Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu · A public charitable trust since 1986
We live for others
What we run
Three programmes, one family at a time
Rural education
Education
Vidiyal Matriculation Higher Secondary School, alternate schooling, and computer literacy camps.
Read more →
Skills
Market linkage and training
Skill development, entrepreneurship training and market linkage for member-made goods.
Read more →
Health
Health campaign
Health education and awareness, free medical and eye camps, and Annadhanam.
Read more →
840
students in the academic year 2025
Rural education
Vidiyal school, and a second chance at class
Vidiyal Matriculation Higher Secondary School was started in 2000 at Valandau Kaikatti, beginning with a mere twenty-six students. Alongside it run alternate schooling centres under the child labour eradication programme, and computer literacy camps for the children of the women members.
-
✓
840 students from L.K.G to Class XII on subsidised tuition fees, with 40 teaching and 59 non-teaching staff.
-
✓
Free noon meals, hostel facility, modern transport, an indoor and outdoor stadium and a meditation hall.
-
✓
6,789 children benefited through 357 computer literacy camps.
32
districts of Tamil Nadu covered
Market linkage and training
Market linkage, and the skills to use it
ASA’s prime focus is the promotion of self-employment for people below the poverty line. Efforts have been taken to market the products produced by its members: ASA provides material aid like brand labels and flex sheets printed with the ASA logo, which helps them yield profit and removes the hindrance of middlemen and agents.
-
✓
155 skill development programmes, with nearly 624 teams participating.
-
✓
More than 9,360 youth across all 32 districts of Tamil Nadu.
-
✓
Entrepreneurship training covering finance, marketing, consumer behaviour, business ethics and accounting.
2 lakh
people fed at Annadhava Koodam in the year
Health campaign
Health education, camps and Annadhanam
ASA primarily focuses on health issues, especially for its members and their families. A health awareness programme provides health education and awareness training to women members. Free medical check-up camps and eye camps are conducted for the rural poor, alongside preventive and curative health and hygiene programmes.
-
✓
Free medical check-up camps and eye camps for the rural poor.
-
✓
Health education and awareness training programmes for women members.
-
✓
Nearly two lakh people benefited from the Annadhava Koodam Annadhanam centre during the year.
How it works
The path a family takes with us
The way the trust approaches every programme.
Identify the issue
Identifying the issue, researching and finding a solution through data mining and consultation.
Plan and implement
Formulation of a time-based action plan and proper implementation of services to the targeted people.
Train and equip
Entrepreneurship training in finance, marketing, consumer behaviour, business ethics and accounting, with study materials, food and refreshments provided.
Link to the market
Brand labels and flex sheets printed with the ASA logo, so members yield profit without middlemen and agents.
A WASH initiative supported by water.org, USA
Access to Safe Water & Sanitation (ASAS)
ASA aimed at providing adequate safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation facility to the rural population in Tamil Nadu, established its partnership with water.org for the program ASAS “ACCESS TO SAFE WATER AND SANITATION”.
With the support of water.org, ASA has successfully implemented this water credit model and covered more than 15,000 families in phase I project in down south districts of Tamil Nadu. The Phase II project scales up the similar work in 28 districts covering 232 branches around Tamil Nadu to reach 1,00,000 women members.
-
27,100
households with improved water connections in one year
-
5,900
households with improved access to hygienic toilets
-
1,50,000
people benefitted and sensitized through awareness programs
-
232
branches across 28 districts of Tamil Nadu in phase II
Baseline survey, market demand assessment and WASH sensitization meetings
The formal agreement for the phase II project was signed in the month of July 2016, to initiate the project in the 28 districts of Tamil Nadu. The main objective is to provide micro loans and awareness program to communities who have no access to water and hygienic sanitation facilities. A baseline survey was conducted among 800 beneficiaries by a third party agency Sambodhi, Mumbai based consulting agency in 12 branches in and around Salem and Covai regions. Similarly a market demand study was conducted with the support of a Trichy based NGO. Final survey report was submitted to Water.org.
Member training and awareness on WASH education program
ASA has made several networks with the community people, village leaders, women members and panchayat members and also make them to understand their persisting need of water improvements and sanitation facilities. These targeted communities were given awareness through various IEC and media promotional activities. Few effective leaders were selected as Health confederation leaders and trained in the issues related to water and sanitation.
Further awareness campaign on different aspects of safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation in rural areas through cultural programs, health games, street shows, and mime has also been carried out to bring about the behavioral change and to create demand for the construction of individual household toilet and access to safe water.
The WASH loan process, from stopping open defecation to ensuring the well being of a family.
Mass awareness through exhibitions, rallies, signature campaigns, world toilet day and global hand washing day, with toilet ball games, early morning triggering and snakes and ladder games.
Children as change agents
Children clubs and health games
Children club have been formed to motivate children to inform them about safe water and sanitation. Several health games were also inducted to these children who are placed in Government school. These children are targeted mainly because they have no or less access to such hygienic facilities at their schools and also less opportunity to such play aids.
ASA targeting these children to give them an opportunity to explore, learn and enjoy the health games that offered by ASA. ASA use these children as changing agents and they are the one who connects the community and organization to have these safe water tap and sanitation improvements.
Building the team
Staff training and exposure program
Exposure visit to Gram Uttan, Orissa
A two days exposure visit was organized to Gram Uttan, a NGO based in Orissa. Different toilet models and innovative WASH techniques related to sanitation were learnt from this exposure visit.
Scaling up with Adhikar
A one day visit was organised to Adhikar, Orissa based MFI, for learning the scaling up of WASH for disadvantaged communities.
First place at the partners meet
ASAS team participated in the partners meet which held in Chennai. ASAS program bagged first place in the poster competition for the third time.
ASA training other NGOs on WASH
Gram Uttan had visited ASA for two days exposure, one day on training and one day on field and branch visit. Somerasanpettai branch staff team interacted and explained about MFI and WASH experiences to them.
A short film on water and sanitation
ASA hired a professional film making unit for making a short film. Angela studio, a Chennai based film unit is making this short film which depicts the situation of water and sanitation in the targeted areas.
7 June 2017
Project monitoring visit — IKEA and water.org
A project visit was organized to ASA by Water.org and IKEA Team. A team consist of 10 patrons visited ASA on 7th June 2017 to understand the WASH interventions and stories of change. This visit includes a field visit and a meeting with borrowers in JJ nagar, a small village near Thirunindravur. On the same day, a separate staff meeting held in IBL Chennai region Office with ASA project team and MFI team. Project updates and achievements were presented in PPT and followed by key issues and challenges were also discussed in details. The Managing Director from water.org, Programme officers and delegates from IKEA were part of this project visit which went on very successfully.
A story of change
Toilet gives safety and dignity to women
Mrs. Porkodi lives with her husband and two children in JJ Nagar village near Thirunindravur block in Tiruvalluvar district, 45 kilometers away from Chennai city. ASA project has identified this village and started working since 2016. The change comes from her daughter who is studying in nearby Government school. A month ago, she was part of the WASH interventions organized by ASA in the school, where she came to know about the importance of toilet, hygienic practices and safety disposal of napkins. Her daughter is the one who acts a change agent and educating her own mother to have such toilet at their door steps.
After quick processing and approval of sanitation loan by Thirunindravur branch, she availed a loan amount of INR 30,000 for sanitation. She didn’t know that constructing of toilet would complete within the loan amount, and she said this happened because of local mason who provided adequate support for constructing a twin pit model. Provision also made for keeping clean agents and soap for hand washing. This twin model has become motivational effort for other villagers to look for WASH loan to construct similar toilet at low cost technology.
The villagers started approaching GV branch office for new member enrollment and also to have hygienic toilet. Porkodi has not only ensured the well being of her own family but also be the change of woman in her native to change others to “Stop Open Defecation”.
