Archana Womens Centre, Kottayam, Kerala

Archana Womens Centre,  Kottayam, Kerala

Archana Womens Centre(AWC) believes in the actual empowerment of women physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually through intellectual awareness and devolution of skills.

While the mastery of these skills emancipates women from the clutches of societal servitude, the implementation of these skills empower them to strike at the roots of poverty and its consequent ills. The various training and placement programmes instituted by Archana has also been founded on this principle. The prime focus of AWC is to train women in unconventional trades like building technology, carpentry, ferro-cement technology, bamboo technology and production of concrete bricks.

Archana Women’s centre is the Kerala wing of Jyothi Jeeva Poorna Trust (JJPT ) registered under the Indian Trust Act (Reg No.50) . The trust is run by the Secular Institute – The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate [OMMI] .

The centre was started under the leadership of Miss Thresiamma Mathew [OMMI] in the year 2004 at Thellakom near Kottayam. As far back as 1992 the Oblates were present in the area but attached to the NSS program of Mahatma Gandhi University under the NSS program Officer and charismatic Social worker Dr.Thomas Abraham.

In collaboration with the Gramvikas Kendra, the official extension service agency of the Mahatma Gandhi University, AWC was an active partner in implementing an integrated village development programme and facilitated the participation of women in the neighbourhood through Self Help Groups and provided training to women in masonry and aided the implementation of other programmes related to education, water and sanitation.

Archana Women Centre moved into its own office magnificently constructed by women masons group in the year 2006. It was erected to challenge the conventional male cantered concept of development by empowering the marginalized and under privileged women in the society and arm them with the weapon of self reliance and dignity.

AWC is determined not to follow the traditional jobs which keep women low paid, low in status and low in self image. Instead, AWC tries to initiate more and more women especially from the construction sector who are destined to stay as helper for all their life to the dignified and highly paid jobs of masonry, carpentry, ferro cement technology, bamboo technology etc.

The goal is to dismantle the barriers of gender discrimination prevailing in the technical employment sector, by means of training, empowerment and continued motivational support to women. AWC with its wide variety of skill training programmes aimed at empowering women now stands tall in its various achievements, trainings and innovative programmes.

The special cover issued on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Archana Women Centre and Kottayampex 2016 features colour images of the building of the centre build entirely by women masons and the student masons at work, the logos of The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate [OMMI] and Jyothi Jeeva Poorna Trust (JJPT ). The special pictorial cancellation is a line graphic sketch of The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate [OMMI] and issued on 05-10-2016, (KL25/2016).