From Support to Strategy: The Story of Project Aasra

In a world where impact often struggles to find the right direction, Project Aasra emerges as a bridge between potential and progress. 

Project Aasra is a social outreach initiative undertaken by CDF-SRCC, where support meets solutions, providing meaningful support and strategic solutions that drive impactful change. NGOs and small companies often face unique challenges that hinder their growth and limit their reach. This is where consultancy plays a vital role, offering expert guidance and tailored strategies to navigate these obstacles effectively. 

By collaborating with NGOs, entrepreneurs, and emerging organisations, Project Aasra delivers customised consulting services to foster sustainable growth and long-term development. Through this initiative, we strive to uplift and strengthen those working towards social and environmental impact. 

With a dedicated team and a commitment to transformation, Aasra ensures that every collaboration unlocks true potential, fostering empowerment, enabling growth, and driving meaningful change.

As much as we envisioned for our project, Aasra, when we first thought about it, we had no clue how much we would travel, both professionally and geographically, in just one year. Officially founded by the Connecting Dreams Foundation-SRCC Chapter on 6th August 2024, Aasra was formed from a deep understanding of the many issues that a number of small businesses and organisations were facing and how we could solve them effectively. In fact, Aasra refers to shelter/support in Hindi, which perfectly encapsulates our goal of providing support to as many organisations as we can.

Where It Began

Our first initiative revolved around entrepreneurship within the LGBTQ+ community, collaborating with CDF India to empower entrepreneurs from underprivileged communities who were building their businesses. It is not that the entrepreneurs lacked drive; it was that they did not have proper resources for marketing, branding, and go-to-market strategies. This resource deficiency soon became a hallmark of our organisation’s ethos. However, it was soon evident that such assistance was required universally. 

Expanding into the NGO Ecosystem 

Projects that were important to us included working with NGOs that had a clear vision but had no organizational framework. For instance, with Pehchaan Street School, an NGO offering education, medical facilities, and training to poor children and women, we devised a complete plan for recruiting interns for their organization. On the other hand, in the case of I-Light Global, not only did we design their website and develop marketing plans for them, but we also got them in touch with various NGOs based in Delhi and recruited volunteers for them. Conclusion: It is important to note that effective organisations do not always possess the capability to grow; consultancy can take them years ahead. 

Venturing into New Sectors 

Inspired by our achievements, we moved towards diversification. Alongside Stride Green, an organisation specialising in clean tech, we conducted a thorough feasibility study on funding for green hydrogen. This involved aspects such as the process of production, governance, risks in the market, and funding. Furthermore, we advised on the integration of data via IoT. For Stone Soup, a social enterprise based out of Bengaluru that manages household waste in an environmentally friendly manner, we helped create a plan of college outreach named SAATHI. One of the initiatives that we were particularly proud of was the creation of the brand identity for ‘New Bharat, ‘ the enterprise run by Nazia, a transgender woman hailing from Samastipur in Bihar. She sold homemade cookies and jams. We created the brand identity by helping her with creating a logo, tagline, packaging, social media handles, website, and product brochure. Moreover, we worked with Ashoka, the largest network of social entrepreneurs in the world, gaining valuable knowledge about institutional excellence within the field of social innovation. Additionally, some of our recent engagements include working with organisations like E-Gov in civic technology and institutional reform, and Remove Global in the carbon removal market.

Project Aasra is more than just a consulting initiative; it is a commitment to creating meaningful and lasting impact. By empowering ideas, strengthening organisations, and providing the right guidance, it bridges the gap between potential and progress. Every collaboration becomes a step toward sustainable growth and real change. With a vision rooted in support and transformation, Aasra continues to uplift those striving to make a difference, proving that the right support system can turn intention into lasting impact.

Project Pragati: Empowering Every Mind to Drive Meaningful Impact 

We believe that social impact should not be restricted to a few hands only, and everyone should get their fair share of the chance of contributing to society, but not only that we also noticed the sheer deficiency of quality minds in the field of impact consultancy, thus, to resolve such issues, we launched our newest initiative, called Project Pragati, which focuses on teaching impact consultancy to students and working professionals who are interested in this field. Project Pragati was launched on 11 March 2026, with a large cohort of dedicated and curious fellows eager to dive into this field. We conducted regular speaker sessions in association with Microsave Consulting, Sattva Consulting, Samagra, WRI, and CEEW. In addition to this, we also hosted case-solving sessions and regular assessments to test the learning of our fellows. Additionally, some of our best fellows also worked on actual live projects to gain exposure towards what the actual field of consultancy looks like. Going forward, we plan to make our event bigger, get more fellows, and leave a bigger impact.

About the Author

Connecting Dreams Foundation (CDF) is a pan-India non-profit organization dedicated to driving social change and empowering underserved communities. With multiple initiatives addressing issues like education, menstrual hygiene, and sustainable livelihoods, CDF continues to build impact-driven solutions. The SRCC Chapter, a team of 50+ student change-makers, actively works towards creating sustainable and scalable models for meaningful development.