| |
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2007 UPDATE (below)
The South India Girl Child Initiative (SIGCI)
read more about this project >
THEATER FOR CHANGE
February 17, 2007
Eleven girls (all 9th grade and some drop outs) at the UAK slum, Chennai, presented a drama on alcoholism and suicide for their parents; created by them, trained by Nalamdana. This most emotional piece was first performed for select Nalamdana staff, some mothers of the girls and volunteers funding this activity. While watching, several mothers started to cry. The story was so close to their lives and was enacted by their own daughters. The group will present this piece to schools and community groups.
MUSIC WITH A MESSAGE
On March 2, 2007 a group of 31 girls and 4 boys, all 9th graders from the Government Thuraipakkam High School, presented group songs, written and sung by them at their school for their peers and a small invited audience. Trained by Mr. Devendran and Arivalagan, this group of students first started meeting regularly to discuss music and topics for songs. Next they learned how to write songs themselves. They presented a selection of popular film songs with positive messages and three very special songs written by them on health, the importance of girl's education and on the eradication of child labour. All of these students live in the nearby Okkium housing colony, and hail from economically challenged backgrounds.
BENEFICIARY FORUM, March 6, 2007
As the culmination of 8 months work by two NGOs, Nalamdana and Aseema Trust, a group presentation was held in Avvai Home, Adyar, where Aseema has been working with residential girls, day scholars and young teacher trainees. Nalamdana has provided theater training for different groups of vulnerable girls (ages 13 to 19) from four city sites, to develop specific skills. The following groups performed:
QMC and MGR Janaki college students (17 to 19 years old - out of approximately 100 girls, about 70 joined the theatre group) - they performed skits, created by themselves on issues of concern, identified by them.
Urur alcot kuppam, a local kuppam - twenty girls (13 years old) have formed a meeting group and they put on a skit dealing with alcoholism and the resulting domestic violence and suicide.
Government High School, Thuraipakkam - students from the 8th and 9th grades presented four songs created by them, with a professional orchestra supporting them. These students have been trained in group music by Nalamdana for the last four months. The special songs about child rights, the right to education and "what do I want to be when I grow up" were awesome. Written entirely by them, the last one was foot tapping quality.
It was extremely gratifying to see the girls perform with such confidence and pride. The school audience of Avvai Home was about 400+ children and probably another 50 to 100 other invited guests.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, March 8th
Morning: a special function at QMC college, where the trained drama group of girls will present their skit on drug abuse and HIV risk to invitees from the State Womens' Commission.
March 9, 2007, NSS Camp - trip to a peri urban, island fishing village in North Chennai, near Pulicat lake (pazhaverkadu) the theater trained MGR Janaki College girls, NSS group and the professional Nalamdana team will perform together for the community, dramas addressing the issues of declining sex ratio and female infanticide along with alcoholism and the domestic violence associated with it.
MARCH 10, 2007, request performance
we received a request from a partner NGO, Roshni, to perform for a new group of self help women from the nearby rural area, Guduvancheri. Nalamdana will be preforming the pre natal health drama for them.
HIV/AIDS Update
An issue that Nalamdana has been committed to since 1994, as India is the country with the largest number of HIV positive people after Africa. Nalamdana has a suite of scripts, a training kit with interactive materials such as video, audio tapes, jig-saw puzzles and games
(created with funding from the Ford Foundation through 1995 to 2000) and also undertakes theatre training for partner organizations. Nalamdana has executed a two year funded project (2005 - 6) at the Tambaram Government Hospital, Chennai (the TB and HIV treatment centre where the largest number of patients in India receive free treatment.)
ONCE A MONTH: Role plays outside ART clinics and dramas in their open air theatre leads to discussion and encourages better understanding between patients, their families and care givers.
The year 2007 will usher in a novel component - an internal radio program which will link the far flung wards and encourage participatory daily programs that will entertain and educate. Since 2005, this project was funded by I-TECH, Seattle and CDC, Atlanta. it is now approved for extension and is being funded by The Gere foundation India Trust and UNESCO.
Maternal and Child Health Update
Nalamdana was funded by the Earthwatch Institute, Boston to undertake a long term research project about this important issue. Though this support was concluded in 2006, Nalamdana continues to mainstream the learning into all funded projects and undertakes specific training material making for partner organizations. Nalamdana seeks funding support for this issue and former Earthwatch volunteers have created a network to help this work and the other needs of Nalamdana (see Friends of Nalamdana website) Several city colleges offering nutrition and home science have partnered with Nalamdana in field work, providing their students with practical experience and the opportunity to volunteer on Nalamdana's urban and rural programs.
Student Leadership Program Update
Under this educational sponsorship program, Nalamdana selects and supports 35 students from challenged backgrounds (8th grade onwards) through their 12 years of schooling, imparting skills building and character building programs for them - to enable them to pursue higher education and create a youth corp. for the future.
Project Nambikkai (Hope) - Phase II
This is the post tsunami rehabilitation project undertaken by Nalamdana since 2005. As the terrible disaster that struck the Tamil Nadu coast devastated homes, lives and destroyed confidence in hundreds of fishing villages along the coast, Nalamdana responded with a 2 year project - touring these villages, using drama to teach crucial information about disaster preparedness and tips on how to cope. As the community theatre model used by Nalamdana is flexible, messages constantly evolved to address specific local problems. Over twenty AID agencies and NGOS partnered with Nalamdana. Though it will be 2 years on December 26, 2006, the hundreds of transit camps and temporary housing still exist in many villages and people need second level messaging on health, hygiene, nutrition, child care and risks due to contagious infections. Nalamdana seeks funds for continuing these programs through 2007.
|
|
