1. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 1 Project Freedom (Pallavakam Village) Funding Proposal to support vocational opportunities

2. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 2 Contents Introduction to Project Freedom History & Motivation Budget Proposal to support employment generation –Brick Chamber –Recycling paper mill Q & A

3. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 3 Introduction Bonded labor, a clandestine activity that has been extensively used in rice mills 10,000 bonded laborers working in Rice Mills across Thiruvallur dist. Asha, along with Sidamma,started working on this project since Oct’04 300 families have been rescued since Purpose: rescuing and rehabilitating bonded laborers

4. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 4 History Sidamma has been involved with the Irula community since the 1990s Irula-A tribe, mainly found in TamilNadu, with its hereditary occupation being snake and rat catching Irulas are illiterate and have been exploited and oppressed for centuries Sidamma setup Sarpams to help Irulas fight for their rights and freedom A lot of progress has been made so far-setting up of schools, providing education to children

5. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 5 Motivation Thousands of Irulas are used as bonded laborers in rice mills Debt bondage, modern day slavery is internationally banned by UN and outlawed by the Indian govt. But such laws rarely get enforced in the state The Irulas were forced to work for 19hours and were paid Rs0.79/hr($.02/hr) Legal Min. wage – Rs10/hr($.25/hr) Pay - one portion goes to repay debt and the remaining portion to cover room and board. At the same time the loan accrues interest at an exorbitant rate Creates a vicious cycle of bonded servitude

6. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 6 Motivation Contd.. Working conditions in rice mills are deplorable: –Confined to the rice mill premises –No medical or emergency support –No sanitation facilities –Forced to work 19 hours without any breaks –No holidays –No formal account of remaining debt –Women workers were sexually abused and forced to work till delivery and soon after childbirth –Children of families were also forced to work in the rice mills

7. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 7 Motivation Contd Some of the bonded laborers escaped and approached Sidamma for help Sidamma approached local authorities for assistance, but the local authorities were supporters of the rice mill owners In Sept 2004,Sidamma and other activists along with escaped bonded laborers staged a demonstration against the inhuman workplace conditions National Commission for Women also participated in the protest and urged immediate action by the govt The rally received extensive media coverage around the nation and a public hearing followed suit to document the observations

8. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 8 Motivation Contd Govt finally intervened and helped release the families living in bonded labor Govt also provided land and shelter to the freed families The working conditions inside the rice mills became more humane, safe, respectable and minimum wages were paid to the workers 300 families have been rescued so far Other bonded laborers are being identified and rescued Debt bondage is still very prevalent and there is no exact count of the number of bonded laborers

9. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 9 Rehabilitation Proposal Critical to support the released bonded laborers to help them adjust to the life outside of rice mills Children education centers have been setup and running to provide basic education Some of the bonded laborers have moved to their villages and the rest are in S.K.Nagar Food and shelter in S.K.Nagar provided by Bharathi Trust Independence and empowerment of the released bonded laborers requires employment opportunities to the freed laborers

10. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 10 Rehabilitation Proposal Two employment generation options : –Brick Chamber - Support 100 families - 1 male member per family will be employed - Nature of work should fit well with men -Recycling Paper Mill -Support 40 families -Employs 40 women -Work is physically not so demanding

11. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 11 Funding proposal to setup a Brick Chamber MaterialsUnitCost per UnitAmount in Rupees Brick3,75,000Rs 5/-18,75,000 Cement100 bagsRs 240/-24,000 Clay Soil10 loadsRs 1500/-15,000 Half Bricks(broken)20 loadsRs 200/-4,000 Chimney1,00,000 Labor Cost2,00,000 Total22,18,000 Materials Required:

12. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 12 Brick Chamber Contd ItemCost in Rs Electricity Connection 50,000 Warehouse50,000 Fire Wood40,000 Transportation50,000 Others10,000 Clay Soil50,000 F.T Clerk48,000 Total2,98,000 Capital Investment ItemNum of units/Amount in Rs Total capacity of production 3,30,000 bricks/ half yr Profit per brickRs 5/- Total profit3,30,000 * 2 * 5 = Rs 33,00,000 Production and Profits Note: Cost of manufacturing one brick is Rs.1 and it is sold for Rs 6. Net profit Rs 5/-.

13. Asha-Austin 03/02/2008 13 Funding proposal to setup a Recycling Paper Mill ItemCost in Rs Land (1/2 acre provided by govt)1,00,000 Building(1500 sqft) and 200 sqft empty8,00,000 Electricity(40 HP connection)50,000 Power Capacity25,000 Machinery and Motors7,50,000 Electrification1,00,000 Erection(Civil work & Cement tank)75,000 Erection in mechanical work50,000 Working capital (one month labor + power expense + raw material) 2,00,000 Training40,000 Total20,90,000 Budget : Current plan: Employ 40 women to work in the mill with a base salary of Rs.2000/Month Salaries of workers : 2000 * 40 * 12 = Rs 9,60,000 / year