CORD is a reputed secular, apolitical, and voluntary, not-for-profit organization that works with the poor and underprivileged in society, their emancipation and empowerment for sustainable and holistic development; irrespective of caste, creed, color, or gender considerations.

Governed by a body of people committed to the cause of social justice and human welfare, together with professional proficiency in community development, CORD has been contributing to the cause of the socially and economically marginalized indigenous communities with its well-conceived vision and mission through ground-up experiential processes.

The birth of CORD is closely linked to the personal life and experiences of Mr. Vijayasingh Ronald David, its Founder Secretary. As a young activist fighting for the rights of tenants when the land reforms act was being implemented by the then Devaraj Urs Government, Roy survived a near-fatal and murderous attack by the landlords of Mangalore. Yet, he persevered and secured land rights for 99% of the tenants.

With this experience, he decided to make the cause of the deprived and exploited his own and dedicated his life to it. He moved to Dharavi, Mumbai, for six months of training in community organization, and during his time there, he took up the common rights of the slum dwellers and organized them under the banner of the Peoples Responsible Organisation of United Dharavi (PROUD).

He returned to his hometown in Kodagu, and the efforts of the then Government to evict people in the name of the Sundarnagar Industrial Corridor from Kushalnagar to Harangi triggered the genesis of the Coorg Organisation for Rural Development (CORD) in 1981, preceded by a year of activism to protect the rights of the people and prevent their eviction. Coming to know of CORD's activism, the indigenous people (Adivasi) of the region approached him for help in 1984. They, belonging to the Soliga community, were living in dire conditions, eating mud and presenting an inhuman picture of a community with bloated bodies and dying children due to premature pregnancies. Moved by the plight of these forest dwellers, CORD has since dedicated itself to empowering all indigenous communities of Karnataka and elsewhere in the country.