Supporting women to create change in India
June 2019
This program, implemented by Assisi Aid Projects’ partner Integrated Development Trust, aims to support 1679 women living within the rural communities of Tamil Nadu. The new year has seen an increase in the number of participants and villages that are able to access services, which includes financial training, literacy education, psychological care and tools for building leadership skills.
Introducing The New Federation
Assisi Aid Projects is pleased to announce the creation of a new women’s Federation – ‘Velicham Single Women Federation’, registered in Tamil Nadu within the last year. The federation is independent and works towards advocating for the rights of women within the communities of the Kanchipuram, Trichy, Ariyalur and Perambalur districts. Since its creation, training sessions have been provided to Federation members on relevant issues such as gender rights, as well as assisted in the development of petitions and the establishment of a people’s bank. This has resulted in an increase in the number of women empowered with the knowledge and skills to advocate and initiate for change in their communities.
International Women’s Day March 2019
The newly formed Federation gathered together this year, to advocate for the rights of widowed women in their communities. On the 11th of March, 122 single women rallied and marched towards the District Collector’s office. After the march, 64 widows were able to submit applications to Federation’s representatives, to apply for the Widow’s Pension scheme. Having access to the Widow’s Pension will enable these women to have greater financial freedom to improve both their and their children’s livelihoods.
Case study
Mrs. Jayalaskhmi came to the counselling program run by Assisi Aid Projects in partnership with Integrated Development Trust, after the passing of her late husband. Widowed at a young age, Mrs. Jayalaskhmi suffered from depression and found council from the support groups. As her resilience grew overtime, she was motivated to give back to her community and underwent training to become a tutor within our children’s program. Mrs. Jayalaskhmi has identified a noticeable change in her self-confidence and has become a source of positivity in her community, working to support young people in gaining an education.
