Mary Anne Charity Trust (Mact)

MACT prioritizes children's pivotal role in community development and incorporates child-focused programs. Their strategic approach involves initiating a children's movement when entering new villages. Recognizing the growing emphasis on child rights, MACT practices child participation in programs like tree plantation and campaigns against child trafficking and labour. The Reading Class Programme, started in 2004, enhances children's reading skills. Additionally, MACT runs activity centres for overall child development, transit schools for migrant labourers' children, and a children's home for those abandoned due to poverty, providing education, shelter, and support.

MACT prioritizes sustainable development, promoting eco-friendly practices and low-cost renewable energy. The organisation advocates for organic farming, providing training and creating model farmlands. MACT's "100 Trees Plantation" initiative, driven by the Children's Movement, aims to plant 100 trees in each target village, fostering environmental care. MACT engages in climate justice by sensitizing communities, particularly through child participation in climate change initiatives, empowering children as agents of change. The organization also emphasizes water resource conservation, constructing harvesting structures, and promoting community-based waste management.

MACT's health programmes extend crucial medical assistance to numerous families and children. the organisation promotes health and hygiene practices, and nutritional awareness through the children's movement, and educates expectant mothers on pre and postnatal care. Collaborating with the Government, MACT actively participates in the Mother NGO scheme, focusing on reproductive and child health. Additionally, MACT is an implementing NGO for the Ayush programme, strengthening local health traditions, providing training, raising awareness, and promoting medicinal plant cultivation. The unique Patient Counselling programme ensures rural communities receive necessary healthcare support.

The Rajalipatti Resource Centre serves as a space for children to enhance their knowledge and skills. Designed and executed by the children themselves, it provides free access to knowledge-based books and documents. The functional library promotes reading habits, offering various departments like reference, lending, book bank, reading class, and children activity centre libraries. The Documentation Centre holds essential organisational documents and traditional resources. MACT's Training Centre conducts diverse programmes, including leadership, child rights, media, and computer training. The Sterling Playback Theatre, initiated in 2000, offers certified workshops for NGOs, educational institutions, and corporate entities.

Housing is recognized as a fundamental human right in various international instruments. MACT, a robust human rights organisation, actively advocates for housing rights, particularly for women, at regional and state levels. The focus includes supporting campaigns to prevent evictions in vulnerable areas. MACT's significant involvement in housing rights occurred in 2006 during the eviction of the Porur Lake slum in Chennai, where efforts were made to secure fair compensation and school facilities for affected children. Public awareness initiatives on eviction risks, safeguarding essential documents, networking with activists, lobbying for housing policies, providing legal assistance, and offering helpline services are part of MACT's multifaceted approach.