Securing the rights and entitlements of the most marginalised communities
Village Service Trust is a volunteer-run UK charity supporting partners in south India who work with women and marginalised communities in their pursuit of lives free of poverty, violence and discrimination.
Our partners work with the marginalised Arunthathiyar community. They are the lowest subcaste of Dalits who face extensive discrimination in Tamil Nadu.
Our partners support hill tribal people (Adivasi) in Tamil Nadu. They motivate these communities to access their rights and legal entitlements, such as the right to cultivate forest land, from government bodies.
Our partners have been working alongside Women's Self-Help Groups for over 30 years. The activities of these groups range from economic empowerment, domestic violence prevention, to promoting child rights.
Indigenous communities in India face widespread marginalisation. Our partners empower them through village development committees, helping these communities access services, assert their rights, and raise awareness of indigenous issues.
Domestic violence is commonplace throughout Tamil Nadu and our partners fight alongside survivors to gain better access to domestic violence prevention services.
Not all children have it easy in the regions we support, but our partners continually advocate for improved child welfare by creating children's clubs. For example, these clubscan monitor school dropouts, teach girls to resist gender-based violence, and identify caste discrimination.