About AWARD TRUST
Rural welfare, since the ground up
AWARD TRUST is a public charitable trust registered in Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, working for women, children, youth and the elderly in the most marginalised rural communities.
Our vision
A rural community with equal footing
AWARD foresees a society where people will have good health, wealth, equal rights, and access to protected water and sanitation — and the integrated development of the rural community without any gender discrimination.
That vision guides work across four blocks of Cuddalore District: Vadalur, Kurinjipadi, Keerapalayam and Neyveli, with the field units regularly monitored by the organisation.
Our mission
What AWARD TRUST sets out to do
- Provide information and education on children’s rights, and adult literacy training for women and girls
- Provide education and information to support orphans and other vulnerable children
- Educate people against discrimination facing orphans, Dalits, women and other vulnerable children
- Equip women and female youth with vocational skills and handicrafts
- Deliver HIV/AIDS prevention education, care and support
- Offer practical and social support for orphans, women and other vulnerable children
- Research policies covering orphans, children and women at local, district, national and international levels
- Build public awareness that contributes to a stronger welfare nation
Our objectives
How the mission becomes fieldwork
Each objective below maps to real, ongoing activity — not aspiration. See the Activities page for what these look like on the ground.
Organisation & equity
Awareness generation, organisation building and gender equity work in villages across the district.
Healthcare
Healthcare awareness and service delivery, including HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support.
Sustainable agriculture
Encouraging farmers toward sustainable agriculture using traditional methods suited to the region.
Savings & credit
Small savings and credit groups that give rural women and families a financial foothold.
Women’s empowerment
Social justice, equality and economic development programmes centred on women.
Institutional partnership
Collaboration with panchayats, banks and other NGOs to implement government and donor schemes.
Community wellbeing
Firm measures against alcoholism and harmful drug use, and support toward peaceful, stronger family life.
Economic upliftment
Active participation in income-generation programmes for the economically and socially downtrodden.
Shared decision-making
Ensuring women participate in decisions and implementation of community development work, alongside men.
How we work
Principles behind the programme design
- Enrich, enhance and manage local human potential
- Enable socio-economic development of the poorest of the poor
- Encourage people’s role and participation in social change
- Build capacity for communities to fight for their own rights
- Bring environmental awareness among the people we work with
- Support welfare schemes for the elderly and disabled
- Promote self-employment and poverty alleviation
- Bring peace and harmony among people in the community