Vembu Vilathikulam
VEMBU – Vilathikulam
Vilathikulam is situated 50 kms north east of Thoothukudi. It is a Taluk headquarters. It is a dry and drought prone area. The population mainly depends on rain fed agriculture, making charcoal and the match industry. The people have no regular income. Many are unemployed especially women. Some of them migrate to other places in search of work for about 6 months. During the rainy season they come back. This situation of poverty and unemployment promoted child labour.
Salesians landed in Vilathikulam in the year 1994. They felt the need to prevent child labour and rehabilitate them in a systematic and committed way. To facilitate this they registered a Trust in the year 2000 as VEMBU TRUST. VEMBU committed itself to build and empower marginalised communities specially children, women and youth, enabling them to analyse their human rights situations and design their life in a more responsible and sustainable way through community mobilization, livelihood, capacity building and advocacy.
VEMBU utilised all the resources to rehabilitate the existing child labourers through non-formal education and skill training. In the beginnings Child Labour Schools were established in many villages to give education for the children and vocational skills were given to the youth for a qualitative employment. As a result today child labour is very less and most of the children are in schools.
Now VEMBU works in prevention of child labour and building the communities socially and economically. Through Drop Out Prevention Centres in the villages we provide additional support and coaching for slow learners. Children Parliaments in the villages empowers the children with knowledge of child rights. Self Help Groups for women help the women plan for the economical development and savings. Youth Groups in villages promotes vocational guidance and higher education. The Boys Home in VEMBU caters to the education of boys whose villages are not yet well connected with adequate transport facilities and for poor boys. The Continuing Education Centre coaches the school drop outs and empowers them to write the regular government exams. The Vocational Training Centre helps mainly the young women to learn skills in Typing, Computer and Tailoring.