India
In a village near Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, a community once held back by water scarcity now has a reservoir and two borewells — clean water, year-round, for drinking and for life.
everything
A village in Tamil Nadu where water was never guaranteed
Just outside Puducherry, on the southern coast of India, lies a rural village where daily life has long revolved around an unpredictable water supply. Tamil Nadu is one of India’s most water-stressed states, with irregular rainfall, over-exploited groundwater, and communities that bear the brunt of dry seasons and drought cycles year after year.
For the families here, water scarcity is not an abstract environmental issue. It is a daily calculation: how far to walk, how long to wait, whether there will be enough. Children grow up in households where fetching water competes with attending school, and where the absence of clean water feeds a cycle of illness and missed opportunity.
Kids at Play chose this community because the need was acute and the solution was achievable. By partnering with the local organisation SWEET, which has deep roots in the region, the foundation could ensure that every step of the project, from planning to construction to long-term upkeep, would be grounded in what the community actually needs to thrive.
A reservoir, two borewells, and water for every season
The centrepiece of this project is a 21 x 21 x 30 ft water reservoir, fed continuously by two newly constructed borewells drilled to reach stable groundwater. Together, the reservoir and borewells create a self-sustaining water system capable of supplying the entire village with clean drinking water throughout the year. The system is also designed to support plantation and greenery, giving the community not just water to drink, but water to grow with. A reliable supply of clean water touches everything: health, food, education, and the simple dignity of not having to worry about running dry.
Numbers that tell the story of change
Funded by runners, donors, and people who believe in change
Every Kids at Play project is built on the generosity of people who show up, both literally and figuratively. Our charity runs have been the engine of our fundraising since the very beginning, each one generating real money for a real community in need. Private donors and corporate supporters complete the picture.
SWEET: rooted in the community
Kids at Play works in close collaboration with SWEET, a Tamil Nadu-based organisation with established ties to the villages and communities around Puducherry. SWEET brings local knowledge, trusted relationships, and on-the-ground capacity that no outside organisation could replicate on its own.
Their involvement ensures that the water infrastructure built here is designed for this community, constructed with local expertise, and maintained long after the project team returns home. Without partners like SWEET, good intentions remain just that.
What the ground taught us
Drilling borewells in Tamil Nadu is never a guaranteed exercise. Groundwater depth varies significantly across the region, and identifying stable sources that will hold through a long dry season requires both technical surveys and local knowledge accumulated over decades. Working in rural areas also means coordinating material logistics across distances that can turn a simple delivery into a days-long operation. Dust, heat, and monsoon timing all shape the construction calendar in ways that are difficult to predict from afar. Collaboration with SWEET proved indispensable: their relationships with local contractors and their understanding of how the land and climate behave meant that obstacles that might have stalled an outside organisation were navigated with practical, experienced hands. The deeper lesson of this project, as with every project Kids at Play has undertaken, is that infrastructure only lasts when it is built with the community rather than for it.
Tamil Nadu
One of India’s most water-stressed regions
clean water — and a decision.
The reservoir being built in Tamil Nadu will supply a community with clean water for years to come. The next community is waiting. Your donation helps Kids at Play identify the need, find the partner, and build the solution.