Stationery Supplies for the Tuition Students

Thank you to Lincpen for sending needs stationery supplies to the students of our evening study centres. The were very much needed and greatly appreciated.

Work in a New Anganwadi

We have started work in  one more anganwadi. The children in all of the anganwadis where we are working are making good progress. It's lovely to see them 'come to life' with all of the new input and activities. We have also provided mats for the children so they don't sit on the bare floor.

Free Eye Camp in Conjunction with Aravind Eye Hospital

The Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai is world-renowned for its social entrepreneurship and for providing quality eye-care to the poor. They frequently conduct free eye camps in rural villages, but need a partner organisation to work out the logistics--finding a suitable venue, providing tables and chairs, food for the medical staff, advertising in the villages etc. We partner with the hospital once a year to provide eye screening for 30 villages in our area. This year, over 150 people attended, and 27 were bussed off the the hospital the same day to receive free cataract operations--that's 27 people saved from blindness! Many others received spectacles for only $5.00 (Rs.300) a pair. The lenses for these were ground on site.

More Summer Camp Photos

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.

Summer Camp for Village Children

The children from our evening study centres are presently enjoying a summer camp at the SHE centre, as it is now summer school holidays. We are placing emphasis on helping their English skills, but making sure they have fun also.

Assistance for Another Anganwadi

We were able to provide assistance to another anganwadi this week, and arrange for a volunteer to assist there one or twice a week. Everyone was very grateful for the educational supplies we provided. Twin boys at this anganwadi are very underweight and not thriving as they should, so we have arranged for their very poor family to receive milk each for the boys.

Meena Stories

Our Tamil translations of the Meena Stories are proving to be a valuable tool for our ongoing awareness programs.

More Parents' Meetings

We are continuing meetings with parents of the students from our study-centres in different villages. The response has been very positive.

Mats for Anganwadi Children

We distributed these mats to the anganwadi that we assist. Now the children don't have to take their nap on the bare floor.

Support for Village Nursery Schools

RPI is providing assistance to local  village nursery schools, donating educational supplies, and sending in volunteers once or twice a week to work with the children, ensure proper usage of supplies, and to train the regular staff.

Parents' Meetings

This month, we are holding meetings with the parents of students attending the evening study centres. The  meetings cover the same awareness points that were shared with their children--this month on health and hygiene and hand washing, and encourage the parents to help and support their children, both in their studies and hygiene. 

Dictionaries for the Evening Study Centres

At our last teacher's meeting, the tuition teachers requested English/Tamil dictionaries, which we purchased for them this month.

New Evening Study Group in a Very Poor Village

This week we opened another evening study group to assist desperately poor, marginalised children continue with their schooling and obtain better grades.  We were also able to distribute some of the items donated by Lincpen to these children.

We now have seven tuition centres, assisting about 350 students. We have been getting very positive feedback from both their teachers and parents, and their exam marks are improving as a result of having homework assistance. 

More Awareness Programs

We have been continuing our awareness programs in different villages. Colourful charts and stories teach the children the importance of hygiene and hand-washing.

Awareness Programs for Older Children in the Villages

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.