SKS currently operates in one of the poorest parts of India, the Medak, Nalgonda and Nizamabad Districts 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 labour, and the vast majority of poor are landless labourers 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 300,000 families in Telangana region by 2008. Long-term goals include expansion towards the two of India's poorest districts, in the neighbouring states, Maharashtra and Karnataka.