1.

Brief description of the Paper Cup Making Training & Manufacturing of Differently
Abled Adult
Enabling the trainable adult with special needs, dropouts,
downtrodden among downtrodden, all categories of person with
Title of the project:

Disabilities, unemployed youth in Paper Cup Making Training

and Manufacturing at Periyakulam.
SARWODEEP

Name and address of the

implementing organization:

St. Annes Rural Women Education & Empowerment Program

St. Annes Convent,
Periyakulam Post
Theni District 625 601

Name of the contact person:

Contact Phone number:
E-mail address:

Rev. Sr. Dr. Maria Alphonsal SAT, Director

(091 4546) 231 382, ( 00 91) 94437 32428

sarwodeep95pkm@gmail.com
Sisters of St. Annes Trichirapalli is running vocational training for the
youth / adults with mental retardation and those are trainable , in
printing, Agarbathis, toilet cleaning liquids, detergent powers,

flower bouquets, envelope making, candle production, hand

woven mufflers, greeting cards. This training center is running in
a old building that is too narrow and limited space to keep the
Summary of the project:

machines, equipments and raw materials and offer training to the

youth and adult persons with mental retardation. In order to
provide them a spacious vocational training center, we propose to
prepare the paper cup training and manufacturing. Our training
center will continue to offer the youth and adults with mental
retardation vocational training in various trades and make them
employable and could support them to become self dependant .

2. Detailed description of the location

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Describe the geographical location of the project. If it is possible include maps or drawings and
quote critical infrastructure in the area.
The proposed location is located in Periyakulam town that is at Thamaraikulam area that is
situated along the Theni Periyakulam Highways. It is very close to Periyakulam town, that is 1
hour journey from Dindigul and it is one hour journey from Madurai City. The location is located
within the campus of Jayaraj Annapakiam College for Women, Periyakulam
Periyakulam (PKM) is located at 10.07N 77.33E.[2] It has an average elevation of 282 metres
(925 feet). It is located at the foothills of the Western Ghats bordering the neighbouring state of Kerala.
Periyakulam is a un designed river based settlement city the city has been divided into two major
divisions by river into Thenkarai (Southern part)& Vadakarai (Northern part) streets around the city is
based upon communal settlements symbolizing the structure of the cosmos.

It could be reached from Dindigul by road via Sempatti in 90 minutes by road and also be reached
from Madurai Airl port in 1 hour and 50 minutes, 98 kms.

3. Context and background

3.1. Context: Physical, social, cultural and economic factors (including demographic data) from
the place, that can help to understand the nature of the problems that the project wants to solve.
Periyakulam urban population is 42976 while the rural population is 146462, its sex ratio is 972.
The landowning castes dominate and rule the decision making bodies here and the landless castes
remain subservient to these dominant castes. The mainstay is agriculture and related activities.
Industrial growth here is at low profile. The traditions and customs are being practices widely by
all castes, and that paved the way for the emergence and existence of retardations among the
population.
Periyakulam area is well known for its socio economic backward part of the state of Tamilnadu
where caste oppressions, exploitations, and abuses are high and the gender discriminations are also
high in these parts of the country. From here , years back female feticide came into the eyes of the
outside world in various forms, out of sustained motivation, education and prevention campaigns by
NGOs, Voluntary organizations, and the Government organs in this area, this incidence has come
down considerably. At these target areas, the need for supporting the girls children to sustain their
school education and also enabled to move further in to higher levels of studies. That will address
the female feticide, and gender discriminations heavily. In this area, the consanguineous marriage
practices are high and still exist till in the 21 st century that is hi tech, internet age. That brings the
families the birth of children with mental retardation and other disabilities in this area. That
ascertains the existence of our center for rehabilitation, at Periyakulam that serves the children with
mental retardation, to train them and prepare them for daily living skills and also vocational skills
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for the youth persons with mental retardacin.

3.2. Background: Report all elements that have led to the proposal of the project. Describe, if
applicable, the existence of similar initiatives in the area.

Caste customs and practices are wider in practice and observed by all castes irrespective of their
socio economic and cultural status. Consanguineous marriages are higher and led to the birth of the
children with disability, mental retardations and other disabilities in birth. That led to the existence
of higher number of mentally retarded, physically challenged, and children with autism, multiple
disabilities. Female feticide has been in practice and that has been reduced to a greater extent from
these villages by the efforts of State and the voluntary organizations over the years. The awareness
level about the children with mental retardation, disability , need for admitting them with special
schools, provide the regular education and training is not there and lacking among this agro
oriented population. The population is highly superstitious in nature, and accept the disability and
other defects in birth as their fate and curse for their past sins. The awareness to send their children
to schools is at low, needless to say about on the admission of children with disability with the
special schools for their training and education.
That is why Sisters of St. Annes of Trichirapalli has started a special school here for the children,
and vocational training center for the youth and the adults with mental retardation and disability.
That has been functioning in very narrowed and limited space here in Periyakulam that is situated
in the Marys Hill where Jayaraj Anna Packiam college for women has been functioning.
In order to provide them a judicially space, and place to move around, learn the skills, and get
trained at the training canter, we have been proposing this project to provide the youth with
disability to have a spacious training hall with basic amenities at Periyakulam.

3.4. Experience: Explain the experience of the organization and/or the responsible person in such
initiatives.
The Sisters of St. Annes of Trichirapalli are having experience and expertise in running the centers
and schools for the special children in Tamilnadu and in India for years as they are the only one
congregations that has greater number of special schools and training institutes for the special
children and persons in the country. Sr. Dr. Maria Alphonsal SAT, the Superior , and the applicant
had had quite greater experience in construction of schools, bascic facilities, training centers,
special schools in the area of Maria Province of SAT during her tenure as Provincial, Maria
Province of SAT Madurai. It may not be out of place to mention here that City of Hope & Joy
Special School at Karattupudur has been built during her tenure as Provincial. Hence, the applicant
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had had experiences in building and other development projects and able to complete the project
and submit accounts, reports and updates to the donors promptly.

4. Beneficiaries
Number and description of beneficiaries, both direct and indirect.
The proposed beneficiaries of this project are the youth and adults with mental retardation and
disability, those are trainable and educationable amongst the youth/adults with disability, mental
retardation.

Total number of beneficiaries direct:

100, The indirect beneficiaries _ 500 (their

family members), The total number of beneficiaries will get on increasing every year.
Greetings from Rev. Dr.Sr.A.Maria Alphonsal
Maria Province of SAT, Madurai, has 31 communities spred over 8 district in Tamil Nadu.
In the sphere of service to the poor and marginalized, the congrecation is involved in providing primary
healthcare, Day Care Centres , Old aged home, Orphanages, Domastic workers training centers,
Working women Hostel, Tribal Development center, Women Emancipation and Empowerment centre.
One of the main concerms of the Province is the welfare of children and adults with physically
disabilities of various natures, like learning impaired and mobility and hearing impaired.
It is one the newly established vocational training centres for the adult, children with
differently abled. There is strong and immediate there is strong and immediate need for a hall

exclusively to train the special children in various feasible vocational skills so that the special
children could be prepared and trained for employable to look after their personal needs and
avoid burdening their parents and family members. The special educators and trainers, are
training the children with the basic equipments and materials.
Interventions of the Special School for the special Children
Self Help Skills
Following assessment, and irrespective of disability, all the children admitted are
trained methodically to look after their daily personal needs. This would include skills such as
grooming, washing, bathing, dressing, toileting, and eating. When grown up they should be
self-independent and not rely on their parents others for such personal needs.
Language Skills Speech Therapy
These children usually have poor communication skills. They need to be taught how
to communicate within their capabilities to express themselves with less difficulty. By giving
them suitable exercises, they are carefully trained to use their lips, mouth, tongue, cheek and
throat. Mirror methodology is also used to assist in self-correction. Following this training,
there is a noticeable improvement in speech and language.
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Fine Motor Skills

Delayed motor development is a problem with all the children. With constant and
persistent practice using their fingers and hands, they may become more able to attend to their
personal needs. This includes eating, grooming, bathing, dressing and playing with toys etc.
This enables them to become more independent and helps them to carry out tasks such as
painting, drawing, making crafts and household decorations.
Pre -Vocational Skills
Children who are severely disabled and who cannot attain a suitable level for
academic training are provided with vocation skills. Boys are taught to make phenyl, cleaning
powder and other cosmetics, and also trained to work as laborers in construction and other
activities. The girls are taught tailoring, basket making, preparing greeting cards using craft
materials, cutting vegetables, washing , and training in house decorating.

This gives an

opportunity for these children to become more independent and self-sustainable in the future.
Vocational Training
Children called and fit in the category of trainabl are being trained in various
vocational skills such as Tailoring, making soap powder,Making Papercup, Phenyl and
Cleaning Powder, candles, Agarpathy, newspaper covers and mufflers.