Our Unity and Solidarity transform lives.
- Inclusive
- Culturally Rich
- Fair
- Sustainable
- Inclusive
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Students supported for education in 5 years
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Women in Empowerment initiatives
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AVAG
Founded in 1983, Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG) is a unit under Auroville Village Action Trust (AVAT) committed to grassroots and holistic community building in the bio-region of Auroville. We exist as a non-governmental organization promoting integrated development in the Vanur Block of Villupuram District in Tamil Nadu, India.
Vision
To attain a society that is inclusive, culturally rich, fair and sustainable and to reveal the innate wisdom and manifest the full potential of rural communities through collaborative efforts.
The emphasis is not on charity or service, but co-development, and to foster holistic development through solidarity and cooperation within the communities. In our inclusive community-building mission, we work with all sections of society irrespective of class, caste, gender, and religion.
Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise Human Unity.
Area of Intervention
We address these thematic areas through the network of various community based organizations like the Udhayam Women Federation, women and men’s groups, PAALAM youth network, ABSCA, and the leaders, Farmer Producer Groups and the teachers in the communities.
Sports & Community
Sports are part of our work with the Paalam youth network and the Auroville Bioregional Sports and Cultural Association (ABSCA). Young people gather for Kabaddi for Change, for tournaments, and for practice. They build health, confidence, and the simple experience of playing together. On the field, young people from different villages, different backgrounds, meet as equals. Friendships form. Trust grows. This is one more way communities grow stronger together.
As Sri Aurobindo wrote:
But of a higher import than the foundation, however necessary, of health, strength, and fitness of the body is the development of discipline, morale, and sound and strong character, towards which these activities can help. There are many sports which are of the utmost value towards this end, because they help to form and even necessitate the qualities of courage, hardihood, energetic action, and initiative or call for skill, steadiness of will or rapid decision and action, the perception of what is to be done in an emergency, and dexterity in doing it.
AVAG & Auroville: One Mission, One Community
When speaking about Auroville a few days before it was inaugurated, The Mother said, “It is essential to establish a climate of trust and collaboration with the villages of the surroundings” (The Mother’s Agenda, Vol. 9, 25 February 1968). AVAG’s work is rooted in this guidance.
Auroville and its neighbouring communities are intimately tied to each other. The wellbeing of Auroville is connected to the wellbeing of the villages. For decades, AVAG has worked to build the climate of mutual trust and understanding that The Mother spoke of, turning this ideal into daily, practical action. It is the work of building a common future, supporting women’s self-help groups to achieve financial independence, guiding youth towards new skills for their futures, and facilitating communities to restore local ecosystems and care for shared resources. Each of these efforts builds shared strength and deeper mutual understanding, unity made real through consistent, respectful partnership.
AVAG’s role is to be a bridge. We connect Auroville’s aim for human unity with life in the villages, building a better future together. Supporting this relationship is a direct investment in Auroville’s own stability and in the truth of its purpose. Caring about the villages is not separate from caring for Auroville, it is how the Auroville dream stays rooted and grows. This connection is our shared responsibility, our daily practice, and our commitment to the future.
Our Core Motivations
In response to the complex set of conditions that results in gender inequity, poverty and limited access to resources for development, we have designed a multifaceted development program to reveal the innate wisdom and manifest the full potential of rural communities through collaborative efforts.
Our Core Motivations are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the UN and the development goals of India:
Our Partners
Latest Updates
The fire crackled in the courtyard, releasing the warm, sweet aroma of jaggery and rice. It was Pongal, a day of gratitude, tradition and togetherness. And as the sun climbed higher, over 450 women gathered, not just to celebrate, but to connect, to play, and to honor the spirit of community.
The rain came early. By morning, puddles formed in the streets, and a slow drizzle threatened to drive people indoors. But the women arrived anyway, one by one, in groups, hand in hand with their children. They had not only come for celebration, they came for something far greater.
AVAG prioritises the well-being of the communities and collaboration with other medical institutions becomes imperative to achieve this task.