Welcome to Salt of the Earth

Salt of the Earth is a successful and different charity. Founded in 1988, it was set up to support a particular non-governmental organisation in southern Tamil Nadu called Social Change and Development (SCAD) which had been started a few years earlier to help the low caste, the disadvantaged and the poorest of the poor. The people SCAD helps live in great poverty and, without help, they would be unable to improve their lot.

We at Salt of the Earth believe it is important to build and maintain a close working relationship with our partner organisation in India. To this end, Trustees and supporters make regular visits to SCAD, at our own expense, at which time projects are visited and discussed, and funding agreements are made. Cletus Babu, the charismatic Chairman and founder of SCAD, comes to the UK every two years to meet with as many people as he can. As a result of these on-going interactions there exists a robust and highly practical working relationship between the two organisations based on mutual trust, affection and respect.

We also believe that it is very important that the very best use is made of the donations we receive. Consequently we have a policy that every penny donated goes direct to the project area with absolutely no deductions being made. We can do this because everyone involved with Salt of the Earth is a volunteer, and the expenses of the charity are paid for from the profits of a stall, selling Indian goods, run by some of the Trustees.

Salt of the Earth is able to demonstrate, through its work with SCAD, that there is real hope for the developing world and that individuals can make a significant difference by giving, no matter how much or how little.

Salt of the Earth celebrates 20th anniversary

Salt of the Earth celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2009, and has produced a special newsletter looking at what has been achieved over those 20 years. In its first year, £3277 was raised for SCAD, and by the end of 2008, over £2 million had been raised. Take a look at the celebratory newsletter by clicking on the above headline.

Plant a Tree for 50p!

Following a complete review of the existing scheme, it was decided to amend the terms of reference of the project and to intensify efforts. A goal has been set to plant 120,000 saplings in 2008. This goal was achieved with over 150,000 saplings planted!!

New leaflets have been produced and super gift certificates are available too. For full details click on "Plant a Tree".

The Biochar Project

Professor Ravi Kumar of Mysore University has developed a special stove which can be used for cooking purposes and which will produce over a kilo of charcoal in only a couple of hours using agricultural waste as fuel. Not only is this a fast process to produce charcoal, the stove is almost smokeless too. The charcoal can be used as fuel, sold to generate income or can be mixed with compost to create a soil improver that is through to radically improve crop yields. The full story is in the Newsletter.

Important New Funding

Salt of the Earth has been very fortunate, receiving several significant donations from an organisation which wishes to remain anonymous. This is in addition to the $250,000 donated by Robin and Youngha White which is being used to renovate 28 local reservoirs and wells. the SOTE Trustees have allocated an additional £150,000 to SCAD to build a residential training centre, a Community and Health Care centre with its own water supply at Sathya Nagar. More details in the latest newsletter.

Community Based Rehabilitation

A change in the law in 2007 meant that children with physical or learning difficulties could no longer be prevented from attending mainstream schools. SCAD has taken advantage of this to launch a Community Based Rehabilitation Programme which is ground breaking for India. Instead of children living at a residential school away from their families and villages, help and support is provided to their parents and teachers to ensure that the children grow up as integrated members of their communities. The former residential schools still have a small number of residents for whom integration is not suitable, but they now function primarily as short term therapy and respite units. More details in the SCAD visit reports in the newsletter.

Visits to SCAD

SCAD now has excellent facilities for western visitors and is happy to welcome anyone who would like to see SCAD in action. Experience has shown that a stay of around 5-6 days, probably as part of a longer trip to India, works well, and to ensure that each visitor gets the most from their time at SCAD, Charles - a senior member of the SCAD team - will organise a programme for each visitor. This will include briefings, field trips and information sessions as well as including R&R time and local sightseeing. Salt of the Earth co-ordinates the programme for visitors from the UK. Please see the latest newsletter for details.

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If you would like to donate to the Salt of the Earth charity please click on the 'donate now' button to the right or download a standing order form that you can hand into your bank.

Registered Charity # 328328