ABOUT US
Nalamdana, meaning "Are you well?" in Tamil, is an organization based
in Chennai, South India. It uses innovative communication methods to
provide knowledge about health to illiterate audiences. Response-driven
participatory street theatre, interactive games and puzzles, audio and
video cassettes, tele films, small group workshops, television serials -
Nalamdana explores the full range of communicative possibilities to reach
out to people.

Initially, we addressed a wide variety of health topics ranging from alcoholism,
cancer prevention and suicide prevention to clean water and personal health
and hygiene. In 2000, after seven years of working closely with communities,
we zeroed in on HIV AIDS prevention and Maternal and Child Health as the two
areas most critically in need of knowledge intervention.

OUR MISSION
Nalamdana is a non-profit organization that uses creative, innovative
and entertaining behavior change methods with community participation,
to enable people to make better-informed decisions about their health
and their families. Click here for more information about Nalamdana's
Current Project Objectives

OUR BELIEFS
• We believe in the Right to Information. Access to correct and complete
information is a basic right.
• We believe that the message-embedded-in-entertainment method has
extraordinary retention and recall.
• We believe in response-driven participatory methods - communication
media must reflect the changing nature and knowledge level of audiences.
The micro beliefs - for instance, sexual taboos and attitudes, misconceptions
about pregnancy and so on - of the community should be woven into the
script and addressed.

OUR LOGO
The simple kolam evokes the typical morning routine of every housewife
in Tamil Nadu: cleaning the house's front yard and decorating the steps
with patterns made with rice flour. An auspicious symbol of welcome,
audiences recognize and identify with the kolam, creating instant recall
of the organization. The design also represents the power of bringing
people together.

MORE ABOUT
NALAMDANA >>

HISTORY >>

PEOPLE >>

CURRENT PROJECT
OBJECTIVES >>