What is ADATS?
ADATS is a secular Non Government Organisation (NGO) working with 55,113 small and poor peasant families from 1,257 villages in 5 Taluks of Chickballapur District, Karnataka, for the past 46 years, since 14 December 1977.
ADATS implements comprehensive rural development activities in the fields of Community Organisation, Adult Literacy, Children's Education, Community & Referral Health, support to issues and struggles with Legal Aid & Aid Distress, Dry Land Development, Agriculture, alternate Credit, Women's Programmes, etc. We also work on issues of gender justice, secularism and democratisation.
We are pioneers in the field of Climate Change. For the past 27 years, we implement community owned and managed climate projects. Rural women reduce Greenhouse Gases and, at the same time, earn carbon revenue by providing a vital environmental service to society at large. End Users of these technologies are encouraged them to see themselves as "business women" and not as recipients of anyone's charity.
All these are efforts to empower the Coolie caste-class in village society, and build an authentic people's organisation, the Coolie Sangha, at the Village, Gram Panchayat and Taluk levels.
What is the Coolie Sangha?
The Coolie Sangha is a membership based people's organisation comprising of small and poor peasant families who, for over two decades, struggled to rid themselves of Ryot exploitation and take control of their own lives in order to undertake grassroots planned development activities.
After obtaining strength and a socio-political presence in their respective villages and also the district at large, they are implementing impressive programmes, projects and activities for their socioeconomic development. Initially, these projects were supported by ADATS. Now, for the past 6 years every single one of these, including regular customer demand and satisfaction (CD&S) surveys and follow-up covering 9 life processes, pre-primary health care, reproductive health services, children's schooling, legal aid, medical aid, aid distress, etc. are fully financed with impressive village level Sangha Funds without a single Rupee of external assistance.
The Coolie Sangha is a 43 year-old membership based people's organisation formed by small and poor peasant families (landed and landless agricultural labourers) in their respective villages. All the village poor do not become a part of it merely by virtue of their caste-class. Every year, families renew their membership by declaring annual income a paying a percentage to their respective village Coolie Sangha Unit.
- Currently, 9,401 small and poor peasant families are active Members in 438 functioning village Coolie Sangha Units.
- 32,032 families from the functioning villages as well as 473 dropped out villages are dormant this year.
- In addition, another 13,680 non-Coolie Sangha families benefit Climate Change programmes of ADATS.
Within villages with functioning Coolie Sangha Units, population coverage is 17%. Overall population coverage in functioning and dropped villages is 37%. Both figures contribute to a socio-political presence of 24% in Chickballapur district.
Corpus Donations
This is an appeal to well-wishers who appreciate the 46 year long work of ADATS with small and poor peasant families in over 1,257 villages of Chickballapur district.
In September 2017 we took a policy decision that community owned and managed projects should largely be run by the Coolie Sangha itself and ADATS would provide analytical and other support. Please see Institutional Support to Coolie Sangha.
In order to meet institutional expenses ADATS needs a steady income flow, independent of time bound projects. We request you to please support us with corpus donations to continue our work.
We welcome donations of not less than ₹ 1,000 per individual. Donations in foreign currency and from political parties will not be accepted. All donors must mandatorily provide their Permanent Account Number (PAN) and a covering letter stating that this donation is to the corpus fund of ADATS.
You may pay by crossed account payee cheque to "ADATS LC" or e-transfer to Account No: 0925101113894 with Canara Bank, Bagepalli branch, IFSC CNRB0000925.
Who supports ADATS?
Till mid 2018, ADATS was supported by its Northern Partners — NGOs in the Netherlands, Germany, UK, and New Zealand. As on 4 October 2023, we have received a total of ₹ 1,18,36,79,654 in order to build the structure and systems of the people's organisation, the Coolie Sangha, and implement various development programmes through them.
For the past 6 years, ADATS has stopped receiving donor funds from abroad. Neither do we receive any CSR funding.
Where is Bagepalli?
Bagepalli town is situated 100 kms north of Bangalore on the Bangalore-Hyderabad National Highway. The region is just below the southern border of the Rayalaseema desert belt in Andhra Pradesh, South India. It is semi-arid and drought prone with 560 mm of erratic and spatial rainfall.