#HumansCare | How Unpaid Carers in Tamil Nadu Are Changing Their Stories
For thousands of unpaid family carers, caring for a loved one with a mental illness is a daily act of love, but it often comes with isolation, financial strain and exhaustion. In Tamil Nadu, many carers are women who balance caregiving alongside household responsibilities, earning an income, and raising children, with little recognition or support.
Through our recent project in Tamil Nadu, implemented by our local charity partner WORD Pudukkottai, we worked alongside unpaid carers to help change that reality. By bringing carers together into local groups, offering practical guidance, and supporting small livelihood opportunities, we have seen powerful changes in confidence, income and well-being. The stories of Alagu and Amutha show just how transformative this support can be.
The Challenge: Caring Without Support
Alagu cares for her father-in-law, who has lived with mental illness for over 20 years. Alongside caregiving, she manages her household and her children’s education, a constant balancing act that left her under pressure, both emotionally and financially.
Amutha’s story is similarly demanding. A single mother of two, she has been the primary carer for her mother for nearly 25 years. Before joining our project, Amutha struggled to make ends meet. Her small shop brought in only a modest daily profit, and the cost of buying medicines for her mother from private hospitals added to her financial stress.
For both women, the lack of affordable healthcare, steady income and peer support made caregiving feel overwhelming and isolating.
The Action: Carers Groups, Guidance and Livelihood Support
Everything began to change when Alagu and Amutha joined their local Carers Groups formed through our project.
Through these groups, unpaid carers meet regularly, save together, share experiences, and receive guidance from trained volunteers. For Alagu and Amutha, this support was practical as well as emotional.
With advice from project volunteers, both women shifted from purchasing psychiatric medicines privately to accessing free medicines through government hospitals. This simple change saved Alagu INR 3,000 (~GBP 25) every month, and significantly reduced costs for Amutha too, money that could be redirected towards household needs and their children’s education.
Both women also received INR 5,000 (~GBP 40) livelihood loans, designed to help unpaid carers expand or start small income-generating activities. Alagu invested her loan into her okra garden, buying fertilisers that dramatically improved the quality and quantity of her harvest. Amutha used her loan to expand her small shop, stocking essential items that better met local demand.
Amutha also received one-to-one support from a volunteer, who helped her secure an additional opportunity supplying tea to MNREGA workers (these are people working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, India's landmark rural job guarantee scheme). This opportunity gave Amutha a stable supplementary income alongside her shop.
The Change: Confidence, Income and Recognition
The impact of these changes has been profound.
Alagu now earns around INR 1,500 (~GBP 12) per month from her vegetable garden and feels far more secure financially. The savings on medicines have eased pressure on her household, and she feels confident planning for her children’s future. Just as importantly, she has gained confidence and recognition within her community, and actively motivates other carers to join her Carers Group.
“Because of the support I received, I can care better, earn steadily, and take care of my children with confidence,” she says.
Amutha’s income has increased significantly too. Her shop now brings in INR 200 - 300 (~GBP 1.60 - 2.50) per day, compared to INR 50 - 100 (GBP 0.40 – 0.80) previously, giving her greater financial security. She has become president of her Carers Group and is a leader among her peers.
“As a single mother and a carer, this project has been a lifeline. My income has improved, my mother gets treatment, and I can support my children with confidence,” Amutha explains.
Another carer who is part of the project, Mrs Pushpavalli, who cares for her husband who lives with a mental illness, sums up the wider impact of the groups:
“Being part of the carers group has empowered me. I now feel confident, respected, and capable of supporting others."
Help us reach more carers
Alagu and Amutha’s stories show what is possible when unpaid family carers are supported, not just to survive, but to thrive. With the right guidance, peer networks and small financial inputs, unpaid family carers can build more secure, dignified lives for themselves and those they care for.
Your donation can help us support more unpaid carers in India, Nepal and Bangladesh with the tools, confidence and opportunities they need. Together, we can ensure carers are no longer invisible, but confident, connected and valued.
Donate today and help change a carer’s life.
