THE KATTERY VILLAGE WOMEN’s PROGRAMMES

Earth Trust (www.earthtrustnilgiris.org) has as its vision, Creating Viability and Well-Being in Rural Communities.

Our Mission is To Revitalize The Nilgiris By Giving Tools To Create Vibrant And Abundant Communities.

In keeping with our mission, our programs are tailored to support holistic empowering of the Nilgiris communities, targeted particularly at empowering the women. We aim to support an ongoing self-sustainability and well-being for the communities.

To this end, to date, The Earth Trust has conducted, completed, and has ongoing programs in twenty villages in the Nilgiris.

We give here an example of Kattery Village.

Approximate population:  2000

No of Houses: 400

Primary Health Care Center: Yes

Income:  From Tea Estates, Agriculture

School:  Kattery Village Primary School

The following programs were set up at Kattery:

THE INCOME GENERATION PROGRAM

Conducted over a period of 90 days

Number of participants:  15 women

The women learnt knitting, embroidery, crochet, stitching, dress making.

Through this program, the women learnt basic skills to keep their families warm, the children clothed appropriately for school and for day-to-day living. In addition, it also gave them the skills and opportunity to start small tailoring units of their own, if they so desired.

The women of Kattery Village are a very vibrant group. After completion of the Income Generation Program, they opted to enrol themselves in The Health Program conducted by The Earth Trust.

THE HEALTH PROGRAM

The Health Program was conducted at Kattery from March 2013 through August 2013.

 Number of participants: 11 women.

The Health Program is aimed at imparting basic knowledge of the human body along with its various systems, empowering the women with knowledge to be able to handle simple ailments prevalent in villages. At the end of each system they are given traditional herbal plants which are known cures for the treatment of everyday problems pertaining to that particular system.

These plants are grown in a community garden, which by the end of the Health Program gives the community a start-up herbal garden.

The women of Kattery were also taught reflexology, massage, Reiki, preparation of homemade remedies for internal and external use, as well as preparation of some basic Siddha supplements.

At the end of the Health Program, Earth Trust’s farming personnel conducted a one-day seminar on the setting up of organic herbal as well as kitchen gardens, imparting knowledge so that each family could be self sufficient in growing their own basic vegetables and herbs for medicinal use.

From the knowledge and empowerment the women of Kattery received, they have formed a group, rented a room, and have started their own Income Generation Program. They are open to taking in commercial stitching, knitting orders etc. They are also preparing, marketing, and selling traditional snacks, in their small way working towards self sustainability for themselves, their families and their community.

The Earth Trust acknowledges them and feels proud to be associated with the Kattery village women.