The New LEED Trust welcomes volunteers to their project in a deprived area in South India, near Chennai. They hope to have volunteers who can come and help with developing their project and community. Volunteers can stay at the placement for free, in return to basic accommodation and food.
Previously, they have had volunteers from France who are spending time with mplementing the project like Family Development Program (FDP) with the help of French NGO- InterAide. Volunteers from Switzerland, on the other hand, stayed with the community , organised sports club such as football.
From the UK, volunteers should be people who like to spend time with the community based programs or other activities of the NGO.
The New LEED Trust, which is a small NGO working in the field of education for underprivileged and economically backward people in India started in the year 1991. At present LEED is now concentrating on Choolaimedu Slum areas in Chennai where the unfriendly environment is not favourable for the children’s development. The New LEED Trust helps the children of daily wages earner, construction labour; flower vendor by providing activity based quality education and develops their skills.
The New LEED Centre is located in the slum area on its North it has Coovam River, Nelson Manickam road in south, west Namashivayapuram in west and railway track in east. The centre is functioning in No.114, East Namashivayapuram, Choolaimedu; Chennai 600094 with nearest railway station is Nungambakkam railway station.
The area has 9 streets with 700 families, 90% of men are daily wages, 8% of men are private employees and 2% of men are government employees. Majority of women are servant maids, some women are employed in export companies and very few are house wives. The area has only three grocery shops, number of petty shops and quite handsome number of pawnbroker shops. In most of the houses in the area instead of cooking people prefer to buy readymade food from the unhygienic shops.
Alcoholism is the major problem in this area; women accept the fact that workers taking alcohol to forget their pain but when it creates financial problem to the family consider as a big problem. Tobacco chewing and addiction to drugs are also seen among the men and youth in the area. LEED is conducting awareness programmes like cancer awareness, ill effects of alcohol, tobacco etc but still it is happening there.
The people have to work daily to fill their stomach but the flow of money is irregular which indirectly increase the number of pawnbroker (money lenders) shops in the area. People know the importance of savings but they lack proper planning and budgeting and could not do savings. Recently government and local NGOs organize self help groups which make the women to save and get loan for less interest. The concept of self help group is lacking due to lack of awareness in them.
LEED conducts activity classes for students studying in Government schools, medical camps for needy families, individuals and children who don’t have food, shelter, cultural activities and essential medical facilities every day due to a variety of factors including low wages, job less, injuries, illness, age, domestic violence, or divorce. We conduct various programmes for underprivileged people like job training, education, scholarships, counselling, medical camps, etc. LEED would like to start the same programmes in the near by slums. We will be able to help many of these families and individuals to meet their essential daily needs with generous support from well-wishers and organizations.
As you want to have some clarifications regarding volunteer, I like to tell you there are no hard and fast conditions but a clear understanding about our programs, working atmosphere, culture etc. at the movement we are having difficulty in getting donations and effectively carry forward our programs so we are looking for your help in raising funds through programs, events, help in marketing the handicraft products, get sponsorship/ scholarships etc. we would also like to use your expertise in helping our activity based education programs for children and youths.
The main Activities of The New LEED Trust:
Activity Based Supplementary Education: This is done for the school going students who study in government schools were there are many things lacking for the overall development of the child and to prevent further drop out from main stream education with the aim to develop the most deprived and economically backward children by assisting them in education, with alternative education system into their educational curriculum with Activity classes in arts and crafts classes which are conducted for the children with the help of senior artists and craftsmen who help the students to find their talents in the fields and to develop their skills. The classes mainly are greeting cards making, terracotta jewellery making, Yoga, meditation and calligraphy training, painting and drawing with different medium.
Children cultural programmes which is conducted every Saturday, LEED organise cultural programme for the children to identify and develop their other skills like drama, mono acting, quiz, oratory, poem, competition, the winner is selected every week and are given prize in the annual day function,
introduction to saving habits and to help plan budgets with Small savings initiative to create saving habit among the children where LEED has a small saving programme in the centre where children are encouraged to save money through nationalised banks.
The Birthday of every student has been celebrated in LEED centre by cutting cake and presenting gifts. Every Saturdays are reserved for the birth day celebration and the students who have birthday in that particular week will jointly cut the cake.
Healthy food is very need for the physical and mental growth of a child. So LEED is providing them nutritive food, vitamin suppliants, etc: The students are provided with healthy snacks and milk twice in a week and in other occasions.
Summer Camps are conducted during vacation period with different modules and the duration of the programme will be 4 to 5 days. The programmes are enriched with activities, awareness programmes, games, yoga, skill development trainings, theatre, etc: and ends with tour programme.
Community Radio program is one of the interesting programs for the children where the children and youths have benefited in becoming citizen journalist in creating radio features, programs which is narrowcasted in the community after been recorded and edited by them which are done every month on various topics concerning the local issues.
Many of the students of LEED are getting scholarships from various well wishers who sponsor their education and other support for their development. LEED is trying to get more scholarships, endowment and sponsorships to assist the education for all the poor children in the area.
Training Programmes: Personality development, leadership and career guidance, Vocational Training, Training for women and youths are conducted on a yearly basis in tailoring, embroidery; dress making and typewriting for 14 batches till date are conducted for the students and youths with the help of well wishers. Youth are also trained in service industry and placed in various companies, through this programme unemployed youth have been got daily income for their livelihood. LEED has identified the skilled and unskilled youths in the community and has given proper guidance for them to achieve the suitable job according to their education and experience.
The youths and women in the area are also trained to make attractive and cost friendly products out of old news paper. It is marketed through fair trade handicrafts shop ‘Varnajalam’ (varnajalam.chennai@gmail.com) and through exhibitions. LEED is also looking for some companies, institutions to market our products. It is emerging as a major alternative income generation programme for the youths, women and fund rising programme for LEED. Self help Group (SHG) initiative for the community women have been started. At present there are 11 members in the Self Help Group. Members contribute a small amount as savings every month. A small amount as capital has been given to one of the members in the SHG to start a small petty business. The SHG has also initiated a refreshment canteen were snacks are sold for subsidised rate to the students in LEED Centre as an Entrepreneurship development program.
LEED helps the youths and children from the area in sports activities. The activities include table tennis, carom, chess etc it would be a great relaxation for the students who have a busy schedule in school and for the youths who have tight and risky jobs. Local youths are helped with sports gadgets like football to enable them to improve their ability in the space available.
Through an Indo Swiss Cultural Exchange Programme which is a platform for the students in both countries to have a communication with each other. The communication could be through paintings, drawings, poems, stories and also through some small gifts. Later they can have direct contacts through the volunteers during their visits. This can also be started with other countries also.
Medical Assistance: As the slum area is situated just beside the polluted river Coovam which is affecting the people with serious communicable disease. By understanding the situation LEED had conducted several free medical camps to children and other community in this area with the support of various doctors including Christian Medical College and hospital, Vellore.
Family Development Program: through this program which is supported by French NGO InterAide through the volunteer to help the family identify their skills, facilities available as citizens, give family counselling in various personal and domestic issues. At present there are 60 families covered in this program and having daily interaction by the social workers.
