CARE FOR 150 CHILDREN OF QUARRYWORKERS, TAMILNADU

PROGRESS REPORT OF THE PROJECT NAMED

“CARE FOR 150 CHILDREN OF QUARRY WORKERS IN TAMILNADU”

(Report for the Period up to October 2016)

Name of the project:

-         “Care for 150 children of quarry workers in Tamilnadu”

Main aim of the project

-         To attain 100% literacy among children and provide life oriented education to prevent children from becoming child labourers in the target villages.

Project location:

-         District     :            Thiruvannamalai

-         Block        :            Polur

-         Villages    :          1)  99 Pudhupalayam & 2)  Vasur 

Beneficiaries

-         The beneficiary children are aged 10-12 from quarry workers in Polur block, Thiruvannamalai District, Tamilnadu, India

-         The children are currently studying from 3rd to 8th standards

-         Sex Ratio of the beneficiary children

o   In 99 Pudhupalayam village    -        19 male children : 23 female children

o   In Vasur village             -        14 male children : 22 female children

Services provided for the children in the centers

-         Organization of support services in the following areas:

o   Help and guidance in academic studies

o   Health – organization of base-line health check up and growth monitoring once in 3 months – so far 2 health check-ups have been organized

o   Recreation  & Facilities for skill acquisition – play materials provided in the centers, opportunities and encouragement given to exhibit and develop skills in singing, dancing, acting, drawing etc

Timings of the centers

-         5.00 PM to 7.30 PM on all week days

Information on the Tuition Masters

1. At 99 Pudhupalayam village

Mrs. M. Thenmozhi, B.A., Panchayat Union Elementary School

1. At Vasur village

Mrs. S. Sakila, B.A., B. Edn., Panchayat Union Elementary School      

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CASE STUDY OF C. DEIVANAI

Details of the beneficiary child

Name                              -        C.  Deivanai

Sex                                 -        Female

Age                                 -        11years

Education                       -        Studying 6^th standard

Name of the father                   -        Sivalingam

o   Occupation -        Quarry worker

Name of the mother       -        Kaleeswari

o   Occupation -        Quarry Worker

Name of the village        -        Vasur

C. Deivanai is a girl child and she is one of the beneficiaries under the project named “Care for 150 children of quarry workers in Tamilnadu”. Her parents are both workers in the quarry in their village. She has a younger sister and a younger brother. Her sister Divya is studying in the 4^th standard. Her brother Poovarasn is studying in the 1^st standard. Her parents are bonded labourers and are paid meager wages. With their poor income her parents have been struggling hard to make both ends meet. Feeding all 3 children, providing them casual wear and uniforms, and spending on other essential needs are difficult tasks for the family. Maintaining the health of the children is a tough task for her parents.

Under these difficult circumstances, providing for the education of the children is something that is beyond the capacity of the family. With SPHEED organizing the project named, “Care for 150 children of quarry workers” and with Divya getting admitted in the center, it has now become possible for the girl to receive some extra input and guidance academically. She has been able to get some extra nutrition that would help her maintain her health. The parents feel and think that they are relieved of tension at least in the case of one child. The girl and her parents are thankful to SPHEED for extending the services to the girl.

CASE STUDY OF M. PRAVEEN

M. Praveen is the son of a poor family in 99 Pudhupalayam village. He is studying in 7^th standard in the government high school. Her parents are workers in the quarry situated in their neighborhood. The family had received an advance from the owner of the quarry and as such the family is forced to live nearby the quarry. Both her parents, Mr. Murugesan, her father and Mrs. Govindammal, her mother are working in the quarry. Praveen has one younger sister Monisha studying 2^nd standard in the same school.  With no one to guide the boy in his studies, the academic performance of the boy was very poor. With no other legacy that the parents could leave to the boy, they consider that education is the only legacy that they could hope to leave for the children. The parents felt very helpless when they found that their son had been faring poorly in his studies. They just couldn’t blame him for his poor performance.

It was at this juncture that SPHEED organized the program for the children of quarry workers. Both parents approached the organizers of SPHEED and requested them to admit their son in the center. The organizers of SPHEED had no hesitation in responding to their request. The boy was also happy to have received the support and guidance provided in the center. The boy has real interest in his studies. He doesn’t want to become a quarry worker and undergo all the sufferings associated with that life. Instead the boy thinks that he would study well and go up for higher education and end up with some job that would give him increased income and sustainability. He dreams about looking after his parents in their old age and provide all necessary help for the education of his sister.