Kitchen gardens vegetables are for self consumption by poor than marketing

SEVAI Thidalveli Kitchen garden project

“Kitchen gardens vegetables are for self consumption by poor than marketing” said Ms.Vembu of Thidalveli in the coastal Nagapatinam SEVAI target village.  Every house in Thidalveli boasts of a kitchen garden. However, with the change in lifestyle, native recipes have disappeared. Before everything is lost, the self help groups are attempting to bring back the lost legacy in tune with the present trend. Monsoon had supported their efforts to spread the green word. Women showed that biodiversity conservation begins in the kitchen. Each of them played the role of a seed bank, storing tens of varieties and spreading it across. Meeting people in such occasions has helped them develop new ideas and learn growing methods. Coming out of the house to take part in public functions was not easy earlier. The movement has sown the seeds of change even at the family level. Women are now key decision makers. A strong social relationship has developed among these women for a good cause. Vembu, the person who dreamt of such a start, has many more to be groomed. “Though we have developed a good reserve of seeds, fields have acted as banks. We now need to develop a small store for seeds, which would cater to those who are interested. An outlet for native produce may also boost the interest of farmers. We don't want to grow in number, but we want to strengthen ourselves. Being a local group, we want to respond to larger issues,” she says. The kitchen garden is a group-based activity where all the SHG members reap the rewards of this productive new enterprise working on plot preparation, sowing, weeding, watering, nurturing and harvesting the vegetables. The kitchen gardens are non-commercial enterprises where produce is shared equally between the group members that develop and maintain the garden. “We do not sell the surplus vegetables. This self-help group activity and all production from the kitchen garden are for the benefit of our group members,” Vembu clarified. People in the village have seen the tangible benefits of having kitchen gardens, most families have followed suit and developed their own vegetable gardens on varying scales. -Govin

Affordable housing with Mangalore tiles roof by SEVAI for poor

SEVAI/FPV Housing in Trichy District

SEVAI has constructed hundreds of Mangalore tiled roof homes for the poor in rural and slum areas of Trichy region of Tamilnadu German Missionary Plebot set up the first tile factory in 1865, after he found large deposits of clay by the banks Gurupur and Nethravathi Rivers. It was called Basel Mission Tile factory and located on the banks of the river Nethravathi, around 100 meters away from Ullal Bridge. Several other tile factories came up in the years that followed. Abundant deposits of clay, plenty of firewood from the Western Ghats and cheap skilled labour helped the industry flourish. Since the tiles were made only in the city initially, they came to be called Mangalore tiles. Most of us have grown in houses that used Mangalore tiles, reading those letters on them, which gave their manufacturers name, abbreviated. Somewhere down the line, we switched over to the unimaginative concrete roof. Luckily, people are going back to the Mangalore tiles, though not for the whole house. Made of compressed mud and burnt under controlled conditions, these tiles are uniform in thickness and pattern. They have a nostalgic appeal, though their maintenance is an issue. The tile can be used in many creative ways — you could have a clay ceiling covered with Mangalore tiles for aesthetic appeal. Mangalore tile needs a neat sub-structure. ‘Mangalore tiles’ have become a generic term for clay roofing tiles, and mechanized tile factories are busy churning out newer patterns and sizes. Take a stroll around the Bangalore cantonment area, and you can still see the occasional 'tiled roof' and 'jack arch roof' trying to peep through the lush greenery within the compound dating back to British era. The tiles are all 'Mangalore tiles', the name giving you a hint of their origin.   The traditional Mangalore tile roof is fast disappearing but, what is fascinating, the Mangalore tile is staging a comeback in diverse and sometimes ingenious ways. Mangalore tiles are made of clay found in abundance in parts of Mangalore in Karnataka and Kasargod in Kerala.  The brand has been in vogue in the country ever since such tiles were first made in 1865 by the Christian missionaries of the Basel Mission. They are made of compressed mud and burnt under controlled conditions, giving them a uniform thickness and pattern.  With tiles making way for newer roofing materials, the 'Mangalore tile' has now taken on a new 'avatar' and acquired an aesthetic hue. People nowadays are going back to them for landscaping, car portico, garden gazebo or 'watchman's shed' in front of the house.  Back in the history, the rural living conditions and natural habitation mandated our forefathers to utilize mud, water and baking procedures to protect their families against wind, rain and summer heat. They baked flat and curved mud tiles that helped the skilful wrapping of roofs, floors and walls in an economical way. Yes, it started with only a bare-minimum, sleek drape of the roofing though, just about making sure that rain water did not seep in or the heat didn't radiate directly. Now the demand for the Mangalore tiles is on the increase, as people are laying these tiles over the concrete roofs for aesthetic purposes and for reduced heat transfer during summer season. Sloping roofs with muddy brown tiles still define the city's skyline even though multi-storeyed buildings and shopping malls are changing the way the Mangalore looks. Govin

Physiotherapy for IED students of SSA-IED-Trichy Project

Physiotherapy exercise for SRBC Child of SSA/SEVAI

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Tamilnadu, Trichy District in collaboration with Trichy based NGO now provides free physiotherapy sessions to students after they undergo surgery at the hospitals to correct their disabilities. The disabled children from 6 years to 18 years are provided free medical treatment under this project. The project provide free of cost physiotherapy to all the kids before and after surgery. Every student has a named specialist physiotherapist who completes a baseline physiotherapy assessment as soon as they arrive. This forms the basis for mobility and postural management programmes that are tailored to individual need and are integrated into all areas of school life. Physiotherapy is delivered in individual sessions or within a group, and is integrated into the classrooms. SEVAI physiotherapists train staff and carers so that there is a consistent approach and delivery of student’s programme. SEVAI encourages maximum input from our students to help them fulfill their functional potential and are also happy to advise and support parents.SEVAI also offer Standing programmes, Mobility programmes including: walking, tricking and wheelchair mobility; Assessment and management of orthotic needs, and a weekly clinic with a visiting orthotist,Liaison with outside professionals, including other therapists, wheelchair services and consultants ,Support for students on return to school, Fitness and co-ordination groups, Two therapeutic riding groups each week, Involvement in the delivery of the curriculum, including personal and physical development, sensory, and enrichment sessions and Advice on equipment provision.-Govin

Adolescents are in a period between childhood and adulthood

An adolescent of SEVAI project 

Adolescents are children in a period between childhood and adulthood. This time period is divided into two stages, including 10 to 13 years of age) and 14 to 17 years of age. During this time, the child will go through many changes in his physical, psychological (mental and emotional), and social growth. Providing care to adolescents can be challenging. At a time when teenagers are struggling to make decisions on their own, they need guidance, though they may be unwilling to acknowledge that need. It may often seem that adolescents do not connect their actions with consequences. Adolescents also require consideration for their age and developmental level. Adolescents are not children and they are not adults. It is essential to consider the shift in their thought processes in order to provide optimum care. We need to look at ways to address health problems in adolescent. Providing Health Maintenance to Adolescents, we need to understand how to comprehend adolescents from a developmental view and address the issues of confidentiality, risk behavior, and difficult parenting. Child’s body changes quickly during puberty. Puberty is a period in adolescence where the body develops and matures sexually. This period usually starts at 7 to 13 years of age in girls, and 9 to 14 years of age in boys. Hormones (special chemicals in the body), family history, and nutrition all add to our child’s growth. Young adolescents often focus on their own self-image. Through different experiences, the child may find new beliefs and question old ones. She/he begins to form personality traits that define who she/he is. She/He defines his own ideals, values, and principles. By late adolescence, he is happier with who he is, and his place in society. An adolescent may begin to spend less time with parents and more with friends. She/he often longs for freedom and starts to detach himself from his family and begins to depend on himself more and learn responsibility. We have the right to help plan the child’s care. To help with this plan, the parent must learn about the child’s growth and development.-Govin

World population touches 7000 million with a new born girl child.

HPI/SEVAI Goats rearing  project  for  adolescent girls prosperity

With a girl child born on 31^st October 2011, the world population touches its 7000 Million. It is a pity that the world Female and female population ratio is significantly less than male population ratio of the world.  It is important to give girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness to help adolescent girls. The girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. The world should provide girls with basic needs as access to school supplies, clean water, life-saving health services, safety from violence and more. The girl children are promising yet gloomy, hopeful, yet in despair. The hand that rocks the cradle, the procreator, the mother of tomorrow; a woman shapes the destiny of civilization. Such is the tragic irony of fate, that a beautiful creation such as the girl child is today one of the gravest concerns facing humanity. Traditions and rituals outline the existence of the Indian girl child. Amidst uproars of gender equality and law enforcement, it is alleged that female infants are still found dumped in trash, by the dozens, while unborn fetuses continue to be sniffed in the womb. Our society has to deal the girl child a smooth hand, starting even before birth.-Govin