Opened in 2018, the Training & Development Center (TDC) in Chennai initially welcomed young women and men aged 17 to 24. Located at the heart of the Kannagi Nagar neighbourhood, 1 hour south of Chennai, the center is close to the community to better identify its challenges and needs.
In 2020, following the COVID pandemic, the center was forced to close due to restrictions. It could only reopen in March 2022, but these 2 years allowed LP4Y and the Catalysts to assess the situation in this neighbourhood and adapt the program to better fit the needs of the community.
In April 2022, LP4Y reopened the center with a program dedicated to women only. In fact, after 4 years of activities in Kannagi Nagar, it appeared that the coeducation of men and women was a major issue within the community, especially within households (jealousy, domestic violence, sexual abuse, forced and early marriages...).
By the end of 2019, only men were participating in the programs as women were no longer allowed to participate. An issue not only in terms of gender equality but also when we know that a woman invests over 80% of her salary in children's education and household functioning (compared to less than 40% for men) when she has access to employment (report "Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022" from ILO).
The conclusion was clear: to have a significant impact on the Kannagi Nagar community, LP4Y would now primarily support women.
Today, the center mainly welcomes young mothers averaging 28 years old, but also 20% of young women aged between 17 and 24. The Chennai center has its own Little Angel Academy, a daycare facility that accommodates the children (aged 6 months to 4 years old) of women participating in the LP4Y program.
Zooming in: Kannagi Nagar, Chennai, India
Kannagi Nagar carries numerous stereotypes. Largest resettlement area built in India, its population comes from various backgrounds, including fishermen who suffered displacement following the 2004 tsunami.
Today, nearly 80,000 people live in this neighbourhood, where no businesses are established, suffering from multiple factors of exclusion:
Geographical exclusion: Due to its proximity to the coast, Kannagi Nagar is regularly impacted by floods and cyclones. The community frequently finds itself cut off from the rest of the city with no access to main roads and businesses.
Medical exclusion: There is no hospital or clinic established in this neighbourhood. It takes a minimum of 45 minutes to access medical care.
Basic needs exclusion: Due to the lack of infrastructures and low water pipes, access to drinkable water is complicated and power cuts are common.
Economic exclusion: Employment opportunities are mainly limited to local shops (tea and local food vendors, tailors, beauticians). To find decent jobs, one must travel at least 30 minutes (highly dependent on traffic and available means of transportation).
A new Micro-Company for the Training & Development Center in Chennai
In this context, LP4Y's action in Kannagi Nagar has taken on its full significance in combating the socio-professional exclusion of this community. Following the innovative pedagogy deployed in all LP4Y countries, the Youth at the Kannagi Nagar center used to manage a Micro-Company, called Move 4 Change, that offered sport activities to the Youth of the community.
The outdoor area of nearly 100 square meter attached to the center, well equipped by LP4Y's various partners, was particularly suitable to organize activities such as badminton, football or yoga training, among others.
By the end of 2023, the team in Chennai saw an evolution in the profile of Youths interested to join the program and the needs of the community. An intuition confirmed by a survey ran by the Youth over 200 families living near the center.
The team decided to change the Micro-Company in Chennai from Move 4 Change to Care 4 Change. The focus is now on health, nutrition, and child care, as well as support for pregnant women. Well-being and sports remain part of the TDC Chennai DNA as yoga, dance and boxing sessions are still offered at the center outside of the professional training hours to members of the Kannagi Nagar community.
The new Micro-Company still enables young women to develop their professional and personal skills such as accounting, partnership, communication in English, and computer skills.
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