Weakers Community Development Trust is shortly known as WCDT is a registered public charitable trust Regd. No. 14/1991 Dated 25.08.1991 and also registered under FCRA with ministry of foreign affairs, Govt of India. WCDT has been operating under the able guidance of Mr. Sahayaraj Founder with the aim of protecting and promoting the socio, economic status of, Dalit and Marginalized people of Thirukoilur Taluk, Villupuram District.
The organization was started to in order to eradicate poverty in rural areas of our district. We have been serving our district rural poor people in various ways by handling different project which suits the particular community for the past 34 years. We have rich experience in skill training, women empowerment projects, volunteer programs, Entrepreneurial aid, vocational courses etc.
Founded in 1991 at Mugaiyur, Thirukoilur Taluk Registered under Government of Tamilnadu public Trust Act on 25th on June 1991 Registered under FCRA of Government of India on 8th May 1996 vide ref.no.11/21022/67 (330) 1961, FCRA No.076010131. Registered under Income tax exemption act U/S 12AA and 80 G(5)(VI) Income Tax Act.1961.
Adult Literacy Campaign were conducted by WCDT in association with Literacy India Trust in 5 Villages for two years in the evening and more than 500 beneficiaries participated in this education program.
HIV/AIDS awareness campaign was conducted by WCDT in collaboration with JIPMER, Pondicherry on prevention, early detection, and combating stigma, which helps people lead healthier lives and prevents further transmission. Education on safe practices, promoting open conversations, and providing access to testing and treatment are key to controlling the epidemic. Awareness was also given to fight discrimination and ensures that those living with HIV can access necessary support and live productive lives. Nearly 100 people participated in this program.
Awareness program for 100 women was conducted by WCDT and CPR Foundation for reclaiming and rehabilitating degraded or underutilized land to make it productive again, which involves restoring its ecological health and improving its productivity for various uses like agriculture or conservation.
WCDT organized summer camp for students who have completed their schoolings and some youths where tutors taught them important grammar and mathematics. Games were conducted in the afternoon sessions and through this many students spent their summer in a useful way.
WCDT organized Youth Development Programs such as developing their skills, finding best career opportunities in towns and ways to start their own small entrepreneurship firms.
A basic health check was done for village people with the help of local doctors for people who could not afford are not able to visit far away town hospitals. Nearby village people came to our camp got their health check and got medicines as well as good treatment for minor health issues.
Nearly 400 young and middle age men were given training on latest agricultural practices in order to survive and get good yield. New methods of sowing and reaping were taught to them along with moving to modern marketing techniques shifting from traditional marketing practices.
This project was done with the help of fund provided by Missionaries of the precious blood, USA. This project enabled us to call the students who were turned into rag pickers and making them to understand the value of education by providing proper training and then our WCDT enrolled them in the local Government schools of their native villages.
This program was organized by WCDT in order to raise public awareness of legal rights and issues, support legal action, ensure fair processes and drive social change by empowering disadvantaged groups and advocating for their entitlements. Many young people actively participated in this campaign.
This program was jointly organized and implemented by WCDT and CPR Foundation for giving seminar on saving forest because they regulate the climate by absorbing carbon-dioxide and they host the majority of terrestrial biodiversity thus protecting them is essential to save for the future and better world. Along with this Health production seminar which taught them on how inputs like exercise and good nutrition create healthy outputs.
WCDT’s cultural troupe playing an important role in the mass awareness program. The concept of communal harmony, environmental. Health and education are spread through the use of folk songs and street plays. This provides good entertainment, gives expression to the cultural heritage of rural communities.
This project was donated by Fraternite organization , Belgium for enhancing the lives of rural poor women by providing assistance to start their own small business. In an attempt to reduce the burden of poor women and make them resourceful the women were involved in traditional brick making where 55 individuals and along with them 25 families got benefitted.
2 Programs were conducted by WCDT for providing Legal advises to rural village people on basic ways to handle police cases and actions to be taken in need of urgent situations such as theft and frauds. Then Health Education is lacking among rural poor women such as clean sanitation, clean water drinking and safe menstrual practices so a training was also conducted and these both were funded by OPM-ROMA.
The program was organized in collaboration with CPR and WCDT to motivate uneducated rural women on herbal plants and its medicinal values. We conducted a workshop and consequently they started to grow home based herbal garden at their home. The healthy needs of herbal plants were explained and through that everyone started growing herbal plants by home remedy and garden witnessing in each house.
WCDT with the help of volunteers visited a rural village school and distributed aids such as bags, shoes and materials required for school children. Through this program many poor students got essential items for their study.
A program was conducted by WCDT to raise awareness on the importance of women getting educated by providing speech from successful women on how education can turn one’s life into progressive one. The program was very useful and 50 women beneficiaries participated in this program.
An awareness camp for rural people was organized by WCDT because it empowers people by informing them of their rights and duties, helping them to access justice, challenge violations and live dignified lives. 75 people participated in this literacy program.
A Health literacy program was organized by WCDT to empower individuals to find, understand and use health information to make informed decisions about their health and to participate in their own care. This program enabled them to adopt healthy behaviors like good nutrition, help manage chronic conditions and allows for more effective communication between patients and providers.
Sericulture project was carried out by 100 women from 5 villages funded by Manos Unidas, Spain. The project was carried by starting with 45 days of long workshop after they started implementing such as ploughing, bunding to buy mulberry stick watering and maintenance work. A total of 40 acres of mulberry lands in over 5 villages were measurable evidence at that time to witness the success of this project. Many families got income from this project.
A small project for rural poor women such as selecting 2 women from each village totally 20 women were provided assistance to start their own small vendor business by SOEST, Netherlands. Through this program may women started to earn well by setting up of small business in their villages such as flower shop, dried fish selling, fruit selling and so on.
An eye camp and general medical camp was organized by WCDT in collaboration with Aravind Eye Hospital, Pondicherry. 754 people were screened by doctors where forty-seven cases were identified for Cataract operation and other participants were provide with oral medicines and health tonics.
An eye camp and general medical camp was organized by WCDT in collaboration with Aravind Eye Hospital, Pondicherry. 754 people were screened by doctors where forty-seven cases were identified for Cataract operation and other participants were provide with oral medicines and health tonics.
To mark the birth Anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru school children of Mugaiyur were given speech on the achievements of him and to the students went on a rally with the placards telling on the numerous good things he has done. After the rally WCDT distributed basic schools aids to the children.
This project was funded by Caritas Antonio, Italy for the parents of Physically challenged by providing milk cows with which they can earn good amount in order to improve their lives by supporting their children education and through this they came out of poverty condition and was able to support their families better.
Classes were taken for Gypsy children an indigenous community who were in the backward position in a society so in order to make a difference in their lives basic education classes were conducted with the help of tutor in their own place since some were dropouts and many didn’t attend any schools. Free Lunch was also provided to them for a period of 5 years. Through this basic education they learnt calculations and basic English words to be used in public.
Funding was given by SOEST, Netherlands and implemented by WCDT for 20 rural poor women from different villages who faced outmost poverty. Through this program may women started to earn well by setting up of small business in their villages such as flowers shop, dried fish selling, fruit selling and so on.
3 school toilets were built by WCDT in Mathampattu, Mugaiyur and Gypsy village by providing good sanitation facility since the school children did not have toilets and have to run a long way to home in break time to pee or they use public places. Thus, to avoid this unhealthy practice toilets were built for them by WCDT donated by 1% Fund for Development, Switzerland.
A severe cyclone hit the southern parts of Tamil Nadu and Our project area was majorly destroyed and people affected by floods could not go out to buy essential grocery and food packets. Thus, SAFE Foundation, Wales, provided us funding and with that we were able to buy rice bags and basic grocery items for them.
This project was carried out for rural poor women who were facing severe poverty due to various family reasons and through SOEST, Netherlands,Eu Can Aid, Belgium. WCDT supported 20 women by providing them with Wet Grinders so that they can grind flour and sell it locally and they were able to earn and support their families.
SAFE Foundation, Wales our long-term partner decided to build a Community Centre for WCDT for conducting training programs, cultural events and it is used for handling different projects where the proposed building main aim is to host programs for all communities irrespective any sort of discrimination. This building is a major support of our partner through which we are forever grateful for their help.
Women’s day was celebrated by our WCDT volunteers along with our SHG women, beneficiaries and other women from nearby villages. Our guest was from Manos Unidas Organization where she participated in cultural programs with the ladies.
This project was carried out for washer women who were using that small income to support their families. Through SOEST, Netherlands, WCDT supported 20 women by providing them with Iron Boxes so that they can start to iron clothes locally and could earn even more better income and support their children education and feed them well.
This is a Dairy Farm project intended to take care of the cows and with the milk of the cow the beneficiaries sell them and get income out of it to support their families funded by Manos Unidas, Spain. Through this project 30 women got benefitted
Free fancy items and household articles were provided by 1% Fund for development for 50 poor members of nearby villages to sell those articles locally to uplift their lives and along with that chicks were given to them for rearing that chick and finally sell it to support their children once the chick gets matured.
Due to Corona Pandemic the whole world faced severe crisis due to loss of job and other financial crisis thus at that time SAFE Foundation our partner gave relief support to our beneficiaries for providing grocery, rice bags and cereals for food.
Black chicken farming was implemented by WCDT donated by Stichting Melania, Netherlands, for 30 women who were from very rural villages composed of widows, Dalits and women under poverty. These women were provided with the black chick to grow them and get eggs to sell the chick after it gets matured in order to earn their daily bread.
Safe drinking water was a major concern in two villages and they have to go a long way to fetch clean water WCDT with the help of 1% Fund for Development, Vienna dug two borewells in two villages which is now being helpful for the people to fetch water.
A tailoring unit was started with the help of fund provided by Sankalpa, India, USA for 15 rural women beneficiaries. The project is still in good progress where good tutors are being appointed to teach poor women who lacks skill and through these free classes many women have started to stitch on their own and started to stitch and sell clothes in their own villages.
We got a support from Stichting Melania, Netherlands, for 30 women for Bengal Goat Kid rearing. The project aims at providing good consistent income from the goat milk and later sell it to support their family spendings. Through this project the women could be able to provide income along with their family members to uplift their families from poverty condition.
The cook bag workshop was conducted by WCDT in partnership with SAFE trust. This program was designed as a part of sustainable cooking practice which supports waste reduction, emission of gas reduction and a potential cost-effective cooking method. A group of 40 women was given training by the professional tailors from SAFE Foundation, UK. The materials were provided to them and at the end of the training each group was able to create their own cook bags.
A Solar cooker is an environmentally safe, pollution free, cost-effective cooking method which helps preserve food nutrients. They also offer potential for cost savings and reduced reliance on conventional fuels. A solar cooker training was provided by WCDT with the practical demo and the trainees were provided with materials to make their own model. The trainees were taught to cook in those cookers, thus the demonstration on the reflection of sunlight, time duration and setting it up in open sunlight were all taught.
Every year International Women’s Day is being celebrated by our organization in order to recognize the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The women beneficiaries were all invited to participate in the celebration and the importance of the day was highlighted in the speech delivered by the Chairwomen and after the celebration refreshments were provided to them
The Water and Sanitation program was done by WCDT with the help of funds provided from Wilde Ganzen Organization and Stitching Sari Organization. We had many requests from local rural poor schools in need for toilet facility since the school children did not have urinals and restrooms so the students used public space for urinating thus causing a major health hazard. Since poor sanitation can cause the spread of diseases, increased absenteeism and poor academic performance we WCDT took this issue into our hands and started building quality restrooms in four schools in rural villages namely Mathampattu, Irundai, Mugaiyur and Sengamedu. This project eventually turned into a great society oriented one.
Eye camp was conducted by WCDT in partnership with Aravind Eye Hospital, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu. In India most of the people above the age of 50 start getting Cataract due to various reasons and the treatment for them in rural place is not much available which leads to clouding, blurry, hazy and less colourful vision. Thus, an eye camp was organized with all the equipment setup along with nurses and doctors where more than 200 participants got free eye treatment and 18 people were taken to the hospital for further eye operation at free of cost.
A mini library is being setup in WCDT office funded by Darien Book Aid, USA. The main reason to start this is to educate children and women coming to WCDT to develop their skills. Many books like entrepreneurship ideas, basic computing, novels, tailoring etc are there for our beneficiaries to learn and use their time wisely.
The Tailoring batch of 2024-2025 completed their tailoring training and exhibited mini samples of their cutting and stitching work. The best samples were given prizes whereas others were also appreciated with sweets.
