Organisations ‘A’ and ‘B’ are addressing critical issues such as Early Childhood Care and Development and gender inequality in India. Both demonstrate strong commitment to their projects and maximize the use of available resources. However, an intangible factor appears to influence both their teams and program outcomes. This factor may be identified as the quality of strategic communication. Although most civil society organizations (CSOs) recognize the importance of strategic communication, it is frequently undervalued. Many organizations allocate insufficient time and resources to developing effective storytelling and communication skills. For example, when civic actors promote natural farming, the impact often depends not solely on the knowledge conveyed but on the effectiveness of its communication. It is unlikely that farmers possess less knowledge; instead, the method of knowledge dissemination plays a crucial role.

Surekha (name changed) works as a grassroots social worker with organisation “A”. She has faced immense hardships in her own life as a person belonging to the marginalized and excluded community, living in a slum, and being a woman. In such a context, the foremost aspiration is to leave a locality where access to clean space and water is a significant challenge. Surekha completed her education up to higher secondary and began working with an NGO in Bhopal. For her, this was not only a personal job or a source of income, but also a medium to change the lives of others. She does not need to learn what empathy is or what participation means. She has actually lived with these words in her real life. While working with the NGO, she also completed her graduation and developed digital skills. She is coordinating across five slums of Bhopal and trying to actualize the concept of Justice for Children, who have become a part of the nexus of beggars.

After 10 years of hard work, she managed to secure a loan of Rs. 2 Lakhs and, with her savings, purchase a “Home.” It should be a kind of fulfilment in life for Surekha. No?

Life is not that easy. She purchased a home, and her name appeared on the property documents and the registry. She wanted to take her parents to her home and move them out of the slum. However, the question became salient: Who is the owner of this house? When Surekha gets married, what will happen to the parents?  Does it look good, as per the social norms and culture, that an unmarried woman owns a home?

Surekha finds it hard to separate her work in the organization from her personal life. She truly believes she is not just working for someone else, but for a better society where her own life gains dignity and justice is the norm. This raises an important question: do we allow space for people to share their experiences as CSO workers in their roles? The feelings and emotions of CSO actors can help everyone better understand the issues and challenges. When there is room for open communication, team members in a CSO can see that their work is not just a side part of their lives. They do not have to feel like they are living two separate lives.

Ajay lives in a development block in Madhya Pradesh where a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group lives, and works with Organisation “B”. He has a very peculiar style of work in the community. He will enter the village and address the villagers by their first names or by a relationship term. Ajay will enter any house; he will ask the house’s mother how she is doing and begin chatting with the children. He will sit in the courtyard and will start peeling and eating the peas. Ajay shares that one day, he asked the mother of a newborn whether she had breastfed him within 1 hour of birth. Mother did not respond. Since Ajay was working on child health and nutrition, he was keen to understand the real-time situation of breastfeeding in the community, beyond the complex data on child nutrition. He was aware of the community’s traditional beliefs and sought to learn the current state of practices. During the discussion, the mother-in-law responded, “In our culture, the mother’s first milk is offered to Mother Earth.” Ajay confirmed that the traditional practice of not feeding the child the mother’s first milk persists.

He continued his discussion and learned that complementary feeding at 6 months will also not begin. It will only begin when the child starts sitting by herself on the floor. When the child starts to sit up, she is given a piece of bread, which she wets with her saliva and continues to eat. It is important to note that a child without access to nutrition may not start sitting in her own till at 9 to 10 months of age. When such a space for sharing very personal observations is created in the organization, these stories surface.

After more than 20 years working in civil society, Ajay has developed his own way of connecting with the people his organisation serves. Instead of strictly following project plans, he focuses on understanding the program’s main purpose and goal, then finds his own ways to put it into practice. He enjoys meeting people—children, teenagers, farmers, and labourers in the village—even when there are no scheduled meetings or events. He says, “Actually, these travels to community and program locations create much better outcomes than the dedicated number of women group meetings because personal connection is the most effective way to develop trust in the people I am working with.”

In today’s environment, where trust is so important, civil society groups need to pause and carefully consider strategic communication and storytelling. For frontline community members, strategic communication means helping them share their feelings and experiences, both within and beyond their communities. This approach not only helps them better understand their roles but also reminds them that they truly belong in the community.