Community Development Society ( CDS ), a Charitable, Non-Profit Voluntary Organization (NGO), was started by the initiative of persons who were active in holistic development of poor and needy people in Amravati District of Maharashtra. It was registered under Bombay Public Trust Act in the year 1985 at Amravati. It is owned and governed by 7 Trustees who are elected by the General Body. In the year 1989, CDS with the help of some friends from Australia, who were the Social Activists and Founder Members of Maranatha Trust, started Micro Enterprise Development Programme for poor and needy people to give Micro Credit to Small Entrepreneurs for starting or strengthening their small business for self-employment. In the year 1988, the administrative office of CDS was shifted from Amravati to Nagpur in Central India. The Registered office of the TRUST remains at Amravati.
The members of the Trust are elected once in every three years. The trustees of CDS work honorarily for the Trust.
CDS is serving the poor through its eight branches at present, which are located at Nagpur, Amravati, Pune, Yavatmal, Wardha & in three villages i.e. Ridhapur, Samudrapur & Paratwada.
CDS is a founder member of All India Association of Micro Enterprise Development, a National Network and Chartered Member of Opportunity International Network Council, U.S.A.
