Dalit Workers Gaining Freedom

Narikuravar Raja Lakshmi, President of the Narikuravar (Gypsy) Craft Cooperative displaying her membership card.

Since 2011 the focus of our work in India with the Tamil Nadu Labour Union (TNLU) has been on establishing co-operatives with Dalit and Tribal workers so they can gain independence from money lenders and middlemen that have kept them trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Over 2,175 men and women have joined these small scale co-operatives ranging from leather sandal makers in Madurai to tribal goat rearers in the hills around Kodaikanal.

With guidance and training from the TNLU and their own hard work, co-op members have enjoyed great successes. Our surveys show that over 50% of members doubled their incomes within 3 years. This has allowed many to start saving for the future for the first time in their lives.