On the 15th of August, India's Independence Day, 47 differently abled children from the SCAD Anbu Illam school performed a spectacular dance. Independence Day, one of the three national holidays in India is observed in all the states and union territories commemorating India's independence from British rule on 15 August 1947. This day is observed all over India including in Tirunelveli with flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades and cultural events. Indians celebrate by displaying the national flag and wearing Orange, Green and White, listening to patriotic songs, watching patriotic movies and spending...

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Rural women are usually poorer than their male counterparts, more vulnerable, own no land, are less educated and in poorer health. They struggle because of low paid work and care for the home. The women are often ignorant of their rights, liberties and privileges. Being women, they are likely to have little or no say in the financial matters within her house. A girl child is deprived of schooling or literacy for no other reason than that she is a female and it is this illiteracy that often excludes her from written knowledge and participation in decision making, affecting both the household and the community. SCAD...

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Hello SCAD Supporters. We need your help! We are looking for people, communities, organisations and corporate companies who want to sponsor a village in India with SCAD. With your help we can transform a village in Tamil Nadu, South India. SCAD are an Indian organisation and we know how to work with local people to transform their communities. Please download our leaflet here to see how it works and what you can do. If you are good at organising your community or inspiring your workmates then why not club together and raise the funds to support the development of a whole village. We will...

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Join Trisha Roberts for a fascinating insight into India - there is no better way to get to know a new place than to share food with local people.  During this colourful two week tour you will visit markets, shop for ingredients, learn to cook southern India food, visit villages, schools and temples and much, much more! During this tour you will gain firsthand insight into how our projects make a real difference to women like Karuppi.  Along with shopping for ingredients and learning to cook 3 or 4 dishes per day, you will also visit some of SCAD's projects including income-generating...

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Cataract is an age-related condition in which the lens of the eye becomes clouded, blurring vision. Cataracts can lead to blindness, however the process is entirely reversible. If caught early and simply operated on full sight can be recovered. Cataracts are a massive problem for people in India. It is estimated that for India alone 3.8 million people become blind from cataract each year. The sight loss of an adult can damage the household economy, whether a breadwinner becomes another mouth to feed or a grandmother is no longer able to provide primary care for the children. SCAD can perform...

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The SCAD interventions in health related activities is a direct response to the growing concern over the emerging health challenges in the villages. Camps and trainings are extremely beneficial in providing immediate and localised care to village members who otherwise might not be able to access a doctor, hospital or knowledge on how to ensure the best health for themselves and their families. It is vital that these trainings are provided in an environment and language that the local people understand and SCAD has a real advantage here being a local NGO. The SCAD staff work tirelessly to provide...

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At SCAD we are interested in empowerment that takes place when people challenge existing norms and culture to improve their well being and create their own development. Our SCAD Women's Self Help Groups (WSHGs) have challenged social norms not once but twice! In the first instance women transformed the culture of being forced to stay in their homes. Initially when the women gathered together for meetings they had difficulty coming out of their homes because it was not traditional. In the beginning women were scorned and sometimes threatened. With a lot of support from SCAD and internal strength...

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