SAATH’s work was limited to the urban sector till the January 2001 earthquake in Kachchh, Gujarat. The 8.1 magnitude quake left 20,000 dead and 167,000 injured.  SAATH responded to the disaster by choosing to work in Khadir, the most remote part of the district. Reaching and coordinating relief in the earthquake-struck villages of the project area marked SAATH’s entry in the rural sector in February 2001.

For the next three years, SAATH implemented a thorough out rehabilitation plan. With the rehabilitation phase coming to an end, SAATH decided to expand its work in rural Gujarat and replicate the learning, the experience, and the best practices of its urban community development model in the neighboring districts like Rajkot and Surendranagar. 

In July 2006, SAATH’s rural initiatives grew from Rajkot by including Surendranagar district with more complex interventions ranging from linking rural artisans to the market to creating village level institution to improved access to water and sanitation.