About IVDP Founders
Mr. Kulandai Francis , Founder – President, IVDP
Late Mrs. Koselay Mary, Co-Founder, IVDP
There was little wealth in his family, so funding even the most basic education for Mr.Francis was a struggle. His parents, however, understood the importance of education, so sacrificed the small piece of land (considered to be the family’s only property) to enable him to graduate from Annamalai University. He continued to educate himself in order to advance the charity, completed a Social Development Course at Coady International Institute, Canada, and a Rural Management Course in the Philippines.
As Mr.Francis, personally experienced early age poverty, he started IVDP to help the poor and needy.
This early impact of his parents’ immense sacrifice stimulated him to dedicate his life towards helping the poor. Following his stint with the Fathers of Holy Cross in 1970 ; involvement in relief work with Caritas India during Bangladeshi war; participation in relief the drought in Pune in 1972 were the down to earth learnings further enriched and streamlined the direction and focus in life..
Francis’s life partner Koselay Mary, is the co founder of IVDP. She remained a pillar of his emotional strength and composure. She also played the role of a practical counsellor all the way through his struggle to create IVDP to realise the objects of freeing large segments of labouring rural woman from the clutches of money lenders and IVDP becoming the recognised, significant player in building a path breaking economic movement that made women ‘credit worthy’ to meet the financial needs of their families.
For 31 years, until her sudden demise on 18.04.2013 she lived the vision, cherished every outreach service among women in distress, children in need for educational support and enhancement and the allied meritorious activities that emerged as offshoots of fulfilling the core mission.
Since her demise , daughter Sunitha Nanthini Esthar, Son in law Mr. Joshuva Simon have assumed responsibilities and play significant supportive role in the management and operations with the IVDP teams of key women SHG leaders.
From the learning of the worst times of his life had brought to the fore his exceptional insight to assertively plan and build SHGs for rural women. He planed SHGs as a mighty micro economic weapon to take on the unquestionable coercive feudal money lending system that usurped the hard earned money of the villagers, outdoing the officially established rural lending institutions.
Today, IVDP SHGs are the outstanding example of an viable, effective rural credit mechanism par excellence in the country, given the present economic socio political environment in India.