Early last year I also revisited the NGO SCAD (Social Change and Development) in Tamil Nadu. This is a Christian NGO that was founded many years ago by Dr. Cletus Babu and his wife Amali and encompasses numerous projects to improve the quality of life of the poorest sectors in the region. I arrived at Madurai airport where I was met by Ratnavellu and taken to the SCAD Campus in Cheranmahadevi, 30 km west of Tirunelveli. I was sorry to keep Ratnavellu waiting as I had to return to the immigration office once more after realizing that by mistake, I had received my Indian visa stamp in my expired passport instead of my current one.
Once we arrived at the SCAD guesthouse, I was greeted by Vimala who had cooked a wonderful lunch for me. The Campus itself was deserted as I had arrived on Republican Day (26th January) and both students and staff had gone home for the extended holiday.
During my five-day stay in Cheranmahadevi, I visited a number of the SCAD projects (some of them I had visited before, others were entirely new to me). After visiting one of my favorite places, the village of traditional Sari weavers, where I bought a cotton sari and some hand-woven tea towels, I was shown several projects that focus on the empowerment of women, especially widows who often have a very difficult time to make ends meet.
SCAD supports women by providing them with micro loans that they will use for setting up a business of their own. We visited a mother and daughter team who were running a clothes stall where they were retailing their own tailored garments. We also visited a single woman who was running a tiny general store in a traditional small village with very beautiful architecture. I was welcomed into her home and she immediately wanted to treat me to some cookies from her shop. I graciously declined her generous invitation and did some shopping in her store instead.
In another village a collective of women had created a business producing sanitary towels which they sell to the government. The contribution to the family income of all the women involved is very significant.
In yet another place a widow had invested her loan into the adquisition of equipment (a mill stone and a giant mixer) for producing ready-made dosa mix. The finished mix was then bagged and refrigerated (it will keep for up to three days in the fridge). Every day she would take orders from her neighbors and village peers and thus only produces the amounts needed for each day.
We also revisited the gypsy school where the kids greeted me by performing a special dance.
At a SCAD sponsored event people got their eyesight tested for free and then got prescription glasses.
Perhaps the most impressive project that I had visited this time was the plant for producing clean drinking water. The water was first collected in huge tanks and then pumped through sophisticated solar powered machinery that filters out all impurities and bacteria. I know from ample personal experience what a challenge contaminated drinking water or food presents to people’s health in places like India, and neither the visitors nor the natives are immune to bacterial infections that may be a consequence of such contamination. The water dispenser is operated through the insertion of a five-rupee coin and it releases the exact measure of a traditional water jug. All funds generated by the dispenser are reinvested in the maintenance works of the equipment.
One afternoon Vimala accompanied me to Pattamadai, the birth place of Swami Sivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh. I was delighted to be greeted by the old Swami who looks after the temple and house, and who recognized me (this must have been my fourth or fifth visit there).
I had a phantastic time at SCAD and was very happy to see all my friends again. Before boarding my onward train in Tirunelveli, I was taken out for dinner by the founder and CEO of the NGO, Dr. Cletus Babu and Amali with their daughter and Charles. It was a memorable meeting full of joy and laughter. I hope to be back soon!
Thanks Oda. Great photos and lovely descriptions of familiar and new social and environmentally sound projects at SCAD. In dark times, it’s so good to hear positive stories of kindness and common sense in the world.