Directory of activities

Search these pages to explore a selection of our directory of activities. You can use the keyword search and filter buttons to discover how we are addressing each of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and the five priorities in our Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement Plan. You can also filter activities by location and function.



searching subjects: Social inclusion

Creating sustainable livelihoods through group farming

Our Global Development Institute has examined whether cultivating in groups – by voluntarily pooling land, labour, funds and skills and sharing costs and benefits – enables small farmers to create larger, more profitable enterprises in South Asia and beyond.

The research in Kerala, south India showed that carefully structured group farming created sustainable, food-secure livelihoods for vast numbers of poor women farmers.

Student financial support

A significant proportion of our students are from families that fall below the national poverty line.

We offer a range of support to ensure that financial issues don’t present an obstacle for learners, including:

  • The Manchester Bursary
  • The Manchester Master’s Bursary
  • The Undergraduate Access Scholarship
  • The Living Cost Support Fund
  • The ‘Helpmegetonline’ scheme

Reproduction and austerity

Our academics are exploring the impact of austerity on reproduction.

The project uses a range of creative activities and interviews with women from areas in the north-east, where there are significant socio-economic barriers.

This project is providing new insights into contemporary austerity and how this may affect childbearing.

Student action

Our student community work on a range of projects to tackle extreme poverty and inequality.

Love for the Streets was established by two Manchester students to use youth events, content and social media marketing to tackle homelessness in partnership with local charities.

Once a Month fights period poverty through public campaigns and providing sanitary products to vulnerable women across Manchester.

Homeless Healthcare Society

The Homeless Healthcare Society helps improve the healthcare of Manchester’s homeless population by raising awareness of the medical inequalities and stigmas faced by homeless patients when accessing healthcare.

The aim is to ultimately improve the care provided by tomorrow’s healthcare professionals.

Food insecurity in the UK

Working with Manchester City Council, Cracking Good Food, Save the Children, Oxfam and other charities, our Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research and Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing conducted pioneering research to document food insecurity in the UK following the economic recession. We studied homelessness, street begging, food-bank use and financial difficulties faced by older women, and developed a pilot tool for helping older people with their nutrition. Our research influenced the political debate on food insecurity and raised awareness of the issue in the media.

Amrita Live-in-Labs

Our Amrita Live-in-Labs Project puts scientific and engineering research to practical use for societal benefit in India, a country that is home to 33%  f the world’s poor. For example, students from our Department of Materials designed a smokeless stove for cooking in huts to reduce respiratory problems and developed strategies to educate children in mathematics in Chhattisgarh, a state with one of the poorest rates of educational achievement in India.

Everyday Austerity

Our Everyday Austerity research project in our School of Environment, Education and Development has revealed the impact of austerity policies on everyday life for families and communities in Greater Manchester. As a result, we’ve advised, trained and empowered a wide range of local groups and communities to tackle social injustices resulting from austerity. Our findings were presented in an exhibition that turned peoples’ stories into a series of drawings, photographs, audio excerpts and objects to engage the public and bring these experiences to life.

Global Development Institute

Our Global Development Institute (GDI) is Europe’s largest research and teaching institute focused on poverty and inequality. The GDI runs the Effective States and Inclusive Development (ESID) Research Centre, which investigates how politics promotes inclusive development and government accountability. Recent research suggests that countries with the highest government capacity can reduce income poverty at twice the speed of countries with the weakest capacity. Spanning 16 countries, our research is deepening the understanding of governance in developing countries, and helping to influence policy and practices and improve people’s lives

Search