When we all clap together – a life changed
As a Dalit, Pancha was born with the duty of cremation work in her small township in Tamil Nadu, India. It is a tough job which she and her husband carryout with dignity.. They...
Category: Tamil Nadu
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Dalit Workers Gaining Freedom
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...
NZEI expands horizons for 643 girls and boys
Every weekday in the evening, another 88 girls and 55 boys sit down in four new education centres around Madurai slums and villages to do their homework. Over the past year these 143 children...
Manual workers win back pay in Tamil Nadu
Over 440 manual scavengers and overhead tank operators in the Madurai area recently received back payments thanks to their union activity. These payments were substantial, ranging from $NZ165-$724 per person, with others currently waiting...
Dalit Workers take Control
By establishing their own cooperatives, nearly 300 Dalit workers around Madurai will now have the chance to contract directly for jobs. For 85 construction workers, previously on casual or daily wages, this provides job...
Girls go to Homework Centres
Perhaps surprisingly, in a society where traditionally girls have little value, more girls than boys are attending Tamil Nadu Labour Union evening education centres and boosting their education. As a result of the success...
Life changing outcomes from Tamil Nadu project
Over the last three years our project partner in India, the Tamil Nadu Labour Union, has worked tirelessly to help lift hundreds of Dalit and Tribal working people out of poverty. Thanks to their...
Utensil workers to form their own cooperative
Jeevanandhan’s days are spent in a lopsided hut down a back alley in Madurai, surrounded by metal bowls piled to the ceiling and stifling humidity. His whole life he has worked as a utensil...
Jaggery producers aim for independence
The small thatch roof structures nestled amongst the sugar cane fields to the west of Madurai city go largely unnoticed by passing traffic. But it is within these simple buildings that men and women...
Cremation workers continue their struggle
Meenakshi never chose the life of a cremation worker. Her husband was born into the job due to his caste and when he died 25 years ago, the responsibility for cremation work in her...