To begin with we may state that altruism, idealism and a spirit of service exists among many in the world and therefore there are those who are motivated to do good. Such people are helping to assemble the financial and material help necessary to make the efforts of the society possible. We have learnt that if this latent spirit of service is tapped, it can be used for good purpose. |
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PYDS became a registered Indian Society with Charity as its main mission in 2003. Until then it had functioned under another banner. The society receives no funding from the government and sustains its work on donations from individuals and businesses. We do not have any steady income stream that can support our day-to-day expenses. We are depending entirely on charity. A Governing Board composed of nine members (increased from seven in 2007) provides direction to the society. The Society’s day-to-day management is in the hands of the Secretary and a Secretariat, led by GK Swamy, whose position is entirely voluntary. The Secretariat, which had only two assistants in 2005, became three in 2006 and in 2008 |
Board Meeting In Progress |
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are five in number.Staff are....qualified and dedicated to the cause. During 2008, two volunteers, one from U.K. and another from the U.S. served the Society. |
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Soon after, registration exemption from the Income Tax office was obtained and also approval under Section 80(g) for donations received by it. In 2006, the Society obtained approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI as an entity recognized under the FCRA Act which allowed the society to receive international donations. In 2008, a Charitable Trust was registered in the USA called the Youth Development Society that provides donors in the USA Tax Exemption on donations made to our cause. In the same year a new account known as ‘Friends of PYDS’ was opened in the U.K. to enable the collection of donations. |
Our Small Secretariat |
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There are over 7 staff and 12 teachers employed to manage the operations and run the programs (2008). The society runs on a small budget and makes various attempts to avoid waste and limit expenses. The majority of office equipment, desks, computers and furniture have been donated to the society.
The Stree Shakti Division had a Supervisor appointed in 2006 (trained at the instance of the Society at a School Of Design and Technology in 2005 for a year). Another lady from the village was... sent to the same training center in 2007 and began work as a supervisor in 2008. A Designer joined the Society in 2007 who helps Mrs. Swamy in the design of new products and quality control. |
Group of Our Teachers |
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The women of Stree Shakti formed themselves into ‘Self Help Groups’ in October 2007 and three of them were constituted in that month. Known as Aastha, Vishwas, and Pragati, women from the group are appointed to manage their production and bank accounts. These groups save regularly and now have a ‘Fund’ that can permit inter-se lending. The Groups also manage production plans so that the overheads suffered by the Groups together are easily met. In July 2008 a fourth Group called ’Unnathi’ was formed. Currently (August 2008) at least 15 women are working outside the Self-Help Groups selling their production to them for marketing. They will form into new SHGs when they identify among themselves homogeneity. |
A Stree Shakti Self Help Group |
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We have Volunteer helping us |
Donors, Our sheet anchor visiting us |
Subordinate Staff |
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