Fifty years of partnership, helping rural communities in
south India build better lives

Village Service Trust is a volunteer-run UK charity supporting partners in Theni district, south India,
who work with women and marginalised communities in their pursuit of lives free of poverty, violence and discrimination, helping them build education, health, livelihoods and strong community groups
that they now lead themselves.

About us

The people at the heart of our work

We work with some of the most marginalised communities in Tamil Nadu, who are now building brighter futures together with our partners.

Women in rural India are paid less than men, have fewer economic opportunities, occupy a lower social status, frequently experience domestic and sexual violence and lack power in the home or the community. VST seeks to overcome these disadvantages by promoting women’s empowerment and gender justice.

WOMEN: Leading change in their villages

Arunthathiyars are a highly marginalised Dalit sub caste who experience discrimination by other communities. Traditionally expected to undertake “unclean” occupations, they are typically casual day workers, poorly paid and often in debt to moneylenders. Arunthathiyar families are frequently forced to live in “colonies” on village fringes. VST supports Arunthathiyars to resist discrimination and uphold their rights.

ARUNTHATHIYARS: Learning,
leading and growing together

Tribal communities in forested hill areas have lost their traditional way of life and now exist on the margins of mainstream society. They face extreme poverty, exploitation, and poor access to health, welfare benefits and education. VST assists efforts to secure their rights and entitlements.

INDIGENOUS: Rooted in the hills, reaching for the future

Our partners' work

We support long-term partners who work with community organisations, such as women's self-help groups and voluntary groups that address domestic violence.

Copy of Vandiyur Self Help Group, VWF group-grading (1).jpg

Self-Help Groups

For more than 30 years VST has promoted women’s self-help groups that leverage affordable loans to fund self-employment or family needs. The groups are part of a women’s movement promoting women’s empowerment, education and solidarity.

Domestic Violence

VST supports anti-violence committees and peer support groups – volunteers who assist survivors to find legal redress and resolve their family circumstances. Women’s organisations campaign to change attitudes that condone violence against women.

Children's Clubs

Village-based children’s clubs provide both a social activity for young people and an introduction to social action, such as monitoring school dropouts, encouraging girls to resist gender based violence and child marriage, and calling out discrimination at school.

Indigenous Groups

In tribal hamlets VST works with community groups to obtain vital documents needed to access welfare benefits, housing and land for farming; to overcome school attendance issues; to obtain access to health care and to protect rights to live and work in the forest.