Protection of Children in rural areas is an important activity of SEVAI.

Thottiyapatty children

Protection of Children in rural areas is an important activity of SEVAI, a Trichy based NGO.SEVAI brings Thottiyapatty community together and are often coordinated by its volunteers wishing to provide activities and Literacy through mainstream schools and evening classes and organizing SHGs for mothers. SEVAI in collaboration with OFI provides a place for people to gather, share experiences and develop themselves by trying new things. Thottiyapatty community tends to become more of a lifestyle and a focus for children and people living in the community. Several Village Self Help group women farmers activities become a way of life for people and even part of their identity. The families have often attended these SHG groups along with their peers and in some more isolated village neighborhoods, it is the social activity people are involved in. Thottiyapatty cluster communities rarely have access to the facilities of a town where transport is frequent and activities are ongoing into the evening. People living in rural areas have a common identity as a result of their location and this combined with the long hours involved in

SHG Members,parents of kids of Thottiyapatty

working in agriculture and the countryside assist in the forming of strong bonds and lifetime friendships. In order for rural groups to function they tend to exist in remote locations which often involve some lone working, transport provision. The SHGs and its rural groups have little contact with larger agencies or statutory bodies and this can leave them with little access to support to protect children. SEVAI ensure that volunteers and staff have regular access to training, Create suitable boundaries between leaders and members, Maintain a culture where members and leaders feel confident and safe, Ensure parents and care givers are involved in child protection, Seeking the most appropriate facilities for your group within the community.  SEVAI volunteers do excellent work in isolation to provide extremely valuable services in such rural communities. In Thottiyapatty cluster, Self Help Groups work and live together and form extremely close bonds, these bonds provide both a security and a risk, when working in this environment, the level of closeness in a community can protect children. -Govin