Although a keen jogger, my furthest run has been 15 miles - today - October 10th! And on 27th October, I am running my first marathon to raise funds for RTU's tailoring initiative. In the rural villages of Tamil Nadu where RTU is based, over a third of people live on less than £1.00 per day. There are very few secure jobs, practically none for women, and to earn money many have to migrate to city slums. I visited RTU recently and saw the fantastic, forward-thinking work being done, and was particularly impressed with the work done to empower women in rural villages.
RTU has set up over 125 self help groups in over 30 villages (some very primitive, and only accessible by foot). The groups are run by women who are supported in earning and saving money, and encouraged to learn skills. Tailoring is particularly useful as women can do this at home while bringing up children. RTU wishes to extend training in tailoring and needs to employ a teacher who will carry out accredited six month courses in a cluster of villages. By paying the salary for one teacher we could improve the lives of 40 families over the course of a year. We need three teachers for 2019. I am hoping to raise enough to pay a year's salary for one teacher. Thank you for your support. John Denis Le Seve