Development that starts with people's own capacity.
PALM2 is a registered trust based in Gudalur, working with around 12,000 families in the Nilgiris and Erode districts of Tamil Nadu.
To reduce poverty among marginalised families, towards a respectable standard of living and a balanced ecosystem.
- People first
- Women in the lead
- Transformation
- Equality
- Transparency
- Partnership
- Food security
These seven values shape every programme we run and every decision we make.
From PALM 1 to PALM2
PALM2 grew out of a long history of community work. A Dutch development worker, with a background in nursing, had already led community programmes in Africa and among Tamil plantation workers in Sri Lanka. Through PALM 1, thousands of toilets, numerous water supply schemes and 15 hospitals, medical centres and schools were built — all by the people themselves, through village committees.
Since the eighties, development thinking has shifted from infrastructure to people's own capacity and resources. PALM2 took shape in 2002 in the Nilgiris, first at the request of plantation workers — many of them Sri Lankan repatriates who returned to India in the 1970s and 80s.
Neighbouring villages soon joined, starting in O'Valley in the Gudalur Block, an area known for its unresolved land issues, where no farmer has been able to obtain ownership of the land they till.
Programmes built on clear goals.
- 1
Build the values and skills of marginalised people by forming groups, and strengthen people's organisations that can handle their own development and human rights issues.
- 2
Raise family incomes for people below the poverty line through training and access to loan schemes, so they can start a trade or profession and reduce unemployment.
- 3
Promote total organic farming — improving soil health and phasing out chemicals — through practical training, for sustainable food security.
- 4
Reduce environmental degradation by involving all stakeholders in soil, water and waste management, and by promoting flora, fauna and tree planting.
Chosen for attitude, trained for the field.
We select staff more for their attitude towards the poor than for the degrees on their paper. Every new team member is trained in the self-help group concept, communication, basic administration, problem solving and bank linkage — with gender equity in every module and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) at the core.
Community Resource Persons — one per community organisation — are trained and supported by their own communities to gradually take over from our mobilisers.
12
Mobilisers
5
Field coordinators
5
Qualified senior staff
4+4
Pre-school teachers & helpers
2
Office staff
5
Voluntary trust board members
Registered, accountable, connected.
PALM2 is legally registered with the Government of India under the Trust Act (Reg. No. 58/02 BK4), is affiliated with the Tamil Nadu Women Development Corporation, and works with government departments across the region.