The Founder

Dr. S. Cletus Babu was conferred the Abdul Kalam Seva Ratna Award 2015 for best performance as an achiever in the category of Reviving Water Bodies Mission in recognition of his exemplary commitment towards societal transformation and notable contribution in achieving sustainable development in realising a self-sufficient, peaceful and prosperous nation as envisioned by ‘Bharat Ratna’ Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, in November 2015.

SCAD was recognised as the best institution and was given the Government of Tamilnadu award by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Selvi J. Jayalalithaa, in August 2015 in recognition of its outstanding services to the Differently abled persons.

Who Is Dr. S. Cletus Babu?

Cletus Babu Soosiyan is a social entrepreneur and educationist. He was born on 9 October 1952 to parents from fishermen community in a village called Thiruvattar - Puthenkadai of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu. He possesses a doctoral degree in Community Development, the field of his chosen service. Dr. Cletus Babu started the organization SCAD (Social Change And Development) in 1985 which is a social work organization with a human face serving the unprivileged and downtrodden in Tamil Nadu. He possesses a doctoral degree in Community Development, the field of his chosen service. Dr. Babu started the organization SCAD (Social Change And Development) in 1985 which is a social work organization with a human face serving the underprivileged and downtrodden in Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to foster dignity in the lives of the poor, marginalized and underprivileged sections of the society such as, gypsies, salt pan workers, snake charmers, leprosy patients, landless agricultural workers, physically and mentally challenged, rural women, orphan elders and children. SCAD is working in almost 600 villages in the districts of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari benefiting around 6 lakh people. Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of SCAD has been functioning since 1995, transferring technologies and innovations in the field of agriculture to the rural farmers and agriculturists. Under Dr. Babu’s leadership and meticulous management SCAD has adopted a total of 250 backward Village Schools where 15,000 children are given integral support to pursue their studies.

Educational Qualification

Having graduated in Philosophy, Theology and Sociology, he successfully completed his doctoral degree in Community Development, the field of his chosen service.

Rewards and Recognition :

Recipient of the ‘Education and Social Work National Award 2016’ by Capital Foundation of India, New Delhi, presented by Prof. O. P. Kohli, Hon. Governor of Gujarat and Prof. Dr. Veda Prakash, Chairman, UGC, New Delhi, in August 2016.

Recipient of the “Abdul Kalam Award - 2015” in recognition of outstanding contribution towards reviving traditional water bodies by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in Chennai in Nov., 2015.

Recipient of the “Government of Tamil Nadu Award for the Best Organization (NGO) in recognition of exemplary service for Social Work and Disability Care 2015” presented at the 69th Independence Day Function by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Selvi J. Jayalalithaa in August 2015.

Cletus Babu’s story

When I started SCAD-Nirman I had Rs. 300 ($6) and three of us lived in a room just 10m x 10m in size. In the first year I made a small application to Action Aid /Gorta and we started working in 14 villages with evening training classes and community organisation.

Community organisation is the most important part of what we do; we are not concerned about how much we can do but about how much we can enable the community to do.

Our biggest challenge has been working with the Salt-pan workers who live in the most oppressive of conditions. Money lenders and employers in the area were violent and threatened us when we tried to campaign for better conditions for them.

We had to respond quickly by helping the workers organise themselves into a united group. Eventually through our education and training, the people became more aware of their situation and the opposition became very weak.

“Learn how to help the people you’re helping.” The main message in the work I do is to love the people and to go and share in their lives to understand what they are going through. I was a field worker for many years living a very simple life. That was how it started.

We get the most pleasure when we can leave a village to stand on its own feet. More than hundred villages have already made it to this stage. Indicators for villages to become self-governing include an increase in the poverty line, health, child mortality and educational standards. We need to work with the community for a long time, 10-15 years, to build their strength and empowerment.”

History

1985

▪ SCAD-Nirman founded by Dr. Cletus Babu working with 5 villages in Cheranmahadevi, Tirunelveli, South India

▪ 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

▪ Non-formal school for Gypsy Community opened 1991-92

▪ Nutritional biscuits made for school children to minimize nutritional deficiency and increase learning capacity

▪ A school started for the special needs of special children with multiple disabilities – physical/ mental challenges, cerebral palsy & autism – ‘Anbu Illam’ (Abode of Love)

1996-97

▪ KVK (Krishi Vighyan Kendra -Farm Science Centre) ICAR Government of India unit was opened in Vagaikulam, Tuticorin

▪ An Industrial Training Institute, Polytechnic College and Community College in Cheranmahadevi 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 2001-03

Started another Industrial Training Centre at Vagaikulam & Engineering College in Cheranmahadevi

▪ Good Shepherd school was opened in Tuticorin

2004

▪ Relief measures to the Tsunami villages in Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Cuddalore and Tirunelveli districts

2005

▪ Dr. Cletus Babu received the award for “Outstanding Social Entrepreneurship” by the Confederation of Indian Industry & Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in recognition of visionary, pragmatic and courageous contributions that significantly improve the state of the world’s people

▪ Received the ‘Best Self Help Group’ award from the Tamil Nadu Government

▪ College of Education started at Cheranmahadevi

▪ 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 sequestration.

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

▪ Polytechnic college was started at Tharuvai, Tirinelveli, South India 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 at FX

▪ The Ortho and Prosthetic unit and training centre was opened at Cheranmahadevi

2009

▪ A dispensary and community hall was built for those affected by leprosy

▪ Started St. Mother Teresa Engineering College, Tuticorin and SCAD Engineering College, Cheranmahadevi, Tirunelveli

2010

▪ Introduced the first mobile clinic van, a fully furnished vehicle to provide treatment and therapy to the differently abled living in distant Villages

▪ Celebrated the Silver Jubilee Year of SCAD-Nirman; the Governor of Tamil Nadu Dr. Surjit Singh Barnala released the book ‘Empowering the Disadvantaged’

▪ Vanakkam India – a Tamil daily newspaper was started

2012

Started SCAD World School and SCAD Institute of Technology, Palladam, Coimbatore

2013

▪ SCAD Rehabilitation Centre and Special education teachers’ training, were started at Ponnakudi

2014

▪ SCAD World School, Chengalpattu, Chennai was started

2015

▪ Grand official launch of Dynamic Scientific Research & Technologies (DSRT), for the development of Applied Sciences for academic institutions to participate and derive value from industrial research and for migration of contemporary technologies.

2016

▪ SCAD Medical Centre, Tirunelveli

Vision and Mission

Vision

The vision is to make the society a better place where all people are treated with dignity and respect, affording everybody equal opportunities, rights and recognition.

Mission

The mission as a non-governmental organisation is to empower villagers by offering them the training and support they want and need to lift them out of poverty.

The guiding principle is one of empowerment emphasised in this poem by Lao Tzu ,

Go to the people Live with them Learn from them Love them.
Start with what they know
Build with what they have
But with the best leaders,
When the work is done,
The task accomplished,
The people will say,
“We have done it ourselves”.

Few Saying of Dr. S. Cletus Babu……..

“Training is at the heart of our project.”
- Cletus Babu SCAD founder
If you educate a woman, you educate a nation."

- Cletus Babu SCAD founder

Dr. Babu’s unlimited service has spread to the gypsy community as he runs a Special School for Gypsies where so far 500 gypsy children have been benefited and rehabilitated. 250 gypsy families have been given multi-faceted support like housing, medical care, education and old age pension.

▪ In collaboration with the Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Babu runs special schools for Child Laborers whereby the number of child laborers has decreased. A school, which is run for the Children of Saltpan Workers in Tuticorin District, educates economically poor saltpan workers’ children.

▪ Regular Medical Camps are organized by SCAD in its adopted villages. More than 1,500 different Medical Camps have been conducted so far in the target villages. Mobile Medical Camps are organized frequently by SCAD and medicines are supplied to more than 500 rural people. Siddha Medicine is promoted in the working villages of SCAD.

▪ Pre and postnatal care are provided by SCAD to the women suffering from anemia and malnutrition. SCAD’s nutritious health mix is provided to the children in SCAD adopted villages to supplement the nutritional deficiency in children.

▪ Dr. Babu has a rehabilitation center for leprosy affected people. 65 leprosy affected persons’ families are being taken care of by SCAD as a community for the past 28 years.. 60 Ecological Development Programs have been functioning at the grass-root villages of SCAD which have widely increased the green cover.

▪ Educational institutions which Dr. Babu has established in chosen areas provide quality bachelor/ master degree programmes in engineering, technical education, teacher education , teacher training, special education, therapy training, etc. The principle of “Reaching the Unreached” is a testament gradually changing the educational status of the State. Children from SCAD working villages are given priority and free education.

Bursaries are provided to the needy students and the differently abled students are provided with barrier free environment. As such, Dr. Babu has touched upon ‘all segment of society’ and was conferred with the prestigious “Government of Tamil Nadu Award for the Best Institution in recognition of exemplary service for Social Work and Disability Care 2015” by the Hon. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Selvi J. Jayalalithaa at the 69th Independence Day Function at Fort St. George in Chennai on15th August 2015, praising his commendable service rendered for rural development and development of the differently abled in Tamil Nadu. From child care to elder care, womb to tomb.

Dr. Babu has been mindful and concerned of all sectors and well deserves the award. Dr. Babu has vowed to continue his passion and mission till his last breath.