Migration & Asylum Project (MAP)

What Migration & Asylum Project (MAP) does

Migration & Asylum Project (MAP) is India's first dedicated law centre for forced migration and displacement, founded in 2013 in New Delhi and operating as an initiative of The Ara Trust. It delivers legal representation, awareness, advocacy, and capacity-building services to asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers, and displaced women and girls across India, anchored by four thematic programmes: Displacement, Movement and Inclusion (DMI) for asylum claims; Gender Equality and Empowerment (GEE) for gender-based violence response; Labour Migration and Mobility (LMM) for migrant workers in Delhi; and Towards an Inclusive Legal Terrain (TILT) for grassroots paralegal volunteer (PLV) training. MAP is one of the few civil society organisations globally to hold a Letter of Understanding with UNHCR enabling it to represent asylum claims, and in 2024 it signed MoUs with the State Legal Services Authorities of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to scale PLV training across two additional states.

MAP's core digital product is Talika, a multilingual mobile application launched on March 8, 2022, designed for displaced women and girls with low literacy, limited digital capacity, heightened security concerns, and language barriers. The app functions as a service-directory and information layer that links users to nearby community support structures — healthcare centres, ASHA/Anganwadi workers, legal aid desks, Mahila Panchayats, One Stop Centres, NGOs, and government helplines — and provides simplified information about applicable laws and policies in local languages. Complementary multilingual legal literacy resources (SGBV awareness, 'Know Your Rights' booklets, legal representation pamphlets, financial literacy pamphlets, COVID-19 pamphlets) are available in up to nine languages, supporting a long-tail, low-literacy beneficiary base. The PLV network of 700+ trained volunteers in Uttarakhand constitutes the organisation's primary grassroots distribution channel.

As a non-profit legal aid organisation, MAP provides its services free of charge to displaced communities; there is no commercial pricing model, and operating revenue derives from grants, donations, and institutional partnerships. Marketing and beneficiary outreach is conducted through a multi-channel mix including the organisational website, social media, community focus groups, conferences (e.g., Nyaay Sabha events), earned media coverage in outlets such as LiveLaw, Indian Express, and Article 14, and partner organisations. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organisation currently employs approximately 45 staff.

Name

Migration & Asylum Project (MAP)

Legal name

Migration & Asylum Project

Website

https://migrationandasylumproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Migration & Asylum Project (MAP) is India's first dedicated law centre for forced migration and displacement, providing legal representation, advocacy, and multilingual legal literacy resources to asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers, and displaced women via its Talika mobile app and PLV training programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Migrant Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Anti-Trafficking, Smuggling Prevention & Safe Migration Services (BPADAHAK)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Asylum representation
• Refugee assistance
• Paralegal training
• Migrant rights advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Migration & Asylum Project (MAP) is India's first dedicated law centre for forced migration and displacement, providing legal representation, awareness, assistance, and advocacy for asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant workers. It runs four thematic programmes — Displacement, Movement and Inclusion (DMI) for asylum representation, Gender Equality and Empowerment (GEE) for gender-based violence response, Labour Migration and Mobility (LMM) for migrant worker support, and Towards an Inclusive Legal Terrain (TILT) for paralegal volunteer training. Its flagship digital product, the Talika mobile app launched on March 8, 2022, connects displaced women and girls to community support structures and legal information in local languages.

Product overview

Migration & Asylum Project (MAP) is India’s first dedicated law centre for forced migration and displacement, offering legal services, advocacy, and support programmes for migrants and refugees. The organisation operates as a single integrated service model combining multiple thematic programmes: legal representation for asylum seekers (DMI), gender-based violence response (GEE), migrant worker support (LMM), and paralegal volunteer training (TILT). The core digital product is the Talika mobile app, which connects displaced women and girls to community support services and legal information. Additionally, MAP produces multilingual legal literacy resources including awareness pamphlets on gender-based violence, ‘Know Your Rights’ booklets, and financial literacy materials available in multiple languages to serve diverse displaced populations across South Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Talika Mobile App A mobile application launched March 8, 2022, designed for women and girls from migrant and displaced communities with low literacy levels, limited digital capacity, heightened security concerns and language barriers. The app links users to local community support structures including healthcare centres, ASHA/Anganwadi workers, legal aid desks, Mahila Panchayats, One Stop Centres, NGOs, and government helplines, and provides simplified information about applicable laws and policies in local languages.
• Displacement, Movement and Inclusion (DMI) Pioneering legal representation programme for asylum seekers in South Asia. MAP holds a Letter of Understanding with UNHCR to represent asylum claims before the agency, providing legal documentation assistance and access to economic and social rights for asylum seekers and refugees in India.
• Gender Equality and Empowerment (GEE) Post-Covid programme addressing the alarming increase in gender-based violence by reimagining and transforming community-based support structures through awareness, provision of legal aid, capacity building, and technological interventions for women and girls from displaced communities.
• Labour Migration and Mobility (LMM) Specialised programme launched following the 2020 migrant workers crisis, providing legal awareness about existing legal protection frameworks and assisting migrant workers in accessing pathways for redressal across Delhi.
• Towards an Inclusive Legal Terrain (TILT) Grassroots justice programme training Paralegal Volunteers (PLVs) in gender rights and labor laws. PLVs serve as first responders bridging the gap between marginalized communities and formal legal aid systems. Includes scenario-based training and expert workshops under MoUs with State Legal Services Authorities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700 PLVs trained in Uttarakhand, strengthening access to justice across the region
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• State Legal Services Authority of UttarakhandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024MAP signed MoU with the State Legal Services Authority to equip Paralegal Volunteers (PLVs) with legal and trauma-informed counselling skills through scenario-based training and expert workshops.
• State Legal Services Authority of Himachal PradeshcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024MAP signed MoU with the State Legal Services Authority to equip Paralegal Volunteers (PLVs) with legal and trauma-informed counselling skills, ensuring survivor-centered support and systemic change.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021MAP is amongst the few civil society organisations globally to have a Letter of Understanding with UNHCR to represent asylum claims before the agency. This partnership enables MAP to provide legal representation for asylum seekers in the South Asia region.
• The Ara TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013MAP is an initiative of The Ara Trust. The organisation's head office is located and operations are supported through this parent trust structure.
• International Detention Coalition (IDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on COVID-19 impacts on immigration detention research, contributing to global perspectives on the situation of migrants in detention.
• Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI) at Western Sydney UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on immigration detention practices during COVID-19, producing a global report on migrant and refugee communities.
• Talika Network PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of community support structures linked through the Talika app including healthcare centres, ASHA/Anganwadi workers, legal aid desks, Mahila Panchayats, One Stop Centres, NGOs, and government helplines.
• Alliance Francaise de DelhiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for the 'Memories of my Homeland' cultural event celebrating MAP's 10-year anniversary, featuring refugee artists, Afghan folk music, Congolese jazz, and Indo-refugee fusion dance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HIAS: Global Jewish nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid and legal services to refugees, including asylum representation - comparable to MAP's refugee legal representation programme (DMI) and UNHCR partnership.
• International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC): International organisation providing services and advocacy for migrants, refugees, and other forcibly displaced persons - comparable to MAP's legal aid, advocacy, and integration programmes.
• Refugees International: Advocacy and research organisation focused on refugees and displaced people - comparable to MAP's advocacy pillar and research publications on refugee protection and detention.
• Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS): International Catholic organisation accompanying, serving, and advocating for the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people, including legal aid and paralegal training - directly comparable to MAP's integrated legal aid and PLV model.

Regional players

• BRAC: Large development organisation with significant South Asia presence operating programmes on migration, livelihoods, and social empowerment - comparable as a regional peer working on migration and displaced populations.
• India Migration Now: Indian think tank focused on migration research and policy advocacy - thematically comparable to MAP's research publications on immigration detention and migrant protection.
• CARAM Asia: Regional network coordinating NGO activities on migration and health in Asia - comparable to MAP's Labour Migration and Mobility programme focus on migrant worker rights.

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major global humanitarian organisation delivering emergency relief, legal aid, and protection services to refugees - comparable in mission scope though much larger in scale than MAP.
• Human Rights Watch (India): Global human rights organisation that conducts advocacy and research on refugee and migrant rights in India - comparable to MAP's advocacy work but operating at much larger scale.
• Amnesty International India: Human rights organisation working on refugee, asylum, and migrant rights in India through research and advocacy - comparable to MAP's advocacy and awareness programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/migration-asylum-project-m-a-p

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Migration & Asylum Project (MAP)