Since attending one of the sixteen village education centres for Dalit and Tribal children in Tamil Nadu, twelve year old Subiksha says she hopes eventually to get a government job – with the security that would bring.
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 …
The vulnerability of India’s 450 million informal workers has been exposed as the nation entered a 21-day lockdown in March. These men and women rely on their day-to-day earnings to support their families with little opportunity to save and no government welfare to support them. For these working people a 21-day lockdown presents them with …
Lockdown in Tamil Nadu Pushing Informal Workers to the Edge Read More »
In the stifling heat and noise, utensil makers in Madurai spend long days hammering designs onto pots. Many of these men have done this work for decades and risk accumulated hearing loss, respiratory problems and other injuries. But things are changing for the better. Since forming a co-operative this year they have made significant improvements …
