35 million people in Tamil Nadu live on around £1 a day
1985
- Founded by Dr Cletus Babu working with 5 villages in Cheranmahadevi
- Formed 35 women’s groups
1987
- Started working with people suffering with leprosy
- Started working with the gypsy community
1989-90
- The first secondary school in Tirunelveli opened
- Tree planting began with 200 trees planted
- First non-formal school for gypsy community opened
1991-92
- Nutritional biscuits made for school children to minimize nutritional deficiency and increase learning capacity
- The school cum residential care centre opened for physically challenged children Anbu Illam
1996-97
- KVK (Farm Science Centre) was opened in Vahaikulam, Tuticorin
- The Industrial Training Institute, the Polytechnic College and the Community College in Cheranmahadevi all opened to diversify educational opportunities
2000
- Started a higher education college to provide vocational training for rural youth communities
- Total membership of women self-help group members hits 36,617
2001-04
- Started another Industrial Training Centre at Vahaikulam
- Good Shepherd school was opened in Tuticorin
- Relief measures to the Tsunami villages in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts
2005…
- Dr. Cletus Babu received “The Social Entrepreneurial of the Year 2005” awarded by the “Confederation of Indian Industry” & “Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship”
- Received the ‘Best Self Help Group’ award from the Tamil Nadu government
2005
- The teachers training institute was opened at Cheranmahadevi.
- Environmental protection activities were initiated including tree planting, kitchen gardens, ooranie formation and de-silting, rainwater harvesting, biochar initiatives and carbon burying.
2006
- The first wind turbine was erected
- More than 100 women self-help group members are elected as local village presidents, ward members or councilors
2006-07
- The then President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visited SCAD for the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) Conference and inaugurated a new building of FX Engineering College
- The ortho and prosthetic unit and training centre was opened at Cheranmahadevi
2009
- A dispensary and community hall was built for those people affected by leprosy
- Started St. Mother Teresa Engineering College, Vahaikulam SCAD Engineering College, Cheranmahadevi
2010
- Introduced the first mobile clinic van, a fully furnished vehicle to provide treatment and therapy to the differently abled in the community
- Celebrated the Silver Jubilee Year, the Governor of Tamil Nadu Dr. Surjit Singh Barnala released the book ‘Empowering the Disadvantaged’
- Vanakkam India – a Tamil daily new paper was started
