Vijayapuram Social Service Society (VSSS) is the physical manifestation of the Social Concern of the Diocese of Vijayapuram. The concern of the diocese in this respect is the promotion of the wholeness of the human person, the human community, and the cosmos.
Establishment of a society vibrant with the values of Justice, Peace, Love and Self reliance.
Total development of the poor and the marginalized through empowerment towards a life of self reliance, human dignity, confidence and complete harmony with nature.
Vijayapuram Social Service Society (VSSS) is the official organ of the Diocese of Vijayapuram for socio-economic and educational development interventions. It was established and registered as S.No.36/61 under Travancore Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act of 1955 in the year 1961. The operational area of the Society consists of highlands, undulating midlands and the low lands in the State of Kerala. The organization is working for the integral development of the poor and the marginalized people in the operational area for the last 47 years. The organization offered itself in organizing the rural poor to work for sustainable development of the entire community. The programme was started with the wholehearted support received from MISEREOR Germany
We are currently in the age of “Participation”. For the past few years VSSS has continuously sought and experimented with alternative solutions to the poverty that is endemic in our target population. This search has resulted in periodic emergence of new strategies that have greatly influenced our thinking and practice. The major strategies that predominated and received widespread support were “Community Development”, “Integrated Rural Development” But our search continued for more relevant strategies. The present strategy we follow is “Participation” as a major new force in development thinking. We always promote inclusion of human resources in development efforts. We have also promoted Participation as more linked to tackling the structural causes of people’s poverty rather than as yet another input into development project. People are poor because they are excluded and have little influence upon forces, which affect their livelihoods. Participation therefore, is viewed as a process whereby such people seek to have some influence and to gain access to the resources, which would help them sustain and improve their living standards. This process has helped us to give our attention to those who had never appeared on our files.
As an organization VSSS is now firmly established among the people as a catalyst for change. Its knowledge base, economic resources and personnel resources are deployed in the process of people-centred development.
| Sl. No. | Name of Industry Unit | Activity Particulars |
| 1 | Fathima Matha Physiotherapy and Skin Care Unit, Nagampadom | Provides health service and helps in the medical camps |
| 2 | Holy Cross Dispensary, Mannakanadu | Provides community health services |
| 3 | Holy Cross School for Mentally Challenged, Mannackanadu | Provides special education and counseling services to the needy |
| 4 | Holy Cross Tailoring Centre, Mannackanadu | Provides embroidery training and takes uo piece works and marketing |
| 5 | Holy Cross Tailoring Centre, Vettimukal | Provides training in tailoring, embroidery, and cut work |
| 6 | Nirmala Social Institute, Kanjikuzhi, Kottayam | Provides training in tailoring, embroidery and cut work |
| 7 | Sevanalaya Rural Health Centre, Pambanar | Provides medical service for poor |
| 8 | Sevna Sadanam Andoor | Scoobee bags are produces here and training in tailoring is given |
| 9 | Snehalaya Dispensary, Cheenthalar | Provides health services |
| 10 | St. Joseph’s Automobile Workshop. Nagampadom | Runs properly and renders training to youth |
| 11 | St. Joseph’s I.T.C Nagampadom | N.C.V.T Diseel Mechanic, Automobile servicing and NORA-ROOTS |
| 12 | Thejus Animation Centre, Kuttikanam | This unit is beng used effectively for several ongoing programmes of the VSSS and other local Institutions. |
| 13 | V.S.S.S Marketing Centre, Nagampadom | A mini market hub of rural products of SHG’s |
| 14 | V.S.S.S Mini Industrial Unit, Idukki | Cook-mare curry powder is produced here |
| 15 | V.S.S.S Pre-primary Teachers Training School, Santhipuram, Nagampadom | Imparts training to teachers. Five nuns and one lady teacher work in the centre |
| His Excellency Rt.Rev.Dr.Sebastian Theklethecheril DCL Bishop of Vijayapuram Diocese |
Trustee |
| Very Rev. Msgr. Justin Madathiparambil Vicar General of the Diocese of Vijayapuram |
President |
| Mr. Jose P Chacko | Vice President |
| Rev. Fr. Dennis Joseph Kannamalil MCL | Executive Director |
| Rev. Fr. Felix Devasia Puratheparambil | Assistant Director |
| Fr.ShintoThomas Veleeparambil | Munnar Regional Director |
| Sri. Shibu Antony Arayasseril | Member |
| Ms. Juliet Tomy | Member |
| Rev. Sr. Jenin CSST | Member |
| Kottayam Regional Office (MIST) | |
| Rev. Fr. Dennis Joseph Kannamalil | Executive Director |
| Rev.Fr.Felix Devasia Puratheparambil | Assistant Director |
| Mr.Thomas William | Administrative Officer |
| Mr. K.P. John | Project Officer |
| Mr. Rajesh K.A. | Accounts Officer |
| Sr.Susan | CDO WE SHARE Programmes | Mr. Sebastian Mattathil | CDO, Balavedi & Yuvavedi |
| Mr. Michael De Cruz | CDO, Education |
| Ms. Moncy Babu | PSO, WE SHARE |
| Ms. Prameela George | PSO, Health & Micro LIC |
| Ms. Sonia | CDO, CBO |
| Ms.Stephy Maria Jose | Documentation Officer |
| Mr.Mathew Joseph M. | Coordinator Childline |
| Ms.Bindhu Varghese | Counselor Childline |
| Mr. Renjith Thomas | Team Member, Childline |
| Mr.Sajan | Team Member Childline |
| Mr.Renjith | Team Member Childline |
| Ms.Jancy Raju | Team Member Childline |
| Mr.Shinchu | Team Member Childline |
| Shibil | Team Member Childline |
| Ms.Bimimol | Team Member,Childline |
| Ms.Manju Gopinathan | Volunteer Childline |
| Mr.Jayesh P.A. | Office Boy |
| Ms. Babykutty Reji | Office Supporter |
| Munnar Regional Office (MIST) | |
| Rev.Fr.Shinto Thomas Veleeparambil | Regional Director |
| Rev. Fr. Vijosh Mulloor | Associate Director |
| Rev.Fr.Joseph Nelson | Associate Director | Mr.Jayaseelan P. | Project Officer |
| Ms.Cini Santhosh | Accounts Officer |
| Sr.Deepthi DIH | CDO |
| Sr.Mary Jasmin DIH | CDO |
| Mr. Francis D | Cashier |
| Mr.Gnanadas | Office Assistant |
| Kottayam | Mrs. Jolly Babu |
| Pattithanam | Mrs. Lissy Jose |
| Thiruvalla | Mrs. Annamma Peter |
| Mundakkayam | Mrs. Mariyamma Mamachan |
| Pambanar | Mr. Sabumon VJ |
| Munnar | Mr. John S Edwin |
This is a programme designed by the former Secretary Rev.Dr.Sebastian Thekkethecheril with support of some of his friends in USA. The programme is coordinated in USA by Mrs. Kathy Rennie.
The programme envisions future of schooling for the children of marginalized families. Ever since the Launching of the programme in Vijayapuram the Agency supports for future higher education of the children, for which Bank Account is opened in the name of the children and the financial support they give is deposited in the account. The amount is withdrawn and utilized for their higher and professional education after 12th Standard. The agency supports a Centre of Excellence in cheenthalar, where quality education is ensured for the ordinary students.ACSI’s mission is to advance the strategic growth, influence and the effectiveness of schooling of the marginalized through the stewardship of resources. They believe that education a most effective tool for building the future community and the nation
Save A Family Plan (SAFP), an NGO committed to sustainable development and founded in 1965 dedicated itself to the empowerment of the marginalized poor in India irrespective of their caste, creed, gender or political affiliations. The insight and charism of SAFP’s Founder – Msgr. Augustine Kandathil is the corner stone of their interventions among the marginalized. SAFP stands for sustainable family and community development by addressing the basic individual and community needs of the poor such as food, shelter, employment, sanitation etc and ensuring social security, economic sustainability, environmental conservation and gender equity. Over the years it has helped more than 200,000 families in India through various programs and has been actively involving itself in promoting community initiatives and community organizations. The present focus and priority of SAFP is strengthening the systems and structures that could ensure effective participation, empowerment and decentralization.
Our intervention in this area envisages economic rehabilitation of the handicapped by providing fund support and technical assistance for launching micro enterprises of income generation. REHASWISS Switzerland extends financial support for the programme.
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. In the V S S S ( vijayapuram social service society )Health sector work to promote effective health education program in balavedi and community that offer children, families and youth. Through this health sector advocating for state wide health programs for children, youth and families in this the members serve on various part that address mental health, physical health and social health. Our health sector support to bring together concerned people, agencies, and organization to address the need of the people and assist them in establishing healthy behavior develop promote and implement healthy lifestyles programs
Major Activities
a) Medical camps
Societies intervention are lead us to conduct medical camp in our operational areas because of the out break of communicable disease or seasonal disease environmental disease lifestyle disease.
Take action against outbreak of communicable disease and to provide healthy people to the community
To provide medical service and consultation to the people at their door step
To provide quality medicine vitamins etc
To increase awareness of basic hygiene and preventive health care
To improve relationships between the community and public sector
To increase awareness of basics rights
b) Health Seminars
To provide health awareness and to taught them how to prevent communicable disease . The seminar helps to identify the prominent physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional factors that affect the total health and provide the necessary tools and resources to help and achieve optimal health. This seminar is intend primarily for educational purpose its goal is to participants understand how to achieve health and wholeness in body, soul and sprit
Healthy children leads the community healthy
To provide health awareness and to taught them how to prevent communicable disease
To taught them about the importance oral hygiene
To increase the awareness of basic hygiene and preventive health care
c) Local Initiative Camps
Local Initiative Camps are conducted to make awareness among the general public about the various communicable and other diseases and to make them to take needed precautions and practice healthy habits
Healthy people are the back bone of the community, awareness is the best weapon against blood pressure and diabetic
Aware the people about how to maintain good health? what are the risk of hyper tension and diabetics ? How to control it ? Give the hypertensive & diabetics patients to a diet chart
To diagnose the people blood pressure and diabetic
To provide treatment and quality medicine
To aware them what are the importance of regular check up
To teach them about the importance of daily exercise
d) My health
Two volunteers are selected from each parish as ‘health volunteers. Proper training are given for them in the presence of a doctor and health supporter. These volunteers provide Needed medical services in rural and remote areas
Provide health care facility in their door step
Provide medical services in local areas.
We always strive to extend support and service on times of emergencies as Natural Calamities, Flood, Land Slide, Accidents etc. The areas of our focus at such situations are water supply, sanitation, food security and nutrition, shelter, settlement, clothing, especially warm clothes, health action etc.
We uphold certain standards and philosophy that help to improve the quality of our interventions for disaster response. Those affected by disaster have a right to life with dignity and hence a right to assistance. All possible steps are taken to alleviate human suffering arising out of disaster. The inclusion of the affected population in the consultative process lies at the heart of our philosophy.
Natural Resource Management is a vital area, where rural and even some urban communities still depend directly on surrounding natural resources and access to forests, to sources of water, to pastures and fields is crucial both for lives and livelihoods in the community. Our focus areas in NRM issues cover a multi-sectoral linkages. Among major ongoing projects, a large, multi-disciplinary project of watershed development programmes aiming to understand the long-term social and environmental impacts
Natural Resource Management envisages to promote broad-based rural economic growth, access to clean drinking water, sanitation and energy, as well as the conservation of natural resources and the protection of biodiversity.
Land, water and biomass are the resource trinity, which comes under the purview of NRM. In the present development scenario the NRM concept has become more relevant and key area of intervention. The unexasperated human engineering are adversely affecting our environment accelerating species loss. Therefore, we engage in restoration of natural resources. Care for the environment is ultimately a call to respect all of creation and to assure that human activity, while transforming the earth, does not destroy the dynamic balance which exists among all living things that depend on turn on land, air and water for their every existence.
VSSS has an organized way of implementing livelihood promotion programmes among the marginalized communities who are poorly educated and with less life coping skills. SHGs are the basic units through which such programmes are promoted. VSSS is selective in financing IGPs and the financing is in the form of loans and subsidies. IGPs essentially must be feasible and viable. The livelihood sector also includes agriculture and animal husbandry. The present programmes in the agricultural sector are nutrition gardening, promotion of paddy cultivation and promotion of tuber cultivation aiming at food security of the community rather than income generation. Entrepreneurship Development Trainings is considered important, because the attitude as well as the aptitude of the entrepreneur need to be assessed and if necessary developed. VSSS took effective linkage with PMRY schemes of the government in the livelihood promotion. Micro Life Insurance is also promoted as means of livelihood promotion.
The future of our people very much depends on what is being taught in universities, schools and in the classrooms. It is from there that the young minds are moulded to look into the self, to discern the purpose and the meanings of her/his creation and to contribute whatever way possible to the communities. Education is not one among the other things. It is the prime area to concentrate for a liberated life of human kind. Therefore, we invest a lion portion of our time, energy, expertise and money in the field of education, through Tuition Centres, Study Centres and Resource Centres. This is one of the major shifts in our operationalization of the Sponsorship Programme supported by PARTAGE.
Gender development programme
We distinguish the differences between women and men as biological and socially constructed. Gender refers to those differences between women and men that are socially constructed in contrast to biological differences between them. Gendered socialization attributes different roles and responsibilities to women/men and boys/girls. Gender differences have been built up and reinforced by socio-cultural and economic institutions over time perpetuating discriminatory belief systems and attitudes, imbalanced positioning and inequalities among women and men.
Women and men play different roles and have different needs. A gender perspective helps to integrate and consider women’s and men’s diverse roles, responsibilities and opportunities in developmental and political processes. Gender equality implies that women and men have same opportunities to realize their potential and human rights and enjoy equal status. Gender mainstreaming is to initiate and institutionalize processes that will bring about gender equality.
VSSS has prioritized Gender as a cross cutting theme for all interventions. The Society has developed a Gender Policy to be adhered to in future in all its initiatives. Gender mainstreaming is a thrust area to be considered in the organizational culture and programmes. It has to develop as a focus area in capacity building, empowerment. A process has to be initiated for introducing gender audit in all programmes.
Childline is a project in which VSSS operates in collaboration with Central Government. Childline Indian Foundation (CIF) is the central nodal agency for the replication of the CHILDLINE services. It was established on 28th May 1999 and registered under the Society Registration Act of 1960 and the Bombay Public Trust Act of 1890.
The Programme Integrated Development through Empowerment and Action is introduced with a view of initiating the integrated development approach by strengthening the structures and systems within the Diocesan Social Service Society. It envisages bringing together DSS/Congregations/and like-minded organizations on a common platform. It focuses on Integrated Approach to Development instead of piecemeal Approach – Perspective, Programme, Achievements. VSSS supports and facilitates this perspective and assists in realizing the Objectives related to this Perspective. A Structure, (CDC). Plans, Monitors and Directs the achievement of the goals
Work on an accepted Diocesan Development Perspective avoiding duplications aiming at integrated development.
1. Integrate the identified Thrust Areas into the Programme.
2. Integrating all the Programmes implemented by DSSS.
3. Organization Development of DSSS for the Integrated Approach.
4. Facilitating the formation and functioning of Core Development Cell for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of Programme.
1.Education
2.Health
3.Gender
4 Natural Resource Management
5.Livelihood Promotion
6.Development of Dalits, Tribals and Fisherfolk
1. Concept Dessimnation.
2. Organizational Development Review Process.
3. Identification of Issues and Gaps – Data Collection and Process Analysis
4. Diocesan Perspective Plans Formulation
5. Orientation for DSSS, Diocesan Organizations and Ministries.
6. Set up Separate Department at DSSS for IDEA.
7. The Co-ordinators of IDEA Programme trained on LFA/RBM.
8. Regular Review meeting
9. Documentation – Data Collection, Case studies, Audio Visual documentation, Best Practices.
10. Build up the capacity of the DSSS to take up this Role of bringing about Integration at the Diocesan
11. Ensure Sustainability by:
Establish linkages with PRI for Government Schemes.
Placing trained leaders in PRI.
Setting up local organizations to create and manage local revolving funds.
Establishing second and third level leadership Regular capacity building.
Self Help Groups are groups of people bound by mutual trust, respect and affection who support one another and amongst whom exploitative relationships do not exist. It is a small, generally homogenous, group whose members use savings, credit and social involvement as instruments of empowerment.
The crux of participatory mode of development is community empowerment. This is achieved best through building up of People’s Organizations by which the bargaining capacity of the people would be enhanced. Self Help Groups and its federations were largely formed in the operational area with this objective in view. This programme is given special thrust for the institution building process at grass root level. During this period the SHGs were linked with State Bank of India and State Bank of Travancore which accelerated the accessibility on finance. The savings of the people are distributed to the needy in the SHGs for income generation programmes, infrastructure development, education, marriage and treatment with easy terms and conditions. The Micro Credit support of VSSS is utilised for their provident purposes.
Vijayapuram Social Service Society works for the creation of a new community vibrant with the values of love, justice, peace, fraternity, cooperation and mutual concern. Right from the beginning the Society has been concentrating with high priority on the development of Children. We hold the dictum “Today’s child is tomorrow’s citizen”. Therefore, it is our paramount responsibility to inculcate values in the children and grow them with sublime vision. Children have to grow mature
We envision Vijay Balavedi as an ongoing systemic process to develop the Children physically, mentally, intellectually, spiritually, culturally and socially. The specific interventions proposed for the Balavedi are physical and cultural talent development trainings, general knowledge development classes, celebrations, family gatherings, study and entertainment tours, holiday study camps and workshops, Social works, Awareness training programmes, Parents’ gatherings and promotion of thrift.
The primary responsibility to bring out, train and develop the innate latent but dynamic talents of children vests with the parents. Therefore, the parents also have to involve themselves in the promotion and efficient conduct of the Balavedi. We are convinced that all the children and their parents who actively participate in the Balavedi activities will, in the future, become the proponents of a value-based society. This is an opportunity opened up for the children to be agents in the creation of the new society/community that Vijayapuram Social Service Society dream of.
This is one of the major shifts in our operationalization of the Sponsorship Programme supported by PARTAGE.
“To train the youth to be leaders of tomorrow with apt skills, deep rooted sense of social responsibility, strong ethical values and with a global outlook to face the challenges of the changing world”
“Born to lead and equipped to serve”
| May God bless all the Team members of VSSS |
| Posted By:Sibi Varghese |
| This is an era of screens which are used as social media for effective and quick inflow and outflow of Data. Data generation and Data application lead to efficiency and effectiveness of and intervention. I am happy that Vijayapuram Social Service Society is making use of these media for its communication and for research and innovation. The Website, the Blog and the Facebook page launched by Vijayapuram Social Service Society gives a new face to the Society and its social intervention. I wish and pray that social media be beneficial both for the Society and for its awarding and benefitting partners |
| Posted By:+Bishop Sebastian Thekethecheril |
| Best wishes for VSSS team |
| Posted By:Bro. Rancy |