The United Nations’ 2017 Sustainable Development Goals stand at the root of each and every of our actions and values.
SDG1 : No Poverty
VCDS actively works for the economic empowerment of Dalit people, destitue women, widows, single mothers, rural farmers and children from marginalized communities. We support long-term projects aiming at fostering sustainable economic changes.
For example, we’ve been working with more than 5,000 women in our Navajyothi Tailoring Center since 1980, providing practical training to enable women to access employment opportunities, start small businesses and generate sustainable incomes which will benefit their whole family.
We also run a programme on supporting rural girls and boys technical education in our St. Xavier’s Industrial Training Center, which provides government-certified education on dress making, embroidery, needlework, computer technology and system maintenance.
SDG2 : Zero Hunger
VCDS has been fighting hunger and starvation since its early beginning in 1980. During the COVID-19 pandemic, VCDS was involved in the provision of food and dry rations for children and families affected in Tamil Nadu, which boosted their resilience and immunity against the disease.
Another project against hunger is our Farmers’ Cycle Based Training Program, aiming at strengthening sustainable agriculture, food security and economic resilience among small and marginal farmers. We support practical field-based training, promote organic farming methods and collective actions through farmers’ federations.
We are developing a program to provide nutrition-dense and healthy snacks to our students from NFED schools, who often don’t eat between lunch at school and dinner at home. A visible and urgent consequence is chronic child malnutrition: more than 37% of Indian children under five are malnourished, affecting their health, ability to learn and thus future life chances. Providing a healthy and nutritional snack to the children would enhance their classroom performance, focus, energy and participation.
SDG3 : Good Health and Well-being
Good health and well being is part of our top priorities. On September 9th of 2022, World First Aid Day was held at the non-formal schools. We organized an awareness seminar, where doctors and health inspectors gave awareness speeches.
Our Farmer’s Cycle Based Training Program where we actively support healthy, organic and sustainable food production for small and marginal farmers of Tamil Nadu answers this objective. There, most agricultural jobs are performed by women, so we offer awareness training and guidance for their health and safety as they are highly exposed to chemicals during their farm work.
In 2025, we also organized an Eye Health Support Program and provided vision screening activities for children and teachers attending our non-formal schools. Following the screenings, corrective glasses worth approximately INR 100,000 were distributed to beneficiaries requiring visual support, helping improve educational participation and daily well-being.
SDG4 : Quality Education
Quality education is also part of our top goals in VCDs.
In the Villupuram area, many children from migrant, destitute, marginalized, and economically disadvantaged families do not have access to proper support system to ensure a continuous learning process, and are thus at risk of dropping out of school. To address this issue, VCDS has established and currently operates twelve non-formal schools. These schools provide two hours of instruction each day, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., six days a week. The programme aims to improve the quality of basic education, reduce school dropout rates, bridge learning gaps, promote children’s participatory rights, and contribute to social transformation and community development. Approximately 550 children benefit from these schools each year.
Moreover, our St. Xavier’s Industrial Training center supports rural girls and boys technical education by providing government-certified trainings on dress making, embroidery, needlework, computer technology and system maintenance.
SDG5 : Gender Equality
As we focus our work on women, either destitute, widows or from marginalized communities, gender equality is at the root of our values.
In our non-formal school, we mostly employ women to be teachers. It provides them with an additional and secure revenue, a decent job to help them support themselves and contribute to their economic and social empowerment.
Moreover, our Navajyothi Tailoring Center, providing practical training for women, is also about supporting employment opportunities, small businesses and sustainable incomes which will benefit their whole family.
SDG6 : Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG8 : Decent Work and Economic Growth
As we’re engaged in the fight against no poverty and gender equality on sustainable purposes, the provision of decent work and the support for economic growth is a pillar of our activities. actively work for the provision of decent and secure jobs while employing mostly women in our non-formal schools, and conducting vocational trainings for youth and women in our Navajyothi Tailoring Center and St. Xavier’s Industrial Training center.
SDG10 : Reduced Inequalities
One of the main goals of VCDS is to fight for equality, justice and social reform mainly for Dalit people, women, and destitute people. The organization is challenging the deeply entrenched caste hierarchies in the state. VCDS is addressing social inequalities with their NFED schools, offering good level education to children from Dalit, migrant, destitute, marginalized, and economically disadvantaged families. This empowerment also the main goal of the Farmer’s Cycle Based Training Programme, as VCDS helps small and marginal farmers gain independance and rise beyond economic oppression. Finally, VCDS enables women from marginalized communities with limited access to employment to fight for gender equality by supporting employment opportunities with our Navajyothi Tailoring Center . VCDS plays a crucial role in promoting long-term change by empowering people facing systemic discriminations.
SDG12 : Responsible Consumption and Production
As all of our activities, responsible consumption and production is deeply rooted in our actions.
While VCDS is used to welcome local and international students and scholars for project studies and researches, we were engaged in 2017 in the maintenance and upgrade of facilities of our centers. Through our Responsible Tourism Program, we shared about the need to conserve and strengthen the
environment and society, and helped raising awareness on the need to hold responsibility to conserve nature and humanity.
Mostly, it’s our Farmer’s Cycle Based Training Programme which falls under this SDG. By fostering green and environment-friendly production and consumption, we train farmers’ on production not at the cost of the environment, but by protecting it on the long-term.
SDG13 : Climate Action
VCDS is strongly engaged in sustainable development as we think that climate action is one of the main priorities incombing to social organizations. In our Farmer’s Cycle Based Training Programme, the sustainable production of compost and herbal pesticide are thought, as well as traditional agricultural techniques, such as green manuring or rain water harvesting.
SDG17 : Partnerships for the Goals
Overall, each and every project we run wouldn’t be possible without our numerous partners at every scale. Individuals, communities, organisations support us while we’re supporting them in return. It falls under our vision of sustainable and long-term development, which is by nature a shared task of everyone.