Annual Report 2007-2008

Annual Report April 2007- March 2008

Offering Quality Services for the upliftment rural women and children in Erode, Namakkal and Ssalem Districts of Tamilnadu, India.

Admin Office: 7-C, Andikadu, Vediarasampalayam Road, Agraharam Post, Pallipalayam. 638 008, Namakkal District. Tamilnadu. India. Phone: 91- 4288- 240 212. Fax: 91-424- 22 11 111. E-mail: [email protected] , [email protected]

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Web: http://www.word.org.in

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Our partners in Development PWDS, Marthandam- India Alliance, New Delhi under the funding support of GFATM Round 6.

Community Based Care and Support Project for the HIV/AIDS infected and affected children in 4 blocks of Salem District from 1st September 2007.

Tamilnadu Corporation for Women Development Ltd, Chennai

Women Development Project From August 2002.

AIDS Prevention and Control Project APAC/VHS/USAID, Chennai.

Trucker’ Town Intervention Project From April 2003.

Terre Des Homes TdH- Nederlands.

“Blooming Buds Project” – An overall development of children in 40 villages in Namakkal Block.

INDUS Project/ GoI.

Special Schools for Child Labourers. From November 2004.

South Central India Network for Development Alternatives (SCINDeA)

1. Community Based STD/HIV/AIDS Intervention Program 2. Capacity building program on Disaster Management, Mitigation and Preparedness on Community Stakeholders From October 2005.

Tamilnadu Voluntary Health Association (TNVHA), Chennai.

District Facilitation Centre on Reproductive Health and Rights & HIV/AIDS in Namakkal District.

Tamilnadu Health Systems Project, Chennai.

Patient Counselling Centres from December 2006.

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From the Director’s Desk…..

Dear All, I am extremely happy to meet you all again. WORD has crossed its eighteenth year of its social service and entered in its twentieth year with great joy and fullest hope. With the rich experience it has attained in the long path, we

Office,

Siemenpuu

ILO/GoI

under

Foundation,

INDUS

Project

Finland, for

child

labourers, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA),

New

Network,

Delhi, Yelagiri

TdH

and

SCINDeA

Hills.

do hope to carry the things forward with the learnings blended with new innovations and quality delivery of services to the public.

We also thank the support and co-operation from all the government & non-government officials in Namakkal and Erode Districts, local

On behalf of WORD and on my personal behalf, I would like to express my full-hearted thanks and gratitude to all those who have extended their financial, programmatic, organizational and technical guidance to us in the due course of time. Our thanks are due to our individual sponsors, funders, CORD-AID., Netherlands, PWDS-ALLIANCE., Tamilnadu (TNVHA),

Voluntary

Marthandam-India, Health

Chennai-India,

LEISA

(APAC)-VHS-USAID,

Tamilnadu

Corporation

staff team of WORD, consultants, auditors, lawyers, media friends, well wishers, volunteers in the public and people in the local areas who extended their absolute co-operation and support in implementing all our programmes successfully and diligently with people's participation.

Association Network.,

Trichy-India, AIDS Prevention and Control Project

elected representatives, co-working friends,

Thanks for all the co-operation and expect the same in the future too....

Chennai-India, for

Women

Development Ltd, Chennai-India, Tamilnadu Socially Yours, M. Renida Sarala, State AIDS control Society (TNSACS), Director. Chennai-India, FHI/USAID, India Country

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community based care and support program for the hiv/aids infected and affected children

This project exclusively focuses for children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are being supported by PWDS/Alliance under the financial support of GFATM round 6. The term CHAHA represents “Children Affected by HIV/AIDS – Health and Happiness for All”- a wish from child. The 1st phase of the project from 1st September 2007-31st December 2007 was implemented in Sendhamangalam, Mohanur and Erumaipatti blocks of Namakkal District. Currently this project is being implemented in Sankari, Magudanchavadi, Edappadi and Konganapuram Blocks of Salem district. The children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and their families are being supported with various direct services on health, education, psycho-social and livelihood assistances under this project. Till March 2008, the project has reached to 187 HIV infected and affected children.

women development project With the support from Tamilnadu Women Corporation for Women Development Limited. Chennai through its project implementation Unit at Namakkal under Mathi-II scheme, this program is being implemented in Pallipalayam block of Namakkal District from August 2002. Under this wide-ranging women empowerment program, the rural women in Pallipalayam area are being organised into women self help groups (SHGs). There are 12-20 members will be in a SHG. Till March 2008, 348 groups have been formed with 6261 rural women. Each SHG is having their own savings accounts in the nearby banks and they were promoted to practice the internal thrift and credit process. The women group members were being given various intensive training packages including the induction and orientation training on the concept of SHGs, leadership training, Entrepreneurial Development program (EDP), Various Income Generation Programs like production of goods, Marketing strategies, various vocational training programs, value added services to the products etc., The groups have started to manufacture their own products. Many group are involved in Annual Report April 2007- March 2008

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manufacturing house-hold things, vermi-composting, toys making, bamboo products, garments, embroidery, chrosa works, glass painting, oil painting etc., Some groups have engaged in rural computer centres, co-operative milk societies, readymade garment units, vehicular transport services etc., The women groups are instrumental in educating rural folk and the improvement of rural economy. Through them we are reaching out the outreached sections of the society. Many women groups are also helping to each other especially to the downtrodden and to those affected and infected with HIV/AIDS. Till March 2008, the women SHGs have got a loan of Rs 7, 63, 72, 600 from the Banks under various schemes. The best thing is that the integration of the rural women in all the project activities to overall development of the society. truckers town intervention project in namakkal town

With the support of AIDS prevention and Control Project (APAC) - VHS-USAID this HIV/AIDS intervention project for truckers and Women in Prostitution (WIPs). Which the profound high risk groups in the District of Namakkal are being carried out in the 10 km radius of Namakkal Town since April 2003.This project has entered into the transition phase from October 2007 – March 2009. The truckers and the helpers are being given awareness on STD/HIV/AIDS through one to one and one to group meet by the social workers. They are being given counselling by the counsellors. Four counselling cum exhibition centres are being run by WORD in Namakkal. Safer sex behaviours, correct and consistent usage of condoms, Treatment seeking behaviours, early identification of STI, Treatment, Partner and Full course of treatment are being emphasized for truckers. Frequent Behavioural change communication (BCC) events by the means of street plays, audio & video shows will be held in the vantage places where the truck crews and other allied industry workers and the common people can get to know the exact information on STI/HIV/AIDS.; Communication Campaigns have also undertaken with wall-painting, glow as sign boxes, auto-sticker campaign, posters, handbills and through other relevant materials and distributing of various innovative IEC/BCC materials. Identification and promotion of peer educators are also an integral part of the program. This includes intensive training for them, conducting district level and state level conventions for peer educators to strengthen the network among the peer educators at the district and state Annual Report April 2007- March 2008

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level and to ensure the respectability to the peer educators, appreciate and recognize their work; to improve the quality of services rendered by peer educators; to create a platform to brief about their work, to exhibit the best practices and to analyze the problems faced by them and to find out the practical solutions. Medical camps for WIPS will also be held at regular intervals. Condom promotion through strengthening the traditional outlets; Identifying and promoting non traditional outlets and intensive training for the condom retailers are being given. Under this program, the AMP/APP/RIMP Doctors, ANMs, Pharmacists were trained in STD/HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Program. A good referral network has been established with them for STD referral and to get proper treatment for the sexually transmitted infections and thereby reduce the vulnerability of HIV/AIDS. Till March 2008, 197935 truckers were reached through one-one, and one-group sessions held for truckers. blooming buds project a overall development of children Blooming Buds project which aims for an overall development of children in 40 villages of Namakkal block is being implemented from September 2007 with the funding support of Terre des Hommes-Nederlands. The project activities aim for the overall development of children in terms of health, education, psycho-social and socio-economic development. A residential school for 60 out of school children is being run by WORD in Namakkal under this project. A vocational training institute offers training on tailoring and computer trade at present. This vocational training institute aims to provide earning skills besides learning skills. Considering the importance of socio-economic development, the socially and economically deprived families are being given seed capital to initiate various income generation activities. The formation of self-help groups and to link up with various government support schemes are also the integral work under this project. growing with the people program ( a socio-legal education for children & women) The origin of the program is in continuation with the Child Workers and Mothers Conventions organized by the Child Rights Forum (CRF - a net work of about 40 NGOs and activists on child rights), which works on child laborers and for the welfare of the street children in Tamilnadu funded by CORD-AID, Netherlands. Educating the school and out of school children and women members on legal education and social education to trigger their thinking about their rights and duties and enable them to Annual Report April 2007- March 2008

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become active partners in civil society building is the major aim of the program. Initiated by CRF West Zone, this new program inaugurated on 19th January 2003 at Marialaya, Coimbatore. At present there are 12 NGOs across the state are implementing the project. Working closely with the legal-aid system, this program is being tremendous outputs among the children and the people in the community in context of social thinking and for their rights.

special schools for child labourers

Under INDUS project of Child Labour, with the financial assistance both from Government of India and the United States Department of Labour and the execution by International Labour Organisation, six special schools are being run in Pallipalayam and Komarapalayam areas where the textile industries concentrated in Namakkal District. The six schools are catered to 240 child labourers in the following areas: 1. Subash Nagar, Pallipalayam. 2. Amman Nagar, Pallipalayam. 3. Avathipalayam, Pallipalayam. 4. Chinnayakatoor, Pallipalayam. 5. K. Olappalayam, Komarapalayam. 6. Perantharkadu, Komarapalayam. The child labourers in the special schools are provided with nutritious lunch and they have been given intensive education at the transitional educational centres daily at par with the Tamilnadu Government Education syllabus. Apart from the educational input, the skilled teachers are teaching various skills on cultural, sports and games and fine arts. Keeping in mind that poverty is the main cause of the child labour system in the society, the parents of the children are being motivated to form as self-help groups to generate income, build assets and move towards self-reliance. It also paved a way to spur the rural economy at the village level. The efforts have been taken to enroll the child labourers who have got through the final examinations.

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scindea network activities 1. std/hiv/aids awareness among rural villages.

2. MICRO WATERSHED PROJECT 3. INTEGRATED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT Under the South Central India Network for Development Alternatives (SCINDeA) network the following two projects are being implemented from December 2005. 1. Mainstreaming of STI/HIV/AIDS in 15 villages in Pallipalayam Block with the financial aid from Christian-AID, UK. 2. Microwatershed project with the funding support of BfH-Hungary. 3. Integrated Community Development Project with the funding support of EED, Germany. STD/HIV/AIDS awareness programs, identification and promotion of peer educators, identification of STD patients, HIV infected persons, referral services for medical assistance, counselling services, condom promotion through establishing Non-traditional outlets in the villages, conducting medical camps in the villages, Training program for Adolescent Girls, School AIDS education programs (SAEP) are the main activities of the STD/HIVAIDS program. As WORD has previous experience in working with LEISA Network (KUDUMBAM) and subsequently with Siemenpuu Foundation, Finland with empowering the Dry land Farming Communities through Sustainable Agriculture Alternatives, WORD has got this Micro watershed Project with the funding support from SCINDeA Network, Yelagiri Hills. This project is being implemented in Kollapatti Village of Pallipalayam Block. The community has been sensitized on micro-watershed concepts since November 2006. A 15 member Water Management Institutions (WMA) and a 30 member User Group (UG) have been formed and oriented them on watershed components. The participatory Rural Appraisal for the village has been done. The meetings of the WMAs and the UGs are held regularly to plan for further activities with technical input. With the funding support of SCINDeA Network, Yelagiri Hills this project is being carried out in 30 villages of Pallipalayam Panchayat with an integrated approach for the overall development of the community. The program focuses with the wide range of integrated activities on health, education, sustainable environment and improved socio-economic initiatives for the families reeling under poverty.

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district facilitation centre for reproductive health & rights cum hiv/aids

WORD has been serving as the district facilitation centre for reproductive health rights and HIV/AIDS in Namakkal District under the TNVHA network- a network of NGOs in Tamilnadu with the motto of health through people. Under this network, WORD co-ordinate the TNVHA network members on RHR and HIV/AIDS components and to lead in front on the above said issues with sharing technical expertise and resources. WORD also taking efforts to pool the resources and data on the above said issues at the district level to effectively address these issues and to serve as a data bank. PATIENT COUNSELLING CENTRES

WORD is implementing Patient Counselling Centres in the two Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and New Born Care Service (CEmONC) Hospitals in Namakkal District i.e., Trichengode Taluk Hospital and Namakkal District Head Quarters Hospital Namakkal District under Tamilnadu Health Systems Project (TNHSP), Chennai by appointing three counselors each in the above said hospitals. Besides guiding the patients in Out Patients Ward, the counsellors render counselling services for Anti-natal and post natal mothers, pre & post operative patients, patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardio-vascular diseases, carcinoma lungs/tobacco and HIV/AIDS infected and affected persons through one on one/ group counselling in the counselling rooms and the respective wards in the Government Hospitals.

Branch Office 186/1, Kavin Harsha Complex, Nethaji Nagar II Street, Trichy Road, Namakkal- 637 001. Tamilnadu. India Phone: +91- 4286- 220 280/220 478. E-mail: [email protected]

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