Who we are - History and Background: SRED

Society for Rural Education and Development [ SRED] was founded in the year 1979 to be with the voices of landless Dalit and Tribal women. The work started in villages of present Ranipettai district, Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts working with issues of violence against women, landless Dalit and tribal women, getting entitlements, skill trainings,life skill trainings, education for children, education on sexual and reproductive health Rights, issues of Mathamma women who are dedicated to temple, feminist movement building and advocacy.

The organization grew and evolved a clear vision of social justice for Dalit and Tribal women. It has a woman headed board with women members.

The present important strategies have been mobilizing grass root Dalit and tribal women, training on agroecology, claiming land rights, legal literacy, Education on Dalit Human Rights, Education on Women Human Rights, Promoting Dalit and Tribal women to participate in local governance structures, feminist movement building, forming Dalit women farmer collectives, researching, organizing consultative processes, networking, initiating solidarity action , advocacy ,disaster response and housing for tribal communities. SRED networks with Women's Rights ,Human Rights , Dalit Rights and Women Farmers' organizations at the local, state, national, regional and at the international levels. SRED contributes significantly to the UN processes and various policy processes at the state, national and international levels on issues of caste discrimination, gender inequality, Land Rights and Food Sovereignty.

SRED has facilitated Rural Women’s Liberation Movement which is a network of women’s groups from villages of Ranipettai, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu state and the movement includes sex workers, unorganized women labourers and Mathamma women who are dedicated to temple. SRED has facilitated Tamil Nadu Women’s Forum which is a state level movement to address the issues of gender, violence against women and for campaigning on various issues of women. SRED facilitates a state level movement called “Tamil Nadu Dalit Women’s Movement” which addresses the issues of Dalit women and carries out advocacy. SRED has been facilitating “Tamil Nadu Federation for Women farmers’ Rights” a state level platform which carries out research and advocacy on issues of women farmers. SRED has promoted movements of unorganized workers among quarry workers, Brick lin workers and bullock cart workers.

SRED is associated with following networks.

Makkam – Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch which is a national organization for women farmers.

• CAWI-Coalition of Agricultural Workers International

• CSIPM – Civil Society Indigenous People Mechanism

• Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PAN AP)

• Asia Pacific Forum on Women Law and Development (APWLD)

• Asian Rural Women Coalition (ARWC)

• International Movement Against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)

• APRN-Asia Pacific Research Network

• APC-Asian Peasant Coalition

• PCFS –People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty

The vision has been made possible through the great partnership from

Our Communities and Movements

• EV.Krichamend, Germany

• Urgent Action Fund, USA

• Global Fund for Women, USA

•  Women’s Fund Asia, Srilanka

• Agroecology Fund

• Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific,(PANAP) Malaysia

• Asia Pacific Forum For on Women Law and Development (APWLD) Thailand

• International Movement Against all Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), Srilanka

• Action Aid Association, India

• Bread for the World, Germany