Empower women in poverty through micro credit

                                          Ayudha Puja Celebrations-2022

Ayudha Puja is a part of the Navratri festival (Nine nights), a Hindu festival that is traditionally celebrated in India. It may be translated to “worship of Instruments”. On the tenth day of the Dasara festival, weapons and tools are worshipped. The Puja is considered a meaningful custom, which focuses specific attention on one’s profession and its related tools and connotes that a divine force is working behind it to perform well and for getting the proper reward.

On 03.10.2022 Monday Ayudha Puja was celebrated by the staff of Prime Trust at Sishubhavan (Muthialpet), Janani home(Colas Nagar) and Prime trust office (Rainbow Nagar). In all three places puja’s were done by lighting the lamp, offering aarti, flowers, sweet Pongal and chickpeas to the deity. The participants were given sweet Pongal and chickpeas.

A special program was organized in Prime Trust. It started with the prayer song and continued with a welcome speech. The Prime Trust Founder and Chairman Mr S.M. Arasu gave a short speech on the various experiences of Prime Trust over the past 20 years. He reminded and thanked all the staff members who had worked in Prime Trust in those years. Mr Fredy, the founder’s son and trustee shared how Prime Trust had played a very important role throughout his life. The Janani home children, the evening school children and the MSW interns from MAR AUGUSTHINOSE college Ramapuram, Kerela performed dances. The staff were given gifts. The program ended with a vote of thanks.

            Accomplishments of women after receiving                                microcredit from Prime Trust

With the support of GlobalGiving, Prime Trust was able to help one of their beneficiaries, 36 years old, a graduate in economics of the Akshaya Punnagai Pookal Self-Help Group, Muthialpet with Rs. 20,000/- to build a toilet for her tuition center. Her husband is a building contractor. Her daughter and son are doing their schooling. The Income from the tuition center helps them to repay the loan. The family thanked GlobalGiving and Prime Trust for their support.

With the support of GlobalGiving, Prime Trust was able to help one of their beneficiaries of the Akshaya Punnagai Pookal Self-Help Group, Muthialpet with Rs.20, 000/- to start her own business. The financial assistance helped her family to improve her existing Idli/ dosa batter production in Muthialpet. Her husband passed away a few years back. Her daughter got married and her son is working in a shop. The income from her business helps her to repay the loan. The family thanked GlobalGiving and Prime Trust for their support.

With the support of GlobalGiving, Prime Trust was able to help one of the beneficiaries of Akshaya Punnagai Pookal Self-Help Group at Muthialpet with Rs.20, 000/- to start her own business. The financial assistance helped her family to improve her existing cool drink shop at Muthialpet. Her husband goes fishing and has 2 daughters who are undergoing graduation. The income from the shop helps them repay her loan as well support the children in their studies. The family thanked GlobalGiving and Prime Trust for their support.

                                             Screening of women empowerment videos for Women Groups

On 28.09.2022 three MSW interns from the MAR AUGUSTHINOSE college Ramapuram , Kerela, and Mrs. Mary Slessor, Program Manager from Prime Trust visited the Akshaya Punnagai Pookkal Self Help Group members at Muthialpet which is run by Prime Trust. The women were shown two videos on women empowerment. There was an interactive session about how the SHG has helped women and their families. Each member shared how they have utilized the Rs. 20,000/- loan that they received from Prime Trust. It was a good opportunity for the interns to interact with the women by going to their community. The women responded well and also watched the videos with much interest. The videos have given them a positive outlook on their lives and they have realized the capability of economic productiveness within them.

It was very much useful. We thank GlobalGiving and its donors for their support!

                                               Awareness programs on health and hygiene for children

Prime Trust conducts regular awareness generation programs for the community on a regular basis. On 24.09.2022 two MSW interns from the MAR AUGUSTHINOSE College Ramapuram, Kerala and Mary Slessor, Program Manager from Prime Trust visited the Rasu Udayar Tthottam and Janani Home at Colas Nagar, Puducherry.

The awareness videos on health and hygiene were screened for two groups of 25 children from Rasu Udayar Thottam and the children at Janani Home. A short talk on personal hygiene was also given to the two groups. It was an interactive session. The children interacted with much interest. The interns enjoyed working with the children.

                                                          Eye check-ups for the children

 It is found that some children of Janani Home are having difficulty reading clearly the writing on the blackboard in their classes and we have decided on a complete eye check-up.

Mr Sivakumar, Trustee, Prime Trust contacted Dr Amalaraja, Director of St. Mary’s Eye Clinic, 84, Capitaine Marius Xavier Street, Puducherry. He was kind enough to provide all the support needed by the children.

Accordingly, the children were taken to his clinic on Friday, the 16th of September. He found that some children should have spectacles and some needed tonics and some were provided.

We thank Dr Amalaraja, Mr Sivakumar, Mrs Mary Slessor and the Interns of MSW from Mar Augusthinose College, Ramapuram, Kerala.

We thank all the donors from GlobalGiving for supporting us to run the projects