CHILDREN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

The Children Development Programme (CDP) was jointly designed to meet the needs of the slum children of Trichy town by The Rotary Club of Trichirappalli Fort and People’s Action for Transformation, the implementing partner. When we saw them facing the dangers of poverty, hunger, environmental hazards, parental negligence, illiteracy, forced child labour, ill health etc., we decided to intervene and do creatively to address their distress. Of all these dangers, we felt hunger and child labour should be taken up first.

Accordingly we framed a project and sent it for Children’s Opportunities Grant of the Rotary Foundation in 1998. In mid 1999, this project got sanctioned and it was inaugurated on 17.07.1999 at Sangiliyandapuram, Trichy in the presence of eminent persons.

In the implementation of the CDP, we enrolled 125 children in the age group of 2 to 5 years belonging to 5 slums namely MGR Nagr, Ramamoorthi Nagar (Sangiliyandapuram slums), Khajapettai, Khaja Nagar and Kempstown. These children a group of 25 each were admitted in 5 Day Care centres. Here they were given nutritious noon meal and nutritious drink in the evening, physical protection and play-way method of education. More stress was being given to develop in them a number of concepts such as shape, colour, pre-number & number, myself, transport, fruits, birds, animals, sky, festivals etc., Besides we had involved them in numerous games that were indoor and outdoor, active and quiet play. Above all they were guided to artwork. They were also trained in the fine arts of singing and dancing.

To present them neat and clean unlike their soiled clothes, we distributed each 2 pairs of uniform annually, which they happily wore on all school days. Through this project, we gradually witnessed a real transformation in the lives of these young kids especially in their behaviour, abstaining from using vulgar, words to a large extent. Our immediate medical attendance on then to treat their frequent illness like diarrhea, skin infection, cold, cough and scabies ensured good health.

ARUMBUGAL

To help the buds to bloom, the economically disadvantaged children from the quarry village of Nedumalai ‘Arumbugal’ came into being in 2004. Miss Deborah Lindholm, the Chair Person of Women’s Foundation and her mates from Rotary Club of La Jolla, California, USA were made to visit our CDP centers by Rtn Rajadurai Micheael, DGN 2007-08.

Impressed tremendously by our work, they offered our club US$5000 and thus ‘Arumbugal’ was born. It has 35 tiny tots from this backward quarry village under its tatched canopy getting basic nourishment and education. This the small light lit to these kids who are in the dark, to take tiny steps towards greater light of wisdom and better life. This humanitarian act and munificence of Miss Deborah Lindholm and her team will ever be etched in the history of our club. They also promised continued support to this cause in the years to come.

Arumbugal is blossoming into a beautiful flower. Sewing machines were given to the parents of economically backward students, Annual / Sports Day and cultural programs were done every year. Bringing out the latent talents of the children. Prizes were also lavished on the children.

CHEERS SCHOOLS

As an addition to our efforts towards promoting education for the economically desadvantaged children, the Tiruchirapalli Collectorate offered us to take care of some of their CHEERS schools, run on the basic principle of Child Labor Eradication and Rehabilation. Year after year we manage at least one school run in remote rural areas by the Collectorate. A Rotarian is particularly assigned to take the entire responsibility for the past for years.

CLUB BULLETIN

A regular feature of our club is to release a club Bulletin every month like clockwork. This carries the entire gamut of events, happenings, birthdays and wedding days and important assignment etc of the members of the club. Many Rotarians helped in bringing this news bulletin successfully for the last 3 decades by giving advertisements.