Sanitation
During 2007-08, 68 women members in 5 villages have constructed individual toilets. However, only 24 of them availed loan facility from the Association for the facility. The members who wish to have the facility are encouraged to construct the toilet on their own and then to avail Government subsidy and loan assistance from the Association. The Association released loan assistance of Rs 72,000 for the purpose.
CRUSADE engaged Sulabh International to construct a model toilet at the Health Centre at Karanodai for demonstration purpose. The model has two leach pits.

Health Centre – Karanodai

Model Toilet with double leach pits

Homestead Vegetable cultivation
Aside creating awareness on the need for consumption of nutritious food by rural population through training , CRUSADE encouraged growing vegetables in the available space around the house , 500 vegetable seed packets containing seeds of beans, bindi, tomato, brinjal, chillies, bitter gourd , snake gourd ,etc were distributed to SHG members. There is good feedback on the usefulness of the programme.

Health Statistics

With a view to understand the health status and health problems of the project villages , a simple data sheet has been devised using which basic information about the community has been collected and consolidated. The data is being used for action plan.

Support to persons with Disabilities

Physically challenged and mentally retarded persons identified in project villages were assisted to obtain identity cards to avail benefits from Government schemes. Applications for getting educational scholarship was sent to concerned authorities and 11 students altogether secured scholarship of Rs 5550 which was sent directly to the educational institutions by government.

In arrangement with the State Resource cum Training Center for persons with disablities in Chennai, every Tuesday a van carried the differently abled people to the centre where they were given identity cards after due assessment by Doctors. The identity cards with other relevant documents are forwarded to district authorities to enable the persons with disability to avail Rs 10,000 from Government grant and Rs 5000 loan from bank for taking up any income generating activity , generally in trading. So far 8 trips have been organized and 124 (Orthopedic, Visually impaired, Deaf & Dump, Mentally retarded, etc)have obtained identity cards. So far 43 applications were sent, subsidy amount of Rs 10,000/- has been released for 26 among the applicants.Families having persons with mental retardation are given Rs.500 per month by Government. CRUSADE has been helping these families applying for this and some of them are getting the assistance.