PGVS is a voluntary nonprofit organization. PGVS was established in 1986 and registered 10 March 1987 under the society registration act. PGVS has been working in North & East part of India since 1987 on both long-term development and humanitarian emergency response in flood prone areas. The emerging challenge relates to addressing development and disaster risk reduction concerns in a changing climate regime. Headquartered in Gorakhpur, it has its National Coordination office in Lucknow.

 Its core objects at the time of formation were to intervene in various social development issues especially on health and education. Over the years, it became imperative for the organization to respond to other growing issues and concerns that caused and still continue to cause distress to the communities of Eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP) that we serve. This was a shift born out of witnessing the continued destruction on the lives and livelihoods of the poor inhabitants of eastern UP occasioned by the wrath of unrelenting and unmerciful floods that have become the number one enemy in the area. Furthermore, there was a realization that floods reversed any gains made in development and was inextricably intertwined with the low-levels of development in the area. This realization acted as a wakeup call for the organization to have a holistic and programmatic approach to development.

The organization started off in responding to flood disasters in the region. But overtime, the need to diversify to cover other hazards in the area has been realized. Disaster management has therefore become a cross cutting issue in development for PGVS as an organization. The organization has taken a lead role in facilitating a community based disaster management initiative in various districts of East UP and Bihar. It has also been involved in policy and advocacy work and capacity building training on Disaster Management not only at the grassroots levels but also at the state and national levels.

During the years, the organization continued to invest in enhancing internal capacities through well planned training and capacity building initiatives. We are making sincere effort in the field of disaster management through involvement of SHG's, PRIs, education initiative and voluntary agencies working for sustainable universal development and prepared to work during emergency (VASUDEVA). The endeavor is to promote inter-institutional dynamics for excellence in their initiative and PEACE at individual as well as community level.


Mainstreaming disaster preparedness and mitigation in development therefore becomes a viable and positive way of establishing the linkages between development planning, practice and disaster management: the holistic sense of development that is sustainable and environmental friendly and minimizes risks and vulnerabilities for the community. To realize this, there is a dire need for the involvement of all the stakeholders in charting the path towards a disaster free East UP. PGVS as an organization has a role to play in this.

PGVS has commitments towards service provision, policy advocacy, awareness rising, Capacity building and addressing environmental concerns for the communities and its leadership in disaster management, primarily in the provision of health services, education, and livelihoods. In pursuing these goals, we commit ourselves to address the problems of disasters from a development perspective by incorporating and mainstreaming the culture of disaster preparedness and mitigation in all our development work so as to minimize vulnerabilities ad risks in the face of hazards, which works as a motivator in all its future plans.