Women's Emancipation and Development Trust

WED Trust is a charitable organization established in 1991 with a primary focus on women's empowerment and children's development. Operating in Tirune Read morelveli and Thoothukudi Districts of Tamil Nadu, the trust is actively engaged in empowering women to combat child labour. The key initiatives include raising awareness, enhancing employment opportunities, and promoting the socio-economic development of women. The primary objective is to empower women, recognizing that eliminating gender discrimination and empowering women significantly impacts the survival and well-being of children. By enabling women to play a more influential role in decision-making, the trust aims to improve the overall welfare and development of children. Originally founded in Tirunelveli, WED Trust later shifted its base to Tiruchendur in 1997 under the leadership of Shri. K.P.D. Prabakar, an advocate, and a dedicated group of volunteers. In Tiruchendur, the organization, led by Mr. Jeyadass, has been providing care for children facing challenging circumstances, including those abandoned due to poverty, superstitions, and illegal affairs, benefiting numerous children and women over the years. Every day, around 2000 girls in India are aborted before birth, and those who survive often endure a lifetime of gender discrimination and limited access to essential resources such as education and healthcare. In its efforts to combat female foeticide, it actively registers and monitors pregnant women in the region, ensuring the safety of approximately 700 unborn girls. Additionally, it conducts workshops and seminars to raise awareness about the various government benefits available to families with daughters. Through its initiatives, it has successfully organized more than 2500 women into 145 self-help groups. Many of these groups are connected with banks and other financial institutions, facilitating members' access to small loans for ventures like goat rearing and dairy farming. With support and training, these self-help group members evolve into advocates for their rights, leading social development initiatives within their communities. Vision: To guarantee that children, women, and socially marginalized individuals are provided with opportunities and facilities for healthy development, ensuring conditions of freedom and dignity. The organisation is commited to protect childhood, womanhood, and human dignity against exploitation, moral degradation, and abandonment. The organisation aims to promote the secure development of children through prevention, protection, and rehabilitation, ensuring their rights and building resilience. It strives to enhance and impart skills, fostering socio-economic and political empowerment. Additionally, it works towards uniting women entrepreneurs into economic cooperatives, forming a cohesive movement. It endeavors to unite socially marginalized individuals into a self-sustainable movement, promoting sovereignty. The mission includes facilitating movements towards self-sustainability while maintaining their autonomy as separate, established entities.