How It All Started
In 1976, a group of youth who were passionate about justice and rights got together to address the case of exploitation of coolies (hamalis or loading and unloading workers) working at the Secunderabad railway station in Telangana (formerly in Andhra Pradesh), whose job was to load and unload materials such as steel plates and steel poles that would come in the wagons. Their work in Hyderabad through 1976 to 1985 and success in the case led to other calls for help from further and further afield, mostly from urban slum communities where the urban marginalised and oppressed lived. In 1981, the group formally registered a society, Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA), in Hyderabad.

While working in Hyderabad with migrant construction workers, the founding members realized that many of these families had members working in Bengaluru city, and many of them working as bonded labourers. These migrant workers lived in deplorable conditions, and their children, with little to no space to develop, had been pushed out into the streets to beg, work as street children or rag pickers. Based on the needs of these migrant worker families and the requests from families in Hyderabad to provide shelter and skill training, APSA established an Administrative Office in Bengaluru in 1985 in order to work with such vulnerable groups. The work with migrant workers and their families continued till 1991, when

APSA expanded its interventions to working with urban slums and including street children and women, men and youth groups.

APSA has come a long way since then. That fledgling action group that started way back in 1976 has today grown into a nationally-recognized NGO with a large team of committed staff, volunteers, and experts working in 125 urban slums through 20+ different projects in Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

From its inception, APSA has addressed issues of inequality, justice and rights facing the urban poor, especially women and children in distress. ‘Development Without Exploitation’ APSA’s tagline, aptly describes the pioneering work of APSA in designing unique interventions at grassroots level combined with sustained lobbying and advocacy with the state and duty-bearers to deliver justice and rights to the urban poor.

APSA believes that all people have equal rights irrespective of socio-economic, political or cultural backgrounds; that there is strength in collective endeavour and collective action.; APSA’s experience has shown that marginalised and vulnerable people can become their own change agents with the right information, supportive programs and guidance.

Vision

APSA’s vision is to work with the community at the grassroots, with the privileged sections of society and with the government towards preventing exploitation and marginalization of the underprivileged, and to evolve social paradigms based on values of justice and non-discrimination for those already in exploitative situations.

Mission

Catalyze the process by which underprivileged and deprived communities use their own strengths and efforts to solve their problems and improve the quality of their lives.
Develop new social paradigms within which comprehensive plans could create better lives for the communities with which we work.
Enable social development rooted in justice and equity through local people’s organizations devoted to social mobilization, raising awareness and economic and social empowerment
Ensure participation of populations frequently under-represented in development – especially women and children
Strengthen the expression of local cultures and issues through the use of traditional and folk forms of art, theatre, literature and music

Objectives

To provide practical and strategic support to children in need of care and protection and children in distress, with special focus on the girl child..
To work with underprivileged and marginalized peoples in urban slums to bring about change in the social and economic quality of their lives.
To motivate such communities, in particular women and youth to access from the government, their entitlements as citizens.
To sensitize privileged sections of society, government and international community to the issues of the underprivileged and marginalized in urban slums, in particular children and migrant communities.
To provide avenues for sustainable employment to disadvantaged youth from urban slums through market-relevant skill training and prepare them for employability.
Sensitize children and young people to issues of alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse.