About us

Shivia was founded in 2008 and is a UK registered charity working in India.

We empower the people in most need, and particularly women, to work their own way out of poverty and provide a brighter future for themselves and their family.

The focus for each of our programmes is expert training. We believe this is key to the success of our programmes and helps deliver the impact we are striving for.

In 2020 we established Shivia Livelihoods Foundation in India, a Section 8 Company (NGO) – click here for more details.

The Artemis Charitable Foundation has been supporting Shivia for many years and we have been constantly impressed by the sustainable impact of Shivia’s work in some of the poorest communities in India, alleviating poverty by helping people gain the skills and materials and confidence to provide for themselves and their families. Some of their work is truly ground breaking, setting down a blue print that other charities will likely follow.

Although a relatively small charity, the standard of governance is of the highest order and the quality of reporting back to the donors exemplary. We have visited Shivia’s operations in India and found the quality of people and their commitment to be commendable. Our view is that Shivia has the organisational structure in place to be a significantly larger charity without compromising on quality or the impact of their work.

As with all charities a key factor is the founder, and in Olly Donnelly, the founder and Chief Executive, there is unstinting commitment and effective professionalism and a driving force for maximum positive impact in the communities in which Shivia operates.

Lindsay Whitelaw, Chairman, The Artemis Charitable Foundation

Go to top

Our programmes

Read our impact stories

I have witnessed first-hand how Shivia has not just changed but transformed people's lives with its livelihood programmes.
Yasmine Hilton
Chairman Shivia
Alquity supports Shivia because they transform lives by giving people the opportunity to do things themselves and they do it with dignity.
Suresh Mistry
Director, Alquity
We were thrilled to see the impact of the work being done and to meet the team on the ground. It was truly humbling to see the difference being made to so many people by this group of highly motivated and capable people.
Stewart Brown
Director Artemis Investment Management LLP
We are excited to support such a strategically-minded and professionally run charity that is making a real and sustainable difference. The focus and design of the livelihood programmes are simple and highly effective – and the results speak for themselves.
Lars-eric Roden
Director, The T&J Meyer Foundation
Farming is my only source of income... I registered with Shivia to learn how to reduce my farming expenses and produce better quality outputs. I am definitely seeing good results compared to previous years and have learned how to make bio-pesticides.
AMS farmer
Familia location West Bengal