The Akshy Association, while open to working with all communities in need, is characterized by working primarily with the Musahar community.

The Musahars are a Dalit community (a caste considered “untouchable”) in India, primarily in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. Being Dalit already has a negative connotation, but being Musahar means being despised even by other Dalits.

Historically, they have been one of the most marginalized and impoverished communities in the country. The name Musahar literally means “rat eaters,” as, due to extreme poverty, they traditionally hunted and ate rats to survive.

The Musahars face high levels of poverty and social exclusion.

They are landless agricultural workers, living in bonded labor under landlords or forced to migrate to cities in search of informal work. They are daily workers, only receive wages for the days they work, so they can go weeks or months without employment or income.

They face high levels of illiteracy, malnutrition, and lack of access to basic services such as education and healthcare.

Their literacy rate is extremely low, especially among women. In Bihar, less than 10% of Musahars are literate.

Their lack of knowledge prevents them from accessing to ration cards and other aid to a better life. Caste-based prejudice also affects their opportunities for education, employment, healthcare, and other basic needs, such as receiving better pay. Musahars have very little understanding of what they earn or how much they should be paid. They only know that if they ask for money for food after working all day, they will receive enough money to buy food that day. They are held back by thinking only about their immediate needs. Their lack of education and understanding of a fair wage keeps them in a cycle of earning a daily wage that barely covers their daily needs. Musahar women are paid less than men and are hired only when there is seasonal work. During the harvest, women work 10 to 12 hours a day and are given only a lunch, but the meal is just rice and some vegetables, no protein and half the wages.

Musahars are hired daily, earning just enough to survive. They are totally dependent on the landowner until death. These landowners have also become moneylenders. The Musahars borrow money from them and then have to repay it in different ways, working in the fields at wages far below what they should earn or repaying the money with very high interest rates. They are unaware of government loans. The landowner expects unconditional service from the worker, and the resulting labor relationship is like slavery, as the Musahar can only repay the high interest rates and hardly ever pay the principal. The Musahar is forced to work for the landowner under his or her working conditions, and if he or she does not, his  wive, daughters, or sisters will be insulted, harassed, and even sexually abused.

Despite efforts by the government and NGOs, the Musahar remain one of the most disadvantaged communities in India, struggling to overcome centuries of discrimination and poverty.