SCAD has been offering community-based rehabilitation to people with disabilities in ultra-poor communities of South India for thirty years. However there are still many problems that disabled people face; there is limited access to health care services, medical treatment is expensive and inaccessible, medical provision is not specialised or fit for purpose and there is a lack of knowledge about quality health care services for disabled people. Rehabilitation of different kinds under a single roof in a multidisciplinary approach is very rare. The specialists are in far off lands and patients...

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This video is an interview with Cletus Babu about the work that SCAD does. This February SCAD are hosting an International conference with our partners Converge Project which is an interdisciplinary research project funded by the European Union with 9 partners across 5 countries, including partners from industrialised nations such as Sweden, the UK and Iceland, transition economies such as Hungary and rapidly industrialising nations such as India. Converge research is inspired by the concept of contraction and convergence (C&C); a suggested way to stabilise atmospheric concentrations...

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Do you want to go out and spend time teaching in India? We have opportunities for teachers of all subjects to go out to India for between 6 months and a year and teach in an International school. SCAD World School is a small but rapidly growing school with a high standard of teaching and a Cambridge syllabus. We are looking for teachers who are ready for a challenge and happy to throw themselves into another culture. We will provide you with a return flight to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu as well as all your local food, transport and accommodation when you get there. If you are interested in this...

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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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Would you like to make a real difference to the lives of poor rural families in the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu? We would like to start working with five new villages in Tamil Nadu. At SCAD in partnership with our UK charity Salt of the Earth we run a sponsor a village scheme. This is a pioneering opportunity for communities in the UK and Europe to support community development in villages in Southern India. With your help we can change people's lives. This core funding pays for a village volunteer and part of the salary of a professional field worker. Between them they provide...

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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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The Indian charity 'The Association of People with Disabilities' claims 17 million people with disabilities in India do not receive support such as mobility aids. SCAD is working with VOTOL to help support young people with physical and mental disabilities. So far in the last six months we have been very busy with this mission and managed to organise  5 Orthopaedic and assessment camps attended by a total of 310children with physical and/or learning difficulties.  a total of 490 children with physical and/or learning difficulties received treatment. 56 parents received training and support...

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An article in the Times of India, Chennai today reveals grim figures from the 2011 Indian census about open defecation in Tamil Nadu. 45% of the state’s population resorts to open defecation due to the lack of sanitation facilities.  The article reads “The situation is worse in rural areas where only 2% of the population is covered by the pipeline sewerage system. As a result, over 73% of rural population defecate in the open.” Most rural village homes do not have toilet facilities and people resort to open defecation which contaminates the drinking water supply and has huge implications...

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Murray & Janet Frankland, founders of Salt of the Earth, visit the ‘model village’ Sevalkulam, in the Ottapidaram block to view the new fish culture initiative at the village ooranie (rainwater harvest tank). SCAD have been working with this village for around 20 years and have successfully established: Women’s Self Help Groups, supplementary education, energy management, sports youth groups, vetinary camps, income generating initiatives, health education, micro insurance, nutritional demonstrations, tree plantation, organic kitchen gardens, bio-char trial plots - as a result village...

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In Tamil Nadu there is a big problem with women being anemic and children being malnourished. Also the price of food in the area is increasing beyond the means of most people. We have a solution to this problem! We have been providing women with affordable seeds and soil enriching bio-char so that they can start to grow their own vegetables. Watch this video about our work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8F7_ix_iAQ&context=C3c6fc54ADOEgsToPDskJKbNoTLg0YMm40lO27Gy60

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