Presentation
Handicrafts
An important goal of Volontariat is employment: for adults, men and women: mothers with children, widows, abandoned women, victims of domestic violence and so on. Vocational training is provided for the young, especially those who discontinue school studies. There is rehabilitation of those handicapped by leprosy, and other disabled persons.
This employment policy is developed jointly by the social workers and the Sponsorship programme, by researching potential employers, by creating crafts units, by admitting children to study in institutions of higher education, by vocational training for technical diplomas or by way of apprenticeship.
Atelier Shanti, (Workshop of Peace, in Sanskrit) is an association affiliated to Volontariat. It is a rehabilitation centre for the disabled, which includes weaving cotton and weaving-related processes. Production (weaving, sewing, embroidery) is undertaken by cured leprosy patients, along with physically handicapped men and women and women with social handicaps.
At Shakti Vihar, there are other production or technical training units. Adolescents have the opportunity to learn a craft and exercise their talents at the following:
Liege carpentry section,
Kalai art: painting and greeting cards,
Minerva for jewelry with beads,
Tarini: sewing and tailoring clothes for crèches, KG and older children
Uyarvu: learning to cut and bind notebooks
Section Olivier is dedicated to computer classes, so that children from poor communities would also have the opportunity to learn to use computers.
Sometimes, vocational courses are organized when there is a demand from youngsters to start a course; two of these are Vidou: theoretical and practical industrial design applied to construction, and Minnal: training for electricians. After the training, they had good results in terms of employment, but for the last year, Volontariat has not been able to motivate the adolescents to pursue courses in these technical fields. This matter is under study.
