The Slum Development Society was founded in 1987 to address the human rights and mental health needs of the Dalit, or undercaste, in rural Tamil Nadu. The Dalit have been oppressed for centuries, and despite the government’s stated goal of ending the caste system, their situation remains dire. SDS has been involved in a wide range of social and economic action projects including literacy, skills and job training (especially for women), a night school for children, small business loans for women, health workshops, and summer camps for children.

MBF’s support this year is for job training for women making candles and doing tailoring, and for a project to organize members of the Dalit community to dig new wells in response to the chronic drought afflicting the region. A third initiative is aimed at children and adolescents, and includes free after-school tuition, a mental health and human rights camp, and community organizing for human rights.