Skill Development Projects:
Poor people often lack skills to diversify their livelihoods. Without such opportunity, they remain unskilled and dependent only on unskilled labour in agriculture or other sectors. NAMCO believed in facilitating access to opportunities for skill development for the poor. Towards this, NAMCO has implemented a number of projects. These include;
o Sedusamudram Corporation Projects: From 2006 to 2015, NAMCO partnered with the Sedusamudram Corporation and implemented a number of skill training programs on coconut thatches making, coir products making, tailoring etc. NAMCO has trained about 1000 women members through this partnership.
o Micro Enterprises Development Program of NABARD: NAMCO partnered with NABARD and implemented the Micro Enterprises Development Program (MEDP) of NABARD. NAMCO has offered a number of skill training programs including beautician, coir making, goat rearing, dairy, embroidery, artificial jewellery making, mushroom cultivation, organic farm inputs production etc. More than 1200 women were trained under this partnership. The projects were implemented during 2012 to 2021.
o ICDS, Government of Tamil Nadu: The CDPO (Child Development Project Officer) of ICDS, Tamil Nadu sponsored a project for NAMCO for implementing a skill training project. NAMCO trained 60 adolescent girls on tailoring, who are from Thalainayiru block of Nagapattinam district. The project was implemented in 2014.
o FVTRS sponsored Project: NAMCO trained about 120 girls from Nagapattinam district in three trades – tailoring, coir products making and nursing assistant. The project was implemented in 2006 in partnership with FVTRS (Functional Vocational Training and Research Society), a Banglore based not-for-profit.
o CAPART Funded Project: NAMCO partnered with CAPART, a Government of India entity and implemented a project during 2006 – 08 for training youth on vocational skills under the aegis of SGSY program. During these two years, NAMCO mobilized more than 2000 youth in Nagapattinam district and trained them on various skills such as computer literacy, tailoring, cement blocks production, coir products making, palm leaves making etc.
o Nehru Yuva Kendra sponsored Project: NAMCO, in partnership with Nehru Yuva Kendra implemented skill training programs during 2005 to 2010, through which it has covered more than 500 youth. The project helped in imparting a number of entrepreneurship and job oriented skills to the youth.
o Internet Saathi Project: This is an innovative project implemented by NAMCO in 2017 in partnership with Voice Foundation. The project was sponsored by the Tata Trust. NAMCO extended training on digital literacy covering aspects such as understanding internet and using it for improving livelihoods. Through the project, NAMCO reached out to more than 40000 women in Nagapattinam district. This helped reducing the digital divide between the urban and rural youth and enabled them to seek livelihood opportunities.
o Other sponsors: One Percentage Fund, Rome supported NAMCO to help 40 disabled women to earn additional income through goat rearing. They were provided with 20 goats each. In another project, NAMCO received support from WICCC, Canada to train 10 PLHAs on waste cloth bundling skills. IED, Dharmapuri extended support to NAMCO for training 20 youth from the Scheduled Caste on inland fishing skills.