Something about us
Training for Development Scholarship Society (TDSS) is a non-profit organization based in Pune, India. TDSS is committed to restoring dignity to human beings deprived of their rights due to prevalent unjust socio-economic structures. TDSS aims to make both the people and groups effective and self reliant by generating forces within the society for sustaining these initiatives.
Our Vision
TDSS defines development as the sustainable well-being of the human being. It views it as a continuous process where the human being is at the center of development; it is a process through which the human being participates in the development of her or his own capacities, and the development of the community and wider society.
TDSS was first established in 1975 by Fr. Francis D'Sa with the founding goals of the promotion of education and poverty alleviation. It is the Indian partner of AFK (Action Fuehrungskraefte fuer Indien) Action Leaders for India founded in the 70's by Prof. Fr. Francis X. D'Sa, an early promoter of Hindu-Christian Dialogue. AFK is an open association of people and based on voluntary collaboration. AFK members engage themselves in the effort to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable development in India. To this end, they strive to obtain support for development projects related to literacy and education, women's empowerment through micro-credit, income generation, human rights, etc.
For the first 15 years, TDSS worked in 9 states gradually aligning itself towards the goal of promoting sustainable development. TDSS now focuses its efforts on 3 states and over the last several years has initiated the concept of micro-management to more effectively foster human development and human dignity.
Poverty eradication and the empowerment of the marginalized population continue to be India's stiffest challenge. Whilst India Inc. is leading the emergent market charge into developed countries, the country's farmers are trapped between the hopelessness of agriculture and the misery of slum-dwelling in rural areas. New problems of SEZ development-induced displacements of rural livelihood and habitats have added to the peasantry's despair even as multi-nationals and Indian corporates make steady inroads into the 'fortune at the bottom of the pyramid'. India is struggling with a piquant situation: a high economic growth accompanied by poor social indices – 'growth without development'. Amidst this environment, TDSS believes that the interconnected triad of business, government and civil society may be the key to accelerating sustainable human development. Strong partnerships are already fromed around social issues. Extending these to economic issues is important. The bottom-line to TDSS is the potential for millions of men and women to achieve not only economic parity but their full worth as humans.