsit.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LWSIT is an Indian non-profit trust that empowers marginalized Dalits, Tribals/Adivasis, and women in eastern India through integrated livelihood, climate adaptation, education, gender, and disaster response programs funded by international church-based donors and government partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development and Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD), Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR) (BPAGAAAA)

Keywords

• Community development programs
• Humanitarian aid services
• Gender empowerment programs
• Disaster response services
• Rural livelihood programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kolkata

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Grants and Donations: LWSIT operates as a non-profit organization funded by international and local resource partners including Normisjon, ACT Church of Sweden, ELCA, JELA Foundation, ACT Alliance, and Kerk-in-Actie. Additional funding comes from government partnerships and CSR initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LWSIT is an Indian non-profit trust that delivers community development, humanitarian, and rights-based programs for marginalized groups (Dalits, Tribals/Adivasis, women, children, and disaster-affected populations) across Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal, with pan-India disaster response capacity. Its core offerings span sustainable livelihood enhancement, climate change adaptation, gender empowerment, education, health, peace-building, and shelter for the urban homeless, delivered through Self-Help Groups, community-based organizations, and government partnerships.

Product overview

LWSIT is an Indian NGO that operates as a unified set of development programs rather than a commercial product platform. The organization offers multiple thematic programs including Sustainable Livelihood, Community Resilience, Education, Health, Peace, and Gender programs. Key named projects include the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CCAM) Project, Social Transformation Economic Empowerment and Risk Reduction (STEER), Gender Empowerment Project (GEP), Humanitarian Response Program, Child Care Institution, Shelter for Urban Homeless, and various livelihood enhancement projects. These programs work together under the Gender Inclusive Rights-Based Approach (GIRBA) and Integrated Approach to empower marginalized communities across Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (CCAM) Project

Quantifiable outcome

• 58,203 people covered through CCAM Project
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ACT AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal ecumenical alliance for which LWSIT is a member, providing climate resilience award recognition and network support.
• The Department of Controller of Vagrancy, Government of West BengalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for Shelter for Urban Homeless (SUH) scheme implementation under DAY-NULM.
• The DCPU, Government of West BengalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistrict Child Protection Unit partnership for child care and protection programs.
• The Saviour FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner organization for development initiatives.
• The Dreaming Bees FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner organization for development initiatives.
• Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for DSSQC project implementation in Dumka district of Jharkhand and Birbhum district of West Bengal.
• Vision Rx Lab Private LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner for CSR activities including eye check-up camp conducted on 14th & 15th March 2024 for underprivileged communities in Kolkata.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plan India (Plan International): International development organization focused on children, gender equality, and community resilience across Indian states. Comparable integrated rights-based programming for marginalized communities and disaster response capability.
• Oxfam India: Rights-based humanitarian and development organization focused on inequality, gender justice, and disaster response. Comparable multi-state thematic model with emphasis on marginalized communities and humanitarian action.
• Save the Children India: International child-rights organization running education, health, child protection, and humanitarian response programs across India. Comparable in scale, multi-state operations, child education (Asha Kiran/CEC), and disaster response work.
• CARE India: Large international humanitarian and development NGO operating across India on health, education, livelihoods, and disaster response. Comparable integrated programming across rural/urban poor and disaster-affected populations.
• CRY (Child Rights and You): Indian NGO focused on child rights, education, and child protection across India, working through grassroots partnerships. Comparable education/child mainstreaming work (CEC, Asha Kiran), grassroots implementation model, and pan-India reach.
• ActionAid India: Federation-affiliated rights-based NGO working with Dalits, Adivasis, and women on land rights, gender justice, and disaster response. Closely matches LWSIT's rights-based, Dalit/Tribal/women-focused community empowerment approach.
• World Vision India: Faith-based (Christian) NGO running multi-state community development, child sponsorship, humanitarian response, and livelihoods programs across India. Closely comparable in faith-affiliation, integrated thematic model, and rural eastern-India footprint.
• Child in Need Institute (CINI): West Bengal-headquartered NGO focused on child health, nutrition, education, and women's empowerment in eastern India. Comparable geography, beneficiary focus on tribal and marginalized communities, and integrated community model.
• Caritas India: Catholic humanitarian and development organization operating across India on disaster response, livelihoods, gender, and community resilience. Comparable as a faith-affiliated national NGO with multi-state, multi-thematic integrated programming.
• Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF): Faith-based NGO implementing community development, livelihood, and rights programs in eastern India, including the DSSQC project with LWSIT. Comparable as a co-implementing faith-based partner working on Dalit/Tribal issues in West Bengal and Jharkhand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lwsit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LWSIT