CEED-India Trust
Improving financial security to women and their families in Tamil Nadu
Aim: To enable up to twenty women in Tamil Nadu, India to earn a sustainable income from goat rearing.
Background : The Project will be located in the village of Krishnapuram, near Gingee, about 160km south West of Chennai. According to CEED, around 90% of the 12,500 inhabitants are Dalits (low caste); and of these, seventy percent are living in extreme poverty. This is a relatively dry area, with low seasonal rainfall. In order to support their families, women are frequently dependent on seasonal, agricultural labour that pays around 60p a day.
The beneficiaries have already been organised into self-help groups and are contributing to the project from their savings.
The Programme: Twenty Dalit women receive four goats (one male and three females). They receive training in goat rearing and income generation. Through the income from selling offspring, they will be able to supplement their existing income from agricultural labour with minimal extra work. This will hopefully enable them to pay costs associated with their children’s education and improve their families’ nutrition, health and security.
Around half of the new born goats will be passed on to new beneficiaries, thus enabling, on CEED’s projections, a further twenty women to benefit by the end of eighteen months and more women subsequently. CEED hopes to extend the project to one hundred women by the end of five years.
The goats will be fully insured and feeding practices that minimise environmental damage from grazing are being adopted.
Partners: Internationally, CEED is being funded by Bothar – Ireland. Local partners include the Nutrition Network of Tamil Nadu and the World Trust. The coordinators of the project are Dalits themselves, and their office is in situated in Krishnapuram, making this a truly grassroots project.
Outcome: Twenty Dalit women are able to rely on a secure additional income from goat rearing without its interfering unduly with other paid work, such as agricultural labouring. It is hoped that this will lead to improved nutritional standards and beneficiaries are being encouraged to use part of their earnings for expenses related to their children’s education. Hopefully, the programme can be replicated by passing on some of the newborn goats to other families.
Evaluation:
CEED carries out regular internal evaluations of their projects. This is partly carried out by the women’s groups themselves, but also includes inspections carried out by CEED along with an external evaluator. Since this project has only just been approved, it will be some time before Tzedek receives any feedback. CEED will be required to submit to provide comprehensive evaluations every six months and at the end of the project.
Progress: The project has only just been approved so it is too early to report any progress.
Funds Required: £1,100 to cover 18 months
We are still seeking funds for this project: make a donation.
