Indian Futures works in partnership with Laia Foundation and Vallalar Educational Trust, two Indian charities operating in Vedanthangal, Vandavasi and Kanjanur, three rural areas in the Tamil Nadu state (South India) with a population of approximately 20,000 inhabitants.
The economy is mainly based on subsistence agriculture, such as rice, dhal and peanuts, and cattle raising (cows, buffaloes and goats).
Due to its extreme weather (very hot and damp with very little difference between the hot and cold seasons), there isn’t a great variety of foods available which leads to high levels of malnutrition, particularly among children.
Most of the population in the three areas belong to the Dalit caste -formerly known as the Untouchables-, the most disadvantaged caste in India, with high malnutrition and low literacy levels, with children being sent to work at a very early age due to most families' lack of economic resources.