Nijera Kori

What Nijera Kori does

Nijera Kori is a Bangladesh-based rights NGO founded in 1980 that empowers rural landless communities through autonomous group formation, collective action, and social mobilization. Operating across 13 districts, 28 upazilas, 139 unions, and 1,088 villages with a lean staff of approximately 25 employees, the organization delivers five interconnected programmatic areas: Organizing Landless Peasants (forming autonomous Bhumihin Samity groups), Awareness Raising and Capacity Building, a Cultural Initiative comprising 54 cultural groups, an Empowerment Support Initiative providing legal aid and educational support, and Network and Advocacy. Its methodology is grounded in Brazilian educator Paulo Freire's concept of "Conscientisation," explicitly rejecting dependency-inducing approaches such as microcredit and service provision in favor of collective agency and rights-based mobilization. The organization explicitly states it works "with the poor, not for the poor" and prioritizes entitlements, accountability, and structural change over service delivery.

The organization's "products" are programmatic initiatives rather than commercial offerings: community organizing, legal aid for land and rights defense, cultural programming (people's drama, songs, paintings, cultural training), awareness-raising on issues including child marriage, violence against women, and land displacement, and coalition advocacy at local, national, and international levels. Knowledge outputs include annual narrative and financial reports (continuous since 2001), impact studies, research papers, case studies, and books. The organization is a founding or core member of multiple South Asia and Asia-Pacific coalitions, including the Association of Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Asia Solidarity Against Industrial Aquaculture (ASIA), Asia Pacific Women Law and Development (APWLD), SANGAT, One Billion Rising, and the South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) network.

Nijera Kori's business model is grant-funded: it does not charge beneficiaries for services and operates on contributions from international development partners and donor networks. Core financial partners include Brot für die Welt (Germany) and Inter Pares (Canada), with The Swallows (India-Bangladesh) and numerous other network partners supporting strategic and co-development activities. Governance is structured through an Executive Council and Governing Body. The organization is led by Khushi Kabir as Coordinator. Headquartered at 7/8 Block C, Lalmatia, Dhaka 1207, Nijera Kori distributes its programs through direct community engagement rather than commercial channels and uses its website, publications, events, and YouTube channel primarily for awareness-raising and advocacy rather than marketing.

Name

Nijera Kori

Legal name

Nijera Kori

Website

https://nijerakori.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nijera Kori is a Bangladesh-based rights NGO founded in 1980 that empowers rural landless communities through autonomous group formation, collective action, and social mobilization across 13 districts, funded by international development partners and a network of South Asia coalitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Mobilization and Rural Community Empowerment Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Community mobilization
• Land rights advocacy
• Rural empowerment
• Social mobilization services
• Gender justice programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nijera Kori is a rights-based NGO that forms and sustains autonomous landless community organizations (Bhumihin Samity) across 13 districts in Bangladesh. It delivers community organizing, awareness raising, cultural activities, legal aid, and coalition advocacy to empower rural women and men to assert their land rights and fundamental entitlements. Services are provided free of charge and funded by international development grants and donations.

Product overview

Nijera Kori is a Bangladeshi NGO operating as a unified organization focused on social mobilization and empowerment of landless communities. The organization functions through five interconnected programmatic areas: Organizing Landless Peasants (core organizing work forming autonomous groups), Awareness Raising and Capacity Building, Cultural Initiative (54 cultural groups for social awareness), Empowerment Support Initiative (legal aid and educational support), and Network and Advocacy (coalition-building at multiple levels). Additionally, the organization produces knowledge products including publications, research, case studies, and books documenting its work on land rights and gender justice. The organization does not operate a technology product platform but rather delivers its mission through direct community organizing and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organising Landless Peasants Program

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Swallows (India Bangladesh)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization fighting poverty and discrimination alongside local organizations, enabling people to stand up for their rights and create better lives.
• Human Rights ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork formed in 2008 to monitor and present alternative reports on Human Rights. Secretarial functions provided by Ain o Shalish Kendra (ASK).
• Bangladesh Water Rights ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConceptualizes water access and ownership as a right. Works at grassroots level and engages in policy advocacy on water issues.
• Social Resistance CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of over 50 women's organizations, human rights organizations, trade unions, and minority rights groups. Protests violence against women and upholds rights of socially excluded people. Secretariat: Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.
• Asia Solidarity Against Industrial Aquaculture (ASIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsian network initiated by Nijera Kori to investigate negative effects of shrimp aquaculture including loss of livelihoods, poverty, social marginalization, human rights violations, and environmental impacts. Connected to Red Manglar (Latin America) and African Mangrove Network.
• Asia Pacific Women Law and Development (APWLD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChiang Mai based network of feminist human rights defenders ensuring linkages on human rights, constitutional rights, environmental rights, rural women's rights, and labor rights. Has expanded to Arab regions, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Fiji, Cook Islands, and Australia.
• Asia Rural Women's Coalition (ARWC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork working across Asia for upholding rights of rural women particularly those with disabilities, affected by caste/class/culture, and women agricultural laborers denied access to land.
• One Billion Rising (OBR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal campaign to end violence against women, launched on Valentine's Day 2012. Based on the statistic that 1 in 3 women will be beaten or raped during her lifetime.
• South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDemocratic regional network committed to addressing human rights issues at national and regional levels. Promotes peace, democracy, secularism, and human security.
• SANGAT – South Asian Network for Gender Activists and TrainersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of leading South Asian feminists providing trainings for grassroots workers and conducting academic workshops on gender and feminism regionally.
• South Asia Right to Information Advocacy NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmail-based network supported by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), providing information on RTI laws and updates across South Asia.
• Association of Land Reform and Development (ALRD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of NGOs, activists, academics, and peasant organizations working on land issues, water rights, and matters relating to land that affects people. Repository of information, conducts research, and engages in lobbying and advocacy for policy reform.
• Right to Information Forum BangladeshminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerForum coordinated by Manusher Jonno Foundation that informs the public about contents of laws, specifically those significant for the poor.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: One of the world's largest development NGOs, headquartered in Bangladesh. Operates in rural community empowerment, women's livelihoods, and rights — but its dominant microcredit/service-delivery model is exactly what Nijera Kori explicitly rejects, making it a useful counter-positioning reference.
• ActionAid Bangladesh: Country affiliate of a large international federation operating in Bangladesh with similar focus on land rights, women's empowerment, and rural mobilization. Comparable in programmatic focus but at significantly larger scale and with a more institutionalized global brand.

Direct peers

• The Swallows India Bangladesh: India-Bangladesh rights organization explicitly listed as a strategic partner of Nijera Kori. Comparable in anti-discrimination grassroots mobilization and cross-border rights work.
• Ain o Shalish Kendra (ASK): Bangladesh-based legal aid and human rights organization providing secretarial support to the Human Rights Forum alongside Nijera Kori. Comparable in rights-based advocacy and legal aid service delivery.
• Manusher Jonno Foundation: Bangladesh-based human rights and governance NGO that coordinates the Right to Information Forum where Nijera Kori participates. Comparable in rights-based programming and civil society convening.
• Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD): Chiang Mai-based feminist network that Nijera Kori participates in. Comparable in rural women's rights advocacy and mobilization across Asia, though operating at supranational level.
• Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD): Bangladesh-based national network of NGOs and peasant organizations working on land rights, water rights, and policy reform. Direct coalition partner of Nijera Kori and most directly comparable in advocacy model and constituency.
• Bangladesh Mohila Parishad: National women's rights organization in Bangladesh that serves as the secretariat of the Social Resistance Committee alongside Nijera Kori. Comparable in women's rights advocacy and coalition mobilization.
• COAST Trust: Bangladeshi NGO working with coastal and rural communities on climate adaptation, livelihoods, and rights. Comparable in grassroots mobilization of marginalized rural communities and rights-based approach.

Others

• Inter Pares: Canadian charity and one of Nijera Kori's core financial partners. Comparable as a solidarity-based international organization supporting activist groups in the Global South.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nijerakori8939
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nijera-kori

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 Nijera Kori