The Livelihood Advancement Project (LAP) targets children, youth and women between the ages of 15 and 30. This program has successfully directed several youth into regular employment in and around Tirunelveli. There is an urgent need to expand this project to include even more disadvantaged youth.

It aims to address the dire situation that developed after the 2004 tsunami which wiped out the homes and livelihoods of hundreds of villagers in the coastal area of Tirunelveli. The local economy, which is based on fishing and agriculture, was in shambles. Desperate for survival, young people became an instant target for bonded labour and for the sex trade.

HELP has designed this Livelihood training program to provide employable skills like sewing, computer programming, customer service management (call center skills) and marketing. At present we are giving the training through an ITES course in a tsunami-affected village for 60 youth including girls in the first year. After finishing this course in the next 9 months we will place these 60 students in different industries. This means that 60 families will get direct benefits from the training and many more will benefit indirectly. We are also giving training to the above 60 aspirants on life skills, work readiness and ethics.

We make all arrangements for training. We are looking forward to start training projects on livelihood advancement in the following areas in accordance with the current market needs analysis:

• ITES (Computer Training/Hardware/Software)
• Catering and Hotel Management
• CRS Customer Relationship Service
• Nursing
• Marketing

In the future we may extend our focus to more areas as per the market demands at that time. Our main aim is to identify the poor who don't have the opportunity to start their lives. These include those who are forced into bonded labour, child labour and the sex industry. We aim to give them the skills to succeed and find employment through the training courses. We hope that then their lives will start anew.