2004 HIGHLIGHTS

SPW India has in the last three years etched out a programme that has been very unique. Each year we have moved from strength to strength in terms of acceptance from the local government, village bodies and the communties where we have also grown steadly each year. New strategies to make our programmes more sustainable are being worked out.

We were invited to be a member of the District Education Committee. Our work in making a real difference in the schools and the village communities we have worked in is being recognized.

The District Administration requested SPW to share our sucess with School Sanitation and Health programmes to group of 300 Panchayat (Village) Heads.

Another feather to our cap was the sucess we had with the series of workshop "In search of excellence" conducted in 2003 - 2004 for head teachers of schools in the District who were producing poor results. In the public examinations held in April 2004 we found that 95 percent of schools showed marked improvement. As a result of better planning and support given by the school through our workshop many students had the opportunity to a better future.

IMPACT
SPW's long term presence at rural government schools through young volunteers, has improved:
Infrastructural facilities and school environment
Attendance in school
Change in attitudes and in social consciousness
Better sanitation and Health
Environmental awareness and sensitivity to issues

NEW CHALLENGES

SPW India would like to consolidate its work and address fresh challenges that spring up.

Our recent experiment with the railway station children has opened our eyes to this marginalized group of people who are very vulnerable and not part of the mainstream society. We have identified areas that need to be addressed and are in the process of looking into various possibilities of how best we could make a difference to their lives.

ALTERNATIVE AND INNOVATIVE EDUCATION SCHEME.

Recognising SPW's involvement in the Government Schools and our work with the street children the District government has asked us to partner the Tamil Nadu Government in its newly initiated programme EDUCATION FOR ALL. We have been allotted the Walajah Block which comprises of approximately 100 villages.

Main Objectives
achieving total literacy before 2010
Ensuring life long learning to all adults, non-starters and drop-outs by comprehensive, effective and appropriate efforts.
special attention to women literacy
Establishing continuing education centres in all the villages of Tamil Nadu to provide learning environement, recreational facility and self employment opportunities.
Providing education equivalent to V standard to out of school children in the age group of 6-14 (drop-outs and non-starters) through Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education scheme.

Eight centres have been in remote rural areas of this Block. The resource teachers were trained and a survey of children out of school was done. Classes have started in the space provided by the Village Panchayat. The village Education Committee was formed to take greater responsibility of the education of children in their villages. We along with these bodies are in the process of addressing immediate problems that children are facing as a large number of them work fill time to earn a living for themselves and their family. Child labour is rampant in this block. SPW India besides running these centres realizes the need to bring about a change in attitude in the communities where we work and also make the local people involved and responsible. The community involvement is a very important ingredient in making this programme a success.

STREET CHILDREN PROGRAMME

Our interest with the Railway Children began with a Summer Camp in April that we had organized for a week 'to bring childhood back' to these kids. It was a week filled with lots of fun activities-music, drama, arts and crafts and sport. It was indeed an eye opener to the needs of this very special group of children. We as an organization involved in the empowerment and education of young people have been taken it as a challenge to make a difference to the lives of these children.

We mainly focus on providing the children education and also help them make a smooth transition back into schools. We feel the need for providing shelter for these children as the older children are into substance abuse and other undesirable habits which needs addressing. They hae a lot of adjustment problems and will not fit into an institutionalized life style immediately. We are providing them an atmosphere to develop social skills and self esteem and discover their potential.

TRIBAL VILLAGE PROJECT

The SPW volunteers while working in a remote village called Kilkothur identified a tirbal village called Thandayan Kottai which can only be reached on foor. A good hour and a half trek Kilkothur!!! Very scenic cand breath taking.

The need for a school was foremost in their mind after visiting the village and the fac that there were about 50 children just playing about. The september 2004 SPW volunteers considered it a challenge and initiated the process.

The chief education officer of the District was invited to visit the village. The whole community of about 200-250 people have not had any form of education except for two young ment who have studied up to class 8. They were chosen to observce the Primary School at Kilkothur to empower them as teachers(as the likely hood of a teacher trekking each day up to the village was not a possibility) Nik an overseas SPW volunteer spent an extra month in the tribal village and helped in setting up a learning centre. The villagers contributed to the building material and provided free labour in putting up a thatch shed. The School was inauguraed on the 24th of January. On the first day 40 children were registered and the number seem to increase each day.

The volunteers are evaluating the other needs in the village to help them to become self sustainable and to link them with governmental departments to avail schemes to help with economic empowerment as existence is strictly on a survival basis.

Other areas the SPW volunteers will help address are:
Adolescent health education as marriage at a young age is an issue.
Adult literacy as majority are illiterate

TSUNAMI PROJECT

Immediately after the disaster SPW staff and volunteers got involved with the relief work in Nagapatnam and Cuddalore.

Subsequently SPW India was invited by the Kancheepuram District Administration to work in a Tsunami affected village called Paramankeni Kuppam on the East Coast Road. A remote village with a population of 1100 people. There were no loss of lives but they lost their homes and their livelihoods. They are now housed in temporary shelters provided by the government but continue to live infear of the sea.

SPW will work with almost 250 children and the youth in this village, also help in setting up self help groups to help women with their livelihoods.
SPW is also assisting the State Government in training relief workers working in the affected areas in counseling.