The summer camp successfully came to end on 24.5.14. Drawing and elocution competitions were conducted and prizes given to the winners. Children also participated in a dance program.
All the children received Certificates.
May 26, 2014
May 19, 2014
Summer Camp for Village Children
We are presently holding a summer camp for the children from our evening study centres, as it is presently the summer school holidays. We are placing emphasis on teaching them English, which is very important for further education in India, but we make sure they have fun also.
Apr 29, 2014
Awareness Programs for Adolescent Girls
This month, we started awareness programs for teen girls. At our first meeting, in a small village, 13 girls participated. Health and hygiene topics were covered, and we read with them the Meena story, 'Free from Worms'. (Most people in the villages are infected with parasites.) The importance of iron intake was also covered as studies conducted in India of micronutrient deficiency confirm the high prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls and women. Iron and calcium tablets were distributed by the village health nurse and arrangements were made with the nearest primary health care centre to distribute de-worming tablets.
Apr 27, 2014
New Evening Study Centre
These beautiful girls are from a Dalit Colony (Untouchables), despised by society and separated
even from the rest of their village. Last month we started an evening study center
in their colony. They and the other children in their colony will receive regular help with their
studies, and enouragement to finish high school. Education can provide them a chance at a better
life, (especially as girls,) and a path out of extreme poverty. Here our program coordinator,
Nelson, is distributing stationary supplies to them, donated by a local company.
Apr 3, 2014
Meetings for pregnant and new mothers
We are continuing to visit different villages to hold awareness programs with mothers. At our latest meeting, we learned that the average birth weight of the children was 2 to 2.5 kg (4.5 to 5.5 lbs.) indicating lack of nutrition during their pregnancy. Also several mothers were giving cows milk to their babies which was causing them to be sick often . They were explained the importance of nutrition and breast-feeding, and encouraged to take children for their regular medical check-ups at the local government clinic.
Mar 7, 2014
Meena Stories
Meena stories are colourful comic books, produced by UNICEF. Meena is a fictional character, a young girl growing up in rural India, who educates the children of South Asia on issues of gender, health, and social inequality through her stories in comic books. These have not yet been translated in Tamil so HopeReach has undertaken the task of translating them. They are proving to be an invaluable tool for our awareness programs and the young people who attend the awareness programs with love them.
Mar 5, 2014
Awareness Programs
We have started awareness programs in the villages where we have tuition centres. The first topics we covered are health and hygiene, and importance of education. For these meetings we have undertaken to translate into Tamil the Meena comic books produced by UNICEF. Meena is a fictional character who educates the children of South Asia on issues of gender, health, and social inequality through her stories in comic books.
