1. Self Help Groups
The model of organizing women into self-help groups (SHG) as an approach to mobilize poor communities and improve their livelihoods.
VIZHUTHUGAL put forth effort in forming 1180 women self-help groups with 14400 members in the municipality and the panchayats of Tirupur, Erode and Coimbatore districts. Previously, the loan recipients benefited were 5160 families, the total loan amount disbursed stands to Rs. 12 Cores through ICICI Bank. The main activities for empowering women through SHGs are.
• Federating women self-help groups for lobbying and advocacy
• Catering training and support for the functioning SHGs
• Imparting skill training programmes for meeting their vocational requisites
• Educating the groups for the promotion of insurance coverage, eventually enabling them to accept their value of life
• Substantiating their economic standard through the implementation of Income Generation Programmes
• Developing self-employment skills through Entrepreneur Development Programmes (EDP)
• Enabling sensibility among SHGs members to exercise their social Responsibilities on organizing campaigns against child labour, violence on women and environment pollution.
2. Health Care
Our model works primarily by bridging gaps in the existing healthcare network set up by the Government.
We are an NGO working on preventive and curative health initiatives – through medical camps, sanitation and hygiene management, maternal and child health initiatives and infrastructure upgrades. Effective public-private partnerships and facilitating Government schemes help us to empower the Dalit community, sanitary workers and Scavenging workers in the Tiruppur, Coimbatore and Erode district.
Advocacy: Training the community to take care of their nutrition and sanitation needs is part of our integrated approach. Menstrual hygiene camps, school health camps, maternal and child health training and child growth monitoring system are some ways by which we prepare communities for a healthier future.
Medical Camps: Our medical camps make government health schemes and medical care accessible to rural populations. Women, children and senior citizens are greatly benefitted by our medical camps.
In partnership with corporate houses and government agencies, we engage in need-based interventions for anaemia and malnourishment alleviation, where we have proven expertise. We also team up with partners to upgrade government hospitals, develop new-born care units and refurbish anganwadis.
Water and Sanitation: We are an NGO that helps rural India with water and sanitation needs. We provide access to water, individual and community sanitation facilities, and also help maintain these facilities in the areas where we work.
3. Education
This intervention aims to ensure education for all children by bringing them out of the vicious circle of poverty through a spectrum of activities. The core of our work involves identifying out-of-school children, enrolling them in learning centres & creating awareness about education. Our staff with support from a Child Rights Protection Committee with over 250 volunteers, carry out this task.
We identify deserving children from marginalised communities, who are unable to pursue higher education due to lack of funding and support them through our child scholarship programme. We also supply them with basic amenities like uniforms and educational kits to enable their education.
No of Children Enrolled in schools =
Active CRC centres =
4. Elimination of Bonded Labours and Manual Scavenge Practice
5. Rehabilitation of Inter-state Migrants
Vizhuthugal’s experiences suggest that the challenges of employability are not limited to lack of technical skills - migrant youth from low-income, disadvantaged backgrounds also struggle with low confidence, low bargaining power, low awareness of rights and unclear, often failing aspirations that keep their options limited.
• Self-Awareness
• Communication
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Health and Hygiene
• Goal Setting
• Social Skills
• Gender
• Our constitution
• Migration
• Laws and Rights
• Saving and Social Security
6. Skill Development
Our goal of creating jobs is closely tied-in with building skills in people and making them job-ready. Our Skill Development pillar aims at bridging the gap between skills and employability among youth, women and farmers.