Once shunned by society, the Dalit (untouchable) and Tribal (indigenous) worker participants in our project now talk proudly about how they are recognized as people and even receive letters from government officials. This sense of identity for people who traditionally sit outside the caste system was a common theme in the conversations we had when the UnionAID monitoring team visited the project in March. Although the hard data from surveys will not be analysed till the end of the project, the anecdotal evidence is that households are earning more, paying off debts and sending their children to school.

Already half way through the project, they are well on the way to meeting – and surpassing in some cases – the objectives of the project. Four worker cooperative societies have been formed, with a total of 902 members, and another for flower growers will be formed during the final year.

All talked about the benefits of purchasing raw materials and marketing collectively. Training has been a significant component of the project, with 467 people trained as trainers. These people have gone on to train another 1120 members, in both practical and business skills. The next year will provide accounting and financial skills and risk management training, and they also aim to increase credit union activity and set up life and health insurance schemes for members.

For more information visit Dalit and Tribal Workers Economic Development Project mid-term report

Ross Wilson, Christine Ross and Helen Wilson from UnionAID visited the Tamil Nadu Labour Union (TNLU) Dalit and Tribal Workers Economic Development Project from 4th-6th March, 2013. This three year project commenced in June 2011 and has just over one more year to run. It is funded on a dollar for dollar basis by Gareth Morgan Foundation up to $30,000 per year against new monies raised by UnionAID each project year.
The objective of this visit was to informally assess progress midway through the project, and discuss future plans and project sustainability with project staff and directors; and meet with participants to listen to their stories of how the project had affected them. The programme of visits and meetings is appended.

Read the full report below:

Our project partners, the Tamil Nadu Labour Union, in India have been busy. The 151 marginal farmers who have joined the Agricultural Farming Co-operative have had their soil tested and been given guidance by the local Agriculture Research Department on the production of organic manure and natural pesticides. They are now growing vegetables using environmentally sustainable practices.

Only nine months into the economic development project and already 375 women have signed up for the Bamboo Basket Weaving Co-operative. A reliable market through the Palm Board of Tamil Nadu has been identified for bamboo products and orders placed each month for wine bottle covers, hand fans and shopping baskets. This provides a steady income for members.

Four micro-enterprises covering 40 workers are also underway for florists, manure preparers, vegetable sellers and rope bracelet makers. These workers are now earning between 150-225 rupees per day ($NZ3.5-5).

Don’t miss UnionAID’s new South Indian photo exhibition

Standing Tall

Stunning photos of Dalit and Tribal workers from the Tamil Nadu Labour Union project

Supported by UnionAID

12^th –  25^th March

De Luxe cafe

Next to Embassy Theatre, Kent Terrace, Wellington

Supported by UnionAID

The sixth issue of Solidarity, the newsletter of the Unions Aotearoa International Development Trust, is available below. This issue introduces new projects in Sri Lanka and the Pacific, as well as updates on ongoing projects in Tamil Nadu and Mae Sot.

1. New Projects in Sri Lanka, Mae Sot and the Pacific
2. Worker co-operatives: Tamil Nadu Labour Union leads the way
3. Meeting our fundraising target!
4. Raffle ticket winners
5. Getting skills for work
6. Notes from the Field: Update on Mae Sot Project
7. Online database a first for Tamil Nadu project
8. Comment
9. UnionAID cookbook

Increasingly experts are questioning the role of aid in the reduction of poverty. Some are even suggesting that at times it might contribute to the problem. So what development programmes should we support?

The United Nations has claimed that co-operatives not only achieve the common goals of their members but also promote “poverty reduction, employment creation, empowerment of women and food security…” . Accordingly, they have declared next year as the International Year of Co-operatives.

So the Tamil Nadu Labour Union (TLU) is way ahead of the play. The focus of their work to date has been on participatory development, where Dalit (untouchable) and Tribal (indigenous) people are brought together so they can collectively identify their priorities and develop strategies to improve their lives. This first step has seen communities of more than 30,000 of the poorest and most oppressed people benefit from their union bargaining power. Building on this collective strength UnionAID is now funding a TLU project to set up five workers’ cooperatives. These will provide members with marketing and organisational skills to set them on a sustainable path to economic independence.

Helen Wilson

Gareth Morgan has agreed to match us dollar  for dollar up to $30,000 a year with our fundraising for the new Tamil Nadu project. Thanks to hard work from UnionAID activists, and generous donations from our supporters, we are on track to meet that target for the first six months of the project. Our sincere thanks.

An online database has been developed with the help of Susan Iversen of Karo Data Management in Wellington. This will provide statistical information to evaluate the Tamil Nadu economic development project.

To gather this data a small survey was designed in collaboration with project directors in India. This covers demographic data and three measures which will identify changes to: a) daily income b) household indebtedness and c) school attendance for boys and girls. It was decided that these three ‘indicators’ would be a simple way to provide evidence of improvement in the lives of participants without making too much extra work for the project staff.

Because the majority of participants are illiterate the information is collected orally. The data is then entered onto the LimeSurvey database by staff in the Labour Union’s Madurai office. Twenty five surveys can be entered free each month and Karo has generously sponsored another 2000 extra entries. To date 528 surveys have been completed and data entered for agricultural workers and basket weavers who have signed up to the first two co-operatives.

An exciting new UnionAID project in South India will develop 5 cooperative based businesses and more than 120 micro-enterprises over the next 3 years.

This new project will build on the UnionAID project work of the past 3 years which has organised more than 30,000 people in Dalit and Tribal communities and will help them to achieve their goal of economic independence. India may be prospering economically but this prosperity has failed to impact on two of India’s poorest and most disadvantaged groups: Dalit (untouchable) and Tribal (indigenous) people.

The goal of this project is to take up this challenge at a grass roots level and, by breaking the cycle of poverty and discrimination, improve the livelihood choices and economic security of Dalit and Tribal (including previously nomadic) communities in Tamil Nadu, South India over the three year term of the project. The project will assist these communities to:

• establish five co-operative-based businesses: a Goat and Sheep Rearing Co-operative, an Agricultural Farming Co-operative, a Sandal makers’ Co-operative, a Bamboo Basket Weavers’ Co-operative, and a Gypsy Craft Co-operative.
• form 120 micro-enterprises which will include floristry, jewellery crafts, and organic manure products.
• train 155 key Dalit and Tribal representatives to deliver basic vocational skill training to 1045 participants from local communities to develop business skills, and increase earning capacity and employability.


Basket makers' president Angali

The new UnionAID project will enable Dalit and Tribal communities to build their economic independence (from landlords, middle men and moneylenders) through cooperative based businesses and micro-enterprises.

On a recent visit to South India UnionAID Executive Chair Ross Wilson was able to talk to many of these groups about their aspirations.

Gypsy communities

Rajalakshmi and Rana are the leaders of a Tribal nomadic (Narikuravar) community who, as part of the UnionAID project, have settled on government land near Madurai. Organised as a union they are proud of their achievements in obtaining the land and a water supply. They now want to work with two other Narikuravar communities to extend their jewellery making business as a cooperative venture providing an important source of income for the community.

Sandal makers

There are 189 units of Dalit sandalmakers in and around Madurai City working in poor conditions on piece rate work. The UnionAID project will enable them to develop these businesses together as a cooperative venture, and link them directly with the market.

Bamboo Weavers

Angali is the president of the Bamboo Basketweavers’ Union. Dalit women in several villages aim to develop their existing bamboo weaving skills and micro-enterprise activity into a cooperative based business. These women are working in the forecourt of the Dalit temple in Ambedkar Nagar which is the Dalit area of Perunkueli village.

Agricultural Workers

Erammal is the leader of the Women Agricultural Workers’ Union which has built the collective bargaining power and confidence of these workers over the past few years. Erammal says that the women want to build their economic independence by developing their agricultural activities as a collective based business.