SKS currently operates in one of the poorest parts of India, the Medak District of the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. The region is part of the drought-prone, semi-arid Deccan plateau. SKS selected the region for start-up activities because more than half its people live in abject poverty. It is plagued by high rates of hunger, illiteracy, disease and bonded labor, and the vast majority of poor are landless laborers or marginal farmers who draw their livelihood from subsistence agriculture. Their plight is worsened by frequent drought, severe deforestation, and soil erosion.

SKS hopes to reach 25,000 families in 500 villages of Medak District by 2003. Long-term goals include expanding into Nanded and Bidar, two of India's poorest districts, in the neighboring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Our vision is to cover the 100 Poorest Districts of India.