A Gram Sabha Meeting serves as a cornerstone of grassroots democracy, embodying the collective spirit of community participation and decisionmaking. On January 26th, 2024, the vibrant village of Poonjuthi in Madurai District convened for such a meeting, graced by the esteemed presence of Madurai District Collector, Ms. Sanjeetha IAS, alongside local dignitaries including the Poonjuthi Panchayat president and Director of Voice Trust, Mr. T Murugesan. Amidst the spirited gathering of village residents, this meeting transcended its traditional bounds to address pressing contemporary concerns, notably road safety. In partnership with CUBE Highways, Voice Trust took the reins in delivering a comprehensive Road Safety Program, leveraging presentations and pamphlet distribution to empower villagers with knowledge and tools for safer road practices. Through this collaborative effort, the Gram Sabha Meeting evolved into a platform for not only governance but also community education and collective action, exemplifying the power of grassroots initiatives in fostering social welfare and empowerment.

Mr Murugesan Managing Director, Voice trust being an active member of the District Health Assembly was invited as a Guest speaker for the “Madurai Symposium 2023” conducted by DHAN Foudation on the 24th Sep 2023 to address distinguished group of individuals who are committed to advancing healthcare and social change within our communities. The theme of the symposium “A New Social Order” in development underscores a profound truth: that the power to shape a new social order in healthcare lies within the hands of stakeholders and communities. The workshop on “Health Assembly for Stakeholder Ownership & Community Solutions” was a good platform for mainstreaming health assembly to maximise the opportunity by each stakeholders and establish the space for community interactions periodically. In our pursuit of a healthier, more equitable world, we must recognize that healthcare is not just a system—it’s a social contract, a collective responsibility that binds us all. It means dismantling the barriers that hinder access to care—barriers like socioeconomic disparities, systemic racism, and geographic isolation. It means empowering individuals and communities to take ownership of their health and wellbeing, to be active participants in their own care journey.

The Customer Relationship Training program was conducted at four Toll Plazas (MKTL, SMTL, NKTL, KETL) from October 18th to 21st October 2023. The training program focused on improving customer relations and service quality. It employed various instructional methods to ensure an engaging and informative experience for participants. The training aimed to enhance customer service skills among various stakeholders, including Staff, Toll Collectors, Health Department personnel, Security personnel, Tide Supervisors, and drivers. The main objectives of the training were to-Enhance communication skills, Foster a customer-centric approach, Develop problem-solving abilities and Improve customer satisfaction. The training program incorporated several key components to enhance Customer Relationship skills like Interactive Communication, PowerPoint Presentation, Case Studies and Skit. The training led to enhanced understanding of the importance of customer service, increased confidence in handling customer interactions, and a more customer-centric approach among the participants.

On the 3rd of Nov 2022, Voice Trust organized the ‘Namma Ooru Super’ Environment Government Scheme Program at Kovilpapakkudi Panchayat Madurai West Block. The gathering was attended by Merchants Association, Residence Association, Kovilpapakkudi and Podumbu
Panchayat Village people. The program was graced by the presence of West
and East Block Development Officers, Zone Block Development Officer, Dr T.Mariappan ICMR Senior Scientist (Retd), Madurai Lady Doak College Professors and Loyola College Nattupura Kalaigal Dept HOD. Environmental Cleanliness awareness was demonstrated through Cultural programs (Karakattam, Thappattam and Skit) performed by the students of Lady Doak College, Madurai.

Under Sustainable Development Goal, Healthy Village Panchayat, Gram Sabha Meeting was conducted at Kodimangalam Village in Tirupparangunram Block, Madurai on the 1st of Nov 2022. To monitor the
level of reach of the state and central schemes in rural Tamil Nadu, gram
sabha meetings across the state are conducted. The village president presided over the function. Voice Trust disseminated Health information and gave awareness talk on Health, Hygiene and Environmental factors to the
communities. The Sanitary Workers (Tuymai Paniyarrakal) were honoured.
The meeting was attended by the Village clerk, Self Help Group members,
Anganwadi workers, School Teachers and the Village people. The meeting discussed various development projects and the level of their
completion.

The purpose of the District Health Assembly is to discuss health challenges and felt needs of the people and establish dialogue between different stakeholders at the community level. The District team comprises of the Collector, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency, Deputy Director of Health Services, Joint Director of Health Services, Dean of Medical College Hospital, Project Officer of Integrated Child Development Scheme and other health department officials of the district and representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations and a few others. This is a platform to create awareness of the healthcare facilities and benefits provided by the Governments to the public at large and focuses on general health check-ups, screening, treatment,
registration of various categories and many more classifications..

We are much honoured to be one among the NGO’s of the Madurai District organizing Committee that has been constituted under the Chairmanship of District Collector, Madurai along with other Government Officials for conduct of District level Health Assembly.

Ever year, The Gram Sabha Meetings are held in villages on the Gandhi Jayanti Day on 2nd October in Tamil Nadu. This is the first time that an NGO has conducted a Health Awareness event through the Gram Sabha Meeting. This year, we conducted a Health awareness program about the Health Assembly, Tuberculosis Awareness and General Hygiene through the Gram Sabha Meeting in Karuppayurani Village on 2nd Oct 2022.

The program was a joint venture of Voice Trust and Lady Doak College Madurai. The Health awareness was imparted through a skit program by the College students. Voice Trust Director, Mr Murugesan explained in detail about the various activities of the Health Assembly. Local Panchayat President, Local VIPs, Professor Uma Mahesweri, Counsellors, Govt Officials, Ward members, Mahalir SHGs, Para medical staff and the Village people participated in the program.

The sixteenth legislative assembly election of Tamil Nadu was held on 6 April 2021, to elect the Members of the Legislative Assembly from the 234 constituencies in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Special efforts were taken to create awareness among all the voters about “Their rights and duties as a Voter” through publicity and to improve the polling percentage in the areas where low voter turnout was experienced in last elections. Wide Publicity was given to improve the voting percentage for forth coming election. Awareness was created by issue of door to door Notices and also through newspapers in areas of Karupayurrani, Madurai West and East Block. All together around 10000 of the people were made aware of importance of voting