Action for Community Transformation India Foundati
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Mission Statement
VISION: Empowering depressed communities and improving their social and economic status, who live in 15 districts in Tamil Nadu, India Mission; Contributing towards the promotion of sustainable strategies for the development of the socio-cultural and economic development of the tribes through updating their knowledge, skills and awareness for an improved quality of life and standard of living through collective action.
About This Cause
1)National crèche scheme for the children of working mothers ================================================== ACTIF started the Balvadi Centres in tribal villages. It is a place for the pre-schoolers, between the age group of 3 – 5 years, where they are taken care during the day time, while their parents are at work. In these centres we provided the children with nutrition, health care, immunization, primary education, play materials and other essential services required for children. These centres functioned from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm. These centres were established mainly for three reasons: (i) It was to prevent the school dropouts, who were stopped from their studies in order to take care of their younger brothers and sisters during the day time. (ii) The tribal mothers used to take their children with them to the Coffee plantations, where they work as labourer, where they are exposed to lot of pesticides, weedicides, fungicides and inorganic fertilizers used in large quantity, which can cause many health problems to these children. (iii) The roaming experience of the children at the tender age develops an attitude to avoid the formal education during their age of primary education. 2)Children Circle Centre ==================== It is a place for encouraging the tribal children, who attend the formal education, in order to cope with the formal education in an effective way. There are five centres in five villages. Each centre had a care taker to look after the children, who attend the centre in the evening from 5.00 to 7.00 pm. They start sessions with playing their traditional and creative games for an hour. Then they will take coaching of their formal education and do the home works. The animators help the children in these activities. During the weekends, the children were given opportunity to develop their life skill. They were given education on the rights of children, tribal and women. Another activity of these centres was celebrating special festivals (both National and Regional). It was used as an occasion for the community to come together, to feel their power and learn new things, which will be useful for their life, like awareness on their status and possible efforts to empower themselves. The children were supported with educational and supportive materials. This program was conducted for three years from 2004 – 2007, which was supported by Holding Hand International, Presentation Sisters of Ireland, few individuals from abroad and local contributions. About 133 children from five villages (Kaduguthadi, Moolaiyaru, Vadaharapparai, Thamaraikkulam and Vaalagiri) benefitted out of this program. School Enrolment: This was like an awareness campaign for the parents to take necessary steps for enrolling the children in schools at their school going age in the beginning of the June every year. We also provided them with necessary supports for admissions in the schools and hostels. Condensed Course: It is a program provided by the Tamil Nadu State Social Welfare Board for the girls, who failed in their Government Examination at 10th Standard. It was to support the 10th failed students (only girls) to reappear for the Government Examinations by providing them with extra coaching on the failed subject. It was like private tutorial centre. It was functioning in a rented building from morning 9.30 am to 4.30 pm with two qualified teachers, one full-time and one part-time teacher. About 25 girls benefitted out of this program. The minimum number of girls needed for this program was 25. The girls had to travel and come from faraway places every day. Since it was difficult one for them, they were in need of a residence to continue their studies. But, the program of the State Government was not supporting residential type course. 3)Foster Care Program ==================== ACTIF Trust runs a Foster Care Program for the Tribal children since 2009 with the support of HEKS. It renders its unconditional support for the formation of the tribal children. There are 28 children from 10 tribal hamlets, who finds it difficult in accessing the formal education due to their geographical location and family background are benefiting from it. These children stay in the home and study in the nearby schools. They are given life education and skill training to face the mainstream society, access the formal education and preserve their traditional knowledge and wisdom. They are given food, shelter, clothing, health care, educational support in home like environment. Their time is structured well so that they can optimally utilize their time for building their behavior and character to sustain their tribal life as well as accessing the mainstream society. A steering committee is functioning to plan and monitor the smooth and effective function of the home, which includes the representation from the parents’ side. Periodical Parents’ meetings are conducted to make the parents understand the process of their children’s education. Parents visit their children in the weekend. Now, we encourage the contribution of the parents for the sustainability of this program. 4)Protection of tribal rights ========================= The following have been our major activities: 1. Organizing the tribal population against their alienation from the forest lands. 2. Filing petitions against restricting the tribes from collecting forest minor products. 3. Fighting for the housing rights of the tribes in the forest land. 4. Protecting rights in access to basic rations (subsidized food and other items) from the public distribution shops. 5. Procuring community certificates to get the provisions given to scheduled tribes 6. Helping Tribes to obtain other government issued legal papers ACTIF TRUST has helped the Tribal people file a petition to the district magistrate in order to acquire birth certificates for the population. Birth certificates are fundamental document for getting various provisions from the government and are also a necessary document when making any formal applications. Without a birth certificate the tribal people have no proof of identity or existence. It is a basic step towards empowerment most people don’t consider, as is seen as so basic. 5)Lantana – Livelihood Promotion through Conservation =============================================== Lantana: Furniture – Lantana shows the novel way: Lantana is not a NTFP. It is shrub in the forest, which threatens the bio-diversity of Western Ghats, including controlling and destroying the NTFP. It is important and inevitable to control the spread and destroy the growth of this dangerous shrub. One of the strategies is that converting the shrub in to household articles, like Chairs, Baskets, Racks, Stands, Shelves, T. V. Stands, Swings, etc. by adding the value through human skill. We have trained 21 persons (6 male and 15 female) from 3 villages, Korankombu, Vadaharapparai and Moolaiyaru, on Lantana Products Training. We have the future plan to continue this training. This shrub could replace the use of cane, which is in threat of extinction. This program is supported by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Bangalore. This year as well, we are joining hands with ATREE in providing skill training for 120 women from six villages (Kaduhuthadi, Manathevu, Korankombu, Kadaisikkadu, Perunkadu and Vadaharapparai) in promoting Lantana Products. 6)Priority Species and Sites Protection: Grizzled Giant Squirrel ================================================== In collaboration with ATREE – CEPF SG Program, ACTIF has implemented activities that are necessary to protect priority species and sites in the Palani Hills, Western Ghats, since 2009. ACTIF has worked among 20 tribal hamlets on protecting the threatened species (Grizzled Giant Squirrel) and establishing / maintaining canopy cover area and linkages to corridors . 7)AstroAngel Children Club. ======================== Our project area, Batlagundu of Dindigul District, Tamilnadu, India is well known for high superstitions that leads tofemale infanticide and other social evils and customs equated with puberty, menstruation, marriage, child birth,mental health, etc. The core project idea is to build basic scientific knowledge (STEM) and skills on Astronomy among disadvantagedrural girl children of age group 10-16 in government schools and nurture them as Social Change Agents inovercoming superstitions and encourage Child-to-Child, Child-to-Parents and Child-to-Parents-to-Communitycommunications for imparting scientific astronomic knowledge to the society and gradually address superstition ina more sensitive way. 8)STEM Education. =============== The proposed activity is to advocate for importance of girl children education, especially towards higher education in technical field and support the vulnerable girl children (ages 13-18) for non-formal Science, Technology, Engineering, Astronomy& Math (STEAM) education, basic spoken English, Basic Computer Skill and Life Skills. These proposed girl children are for generations victims of Infanticide, Early Childhood Marriage, and Low support for higher & continuing education, forced labourers, victims of domestic violence, and care takers of Siblings. Post COVID has aggravated this situation and these girl children are in higher chances of drop-out from mainstream education and early childhood marriages. Also they are in conditions of high depression and mental illness due to prevailing situation 9)Wild coffee value addition ======================= The project is to create sustainable enterprises and income generation to the most vulnerable Tribal and Dalit women, by linking their natural resources and labour through Wild coffee enterprises. The Tribal women of Kodaikanal Hills in Dindigul District, Tamilnadu, India are mostly Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) collectors and marketers for their annual family needs. This includes Wild coffee collection and also a very small level of cultivation practices. But their hard works often goes in vain as they are exploited by middle men due to their ignorance,