September, 2007

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your interest in the Salt Street Foundation. A little more than a year ago the people of Poovanthoppu, India (known locally as Salt Street) were living in abject poverty and despair. Now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our donors, they have hope. This is a village of 106 families who make their living doing hard labor harvesting salt for less than a dollar a day. They are dalits, or untouchables, the lowest caste in India, condemned to lives of extreme poverty and shame by the misfortune of their birth. They have no political voice, no economic opportunity and they are passed over by government programs.  With our support, the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) has undertaken a comprehensive rehabilitation project in this village aimed at lifting them systematically from the grip of poverty and guiding them towards self sufficiency.

In one short year much has been accomplished:

• Three new wells now provide clean drinking water in the village for the first time.
  
  
• A beautiful multipurpose community center, which serves as meeting place, clinic, preschool, recreation center and emergency shelter was dedicated.
  
  
• Comprehensive health care, including biweekly clinics, maternal and child care, health education, and nutritional counselling, is now being provided on site.
  
  
• A group of ten women from the village has just completed training to become community health workers.
  
  
• A program of empowerment and education is underway which includes self help groups, training for alternative employment, and a bridge school to facilitate school reentry for drop outs. The women, traditionally paid less than men, have been able to collectively bargain for better wages in the salt fields.

As this work continues we are collaborating with CHAI on the next phase of the program, which will provide continued support for Poovanthoppu for the next two years. We then hope to be able to apply this model to other dalit villages like Salt Street. I encourage you to explore our web site to learn more about the Salt Street Foundation and the work being done in Poovanthoppu. I also encourage you to visit the Catholic Health Association of India's web site @ www.chai-india.org.

Thank you,

Jamer Chamberlain, M.D.