Centres : Activities

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a) Action for Human Rights and Liberation Centre (AHAL)

• The centre works with Arunthathiyars (one of the dalit sub-castes). It provides formal, non-formal, and technical education, and also supports economic development through savings, credit societies and housing.

b) Dalit Human Rights Centre (DHRC)

• Legal service through court of law, legal awareness, training
• Building young lawyers’ academy and training them to practice in courts
• Building peoples, movement, capacity building of the youth, women and students
•  Human Rights publication – monthly magazine, books, booklets and leaflets etc. documentation and library
• Skills training and empowerment of women
• Mobilizing unorganized workers union.
• Relief works during calamities like tsunami

c) PATHAI Training Centre

• Organizing training programmes for women, youth and students
• Running boys hostel, evening study centre, coaching classes and summer camps

d) Doctor Ambedkar Cultural Academy (DACA)

• The centre offers several educational possibilities, special attention to dalit girls and women through: a) Dr. Ambedkar Industrial School for girls; b) Vidivelli hostel for school going girls; c) Dr. Ambedkar Women Teacher Training Institute; d) Evening study centre
• It provides opportunities for cadre and capacity building and building up dalit movements through a) DACA Media centre; b)Jenni Tex – readymade garment making unit; c) Self help Groups; d) Arts Movement for Dispossessed Group (AMDG); e) Global Observatory for Human Rights (GOHR); f) Dairy farm and bakery
• Medical support is offered by Ceyrac Medical Foundation

e) Doctor Ambedkar Social and Technical Education Centre (DASTEC)

• Hostel for school going dalit higher secondary students

f) Gandhian Socity Villages (Gansoville)

• Alternate media
• Health awareness programme
• Cultural group and evening study programme

g) People’s Action and Liberation Movement in East Ramanad District (PALMERA)

• Training programme for people’s movement
• Documentation and library
• Media awareness
• Week-end study camps for dalit students

h) Institute of Development, Action and Studies (IDEAS)
Supporting the oppressed groups of dalit, tribal, women and unorganized youth, the Centre engages in:

• Training in social analysis and social action
• Involvement at various levels in issue
• Training on mass media and legal education
• Establishing networks with dalits, tribals and various people’s movement, human rights, civil and democratic organizations
• Involvement in lobbying and advocacy at different levels
• Issue and action-oriented research
• Human rights and social orientation in the formal education system
• Preparation of audio-visual materials
• Original investigative documentation
• Publication, documentation services and library facilities

i) KALANGARAI

• Empowering women through evolution of a movement for widows & formation of 80 micro-credit groups for widows and dalit women
• Serving children through running 30 evening study centres, providing financial assistance for studies and conducting summer camps.
• Running a community college for tsunami affected and marginalized youth.

j) Kamarajar District Rural Institute for Social Action & liberation (KARISAL)

• The centre supports Arunthathiyar youth, women and offers technical training for illiterate women, evening study centre and hostel for children going to governmental schools.

k) Legal Action, Advocacy & Services (LAAS)

• Legal & human rights training
• Fact finding of human rights violations & monitoring
• Legal aid camps & public hearing
• Litigation and consultancy services
• Publication of legal books and other materials
• Building up legal fraternity & networking

l) People’s Education and Action in Kodaikanal (PEAK)

• The centre offers educational programmes to tribal and dalit children, and non-formal education and skill training for youth
• The main programme of PEAK can be classified as
• Social leadership training a) Movement building – youth movement, women sangam, KAMI, village animators meeting; b) Kodaimalai Ambedkar unorganized & construction laboures welfare sangam
• Institutional training: LEAD (Liberative Education for Adivasis and Dalits) through evening study centers, Inigo children’s home in Shembaganur, poyyavilakku and boys’ home in Shembaganur
  m) Social Watch – Tamilnadu

• State – level research-cum-resource centre on social public policy monitoring and advocacy
• Budget advocacy on dalit budgeting, gender budgeting and social equity budgeting
• Capacity building of policy makers