The first major intervention after the foundation of SODARA was the conduct of a comprehensive socio-economic and educational survey of the families in about 500 villages of 20 Mandals in Nalgonda District. The data revealed the massive poverty and illiteracy. The children were affected by malnutrition and various forms of life-threatening diseases and many of them were dropouts or not enrolled at all in any school. It was confirmed that flourosis that disables the bone system in the body was widespread in quite many villages. In the ensuing period SODARA joined the National campaign for the eradication of adult illiteracy and the SODARA Adult Literacy Programmes was inaugurated by the then Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sri. N. Janardhan Reddy during his mammoth public meeting with 2 lakh people in Nalgonda town. At a given period of time SODARA had about 100 Adult Education Centres in Nalgonda District. Various social service programmes were taken up including the major eye operation camps for cataract with the help of Lions Club of Nalgonda.

They were followed by more intense and continuous programmes at the grass-roots for the emancipation and empowerment of the marginalised sections, especially SCs (Scheduled Castes – Dalits), STs (Scheduled Tribes – Lambadas), OBCs (Other Backward Classes), minorities, landless poor, marginal farmers and slum-dwellers and particularly; women and children among them through self-help groups, credit societies, community health, dry farming, watershed management, social forestry, adult and non-formal education, relief and rehabilitation of the victims of calamities and awareness programmes. Women’s Self-help Groups (SHGs) called Deena Sodari Vimukti Samgams initiated in 1991 became 500 in 2000s. They promoted self-reliance with credit societies and Government’s revolving funds and created awareness among women about their own existing negative status, the need for their emancipation. Our SHG women organised various empowerment programmes and took up leadership roles even in the upper caste and upper class dominated villages, especially during the implementation of the SODARA Watershed Project. SODARA Education Programmes through Balwadi (Childhood Centres), Non-Formal Education Centres for children within the age group of 3-5 and 6-15 years respectively and Education Centres for Adults (16-35 years) took special care of the non-school going and dropouts who could not benefit from the formal school system. The kids from our centres gradually entered formal schools and successfully competed with the children from the upper strata of the society. Through the educational programmes, we could create an attitude for positive self-image in view of the prevailing self-hatredness caused by the caste system. For Balwadi and non-formal education, importance was given to the Montessori methods of teaching. Having no educational background at all for the parents there was no opportunity at the family level for positive thinking and for self-expression. Our educational scheme provided wonderful opportunities for self-acceptance, self-appreciation and self-confidence. Senses training was also emphasised. Adult Education Centres focussed on social analysis, leadership training and greater social involvement for village development. Sodara scheme of ‘each one, plant one’ was carried out by every student.

Integrating SODARA Community Health Programmes with government’s rural health programmes, helped in activating the till-then dormant government programmes in Marriguda Mandal, Nalgonda District. Massive SODARA efforts contained Japanese Encephalitis covering over 4,00,000 children below 15 years and pregnant women with preventive Homeo Drugs and successfully treating 50 serious cases, most of them in coma in Nalgonda/Ranga Reddy Districts. As and when epidemics like Japanese Encephalitis, Chikungunya, Dengue etc. recur SODARA comes to forefront to spread awareness about the causes and supplies preventive homeo drugs. Government-sponsored SODARA Watershed Project at 12 ridge-valley sectors in Marriguda Mandal of Nalgonda District became models with its emphasis on grass-root level democracy, transparency, accountability and public auditing against corruption and working with SHGs, SODARA associations for landless labour, marginal farmers, unemployed youth etc. All compliments to Mr. Fasiuddin, a senior civil engineer and SODARA Executive Committee Member who was the Chief Coordinator of SODARA Watershed project for making it a model project and for winning awards at the District and State levels. SODARA Awareness Programmes enabled numerous economically poor widows, pregnant women, old-aged and disabled to secure government pensions and SCs, STs, Minorities and OBCs to secure their human and constitutional rights. Workshops on MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) and RTI (Right to Information) Acts 2005 were organised for the SHG and village leaders. SODARA Rehabilitation of Slum Dwellers benefited 20 thousand slum dwellers forcibly evicted from their 30-year-old dwellings at Karol Bagh, New Delhi. SODARA collaborated with PIN (People’s Initiative Network) to prevent the forceful eviction of hundreds of slum dwellers along the Musi river-bed in Hyderabad. Massive programmes for the education of the drop-out children and organisation of women’s groups were successfully organised in 20 slums in Hyderabad in collaboration with PIN. SODARA also played key role in running the 16 Educational Centres for regular students and 10 Khushi Schools (Happy Schools) free of cost for the academically and socio-economically weak students in Hyderabad slums. Valuable relief services were rendered to the victims of Latur earthquake in collaboration with CHAI (Catholic Health Association of India). Though it was not a direct involvement of SODARA, Bro. Jose Daniel, the President of SODARA who was also the founder of All India United Christians Movement for Equal Rights (AIUCMER) and National Coordination Committee for Scheduled Castes Christians (NCCSCC) led the biggest non-violent and democratic inter-denominational movement for securing equal justice to all Dalits without discrimination on the basis of faith. He united all Christians and instilled immense self confidence in the Dalits. In fact, almost all the Parliamentarians, Political Parties and many human rights activists and all those who believed in Sarva Dharma Sama Bhavana (Equal treatment to all religions) fully expressed their solidarity and support with the movement.

Seniores Italia Experts conducted a UNO-sponsored study of the SODARA Project in collaboration with the Nalgonda-Ranga Reddy District authorities, CRIDA, ICRISAT, CHAI and other NGOs in Dec 2003 focusing on ‘increasing productivity and self reliance in dry-farming and empowerment of SHGs through micro credit societies’. Among the findings, the immense potentialities of SODARA’s committed personnel for major developmental initiatives but financial strains preventing such possibilities were highlighted.

Inspite of the financial difficulties, SODARA programmes created a lot of impact and won the confidence of the people. Most of the programmes were not only satisfactory but had received wide recognition. The poorest sections of the society, especially the Dalits, Tribals, other backward classes, landless poor, marginal farmers, slum dwellers and women, children, old aged and other vulnerable sections among them look forward to the revival and expansion of these programmes hopefully,