The Story of SCAD

In 1985, a totally dedicated man and a small group of committed friends began what is now a thriving NGO in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, supporting over 300,000 people in two districts to free themselves from a life of grinding poverty and debt to one of hope and opportunity.

Cletus Babu, the founder of SCAD, abandoned a comfortable life in the Priesthood to join a simple life where he could make a difference to the quality of life of the rural poor. With just 300 rupees in his pocket, he headed for Cheranmahadevi, an area of Tirunelveli where poverty was apparent. With the support of two friends, he set out on a path to uplift the poor.

The work started on a simple basis, the men sat and talked, sharing experiences with the village folk of 5 hamlets. Gradually, they came to understand the problems of the community and were able to suggest the values of community awareness and offer insightful teachings.

With the limited funds he had and the belief that people should be empowered to create their own development, Cletus Babu was innovative in creating ownership and independence amongst the people by, joining them together, encouraging them to support each other, discuss problems and create practical solutions that they could put in action.

The success of his work was evident. Communities appeared stronger, education was valued more and health issues addressed.

Until this point Cletus received support from family and friends, but was keen to continue his work and needed the funds to expand the number of villages and to cover the basic living expenses. In 1986, he received support from a Charity, called Action Aid, based in Bangalore.

From five villages and three volunteers, to thirty-six villages and nine extra committed individuals, SCAD was created. Cletus and his team set about to bring collective action to more people disempowered both socially and economically. With love and total commitment, they inspired and encouraged the villagers to help themselves.
To add strength to the organisation, an area of barren land was identified as the possible ‘heart’ of SCAD activities. Having won the hearts of the British Missionaries who owned the land, Cletus was given six months to raise the money. He asked a funding agent in Ireland called Gorta for financial assistance. Time passed and there was still no response. Cletus began to think it was not meant to be, but then, on the day before the deadline, a substantial cheque arrived. Cletus rode on his motorbike through the torrential monsoon to the Missionaries’ house. At last, SCAD had land and their first centre was built, with hundreds of thousands of seeds planted in the grounds as well as in the people’s hearts.

Having gained permission and encouragement from the Church, Cletus left the Ministry of Catholic Priesthood and continued his good work. Meanwhile, he had other thoughts on his mind. He had met Amali, a dedicated social worker, and was impressed with how she worked with the tribal people in the Kanyakumari District and the slum children in Chennai. They married in 1988 and continued with their joint venture of making a lasting and substantial change to the lives of thousands living in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu.

Not stopping at rural development, Cletus and Amali, wanted to also provide quality education to the rural youth. In 1989, the first SCAD School was opened. Whilst children benefited from a quality education, their communities also benefited as profits from placement fees were invested in rural development activities.
Now, SCAD’s rural development activities cover more than four hundred and fifty villages. An integrated development programme benefits everyone in a village, from pregnant mothers and the very young, to elders that are destitute in their final years. Models of social development created by SCAD have been adopted by the Indian Government and shared all over the world. The centre at Cheranmahadevi is green and brimming with life and the SCAD Group of Institutions attracts over seven-thousand students on an annual basis, including young people from under privileged and humble backgrounds. In addition to this, through the improvement of rural village schools, over fifteen thousand children have been released from child labour.

SCAD has an excellent, committed and dedicated team to fulfill the vision of its founder. It has created a hugely positive impact on the lives of the rural poor in the Southern region of Tamil Nadu.

 

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