March 18, 2014
My dear friends and family members,
Hearty greetings from Sristi Village, India! We have recently launched a new organization, “Sristi Foundation,” in India. “Sristi”, the ancient word derived from the classical language Sanskrit, means “CREATION”. We want to create a new world for those who are marginalized, including people with intellectual disabilities – a world they can call their own, a world where everyone is treated with respect.
The main objective of the organization is “to establish “Sristi Village”, a self-sustaining, inclusive and eco-friendly village, which provides a family atmosphere where everyone can reach their full potential regardless of disability, race, gender, etc. Further, people with intellectual disabilities and the marginalized will be equally active contributors”. We are taking all efforts; we have found 9 acres of beautiful cultivation land near Kunamangalam village in Tamil Nadu, 30km west of Pondicherry City.
We are raising funds globally to acquire the land and initiate the project. The total cost of the land is approximately $62,500, of which we have already raised $ 43500 through donors and supporters like you. Now we need only raise the balance of $19,000 in order to acquire the land.
Once we have purchased the land, we will move there with our community and initiate the project by constructing a basic eco-friendly hut, starting an organic vegetable garden, and slowly moving forward towards achieving the long-term vision of Sristi Village. These individuals, help create a mindset change in society. With your help we can change the perception of disability. We can show, through the examples of trained and hard-working individuals with disabilities, that people with disabilities can be assets rather than burdens in their communities.
We are very excited to share with you our vision for Sristi Foundation! We welcome any thoughts or support that you can offer. Every dollar will be taken with great thankfulness.
If you need more information please do not hesitate to call or write us.
Thank you. With warm regards.
Yours gratefully,
Sristi G Karthikeyan, Director, Sristi Foundation
Contact Number: +91 90 477 87 887 | E-mail: sristivillage@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sristifoundation
Dear sir/madam
,
Green greeting from SOCIETY FOR RURAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India.
Sub: We need your guide and support
SRHDP- Our SOCIETY FOR RURAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT is women headed organization is the
registered organization at Salem. It was started on 2002 by dedicated
persons among the Dalit Arunthathiyar community. It was registered under
Tamilnadu society registration act 27 of 1975 act on 2002. We are working for dalit Arunthathiyar community which
is most eliminated, ill treated and crushed by the upper caste peoples.
They are treated as untouchables not only by the upper caste people. They
are mainly going to Manual Scavenging, Rope making, farm works, brick works
and stone quarries, Sumangali Thittam as a bonded laborers or low wages.
They are mostly violated by upper caste peoples and also owners.
WHO ARE ARUNTHATHIYAR:
Arundhatiar (also known as chakiliar) popularly known as dalits and
Untouchables In India, is one of the most marginalized even among the
dalits and are exploited by the dominant communities in India. There are
80 lakhs Arunthathiars in Tamilnadu out of which major people live in the
10 Districts (Coimbotore, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Namakkal dindigal and
Nilagiri, Madurai) of Western Tamilnadu. They can be called Dalit among
Dalits. This community is treated as untouchables not only by the upper
caste but also by the other Dalit groups. They are often compelled to do
very menial / low dignified jobs. In way of life they are said to be very
honest and hospitable people.
(Arundhathier are also called as Chakklier, thoti, madiga, pagadai,
panchama, puthurai vannan, vettan, adi andra, adi Karnataka, adi dravida and
madari in Tamilnadu, they are known as Madiga, Mangs in Karnataka, widely
this community is identified as dalits across India)
The total population of Tamilnadu, as per the 2011 census is 62,405,679 of
this 11,857,504 (19 percent) of them are scheduled caste (dalits) among out
of which 58.7% of the total population is belong to Arundhatiars (* In the
data it is size of population is disaggregated in sub groups Adidravidan,
chakkliyan & Arundhatiar. )
In Tamilnadu 95% of Scavengers are Arundhatiars among them 33% of them are
women, normally Arundhatiars live in colony, they are Known as Slums in
urban areas and cherry in rural areas ( *cherry* is a living place of
people who does menial work and untouchables live in these places)
*Statement of Need for the intervention in Mecheri,kollathur ,semmanoor, in mettur taluk,salem district.
The total population of arundhathier community in Mettur taluk is
55000. In Tamilnadu 60% of the women of arundhathier community are working
as Domestic workers, Mettur taluk alone contributes 20% of women who are
working as domestic workers
There are more than 1600 women who are working as bonded labours and
agricultural labours, stone cutting, bricks works, sumangali thittam, rope
making, consection work from 140 villages. Due to the economical and social
conditions of the Community, Parents who are hereditarily bonded labours,
either by force of the landlord/employer or to supplement their income,
parents push their children to work as bonded labour in the agricultural
farms or as Domestic workers in their Houses (most often they send Girl
children for domestic work)
Majority of the girl children drop out of the school after 5th grade and
starts working in agricultural farms or as domestic workers, many of the
girls undergo sexual violence from the landlords from upper caste.
Arundhathier community are treated in a menial way in the school, they are
asked to clean the toilets of the school, though untouchablity practices
are punishable and banned, under legal boundaries, and these children are
made to sit separately in the school and treated as untouchables by the
upper community.
Majority of the Children from this community are first generation learners
they are dropped out of the school in between 7th grade to 10th grade, due
to lack of awareness among the parents towards the importance of education
and also another factor due to the poor quality of education is delivered
by the Government schools they are not able to compete against the children
who have got an opportunities to get education from Private schools and
private tutors, either to get opportunities for higher Education or other
employment opportunities.
Early child marriage is another issue most of the girl children are dropped
from school at the age of 11,12,13 immediately after they attain puberty
and get them married.
More than 1566 families of Arunthathiyar community are terribly affected
due to the continued efforts of the agents of coir processing companies in
Kerala for which teen age girls are trafficked, migrated by given false
and attractive promises for the parents of the girls. Most of the girls
are sexually abused by the employers and supervisors in coir
companies. Similarly
the innocent men and women of Arunthathiyar community contracted to work in
blue metal quarries in Karnataka and Andhra pradesh. Every time, SRHDP
strived to release them from the bondage will the entire cooperation of law
enforcement Departments like District court, Police station and District
collectorate. Again and Again the innocent people are taken to bonded
labourer by threatening of the Agents and mid brokers of the concerned
companies. Main reasons for such continuous occurrence are that
innocence, fearfulness and unaware of the target people. Hence, SRHDP
proposes to highlight this issue at the state level by coordinating various
law Enforcement Departments such as court, District legal services
Authority, Police Department, District collectorate and Human Rights
movement involved in elimination of bonded labour and abolition of child
labour. Besides the Aruntathiyar families should be created a full
awareness on prevention of trafficking, migration, elimination of bonded
labour and child labour so that the target community could attain the
social, economical and political autonomy.
Hence, we want your help and support Arunthathiyar bonded labour and their children education
rescued women economic developing empower purpose. We expected your support.
Warm with regards,
Mrs.S.Meena sivakumar (secretary)SRHDP E.MAIL;srhdp2002@gmail.com
2/124, SEMMANOOR
ARANGANOOR POST
METTUR TALUK
SALEM DISTRICT
TAMILNADU