SOCIO ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF GIRL CHILD FAMILIES

Introduction

Now a days female infanticide and terminate the female babe at the womb are becoming a global issue.  In consequence of this situation, female ratio is decreasing.  Getting son is prioritized and people have traditionally thought that male child is heir of the family, it would carry out the last ceremony include burial or fire the parents body and break the water pots.  By this ritual male child will help the parents to enter into heaven. They also believed that male child will look after the parents at the old age.  Families and local community have ill treated and subordinated the women because they viewed that women should go for her bridegroom’s home, extra luggage for the family.  People dislike for take women for marriage from the family with more daughters, thought that it is unsecured one.  So that they always dominate it, control over the women.  It brings house hold atrocities against them.  More women were separated from their marital families.  They were abused by worst words.  When the women trespass the male control after they have enjoyed much brutal treatments, men called her disobedient and mischief.  If they lost their parents, their male kins take over all their properties and assets.

Majority of the families have lost their pleasure when they got girl childbirth.  Mother delivered daughter never get respect from the community and family both of them have avoided and treated as unwanted.  Community calls it “heir less” and “root less” family.

Own brothers and other kins teased the family that was ashamed, hided their face before neighbors.

WED TRUST thought that the persons who are ignorant, unable to response the orthodoxy values and discouraged by the community members should be identified, removed darkness in their hearts, encouraged and counseled them for right development.

Aim

Uplift families having only girl children through awareness generation on gender equity, education, socio-economic and cultural changes. 

Plastic Free Model Village

INTRODUCTION

Global warming has become one of the biggest ever problems of the globe. Causes for the same are continuing as in the past. Mitigating actions are growing up with the increasing awareness among the mass. But this is not enough in comparison to the enormity of the problem. A project is planned and implemented for an effective and participatory mitigating strategies in one village which can become replicating model for future such operations in large number of villages.

OBJECTIVES

1. Awareness Generation on the demerits of plastic bags
2. Attempt to free the land environment from plastics.
3. Green the land area with trees.
4. Provide more opportunities to use the degradable wastes in agricultural lands.

IMPACTS ACHIEVED

• Children are more involved in keeping the village clean.
• 2 women groups with membership of 26 formed New Women self Help Groups.
• One Elderly Welfare Groups with the membership of 12 members was formed in the village. 
• The working committee meets at regular intervals and do monitor the developments in the village. The experience has helped the villagers to keep the committee even after the project period for the over all welfare of the village.
• The women and youth group has looking after the tree plants well.
• The students of Claret School learnt about the people participation in model village developments. 
• The School teachers have very much impressed about the project activities and they keeping motivate the students to use the project appropriately.
• The project motivates the existing micro-credit members to repay their loan properly.
• The Children and youth have learnt to use the non-conventional energy resources like solar.   

Wall paintings on the Issue of Dowry

We work in the field of Human Rights and Women Empowerment in Usilampatti Taluk of Madurai District.  Violence against women such as female feticide, infanticide, dowry harassments, eve teasing and domestic violence are common in the rural area in Madurai district. Through wall painting at public places in the village, we educate rural people on the importance of giving assets to their daughters/sisters instead giving jewels, utensils and other movable assets that can be easily sold. The awareness generating picture has helped lot of women on human rights and raise voice against the dowry demands by her husbands. We want to continue to educating the people on Freedom from Dowry.             

Spirulina Rural Promotion

Spirulina – An Introduction

Seemingly simple, aquatic, microscopic, spiral shaped, blue green algae, is   one of the most concentrated sources of nutrition known to man. Spirulina is an immortal descendent of the first photosynthetic life form. Spirulina is exceedingly adaptable and occurs in a wide variety of environments including fresh water, tropical springs, saltwater and saltpans. 

Nutritional Value

Spirulina contains an amazing array of vital nutrients, such as high quality Protein, minerals, Vitamins, Enzymes and Pigments- all very important for our body function and good health.

The nutritional bounty hidden within Spirulina is mind numbing!  A dose of Spirulina delivers more of the micronutrients required daily by the human body than traditionally cherished foods like Milk, Egg, Carrots, Greens, Meat etc.,

The wide mix of micronutrients in Spirulina bestows Spirulina with a versatile role as a nutrient. Be it the new born, young, healthy, health conscious or the convalescing – Spirulina is useful to all. 

Rural Promotion

In order to combat malnutrition and reach affected children and women in the rural areas WED Trust ensures the promotion activities at affordable prices to the poor and marginalized people with the support of Antenna Nutritech Foundation periodically. 

WED Trust: Family Counseling and Short Stay Home

WED Trust believes that developing women and children is nothing but developing the whole society. Female Infanticide, feticide, eve teasing, rape with the assurance of marriage, dowry harassment, separation, divorce, domestic violence are some of the common issues that affects the life of women. When a woman faces family violence, she has deep mental depression and war in her hearts.  She gets injuries and pain in her physical structure and enjoys hurts in the soul.  She becomes hopeless as well as helpless.  She needs mental peace, physical rest, institutional care away her home and health services. If she wishes to be separate from her husband, she also needs legal aid. 

Women’s Emancipation and Development Trust launched “Family Counseling and Legal Aid Centre” in 1994 to mitigate these agonies.  The following are the major issues taken up by the Centre.

• Denial of birth right – female infanticide and feticides.
• Dowry harassment and violence by drunken husband, Suspicious and Separation.
• Demanding second marriage for want of male child.
• Love marriage and early marriage.
• Eve teasing and rape with assurance of marriage.
• Encroachments, cheating and Debt.

Due to the high volume of solving the issues with friendly approach, the centre has become popular in Usilampatti Taluk and even the local police station and judicial persons have appreciated our endeavors. Complicated cases are disposed off at the earliest at no cost and people need not to go to police and courts of law and file petitions and spends their valuable money and time unnecessarily. Rarely some cases are out of our purviews.  In such cases, we move the court of law as appellants on behalf of the victims. 

We also provide a short stay to the victims when the issue is severe and send them back home only after ensure normalcy.  Annually 50 – 100 families are in need of such counseling and more than 25 cases needed legal assistance to move the court of law.  Nearly 20-30 victims are in need of short stay with our assistance.

With this idea in mind we have designed a comprehensive building to fulfill the following needs. 

Floor	Size of the Rooms	Usage
First Floor	10x10	Counseling & Documentation
	16x35	Dormitory for Stay
	10x06	Kitchen
	06x04	Bath & Toilet
Ground Floor	16x10	Administration Staff
	11x08	Accountant and Computers
	16x26	Meeting Hall
	06x04	Bath & Toilet

Now we have started to build the planned Office cum Short Stay Home with an estimate of Rs. Thirteen Lakh only.  So far we were able to raise Rs.455, 189 with the contribution from Individual donors. We request the viewers to support this important cause with your generosity.

You can donate through

1. Foreign Donor Bank Account

Account Name	Bank Name	A/c Number	IFSC Code	Bank Address
Women’s Emancipation and Development Trust	Canara Bank	1552101004590	CNRB0001552	Chellampatti -625 566 Madurai District Tamilnadu.

Indian donor Bank Account

Account Name	Bank Name	A/c Number	IFSC Code	Bank Address
Women’s Emancipation and Development Trust	Canara Bank	1552101004937	CNRB0001552	Chellampatti -625 566 Madurai District Tamilnadu.