SMUT believes in holistic developmental approaches, which ensures integration and appreciation of people’s perspectives and concerns; involvement of women and other marginalized sections in an effective manner, stimulating capacity of the grassroots community-based institutions, enhancing qualitative and holistic aspects of development.

SMUT believes that development initiatives are most effective and sustainable when fully addressing the interlinked social, economic and political factors and root causes of poverty. We take a comprehensive approach, combining research, advocacy, awareness-raising, resource inputs, and training, working with communities across related themes such as water supply and agriculture, healthcare and nutrition, education and social norms – all of which are impacted by cross-cutting issues like climate change, gender, protracted conflict, and governance that represent strategic priorities for SMUT. By designing development solutions with multiple, mutually supportive elements, our projects have a track record of unaided continuity in the long term.

We seek to gain a grounded understanding of issues by means of rigorous research and extended dialogue across the breadth of community life.

Our projects are designed to bring innovative and scalable development solutions to the last mile in a way that maintains cultural and ecological integrity.

Our work is grounded in long-term community partnerships where communities define the change they want to see, and we build capacity at the grassroots along with a sense of collective agency.

Our programs seek to tackle interlinked challenges and root causes simultaneously, through sustained engagement with communities, with a phased withdrawal towards sustainability.

In delivering our program work, SMUT places a high value on systematic, quality Monitoring & Evaluation, and we use associated learnings to inform our future engagements in a continual process of appraisal and improvement, striving for peak efficiency and impact in all that we do.