CULTURAL PROGRAMS: In order to promote the community based cultural team we have formed 3 cultural teams under the banner Samuga Vidiyal Cultural Team. The volunteers from the community have been selected and trained in street theatre and folk arts with the theme on the socio-economic and health aspects of the society. This community based cultural team performed awareness programs in their villages highlighting the problematic situation and ways and means they can overcome the pathetic condition. This financial year, our cultural troupe performed 650 cultural events under various themes at various places to sensitize the target community about their problems, issues, needs and how to achieve them through their efforts. These cultural programs have helped to bring about consistent attitudinal and behavioral changes among the target population.We have also promoted a women cultural troupe to highlight various problems and issues affecting women. They are skilled enough to perform programs at District level and State level to sensitize the mass on problems/issues affecting humanity. MICRO CREDIT THROUGH BULK LENDING: ARD has collaborated with Canara Bank to provide micro credit to the skilled women self help groups to undertake various economic development activities. The already provided Canara Bank loan Rs.21,50,000/- as bulk lending to ARD which had been distributed to only to promote micro, small and medium enterprises to enhance their socio economic status by undertaking economic programs was successfully completed during this year through the prompt repayment by the beneficiaries. We could observe considerable changes in their socio economic status and life style.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR RURAL WOMEN AND YOUTH: ARD has tied up with Madurai Kamaraj University to provide employment opportunities to the educated youth and Self Help Group women belong to rural areas. Under this tie up, this financial year we have sent 220 women and 150 youth for NMR post on daily wages basis. This is a best opportunities for the rural people those who just completed 10th and 12th qualification. The degree holders with computer knowledge are selected for permanent employment because of their sincerity in work. Nearly 48 women and 28 boys got permanent post in the university. This help to alleviate poverty in their families and stand on their own legs without depending on others. CAPACITY BUILDING PROVIDED: · 225 Leadership Training has been given to the village youth and elders for enhancing their leadership for the development of village. · 80 gender development training organized to SHG representatives for better understanding and perspective of gender development · 45 Personality development training were conducted for the rural youth. · 20 male youth and 950 women have been trained under Account and Record keeping. · 280 male youth and 2840 women have been trained under SHG’s roles and responsibilities, rules and regulations, objectives and functioning methods · 250 women are trained under tailoring and jute bag, toys making, 150 girls are trained under computer and 80 women have been under food processing. · 20 women have been trained as community resource persons and 180 women have been trained under administration skills
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION: ARD celebrated International Women’s Day on 20th March 2013. We invited the District Collector as Chief Guest of the program but due to his ill health condition, the Additional Collector cum Project Officer of District Rural Development Agency has participated in the function in his place. We have also invited the Assistant General Manager of NABARD Madurai, the Project Officer of Women Development Corporation Madurai, the Lead Bank Manager of Madurai, the Block Development Officers of Chellampatty, Usilampatty, Thirumangalam and Bank Managers to participate in the function. Nearly 2000 women from our target area have participated in the function. It was much happy to hear from every VIPs’ speech about ARD’s contribution towards women empowerment and agriculture development in the rural areas and appreciation for ARD’s contribution to equalize male female ratio in the female infanticide prone areas. They expressed their continued cooperation to ARD in its venture to make a female infanticide free society.The cultural performance of our evening
tuition center children are much appreciated by the invitees of the program.
The celebration of international women’s day helped ustwo levels one is to have a close contact
with the officials to avail their cooperation for our further developmental
activities for the target community and highlight our efforts taken towards
female infanticide and feticide eradication to the public.
LIKE MINDED NGOS MEET: Once in three months we organize like minded NGOs meet to discuss various problems affecting women and female children and to take concrete actions to solve the same. In every meeting 32 NGOs have participated in the recently conducted meetings. As we discussed in the previous meetings, we selected a panel of NGOs went to see the JD Health to know whether he has discussed the matters with the district Collector and decide on what kind of follow up steps we have to take further. The new panel of members met the JD Health three times but he was not able to give a proper answer for whether he has discussed the matter with the district Collector. Because both were very busy with other programs. ARD highlighted in the District level female infanticide monitoring committee meeting that it is not only the duty of the committee to accept or reject the permission seeking applications to run the scan centers and also the foremost duty of the committee is that to take actions on the doctors who do sex selective abortions and also highlighted the data for the prevalence of female feticide. The JD Health amended the subject as the primary issue to be taken to knowledge of District Collector.
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY CELEBRATION: The Human Rights Day was celebrated on 10th December of 2012 in which more than 500 Women have been participated. We invited magistrates and lawyers to give messages for the women gathered on human rights and how it has been violated and how to rectify the same through proper way of legal approach. We requested the resource persons to highlight more on women and children related legal issues and legal amendments. As we requested they insisted on children’s right to born, right to live, right to education, right to enjoy their childhood and the foremost they highlighted was parental role to avoid illegal complications among the younger generation.The human rights day
messages really created an impact among the participants especially among the
participants from the new 30 villages which has been reflecting in their
involvement to save female children from infanticide and feticide
practices. RESOURCE PERSON TO AGRICULTURE COLLEGE: The newly emerged Theni Agricultural College invited ARD to give lectures on how to promote entrepreneurship activities among rural women. It is a golden opportunity we got to highlight our achievements on promotion of micro enterprises and micro entrepreneurs since from the inception of ARD. As a result, they sent their students for exposure visit to our organization to study on the impact of micro enterprises among our target women and in their family. They also sent 7 students for their field placement study for 15 days. The students are of very great support for us to mobilize and educate the small and marginal farmers on newly developed technologies in agriculture field. In turn, they gained maximum knowledge about our work that will be of very helpful for their career.
CHILDREN’S DAY CELEBRATION: In connection with Children’s Day, we have planned to focus the hidden potentials of female children those who are saved from the practice of infanticide. As a first step we organized village level competitions on sports and games for both the boys and girls from our target area’s evening tuition centers and the winners were recognized at village level by inviting the local leaders to give away the prizes. The second level competition for the girls who won in various sports and games at village level are invited to participate in the sports meet conducted at ARD premise. Local MLA, Chairman, Inspector and other government officials were invited to participate and encourage the children. 850 female children, the final winners from our target villages have participated in the sports meet. The final competition was held for the children in front of the VIPs and the winners are awarded with prizes. We received wide media publicity and got the applause of the officials for our efforts to save the life of female children and extending our support for their overall development.
ACTION AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING: A one day seminar and procession were organized among our target community against global warming highlighting the importance of environment protection and their roles and responsibilities in protecting the environment. Nearly 700 women and children have participated in the program. During the seminar, the participant took vow on increasing the growth of trees and plantation of new seedlings. The day itself we supplied 1000 seedlings for immediate action. As the follow up action, the women group leaders and IKKIAM leaders are closely monitoring the growth of the trees.