OTHER SOCIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES Our last six years study research and experience indicate that while Micro

INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES
One of the salient feature of SRI is the ample freedom and flexibility to the beneficiaries to choose the income generating activity they prefer according to the local socio-economic and marketing conditions.

OTHER SOCIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

Our last twelve years study, research and experience indicate that Micro-credit can be leveraged as a significant and powerful component in our comprehensive socio-economic development agenda for the poor.
Education being a vital issue, from this perspective, we are conducting free tuition service to the poor and needy children. Financial assistance and Scholarships are provided to the deserving and needy students. Besides, Students are taken on outdoor Education cum Entertainment Trips to expose them to the realities of life. Quiz context are conducted and winners are rewarded to generate awareness in the field of General Knowledge and related field. Experts in the academic field are invited to orient and motivate the students about the value based Education. Food and Feast is regularly arranged to generate communal feeling and Unity. The objectives here are to sow the seed for a civilized citizenry where everyone has a positive role to play for the socio economic development of society. We are also constantly striving hard to explore innovative avenues for the empowerment of the poor women.	Free Tuition Service provided to the deserving and desiring children.
NEW VENTURES	Women Empowerment through Computer Training

In the new millennium, in our fight against plastics and to protect our environment, we have embarked upon producing various dishes and items from Areca nut leaves to replace plastic items. The first machinery equipment has been installed and our beneficiaries have

begun producing and marketing these items. Areca nut leaves items are stable, clean, re-usable, economical and eco friendly.

Protecting the Environment

Areca-nut leave products to

substitute plastic items

A Vanitha Canteen (Women's Refreshment Stall) serving

clean food at affordable price, is owned and operated

by women beneficiaries.

SRI Vanitha Canteen-Clean

and affordable food

PROPOSED VENTURES

Subject to funding, we are contemplating to embark on the following new ventures:

i. A mobile Grocery Store is contemplated to deliver quality and affordable daily grocery items at the door step of the beneficiaries.

Project of WEDD (Women's Dairy Development).

ii. As the major income generating activity is production of milk, we are planning to embark on WEDD (Women's Empowerment through Dairy Development), Women's Milk Co-operative societies, owned and operated by them to eliminate exploiting middle men.

WEDD (Women's Empowerment

through Dairy Development)

and operated by the women

VIDEO DOCUMENTARY

Half an hour video Documentary about SRI, titled Empowerment, telecast by Indian Television is available for presentation. Recently Ministry for External Affairs, Govt of India has produced a millenium documentary, titled Steps and Strides about the Socio-economic development activities in post independent India to be exhibited at our Diplomatic Missions abroad. SRI is proud to have been selected to represent in it with a five minutes video capsule. SRI also have 25 minutes video documentary titled, Live and Let Live which can be presented to any interested audience. CNN IBN in collaboration with Reliance Industries conferred SRI the prestigious Real Heroes National Award in the field of Rural Development for its contribution to the socio economic development of the poor rural women.

VISIT BY DELEGATION FROM AIIA (Australian Institute of International Affairs) and IFA (India's Friends Association)

Delegates from AIIA (Australian Institute of International Affairs) visited our Cherthala Branch to acquaint and evaluate our micro credit and poverty alleviation efforts. Professional U.S. Team led by Dr. Prithvi R. Sharma visited SRI Head Office, Branches and field. They were very much impressed by our poverty alleviation efforts. Two Students scholars from U.S. visited as part of their research program.

Dr. Shashi Tharoor, former U. N. Under Secretary General & and an established writer, has devoted one complete chapter on SRI's contribution to the socio-economic development of the poor rural women in his recently published book, his Reflections on India, titled, The Elephant, The Tiger & The Cellphone (Penguin/Viking Publication). It is in Chapter 12, Page 37-39, Heroines of Rural Development.