1. About Peace Trust:
Peace Trust is a non-partisan, non-political, secular and non-governmental organisation engaged in
promotingeradicationof childlabour,childrights,welfare of migrant labour, youth skill development,
protectionof environmentand awarenessof healthandhygiene.Itbelievesinsustainable development
with equitable distribution of the fruits of development and equal opportunities for all citizens.
Genesis
Peace Trust was established in 1984 at Dindigul in Tamil Nadu state. It was founded by Dr.Joseph Paul
Baskar who had been engaged in social work for several years, helping the child labourers to get
releasedfromhazardousindustrieslike tanneries and cotton mills. At present the area of operation of
the Trust spans four districts of Tamil Nadu, viz., Dindigul, Cuddalore, Chennai and Nagapattinam.
Vision
Peace Trust’s vision is to create an environment free from ignorance and exploitation through
promoting equal opportunities for vulnerable, marginalized and poor people, especially youth and
childrenandto ensure sustainable development at all levels. In order to realize the vision Peace Trust
has the followingfourkeyworkareasfocusedon children and youth for participatory implementation;
Mission
Education - Promoting the rights of the children against exploitations and abuses and enhancing their
learning through formal and alternate education and by ensuring a child-friendly society.
Skill Development – Facilitating vulnerable and poor youth for skill development and gainful
employment to improve the economic situation of the family.
Environment - Protecting the environment and help in the preservation of natural resources by
educating the community on bio-diversity conservation, climate change adaptation, minimizing the
resource-usage and on proper utilization and recycling of available resources.
The following are the relevant work experiences
Education - Peace Trust adopted a holistic approach in dealing with the menace of child labour in
leather tanning industry. Non-formal education programmes were carried out for the child labourers
and prepared these children to attend formal schools, special bridge courses were also arranged to
reenroll the childrenbacktoschool.More than8000 childlabourerswere rehabilitated over 10 years of
projectimplementation.About181 ChildLaborersof poor families drawn from 27 cotton spinning mills
inVedasandurTalukwere rehabilitatedbyoffering support for their school education and providing of
special tuition and cash incentives to the families to compensate the income lost. In Nagapattinam
district of Tamil Nadu a total of 2035 families were supported, 2310 children and 713 adults benefited

2. throughthe programmessuchas total residential care, evening tuition, open school and bridge school
programmes. The educational status of the children has improved in the selected villages of
Nagapattinam district which in turn has increased their options for employment and income.
Skill Development - Peace Trust has released and rehabilitated child laborers from hazardous
occupations,vulnerable adolescentsandyouthfromthe low income families, they were trained in skill
developmentprogramme andarrangedgainful employmenttoimprove theireconomicsituation. Peace
Industrial School in Dindigul district has been providing one year and two years formal vocational
training programmes affiliated by National Council for Vocational Training and State Council for
Vocational Training.Peace Industrial Schoolhassofar providedtechnical education to 1511 low income
youthinvarioustechnical coursesfromthe year2000 to 2015 to improve theireconomicsituation.1209
youths have got gainful employment in nearby garment factories, textile industries, computer and
browsingcenters,petrol stationsandrental shops schools (including government) etc., and 302 youths
have started their own micro and small enterprises. These technically qualified youth are currently
earningan average annual income of Rs.96,000 whichisrecurring,stable andsustainable,thereby have
improved their standard of living. Vocational Education and Employment Facilitation centre is also
offering one year vocational training courses for the under privileged youth in Velankanni,
Nagapattinam district.
Environment- Watershedprojectshave transformed8300 hectaresof dry landsfrom Ridge to Valley of
the selected watersheds. Empowered the farming community into socio-economic development
through interventions such as promotion of viable income generation activities for landless famil ies,
implementation of soil and water conservation technologies like water harvesting structures,
rehabilitation of water harvesting structures, land treatments, vegetative measures, promotion of
sustainable agriculture technologies for small and marginal farmers and introduced renewable energy
technologies. Peace Trustbeingthe Regional Resource Agency(RRA) of Ministryof Environment,Forests
and Climate Change hasbeencoordinatingthe National Environmental Awareness Campaign (NEAC) in
18 districts of South Tamil Nadu.