HELPING WOMEN BUILD THEIR FUTURE

WOMANKIND has been involved with South India for over ten years

Our key focus has been on supporting our various partnership organisations in Tamil Nadu State to promote women’s human and civil rights and to provide practical advice and resources concerning health, education and vocational skills training.

Working closely with 10 different women’s organisations throughout the state, WOMANKIND has helped support a wealth of initiatives which recognise – and address – the many concerns and aspirations of the poorest and most marginalised women from dalit and tribal communities.


India and South Africa Partners Exchange


Our current programme focuses on working with a local organisation in the area affected by the devastating Tsunami. While significant national and international attention and financial support has been – and continues to be - directed at rebuilding men’s livelihoods, particularly fishing, little attention has been given to the needs and concerns of women from the dalit and tribal communities.  They too made their living from the sea and have suffered loss and face significant hardship; hardships compounded by their low caste and social status.

Progress so far

Working closely with our local partners, WOMANKIND compiled a list of issues and recommendations concerning women’s specific needs and concerns in the aftermath of the disaster, and the area’s reconstruction. These have been presented to the Government and the relevant NGO’s.

We are also continuing to work with the Irula Tribal Women’s Welfare Society in supporting indigenous Irula tribal women.  Leadership training and awareness education in human and civil rights enables participants to take this knowledge back into their communities – continuing to generate women’s own empowerment.  Many of these communities have been seriously – and substantially – affected by the Tsunami, and our work will enable women to:

• Share their immediate knowledge and experiences
• Receive support in finding alternative livelihoods – for instance brick production
• Continue to lobby for their voices, and needs, to be heard and addressed at local, regional and national level
• Receive encouragement and support to enrol their daughters in school
• Receive practical assistance and help with uniforms and books
• Create income generating projects that will help women become economically self sufficient and move out of poverty

Tamil Nadu’s dalit and tribal women have not received the same priority in the world’s relief and rehabilitation efforts.  But their combined voices are becoming strong and eloquent in their vision of their own future:

Lots of people have just been giving relief and then leaving. Our approach was different. We wanted them to join us permanently – to join the sanghams (group/partnership organisations) – and for them to be empowered too. They can see we are different. We will share our histories with these people and encourage them to join us. We are already telling them about the benefits of the sanghams … of accessing loans

We put together our own money to buy food, sheets, rice, stoves ,gas and mats to give the families

The people that came to help with the relief all looked rich and beautiful.  When we came to help we caused a lot of interest as we look poor, but we showed them our Irula ID cards and people gave us respect
Before, we were known only to other Irulas, now we are known by the general public, the Police and the Government

Our Partners In India

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WOMANKIND Worldwide, 2nd Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4JX | Telephone +44 (0) 20 7549 0360
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