We have started a bag making center in Devaneri kuppom where women have been trained on bag making and set up as an enterprise.  The bags from this enterprise are being marketed outside and are very successful.  The women now can make executive bags, school bags, hand bags and conference bags. We are starting one more bag making enterprise in Koovathur.  If there are people organizing conferences and want to supply bags, we request you to place orders with these bag making units.

We have also started food processing units in several villages – Walodai Vathals and Vadams are now famous (at least within our office and volunteer circles - thanks to Banu!).  We have trained women and started enterprise to make dry powders – Rasam, Keerai Leaf, Coconut, Pudina, Dhaniya, Curry Leaf powders are now being made and marketed.

With the help of NEG Micon we are starting a carpentry unit in Koovathur – the details have been finalized and the unit will start off soon. This will train local youth in carpentry and provide them with jobs.  In addition it will also offer machinery support for a number of carpenters in local areas whom we have identified through our survey.

We have identified a number of small enterprises that have closed down (tiffin shops, petty shops, etc) and need small capital to start off again.

With PAM’s help we have identified a number of women in Pulicut who were making palm leaf baskets earlier but had shut down because of lack of market support.  We organized initial capital for these women and also have been marketing their products.

Sasi – one of our fulltimers – attended a 10 day training in Vellore with Exnora on waste management and composting.  With Mr. Srinivasan’s help we hope to start this in a few villages soon.

One of our volunteers Krishna has identified areas where Jathropa nurseries can be started and is working on getting these started.

As mentioned earlier Revathi and the Organic farmers association has been working on recovering saline lands – we are providing support for her work and also hope to learn some agriculture technologies from her to adopt in other areas.

In Koovathur we are planning an integrated livelihood center which will house a carpentry unit, bag making unit, tailoring unit, lathe unit, mud block making center, a nursery, organic farming training center, a sanitary mart, ferro-cement block making center.