Village Action

Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG) was established by Indian social workers and Western Aurovilians in 1983 to establish a harmonious and mutually developmental relationship between the future oriented international experiment in Auroville and the impoverished Tamil village communities around it. Employing a policy of ‘people’s participation’, AVAG is now working with over 100 women’s clubs, 60 men’s clubs, and 30 Parent-Teacher Associations in some 75 villages. The people of these villages take up projects to improve their villages, and at the same time develop the ability to organize for their mutual self-development.

Newsletter

To keep up to date with the most recent news, please take a moment to read Auroville Village Action Group's monthly newsletter.

Background

The villages of this rural area of Tamil Nadu were extremely poor when Auroville began in l968 – they were classified by the Collector as “backward and in need of development”. There were no pukka houses or roads, no medical facilities, hardly any functioning schools, 80% illiteracy, wide unemployment, along with accelerating erosion accompanied by declining agricultural yields and grueling poverty. From the first, Auroville brought employment and training for the adults both men and women, schools for children, and soil and water conservation for the land. AVAG took up building a relation with the village communities as communities, focusing on encouraging their own self-organisation in relation to village development and eventually bio-regional area development. AVAG focuses on bringing all the voices into the village politic: women, dalits, youth as well as the elected and traditional leaders.

Auroville Village Action Group

Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG), founded in 1983 by Bhavana, shares Auroville's ideals of human unity and unending education with the people of the surrounding villages. To that end, AVAG provides opportunities and encouragement to the local people, particularly women, children and youth, to improve their social, educational, economic, health, and environmental situation. AVAG's rural developmental activities focus on social training programmes, community organisation, women's empowerment, savings and micro-credit, and primary education. At present, AVAG facilitates developmental work in 75 villages. AVAG's work currently benefits 3,500 people directly and about 75,000 people indirectly.

Your Donation Will Help

Auroville Village Action is currently running many projects in the villages surrounding Auroville (see a list of AVAG's outreach projects.) Your donation can help a group of villagers act to deepen a well, whitewash a school, repair a village street and many other “microprojects”. As little as $10 can fund a “workday” for village youth to, for instance, level a rutted street, or clear away encroaching thorns. When groups have matured, they can take up larger projects, such as building an additional room on the school, or making a community meeting place. So, any donation, large or small, will make a difference. You can donate online now with your credit card on Helping.org's secure server.

For more information

Please visit the Auroville website to read more about the villages around Auroville and to read about Village Action. You can also write village action at avag@auroville.org.in or contact AVIUSA.