COLONY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The Colony Development Unit consists of professional social workers who work in the colonies and
nearby areas for the welfare of leprosy-affected families. The unit functions in the northern and
southern districts of Tamil Nadu
The primary activities carried out by the Colony Development Unit are
-
Revolving grants for businesses for sustainable income
-
Perpetual Educational Grants (PEG)
-
Colony development activities (such as clean water and sanitation projects, and social welfare)
Revolving Grants for Businesses for Sustainable Income
​
Business Grants are issued to Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Welfare Committees (WC) that we have organized in the leprosy colonies. These grants aim to empower residents to live a dignified life through income-generating activities. The grant is given to the groups who decide on disbursement. Any beneficiaries repay the money to their respective groups within ten months, and then the money is free to be used by the group again. Often the upfront costs needed by beneficiaries are too great to pay all at once. These revolving grants, with no interest, thus allow beneficiaries to make larger one-time payments to get started with, for example, a new business, and then lets them repay that initial investment over the next ten months.
Once all the SHG or WC members complete their first grant, they again revolve the money among themselves a second or third time for their socio and economic welfare purposes, such as paying fees for a child’s education, renovating houses, running a grocery shop, etc. So far, we have 26 colonies that have received the grants and are successfully running the groups. Revolving monthly reports of 33 groups are regularly monitored and documented by our Colony Development team.​
PEG Program
In September 2012, Rising Star Outreach of India launched a new program called the Perpetual Educational Grant (PEG) program. The idea is similar to our revolving business grants, where an initial needed sum is provided to a family who then slowly pays it back over the course of the year, interest-free. This method helps a family meet upfront costs related to their child's education in local schools, such as for books and uniforms, which would be too expensive for the family to afford at all once with their meager daily wages. One hundred sixty-eight children were initially enrolled, coming from twelve colonies. Each family received a PEG grant, altogether totaling INR 8,10,000. The beneficiaries repaid the money during the next ten months to the State Leprosy/Differently Abled Persons Society or to the Welfare Committees (who help us to manage the grants). This money was then reissued for the next academic year. This program has proved highly successful.
Colony Development Activities
The Colony Development Unit assesses the complete needs of each person in the leprosy colony. Those needs are prioritized based on the people's needs and the colony's benefit. The program is structured so that the program benefits the entire colony. Projects include things as varied as installing clean water or toilets in a colony to help with health and sanitation or providing help in more of a social work capacity. For example, the Colony Development Unit determined that the parents of baby Jacklin, in the Vandalur Colony, needed guidance and assistance in obtaining a Differently Abled Certificate for her and in registering for other government assistance. We were able to provide that guidance and help them get those government benefits to help their child, which also helped the parents in their ability to care for her. Thus this unit provides multi-faceted services to more personally help these people in meaningful ways.