The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Focus on village development

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 15, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Focus on village development

The Vandanmedu Development Society (VDS) has been organising social development projects in economically backward areas.

The society aims at holistic development of the habitations. Registered as a charitable society, it is a platform to launch educational, environmental, agricultural, health care programmes and other activities for people's welfare, according to its activists. Pooling available resources is a key strategy. Promoting primary health care is considered a common issue rather than an individual matter. The society ensures that all children in the age group of 5-15 go to school. Special enrolment campaigns are organised.

There are more than 1,000 self-help groups of women under the society. The members are encouraged to save money and the amount is disbursed as loans to the needy.

More than Rs.200 lakhs has been collected in 2005-`06 from self-help groups, according to the society.

The society envisages providing employment to at least one woman in each family. The process of empowerment would go a long way in facilitating progress, said an activist of the society. The society considers information a right rather than a privilege. It gives useful information through its news publication `Samagra Mochanam'.

R. Ramabhadran Pillai

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