SELVA Trust has been working with the community in several platforms since 1997. The Managing Trustee, Ms. R Vasuki is an active and enthusiastic social worker and is a pillar of strength for the entire village and its neighbourhood. People approach her for any of their problems and she provides solutions or at least directs them to the right place for solution.

SELVA Trust worked in Nagapattinam during Tsunami rehabilitation. They found a unique solution to the problem faced by women from the fishermen community. They were unable to get any space in the market or seashore to sell their fish. The men managed to occupy all prime slots. They trained 200 women to ride bicycles. The bicycles were supported by the project donor. With the help of these bicycles, the women rode directly to the villages/hamlets for door-to-door sale of fish. The women still use the bicycles to carry on their sale.

Profile of the Chief Functionary

Ms. Vasuki, the chief facilitator of this organization, had worked with an NGO in Pudukottai district from 1992 to 1996. She is a grassroots social worker and women activist who, along with like-minded women social workers and grassroots group leaders, established SELVA TRUST in 1996, registered under the Indian Trusts Act of 1882 on December 31, 1996.

An experienced social worker, Ms. Vasuki has worked with leading NGOs in Pudukottai district as a Coordinator for 6 years, gaining experience in mobilizing women, encouraging small savings, internal lending, and building the capacities of women at the grassroots level. She has undergone training in women's empowerment, sustainable agriculture, and alternative livelihoods for poor households.

Her extensive experience includes working with the Total Literacy Movement in Pudukottai since her school days. She has facilitated the formation of 120 women self-help groups, 6 men's self-help groups, and 6 special SHGs for the disabled in the Kothamangalam area, Alangudi Taluk, Pudukkottai district.

Ms. Vasuki has been instrumental in relief and rehabilitation activities among fishing communities, particularly supporting women fish vendors in Kodiyakarai. Her training includes a 10-day program with NATURE TRUST on herbals and medicinal plants, participation in an HIV/AIDS International Conference in 1993, and various workshops on project proposal writing and capacity building.

For the past 7 years, she has been facilitating a network to address the exploitation of girls and women under the Sumangali scheme in Pudukkottai district in partnership with the Center for World Solidarity, Secunderabad.

In Pudukkottai, SELVA Trust has been working with single women for the past 18 years, providing them with training and seed money to start small enterprises and earn their livelihood with dignity.