The Zürich-based HATI Foundation organi-zes self-help programmes in India. As its first project, it has brought about a signi-ficant improvement of living conditions in Amboth Tanda village in cooperation with the Indian Intercultural Cooperation Foun-dation (ICF) of Hyderabad, which was founded in 1986. The success of the joint activity of HATI and ICF has given the village population new confidence in itself and in the future of life in the village.

In 1994, the first wells and parts of the irrigation system were already opened.

Rice paddies near Amboth Tanda.

These houses are environmentally-friendly and reasonably priced to build, but do not properly withstand the violent monsoon rains. Even when houses are built with traditional clay walls, the situation in the rainy season becomes hygienically untenable.

In Amboth Tanda, a village with around 1,300 inhabitants of the Lambada tribe of the Indian indigenous population, there was no clean drinking water or school before the project got underway. Among the adult population, just 15% of the men and 3% of the women were able to read and write. 63% of the population is under the age of twenty. Without schooling, young people have no prospects for the future, either in the village or in the nearby metropolitan area. Neverthe-less, many have migrated there.

The first step was to win the trust of the village population. This was done by providing professional and financial assis-tance with the creation of the urgently need infrastructure: drinking water wells, an irrigation system for the rice paddies, paths, rain water drainage and a community centre were all established. The village population provided the labour and, whenever possible, also the material that was required. More than ninety houses were then built to improve living conditions. The population had to contribute the materials, the labour and thirty per cent of the necessary cash.

A school was opened in 1992. To begin with, only a few children attended but today over 400 girls and boys attend classes here. Many other children from the village and the environs would also like to attend school but cannot be accepted as the community centre does not have enough space. The construc-tion of a school building is becoming impera-tive.

Since the beginning of the project, a great deal of importance has been attached to adult education. In addition to reading and writing and the acquisition of craft skills, education in health matters and hygiene is being strongly promoted. HATI and the ICF will, however, place emphasis in future on the training of children and young people not just in rural areas such as Amboth Tanda and the environs, but also in the poor districts of Hyderabad where a school for 120 children has already been opened.

Simple houses are built on foundations of bricked natural stone with stabilized mud blocks. They can cope with the prevailing climatic conditions and also with the need for hygiene.

The adult education programme includes reading and writing, health care, hygiene and family planning.

Because the pupils are highly motivated and well-disci-plined, learning success is good despite the cramped space and the large classes.