01
Farmer Producer Groups
34 farmer groups formed so far, each 20–25 members strong, with training in mushroom cultivation, organic inputs and vermi-composting to cut costs and improve soil health.
Registered Trust
Community-led development
Grassroots work, grown over two decades, for farmers, women and children.
NOVA Educational and Charitable Trust works alongside families in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts, Tamil Nadu — building farmer producer groups, organic livelihoods, women’s collectives, and support for children who need it most.
25+
years of grassroots work, since 2000
34
farmer groups formed, on the way to 100
95
household biogas plants installed
2
districts reached — Kanyakumari & Tirunelveli
Who we are
A rights-based approach to community change.
Registered under the Trust Act and active for more than two decades, NOVA works with economically and socially disadvantaged communities — farmers, women, children, adolescents, people with disabilities, and poor households — across Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts.
Our approach is participatory: we build capacity, open access to resources, and raise awareness so that communities can claim their own rights, rather than simply receive services. A committed team of staff, volunteers and community leaders carries this work forward, alongside regular audits and donor reporting to keep it accountable.
Equity & social justice for women, children and marginalised groups
Participation & leadership, especially among women
Transparency, ethics and financial discipline
What we do
Six areas of work, one goal: dignity and self-reliance.
02
Organic Farming & Biogas
95 kitchen-waste biogas plants installed to date — each one offsetting roughly 120 LPG cylinders a year — alongside herbal gardens, tree planting and organic-fertiliser training for farmers.
03
Women’s Empowerment
Self-help groups strengthened through leadership and savings training, gender-equality workshops, financial and digital literacy, tailoring/Aari work, and entrepreneurship coaching.
04
Child & Adolescent Support
Academic mentoring and free coaching for children from disadvantaged families, plus adolescent-girls’ health and hygiene sessions that build confidence at a critical age.
05
Skills & Livelihood
Computer, vocational and life-skills training, career guidance for youth, and hands-on workshops that turn a skill into steady income for families.
06
Health, Hygiene & Community
Household and public hygiene awareness, nutrition guidance, and close partnerships with schools, panchayats and government departments to make every programme last.
In the field
One biogas plant, a year of clean cooking fuel.
A single 10 cubic-metre kitchen-waste biogas plant produces enough gas to replace roughly ten 14.2 kg LPG cylinders every month — about 120 cylinders a year. Recommended for schools, hostels and hospitals, the units can also be connected directly to septic lines, freeing up space while cutting fuel costs and emissions.
NOVA has installed 95 of these plants across the district so far, with regular biogas-user meetings to keep households supported long after installation.
From the field
A glimpse of the work in progress.
Work with us, or support the work.
Whether you’re a donor, a CSR partner, a government department, or simply someone who wants to volunteer time — we’d like to hear from you.
Visit or write to us
NOVA Educational and Charitable Trust
16/95B, West Street, Kalliancadu
Nagercoil – 629003
Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India