TUTICORIN MULTIPURPOSE SOCIAL SERVICE SOCIETY

TUTICORIN MULTIPURPOSE SOCIAL SERVICE SOCIETY
Catholic Bishop’s House
Post Box No. 122, Thoothkudi – 628 001
Phone: 0461-2326878

TMSSS (Tuticorin Multipurpose Social Service Society) is a Service Oriented Non Profit Organization belonging to the parental organization of "The Tuticorin Diocesan Association". The Bishop of The 'Roman Catholic Diocese of Tuticorin' is the President of the organization. As per the Government guidelines the organization has President, Secretary, Governing Body, General Boady, etc.

ACTIVITIES
Tuticorin Multipurpose Social Service Society (TMSSS) commits itself for the holistic development of the poor and the marginalized people living in Tuticorin diocese since its origin in the year 1972. The poorest fisher people, marginal farmers, oppressed dalits, saltpan workers, agricultural labourers, palm-tree tappers and other destitute in the society are the target people of TMSSS. The Multifarious development programmes of TMSSS, planned and delivered after meticulously taking into account the changes of the time, aim at socio,economic,cultural and political changes need to be experienced by the target people for their integral development. TMSSS strives to regain the lost image of God in each and every marginalized individual and affirms its solidarity with the poor for restoring the God's image in them. The Main thrust of TMSSS lies in its empowerment programmes which help the target people to increase their strengths by tapping to the maximum the available opportunities and collective bargaining power in every sphere of development. The relentless mission of TMSSS continues until the last marginalized person is brought into the mainstream development with the support and solidarity of the people who think like us.

PROGRAMMES:
TMSSS serves its target people with the variety of development programmes which could be classified under four broad categories namely Social Assistance Programmes, Service Oriented Programmes, Skill training programmes and Empowerment Programmes. Each categories of programme intervention enable the target people to develop themselves either in the social or economic or cultural milieus of development.
1. SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES:
A. Children Adoption Programme:
The children adoption programme was taken up by TMSSS after the onslaught of Killer Tsunami in the year 2004. SSix donor agencies came forward to help 350 poor and orphaned children through this programme with the technical support of TMSSS. Educational support to the children, Financial support for the income generation activities, Skill cum capacity building programmes for the target people and Insurance coverage for the target children are being rendered to the target children and their family members under this programme. The child who his or her father or mother under the age of 12 is taken in this programme. The child is supported for education until one completion the college studies.

B. Save a Family Plan (SAFP):
Save A Family Plan (India) in collaboration with TMSSS has enabled the poorest of the poor in the diocesan area of Tuticorin to lead a self reliant and self sustainable life since 1992. This programme covers 190 villages in Tuticorin, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts. The target people of SAFP programme are the widows, deserted women and other most deserving people, who have children below the age of 13 and who lead a life with striking poverty. The young widows under the age of 35 is chosen and supported to self reliance through an income genaratingprogramme (IGP) such as petteyshop,goat rearing, cloth business, and for other self supporting jobs.

C. Lenten Campain Fund:
Every year TMSSS mobilizes this fund and contributes a part of this fund to Caritas India by joining herself in the Campaign against Hunger and Disease promoted by Caritas India. The remaining part of the mobilized fund is being utilized for the noble cause of eliminating poverty and supporting the most marginalized people who are in need of education, medical and other emergency needs. This fund is mainly the contribution from the parishes collected during Good Friday. This fund is given to the deserving people and mainly to the families who have lost the sole bread winner, either complete bed ridden o expired. This help is given on education and medical need.

2. SERVICE ORIENTED PROGRAMMES:
A. Muthukuviyal and muthumalai Children's Reception Unit:
This children's reception unit has been functioning since 1994 under the guidance of th Department of Social Defence, Government of Tamil Nadu. The reception unit offers care and protection t children in difficult circumstances such as abandoned children, run away children, childlabourers from th age group of 1 to 18 years. Temporary shelter, basiceducation, psychological support through counseling,
repatriation or referral services through the Child Welfare Committee, vocational skill training, yoga and related arts are being given to the children to face the life situation and to grow as other normal children without any psychological repercussions. The triblerone children or difficult children have nobody to take care of the children from difficult for the parents to handle. This home is run for the difficult children.

B. Child Labour Special Schools:
The Child Labour Special Schools are being administered by TMSSS in selected areas of the district where there are more child labourers with the support from the National Child LabourProgramme. These child labour schools are functioning with the key objective of providing education to children between 9 to 14 years of age. 159 child labourers are at present getting benefitted from the Child Labour Special Schools. This school is run in the areas where many children employed for daily wages both for fishing and in petty shops .If 25 children below the age of 14 are found in a village as employed. We can start a new school there and two teachers can be appointed from the local areas itself with on salary Rs.7000/- each.

C. Muthucharam woking Women's Hostel:
TMSSS started Muthucharam-working women's hostel in the year 1994 to cater to the needs of women who work in various industries of service and manufacturing sectors. The hostel offers safe boarding and lodging facilities. Working Women's Hostel is a safe and comfortable so stay for the women.

D. Low-cost Housing Scheme:
The financial assistance from Manos Unidas,Spain by way of a revolving fund help TMSSS to provide the needed financial assistance from its interest to the most impoverished people for fulfilling their shelter needs by constructing low-cost houses in their lands.

3. SKILL TRAINING PROGRAMMES:
St. Ignatius Non-formal Vocational Training centre:
TMSSS established St.Inigo Industrial School in the year 1996 to cater to the needs and development of the drop-out children. Skill up gradation in eight different trades and Psycho-social
support for the students is provided in the centre for enabling the school drop-outs to lead a dignified life without being a burden to their parents. The students completed 8th standard and above are eligible to join there I.T.I. There are 10 courses offered.

4. EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES:
1. New Thrust Programme:
It is one of the key empowerment programmes which awakens women and men from fishing and agricultural communities at the grassroots villages and organizes them in sangams and federates the sangams at the village, Panchayat, Block and District level for collectively asserting their rights and involving in multifarious village develop initiatives. The target people under this programme involve in savings and money management and they run people's bank for addressing their monetary needs with very minimum interest. It is a kind of Self Help Group but visit the difference- we do conduct awareness meetings, Rallies, and legal awareness programmes. The members avail loan for lowest interest and 10 types of Incomegenerated job trainings are given.

1. Bamboo basket making.
2. Fish pickle making.
3. Soap,Soapiol, Soap powder making.
4. Organic garden, Vermi compose, Panchakavyam, Organicreplelants.
5. Herbal cosmetics
6. Jewellary making

2. Empowerment of Saltpan Workers Programme:
This programme is exclusively for the saltpan workers covering 15 selected villages from Vembar to Tuticorin region. Community organization, Awareness cum capacity building programmes, Skill-upgradation, enabling the target people to access the Government schemes and providing the financial support for involving in income generation activities are the major interventions under this programme.

KOLPING INDIA PROGRAMME:
It is one of the empowerment programmes of TMSSS which lays emphasis on awareness building, skill training and alternative livelihood measures for its target people Entrepreneurial Development programmes and various other skill training programmes are being delivered to its members to make them grow as responsible humans and citizens. The kolping families consist of both men and women in monthly saving and group activities.

Succession of Directors
1. Rev.Fr. Panckras Fernando 1972 - 1975
2. Rev.Fr. S. Francis 1975 - 1978
3. Rev. Fr. Xavier S. Marian 1978 - 1982
4. Rev.Fr. R.S. Augustine 1982 - 1989
5. Rev.Fr. Victor Devaraj 1989 1990
6. Rev.Fr. Antonysamy 1990 - 1995
7. Rev.Fr. A.Joseph Christian 1995 1998
8. Rev.Fr. Promilton Lobo 1998 - 1999
9. Rev. Fr. Densil Raja 1999 - 2003
10. Rev.Fr. Starwin 2003 - 2006
11. Rev.Fr. Victor Lobo 2006 - 2011
12. Rev.Fr. Maria Valan 2011 - 2016
13. Rev.Fr. Benjamin De Souza 2016 - 2021
14. Rev.Fr. Amalan I. 2021 -

Succession of Financial Administrators:
1. Rev.Fr. Albin Leon 2021 -2022
2.Rev.Fr. John Suresh 2022 -

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New info provided by : Rev. Fr. Amalan I.
Updated on May 15th 2023