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Launching of Van and Health Cards for rural school children |
Van for going rural children to go to school
On July 11th 2008 Kalanjiyam, as a first effort of its kind, has launched a free of cost van for school children from local villages to go to
Periya
Vellikkadu
Middle School , which we are developing as a model school in the area. The van was inaugurated by Kancheepuram District Primary Education Officer, T.V. Kathirvelu. We have done this coordinating with local village communities and four different primary schools in the area. The children who have been walking about 5 kms everyday will now be picked up by the van from their village and brought to
Periya
Vellikkadu
School in the morning and in the evening will returned to their villages. This effort will benefit children from nine villages and will also ensure that there are no drop outs after 6th, particularly among girl children and make sure that the children have more time to focus on their studies rather than spend the time walking to school and back home. Currently 43 children are being brought to school by the van. This project has been supported by Tamil Nadu Foundation Inc,
USA , Chennai.
Health cards for rural school children
Keeping with the guiding principle that health is a right of all children and required to guarantee a bright future, Kalanjiyam has just launched on July 11th a new program to ensure the health of 300 children from nine villages (same villages as above) in Cheyyur and Maduranthakam taluks. Each student in the four primary schools and one middle school have been given a Child Health Card which they will now be able to use to get medical care from a licensed medical practitioner in the nearest town, Pavunjur, for illness or any immediate health problems. This will be provided free of cost as Kalanjiyam will bear the cost of treatment. We believe that this program will ensure that the children’s health problems are addressed in a timely way and lack of affordability will not be a reason to delay or neglect children’s health. It will also prevent parents from giving the children unnecessary medicines purchased locally. Through this effort we hope to instill better health seeking behavior as well as a bringing greater attention to the health needs of the children in our villages.
In addition to the above the Kalanjiyam also introduced School ID cards with blood group for all children from schools adopted by Kalanjiyam. Education scholarships were given to 3 underpreviledged students with support of Maithri Educational and Charitable Trust, Chennai. Two disabled persons were provided with a Telephone coin box and tailoring maching, for pursuing their livelihood options and a young boy was given hearing aid; all of these were sponsored by Sukrithi Social Foundation, Chennai. Kalanjiyam also provided on this occasion, first aid boxes to all the Kalanjiyam adopted schools.
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