SIVA TRUST, TIRUNELVELI
Project Id: IN144
Educational Services:
The Early Learning Centres (ELCs) run by us catering to the need of children aged between 2 and 5 years in 6 villages, are providing joyful learning environment to 145 children (62 male and 83 female children). The teachers who have experience in preparing teaching and learning materials from locally available things are regularly monitoring the growth rate of the children, besides infusing in them an interest in education and other extra curricular activities. The regular monitoring of their progress reveals the following growth statistics:- Language – 90%; Gross motor –73%; Cognitive – 78%; social – 79%; personal – 59% and creative skill – 66%.
Regular monthly meetings are held for the parents of these children in order to improve their involvement and ownership in the functioning of these centres. Different varieties of nutritional supplement are regularly provided on all the 6 days in a week, in the ELCs and that has improved the general health condition of the children. Still one third of the children are below normal weight and special attention is being paid towards their health improvement with the cooperation of their parents.
Supplementary education centres are being run in twelve villages in the evening hours with a total student strength of 488 students (226 boys and 262 girls) studying primary classes (168), middle classes (240) and secondary classes (80) in local schools. Separate files are maintained for individual students and their educational progress and health aspects are being recorded regularly. They are also regularly trained in traditional games and art forms.
As a part of our effort to motivate and teach those students who dropped out in the middle due to various reasons, our teachers (6 in number) continue to visit 8 villages in routine every evening to teach 61 students in those villages, besides taking day time classes to 30 students at Thirumalapuram centre. Among these 91 students, 48 are boys and 43 girls. The teachers impart them coaching on different subjects to clear public exams of 8th standard (17), 10th (68) and 12th (6). Out of these students, 38 appeared for Xth Standard and 4 for XIIth Standard exams held in March, 2010 and the results are awaited. Others continue their preparation to appear for the next exams. The staffs continue to visit nearby villages to motivate drop out students and their parents with the help of Village Development Committee members, for the purpose of increasing the strength of students in all the centres gradually.
In order to develop creativity and leadership qualities among the students under our care, a special training was arranged at Tirunelveli, jointly with the Tamil Development and Cultural Centre, from January 15 to 17, 2010. In this training, they were taught, drawing, debate, acting, story telling, singing, dancing, yoga and traditional art forms. Such training is also planned at Thirumalapuram in mid-May with similar course contents.
Regular meetings of the Children’s Clubs are being conducted every month in all the 15 villages, which are attended by children strength ranging between 12and 30, when sports, song, dance and quiz competitions are conducted and prizes distributed to the winners. Parents’ meetings are also a regular feature in these villages. During this period, children’s day functions were organized between January 30 and February 27, 2010 at 12 villages and a total of 8700 children and village public participated in these functions, giving them an opportunity to know the various services rendered by SIVA Trust with the help of TdH-NL. Awareness was also created among the villagers that the children should be sent to schools and should not be sent for any work when they have to go for education.
Health Services:
The health workers under the project take care of the health aspect of 129 ante-natal and 414 post-natal mothers and the 410 new born children in these 15 villages. They conducted counseling session to the pregnant as well as lactating mothers every month in each village, explained to them about safe delivery in Primary Health Centres, dangers of abortion and AIDS, immunization, regular intake of medicines prescribed by doctor etc. Besides, the Health workers visited the ANC cases in their houses, conducted formal tests and told them about baby’s growth. For the PNC mothers, they advised about importance of breast feeding, need for nutritious food, immunization of the baby, control of blood pressure, problems of low weight, early intervention in case of disability etc. In all the 15 villages, Health Monitoring Committees have been functioning with the active participation of the villagers. Apart from training in RICE- MMS, the health workers underwent one day training on Siddha medicines at Tirunelveli for use in the field.
Summer Camp 2010
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