By educating the children, counseling them, and ensuring that they have the skills to take advantage of opportunities presented to them, New Life enables children from these communities to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Children growing up in the 2 crime prone slums we work, are more prone to drop out of school and also engage in criminal activity because of the influence of community and the need to earn money to support their families. These children are motivated to study.
In Trichy slums, many individuals engage in criminal activity to earn a living because their socio-economic status and lack of education make it difficult for them to find other jobs. Children growing up in this environment are more prone to drop out of school and also engage in criminal activity because of the influence of community members as well as the need to earn money to support their families. This creates a cycle of delinquency and lack of education in these communities.
This project addresses this problem in several ways. First, it gives children role models who are not engaged in criminal activity and who motivate students to continue their education. Second, the classes help students to keep up with their course work so that they do not fall behind and become discouraged at school. Third, it provides students with counselors that help students cope with stress that might otherwise lead to them dropping out.
Shifting the focus of a community from criminal activity to being productive members of society takes a generational shift. By educating the children, and ensuring that they have the skills to take advantage of opportunities presented to them, New Life enables children from these communities to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. This project will affect two of the twelve slums that were identified by Trichy police as most prone to criminal activity for three years.
