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Traidcraft Exchange is working with local partners to provide vocational training to young people and women in Tamil Nadu whose potential to earn a living has been affected by the impact of the 2004 Tsunami. The project is working with people who were already poor and excluded before the Tsunami hit, who are particularly vulnerable as they had little or no education or savings to fall back on, and who have been largely excluded from other relief efforts.
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Beneficiaries
Situation
The Problem The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami had a devastating effect on the 13 million people already living below the poverty line in India’s Southern coastal state of Tamil Nadu. Hundreds of lives were lost, and many of the casualties were the bread-winners of their families. For survivors, the tsunami had a devastating impact on all aspects of life, destroying property and livelihoods, as well as the economy of the area. Particularly badly affected by the loss of employment and income opportunities resulting from the tsunami were those who were already poor and marginalised, and therefore especially vulnerable. They include a high proportion of people from lower castes, tribal peoples, disabled people, widows and orphans. The Solution Employment opportunities do exist in Tamil Nadu, particularly in growth areas such as construction, the services and repair / maintenance industries, but local people are often unable to access them due to insufficient training or qualification. Traidcraft Exchange and our local project partners are currently implementing a 3-year project – now entering its second year - to support poor people to acquire the necessary vocational skills to achieve a good and sustainable livelihood. The project is focussing on three key areas of activity: • Improving the employment prospects of young people (aged 18-25) to increase their income. Training will be provided in vocational skills (construction, services and repairs / maintenance) • Improving the employment opportunities for women and helping them to increase their income. Training will be provided in business skills and entrepreneurship, and women will be encouraged to initiate collective business enterprises through self-help groups • Empowering all project participants to develop collective solutions to their livelihood problems, and actively engage in discussions with policy makers over decisions affecting their livelihoods. What will it cost? The total cost of Phase II is £314,832 of which £288,643 has already been secured. We need to find the balance of £26,189 to ensure that all activities can proceed as planned. Phase II budget (costs for 2 years): Project staff costs in India £35,304 Vocational training for young people £102,971 Entrepreneurship training for women £73,551 Lobbying and advocacy £3,485 Training local organisations to provide ongoing support to young people and women £64,229 Monitoring and evaluation to ensure impact £19,904 Ongoing costs and overheads (project office costs, office consumables, communication costs etc.) £15,388 Total project costs £314,832 Amount already secured £288,643 Amount outstanding £26,189