Communities
In rural South India, women are the backbone of family and community life, rising early to cook, fetch water, care for children and elders, and often working long hours in agriculture, construction, or informal labour. Yet, despite their vital contributions, they remain undervalued and face systemic barriers rooted in poverty, gender inequality, and restrictive social norms.
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Girls' access to education remains limited in many areas, where economic hardship, early marriage, and traditional expectations often force young girls to leave school before completing their studies.
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Domestic violence is another widespread yet often hidden challenge. Many women face physical, emotional, or financial abuse at home but remain silent due to stigma, fear of retaliation, or financial dependence on their abusers.
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We work alongside these women to support their health, education, and safety -helping them to access services, build confidence, and develop leadership skills. Through the formation and strengthening of women’s self-help groups, we create spaces for mutual support, collective problem-solving, and grassroots action. These groups are a powerful foundation for women to share experiences, build solidarity, and drive lasting change in their communities.
Women
In India’s social hierarchy, the Arunthathiyar community is on the lowest rung. They are a Dalit sub-group who experience high levels of discrimination and are treated as an underclass - even by other Dalits. Centuries of discrimination have embedded a sense of inferiority and some Arunthathiyars have low expectations of what they can achieve in life.
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Traditionally they were expected to undertake “unclean” roles, such as cleaning toilets, handling dead bodies and leather work. This legacy endures today and most resort to work as farm labourers, or in other low-paid manual jobs. Many Arunthathiyar communities have been pushed out of their home villages by other castes and forced to form separate colonies which are lacking in infrastructure and facilities.
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Our partners work to break this cycle of discrimination and low status. We focus on forming women’s self-help groups and children’s clubs. Women’s self-help groups provide affordable credit, a pathway to self-employment and a forum for solidarity and collective action. Children's clubs encourage self-belief and educational attainment.
Arunthathiyars
Indigenous people
Until about 50 years ago, South India’s indigenous people (known as Palliars in Tamil Nadu) led an ancient existence in isolated hillsides of the Western Ghats mountain range, living off the forest for all their needs. Now their way of life and environment has changed drastically due to an influx of settlers, removal of large tracts of forest to plant tea, creation of wildlife sanctuaries and draconian forest laws.
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With the destruction of their way of life, alcoholism, abuse and even suicide have increased dramatically. Many children drop out of school because of linguistic and cultural barriers, poor health, dysfunctional families and a lack of role models. In the forest, even youngsters can turn to seasonal work labouring for low pay for external landlords.
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The tribal people are now having to fight for the right to live on their ancestral land. There are government schemes for tribal people but many families lack the documentation, awareness and education required to access the benefits. Our partners work hard to help these communities defend their rights and claim the benefits that they are entitled to by law.
