Registration Details

SOCIETY FOR PEOPLES EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC CHANGE SPEECH NGO Organization Members

SOCIETY FOR PEOPLES EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC CHANGE SPEECH Source Funds

Contact details

SOCIETY FOR PEOPLES EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC CHANGE SPEECH Key Issues and Operational Areas, Major Activiities & Achivements

Operational Districts: Madurai, Virudhunagar

Operational States: TAMIL NADU

AchieveMents: SPEECH, has been involved in designing the project in consultation with communities with whom they work. SPEECH has been working in the area since 1987 and has built strong relationships with the communities in the proposed field and area of operations, and also with the proposed partners in the operation. SPEECH will be the main implementing body working with other stakeholders. SPEECH will be working in partnership with government departments such as the Agricultural Engineering Department who will be responsible for carrying out structural work giving technical support and advice, such as water tank maintenance. The local agricultural research station will be able to feed information into the project. This SPEECH-government partnership will benefit both parties as the agriculture department has information on government schemes such as subsidies to farmers but lacks strengths in mobilising people, which SPEECH does have. They will learn from SPEECH’s local involvement, which will contribute to one of the minor objectives of the project: capacity building of partners. Partnerships with banks through women’s self help groups will be built on in maintaining links between local people and the banks. This will build the capacity of banks in gaining experience of working with local community groups. • After 1992, SPEECH researched at each intervention through which SPEECH looked at its strength and weaknesses. It also did several studies One on Perception of Eye care services at Tiruchuli, another on Sustainable Agriculture and life of people. It also did look at the Coral Reef of Mannar Bay as an International Research. IIED has been a partner to SPEECH in many of these Researches particularly on PRA studies. SPEECH has been therefore recognized now as an Agency connected with International Development Scenario. • While SPEECH assisted Dalits with Land Development, they at the same time assisted Non Dalits with other helps such as goat or sheep rearing. Thus they matched development at the different communities in the villages. The renovation of common tanks helped all Communities in the Villages and brought every one accept SPEECH intervention. • By 1995, the Concept of Self Help Group came into focus as part of Women Development. This made the local sanghams which consisted of men and women slowly faded away to give space for emerging Women Self Help Groups and Women Capacitating Programmes. The emerged Self Help Groups focused mainly on Savings and Credit. SPEECH and Community Women together named them as Nanayam Groups. Nanayam in Tamil has two meanings, one Coin and the other Dignity.• As a starting point of its commitment to the deprived Children, SPEECH entered the National Child Labor Project (NCLP) – Special School for Working Children at Duraisamypuram in 1989 • The effective Child Rights approach has widened into the villages with starting up of Children Resource Centers. While these Resource centers are primarily tuition centers, more concentration is given in the developing of talents of these children. With spaces for buildings generally contributed by Community, SPEECH has built up several Children Resources Centers in the form of an accessible building to all Children of the Communities. • Play things have been installed to ensure that all Children irrespective of their age come and enjoy the swings and the ladder. Little Children joyfully oscillate in the swings has turned a regular feature in the villages. • SPEECH has intervened to the Asian Disaster - Tsunami affected places in and around Nagappattinam in Tamilnadu effectively. Since 26th of December 2004, it has done its interventions with much participation from the Neglected Communities and Government of Tamilnadu. • As part of the Tsunami Coordination Committee from the Government of Tamilnadu as well part of the Forum of NGOs working at Tsunami areas, its intervention is one of the models much gets appreciation from the locals as well abroad.