Madurai India

Our village facilitator is Wenjin Yuan.
Our local Representative is James Rajasekaran.
We also have a handful of volunteers all over the world trying to help with various projects.
We can use your support and funding. Any amount will be greatly appreciated.

Madurai village's Local Representative, James Rajasekaran, is the
Managing Director of the People's Association of Rural Development (PARD),
a local Madurai non-profit organization that has been helping women and
children in Madurai since 1988.

Following are the main projects PARD launched:
1) Projects to reduce child labor and create new livelihoods. Despite the country's economic growth, many families in Madurai, India,
still struggle with poverty. Young children leave school early and go to work, often in hazardous occupations. PARD provides financial support to help them return to school. For older youth who are over the age for admission into schools, PARD is organising a driving school since skilled drivers of three- and four-wheeled vehicles are in high demand in Southern India, giving the older youth of Madurai a new road to economic security.

2) Organizing Women Self Help Groups in both rural and urban habitats.

3) Training programmes for rural and urban Women on Leadership, decision-making, self-reliance, income generation, entrepreneurship development and human rights

4) Forming 'Green Villages' to promote sustainable agricultural practices, natural pesticides, bio manures and Indigenous Knowledge and traditional practices.

5)Integrating development policy into human rights framework.

6)Rural Health programmes, with focus on slum dwellers.

7)Publication of books/pamphlets on sensitive issues affecting
contemporary society.

8)Networking with NGOs and Government institutions to protect and promote Human Rights, Child Rights and Sustainable Agriculture.

1)Organized marginalized women into 263 Self Help Groups in and around Madurai to instill confidence and group consciousness. The Women Groups serves as a Microfinance Institute (MFI) and has accumulated Rs. 65 lakhs.

2) Women Groups of PARD undergo several skill development training programs at our Training Center. The Center is spacious and is equipped with latest visual communication equipment and tools to impart training on
various skills. Thousands of women have been trained on entrepreneurship and self-employment ventures.

3)PARD's Farm House in T.Pudupatty, Thirumangalam Block, Madurai has trained rural women on various micro enterprises linked to agricultural development and biodiversity conservation.

4)Contact Centre Programme of the PARD has been providing basic health care and health education to 1025 disadvantaged children in Madurai District.

5)The Centre provides educational assistance to 100 children to continue education in formal schools so that the impoverished children are not dropped out.

6)21 Contact Centers for disadvantaged children supported by Foreign Donors in Madurai sub urban areas to offer counseling and educating desperate children.