YOU DISCOVER
What is the Eight per Thousand of the Waldensian Church?
In 1994, the Waldensian Church chose to accept a share of the Eight per Thousand of IRPEF , as required by the law regulating the Agreements between the Italian State and religious confessions, and decided to allocate these funds to solidarity and development projects.
To ensure the correct allocation of these resources, a special Office has been established to evaluate and select projects to be financed , giving priority to those that promote human rights, the protection of minors and the improvement of the living conditions of the most vulnerable people.
Among these, there are Interlife projects, which are having a concrete impact in the most fragile communities.
THE PROJECT
SCHOOL - Solutions to Counter Forced Work for Minors and School Dropout
India – Tamil Nadu
Districts involved: Thanjavur, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Villupuram and Pudukkottai
Category: Child Protection
Interlife is working to combat school dropout and support the most vulnerable families through an integrated approach that combines education, protection and food security.
YOU DISCOVER
The objectives of the project
General objective: To ensure the protection of children's rights and well-being, contributing to the improvement of socio-economic conditions and quality of life in rural communities in Tamil Nadu, India.
Specific objective: to promote the reintegration of vulnerable children into school and to strengthen the community child protection system, countering the risks of poverty, malnutrition and school dropout.
AREAS OF INTERVENTION
Project Description
The project is divided into three main areas:
School reintegration and fight against child labor
370 children (at least half of whom are girls) will receive a supply of school supplies and scholarships.
120 children in serious difficulty, coming from vulnerable, orphaned, disabled or marginalized families, will receive support for their school reintegration.
Food and economic security for families
120 vulnerable families will receive the Interlife Toolkit, which enables them to start family businesses to ensure food security and regular income.
Awareness raising and community protection of minors
In 25 villages, information campaigns on proper nutrition and child protection will be organized.
Child protection committees will be formed, involving the entire community in defending children's rights.
OUR GOALS
Expected results
An important emergency, post-emergency and release for the most vulnerable communities in India project, implemented thanks to the precious contribution of Fondazione Prosolidar.
YOU DISCOVER
The reference context
The project is developed in the poorest areas of Tamil Nadu, India, in the districts of Thanjavur, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Villupuram and Pudukkottai, where Interlife has been active since 2008. Here, extreme poverty, illiteracy and prejudice linked to the caste system condemn many vulnerable families – particularly Dalits and Valayers – to a life of marginalization and exploitation.
The consequences are devastating for children: school dropout, malnutrition and child labor are widespread phenomena, which Interlife and the Waldensian Church are addressing with concrete actions.
INTERLIFE TOOLKIT
An innovative approach to solidarity
The Interlife Toolkit is a program that provides equipment, raw materials and training to start activities that can improve the lives of vulnerable families.
Each beneficiary receives the tools needed to start a family business that will help improve their diet and generate income.
The model is based on replicability : each beneficiary, after having been successful with their own Toolkit, is asked to create a new Toolkit to donate to another person in difficulty, generating a virtuous circle.
Field studies have shown that 90% of beneficiaries are able to improve their nutrition thanks to the products resulting from the activities started with the Toolkit, while 84% have registered an increase in daily meals. 70% of beneficiaries have seen their family income increase by 70% in the first year of activity.
Thanks to the contribution of Fondazione Prosolidar, it has been possible to implement the project "Post-emergency and release for the community of untouchables hit by Cyclone Gaja – Tamil Nadu, India " and this has enabled us to help more than 3,200 people.
The project has been carried out in the poorest rural areas of the Southern State of Tamil Nadu, in India, where the disadvantaged marginalised communities of untouchables live, in conditions of chronic malnutrition and exploitation of child labour, worsened by natural events and presently by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Project started in February 2020 with the specific objective of assisting the population hit by the fury of Cyclone Gaja and subsequently by the serious economic and occupational effects of COVID-19 and of the lockdown, with the purpose of guaranteeing food and socio-economic security for disadvantaged communities and for the most vulnerable families who live in the poorest areas of the Districts of Pudukkottai and Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu.
To this purpose the project has included integrated actions of post-emergency and reconstruction of the rural economic fabric, food and health security and the launch of income-generating activities based on the innovative Interlife Toolkit model.
Thanks to the contribution of Fondazione Prosolidar, it has been possible to implement the project "Post-emergency and release for the community of untouchables hit by Cyclone Gaja – Tamil Nadu, India " and this has enabled us to help more than 3,200 people.
The project has been carried out in the poorest rural areas of the Southern State of Tamil Nadu, in India, where the disadvantaged marginalised communities of untouchables live, in conditions of chronic malnutrition and exploitation of child labour, worsened by natural events and presently by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Project started in February 2020 with the specific objective of assisting the population hit by the fury of Cyclone Gaja and subsequently by the serious economic and occupational effects of COVID-19 and of the lockdown, with the purpose of guaranteeing food and socio-economic security for disadvantaged communities and for the most vulnerable families who live in the poorest areas of the Districts of Pudukkottai and Thanjavur, in Tamil Nadu.
To this purpose the project has included integrated actions of post-emergency and reconstruction of the rural economic fabric, food and health security and the launch of income-generating activities based on the innovative Interlife Toolkit model.
With your support, we can continue to make a difference in the lives of thousands of children and families in need. Every contribution, big or small, is a step towards a better future for those living in poverty.
Choose to be part of this mission and support our projects in India, helping to ensure education, food security and protection.
for those who need it most.
THANK YOU TO...
A heartfelt thanks to the Waldensian Church and its Otto per Mille, which with its continuous support allows Interlife to carry forward these fundamental projects.
This partnership is transforming the futures of hundreds of children and families, providing them with access to education, protection, and opportunities for growth. The Waldensian Church's commitment to promoting human rights and improving living conditions continues to enable change in the world's most vulnerable communities.
Thank you for being part of this path of solidarity and development!
