SWATI traces its origin to reflection of a group of professional social workers on the need of addressing the development & empowerment needs of the tribals in Kondhamal. In the year 1999, some progressive and educated young friends under the leadership of Er.Harisankar Rout formed the organization and started working from Paburia, a remote tribal pocket of Kandhamal district. Carrying the vision of alternative social development for the poor and marginalized section of the society they started initiatives to educate and empower the community to lead a sustainable life by managing the natural resources and implementing the government and non-government programmes.
Initially the organization started its intervention in Natural Resource Management by adopting the watershed approach through community mobilization in Tikabali and Phiringia block of Kandhamal district. In the years that followed, it started different issue based interventions and implemented variety of programmes on Health, livelihood, Education, Women empowerment, Good Governance, Youth organisation, Mother and childcare and Prevention of Child marriage etc. Now the area and scope of its work has expanded to all 12 blocks of Kandhamal District, Bhanjanagar & Jagannath Prasad Block and Berhampur city of Ganjam District, Boudh NAC Boudh District and Capital City Bhubaneswar of Odisha. The organization has also achieved state and national recognitions for its excellence in work.
