ACTIVITIES AND ACHIVEMENTS
A training on health awareness, sanitation and protection was conducted on 2014 at community hall in Tiruppur on the subject of sanitation and social development of scavengers. They were trained on how to wear protective equipments for attending work and the impact of working without wearing these equipments and advantages of wearing such equipments. They were taught that they can prevent contagious diseases, dengue, malaria and skin diseases by using these equipments. Our coordinator and organizers provided this training at their living places, so they benefited much from this training.
An educational training was conducted for the benefit of sanitary workers for their understanding on the importance of education to their children and their growth. They were taught about sending children in the age group 6 – 14 compulsorily to schools and keeping a good environment in their homes for the better growth and education of children in the home. Our staff team perennially was watching the educational status of the children and avoided any sort of drop out of children from schools, so school dropout rate was sizably decreased last year.
Free village level medical camps were organized in collaboration with other private hospital doctors and government departments like PHCs, etc. These camps include scavengers’ camps, health awareness camps, youth health camps, adolescent girls health awareness and medical check ups. Besides this we have organized special awareness program on school enrollment and small trading for women and men. These programmes are conducted as and when need arises. Many people got free check ups and treatment under the Chief Minister’s Free Insurance Scheme. . Our coordinator and organizers provided this training on health awareness at their living places, so they benefited much from these training.
Vizhuthugal Educational Support Centers were conducted in three villages. Graduated motivators were visiting villages and providing supplementary education to the village children in all school subjects. Our staff team was visiting these centers weekly once and providing sufficient advices to the motivators and parents to educate their children better way. The children at these centers were taught in playful way and through joyful learning. The students who attended these centers came out as best performers with discipline and courage and drop out was completely eroded in these three villages where our centers were running.
Educational tours were annually arranged organizing the children of sanitary workers. We take them in the summer to historical places, dams, zoos, etc. The scavenger’s families children who never get opportunities to go out of their villages or colonies found this opportunity great and enjoyed joyful moments on these tours. The tours helped them to know new things, get courage and self-confidence, compare things with the matters they learn in their schools and a great mind diversion.
Educational tours were annually arranged organizing the children of sanitary workers. We take them in the summer to historical places, dams, zoos, etc. The scavenger’s families children who never get opportunities to go out of their villages or colonies found this opportunity great and enjoyed joyful moments on these tours. The tours helped them to know new things, get courage and self-confidence, compare things with the matters they learn in their schools and a great mind diversion.
We have organized women belonging to this community from 75 villages into more than 200 SHGs and micro level women entrepreneurship groups. These groups were offering an ideal platform for the rural poor youths and women to come together and save their little amount and use the same for starting various income generation programs. Mainly sangams deal social/legal problems of our people. The youth and women are provided awareness and motivation to make their own efforts for their welfare. More than 300 families are now engaged in home based self vending business. They do tailoring work, rudhraksha mala making, small garments product works, power loom based subsidiary works, rope making, household articles making, etc. We facilitated 73 families to get assistances to do these businesses.
There are 57 volunteers attached with Vizhuthugal Social Education and Development Trust. They are working in villages for the welfare of educational, health and economic development of poor’s. They work instantly to carry out rescue works during floods and other natural calamities. They do rescue and rehabilitation works. During the floods in Noyyal River in 2014, they provided food and cloths rehabilitation services to slum dwellers. Our coordinators and organizers provide sufficient training to these volunteers.
Cultural events were conducted on the importance of sanitation and education for the benefit of school and college students. More than 1,000 students benefited from this cultural performance. The cultural event was commemorated by the principal of the Thiruppur Chickanna Govt. Arts College.
We undertook a number of awareness generation program in our operational area to create awareness about this dreaded occurrence of untouchabaility abolition. The Humanitarian Week of Adi Diravida Welfare Department was partly sponsored by Vizhuthugal. We provided prizes to students who won in various competitions and motivated them. We observed Humanitarian Week, and Health, Sanitation and Education Awareness Art Program from 25 – 01 – 2015 till 31 – 01 – 2015. These program reached more than 1,000 people.
A school enrollment campaign program was conducted during June, 2014 with the effort of Vizhuthugal team. As a result of this program parents were given awareness and 1,350 students of poor families were encouraged continue their studies and joined 6th and 8th standard. Vizhuthugal conducts this campaign for school enrollment and prevention of school drop out every year. The parents of dropped out children were consulted and such dropped out children were educated in bridge schools and admitted in formal school from the following academic year. In each and every slum area we set up a social monitoring group to monitor drop out situation.