SEVAI-AEM Forestry project contributes to maintain Ecological Balance.

Tree Nursery Sibling raising in Green house effect.

SEVAI-AEM Forestry project contributes to maintain Ecological Balance.SEVAI implements Forestry Project in Thottiyapatty and Dasilnaickanoor villages of Trichirapalli Region of Tamilnadu with the support of AEM. Around 7000 tree saplings have been planted in these two areas focusing agro forestry. Agro forestry implemented by SEVAI is the sustainable land-use system that maintains and increases total yields by combining food crops with tree crops and livestock using management practices that suit the social and cultural characteristics of the local people and the economic and ecological conditions such as carbon reduction and under this agro forestry project there are both ecological and economical interactions between the various components. The village farmers of Thottiyapatty and Dasilnaickanoor are trained by SEVAI team members and make the farmers to believe that ‘Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water and preserving soil. Trees removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releasing oxygen in its stead also helps limit global warming, providing for a cleaner, healthier climate and the significance of the shade provided by trees is extremely vital for atmosphere as Trees are like the lungs of the planet as

Watering the planted sapling

they breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen’. This Agro forestry project combines,  production of multiple outputs with protection of the resource base, places emphasis on the use of multiple indigenous trees and plants, particularly suitable for low-input conditions and fragile environments such villages as Thottyapatty -Dasilnaicknoor area, involves the interplay of socio-cultural values more than in most other land-use systems; and this project is implemented  more structurally and functionally. SEVAI has established a tree Nursery in Sirugamani tree growing technology centre where fragile tree plants are grown and transfer to the respective villages Dasilnacikanoor and Thottiyapatty when the nursery age is 9 months old to usable size for tree planting. SEVAI strongly committed to forestry program as planting a tree is a lifelong investment. As tree planting process, SEVAI team carefully selects of trees saplings, the planting location, and provides care during planting, and the follow-up care after planting and this specialized tree plantation start helps the tree mature to its full size and ensures it will provide agro-economic, environmental and social benefits throughout its lifetime.  Agro forestry implemented by SEVAI is a land use management system in which trees are grown among crops and pastureland. This intentional combination of agriculture and forestry under this project has varied benefits, including increased biodiversity and reduced erosion. The Agro Forestry project implemented by SEVAI provides tree-based farming system to a great extent comes to the rescue of small marginal farmers and help them to design a system of production which is spread throughout the year they offer increased productivity, economic benefits, and ecological as this Agro forestry project contributes having a positive influence on ecosystem and balancing the environment. Depleted soil is well protected from soil erosion under this tree plantation project by ground-cover plants in agro forestry systems. These help to stabilize the soil as they increase cover compared to short-cycle cropping systems. Soil cover is a crucial factor in preventing erosion.  The runoff water is reduced by decreasing its velocity and increasing infiltration into the soil. This Agro Forestry project implemented has Environmental benefits such as More efficient recycling of nutrients by deep rooted trees,  Better protection of ecological systems, Reduction of surface run-off, nutrient leaching and soil erosion through impeding effect of tree roots and stems on these processes, Improvement of micro-climate, such as lowering of soil surface temperature

Evolving  Foresty post  plantation

and reduction of evaporation of soil moisture through a combination of mulching and shading,  Increment in soil nutrients through addition and decomposition of litter fall and Improvement of soil structure through the constant addition of organic matter from decomposed litter. This project has also Economic benefits such as Increment in an outputs of food, fuel wood , fodder, fertilizer and timber, Reduction in incidence of total crop failure, which is common to single cropping or mono-culture systems and Increase in levels of farm income due to improved and sustained productivity and the social benefits are Improvement in rural living standards from sustained employment and higher income, Improvement in nutrition and health due to increased quality and diversity of food outputs, Stabilization and improvement of communities through elimination of the need to shift sites of farm activities.-Govin

‘Education eradicates Child marriage” -K.Govindaraju, SEVAI.

K.Govindaraju  of SEVAI addressed recently among child

Joyful learning minor girls-want  books not weddings

services functionaries of Trichy Childline-1098 and Railway children-SEVAI CCRS project he expressed strongly that Educate child to eradicate Child marriage, as child marriage is an obstacle to girls’ development. K.Govindaraju further said,’ “Child protection process also addresses to the need of safeguarding children from child marriages. Child service functionaries are to make sure that communities protect all children and prevent child maltreatment and they are especially to protect girls from violations such as abuse, sexual exploitation, trafficking and work in hazardous conditions, as well as harmful practices, particularly child marriage. Child marriage is one of the barriers to girls, with a depressing impact on so many aspects of their lives. Nobody has the right to force children to do something children don't want to do. Child marriage disproportionately impacts girls, depriving them of their education, health, and safety. Child marriage is a social evil that affects children physically, mentally and emotionally. Mainly girl children are forced to fall into child marriage as they are discriminated in the society because of their gender. Child marriage in India is a real spoiler of a kid’s childhood. Some parents feel that child marriage is the end of troubles for girls, but it actually cuts their childhood short and the girls deserve much better. Many girls who are married off before they turn 18 or are forced into early marriages are made to leave school, depriving them of their right to education and future independence. Child brides are also more likely to experience domestic violence. Child marriage is driven by poverty and has many effects on girls' health: increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases and other serious health issues. Child marriage robs girls of a chance to learn, grow, and fully realize their potential, child marriage systematically disembowels them. It ensures that they remain dependent on others all their lives, strips them of their agency, makes them vulnerable to abuse, and can trap them in a cycle of poverty.  Child marriage

K.Govindaraju.

not only puts a stop to girls' hopes and dreams. It also hampers efforts to end poverty and achieve economic growth and equity. Ending this practice is not only the morally right thing to do but also the economically smart thing to do. The right thing to do is to create awareness about this issue by educating both parents and children and encourage them to be independent first and then look for a partner only after attaining a certain age. Children of today are the future of tomorrow. They must be provided with proper education in order to build a strong nation and allow the girls to continue their studies”. -Kris

‘Ending Child Marriage is need of the Hour’ –I.Murali Kumar, PCO, Childline (Collab), Trichy.

I.Murali kumar enligthens the Childline Team along  with Naveen Balaji.

I.Murali Kumar, Project Coordinator, Childline (Collab), of SEVAI,Trichy stated ‘Ending Child Marriage is need of the Hour’ in the ‘in-service orientation’ of Trichy Childline (collab) team members and Social Work Placement students in the presence of Childline Nodal Coordinator, Naveen Balaji. Project Coordinator, Childline (Collab), Trichy further said ‘Poverty, gender discrimination and migration etc have a big impact on child marriage and on the health of minor girls in rural areas’. Child marriage is the violation of   of human rights and it reduce children skills, knowledge, resources, social support, mobility and autonomy. Female illiteracy was found to be a leading cause for a high incidence in child marriage. There are numerous studies that show women who are married as children, also end up having children at a very young age, putting their health and their child’s health in jeopardy. Child brides often become mothers at an early age. Soon after marriage, they face pressure from their husband and in-laws, their family and the wider community, to prove their fertility. Child brides also often show signs symptomatic of child sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress, including feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and severe depression. Child marriage encourages sexual activity when girls are still developing and know little about their bodies, their sexual and reproductive health, and their right to contraception. Parents should be taught that their girls are safe in school and Parents are to realize how education can truly make a difference in their girl child’s life, Girls are made to feel like their role in society is to get married and be a good daughter, wife and then mother. Ending Child Marriage is officially on the global agenda   because as part of the Sustainable Development Goal which aims to achieve gender equality, and empower all women and girls, the target is to eliminate all harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage”. He earlier recalled, “CHILDLINE is always there for vulnerable children 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year. A phone number,1098  that spells hope for millions of children across India, CHILDLINE is India's first 24-hour, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance.Childline works for the protection of the rights of all children in general. But its special focus is on all children in need of care and protection, especially the more vulnerable sections, which include: children affected by child marriages, runaway children, Street children, Child labourers, Children affected by physical sexual, emotional abuse in family, schools or institutions., Children who need emotional support and guidance, Victims of child trafficking, Children abandoned by parents or guardians and Missing children, Children who are victims of substance abuse,Differently-abled children and for children facing crisis due to risky situations”. On rescuing the child the Child line counselor sits with the child and builds favorable relationship as initial part of the counseling process and making need assessment of the child, and sends his note to CWC for the follow up. The childline service covers rescues the children those need care and protection and produce them before Child Welfare Committee for taking suitable remedy and Child Welfare committee decides the follow up based on the ‘best interest’ of the children in improving knowledge by providing formal and vocational education for economic sustainability, self-realization and actualization by counseling through children service providers of the Government and approved Non-Government Organizations. -Govin

'RCI-SEVAI Open Shelter,Trichy encourages inmate children to participate in creative activities for building their self-confidence level'-Revathy PCO.

Aiming  high 'aspiration- tree' in RCI-SEVAI Open Shelter,Trichy 

The Project Coordinator of RCI-SEVAI CCRS Project,Trichy Mrs.Revathy enlightened the blog writer and further said 'The Project staff of ‘Railway Children-SEVAI run Open shelter for boys under CCRS project’ in Trichy engages the shelter male inmates to participate in creative activities of promoting their self confidence level. The inmates, mostly adolescents are generally run away children from their homes are due to academic stress, poverty and harassment by family members force etc., as some of the reasons of children to flee their homes. Some of these children have run away from their homes probably due to the glamour of cities, peer pressure, duress at home, physical abuse or even being abandoned by their parents. Many of these runaway children are not able to eat a proper meal and in some instances are trapped in the clutches of petty criminals and human traffickers. These children are vulnerable to bad company and drug addiction, and end up committing petty crimes. These runaway Kids and teens might have faced new problems like not having any money, food to eat, a safe place to sleep, or anyone to look out for them and kids with no home and no money become desperate, doing anything just to meet their basic needs. Runaway kids may get involved in dangerous crimes much more often than kids who live at home.The Rescued children in such conditions are given by RCI-SEVAI Open Shelter maximum care and protection and meeting fundamental needs as well as Life Enrichment Non-Formal Education for children coping with life challenges.  It is very important to inculcate the importance of child rights and human values.  The Non-Formal Educator of the shelter connect the children in positive learning by making them to take part in education process of imparting knowledge, development skills and promoting social values among the Open shelter inmates. It is the evolution of life coping education in such a process of providing care and protection of such needy children.The Non-formal education provides an educational response to the needs and concerns.The Project staff motivates the inmates to draw a development tree aiming at expressing  their aspirations in the shelter wall and  ask children to draw all of the things that they like about themselves around the picture and encourage them to add to the picture every time they think of something new they like about themselves. Participatory teaching process of the non formal education is an approach motivating the children to exhibit their talents and aspirations. The Non Formal Educator with the support of the counselor, care givers and project staff of RCI-SEVAI is involved in ‘nurturing the inmates’ strengths and play a positive role for the self-esteem and self-confidence level growth of the kids in the shelter. Open Shelter run by RCI-SEVAI inculcates positive attitude among the rescued children for continuing their education, take part in activities that develop their resilience and the social and emotional skills they need for life, be emotionally and physically healthy and able to cope with the demands of adolescence and becoming an adult; and grow up in a safe and supportive environment'.-Govin

“Children's Day is celebrated to increase awareness of the rights, care and education of children”- Dr.M.Gnavel.

Pandi Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Shastri and Kamaraj with 'Mother'

Dr.M.Gnavel, a Trichy based pediatrician who serves as the Member of Trichy District Child welfare Committee spoke on the children’s day function and said, “It is celebrated on 14 November every year as a tribute to India's First Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Fondly known as Chacha Nehru among children, Nehru advocated for children to have fulfilled education”. The pediatrician said, “Children's Day is celebrated across India to increase awareness of the rights, care and education of children. Dr.M.Gnavel also remembered the services of  of Kamaraj, then Chief Minister of Tamilnadu  who introduced mid day meal scheme to Tamilnadu school children.  Kamaraj, is widely acknowledged as "Kalvi Thanthai”, Father of Education in Tamilnadu.Kamaraj was a rarity in Indian politics, and undoubtedly the

tallest leader in Tamil Nadu. A school dropout and freedom fighter who went on to become the Congress president despite knowing no Hindi and no English, he played the kingmaker in national politics for over two decades by picking two prime ministers, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi. Tamil Nadu still remembers Kamaraj affectionately for the governance he provided as chief minister from April 1954 to October 1963.Kamaraj’s genuine concern for the poor was matched only by his scrupulous honesty and integrity. His pioneering reforms in education included the mid day meal scheme aimed at wooing children from poor families to schools. Since its

Dr.M.Gnanavel.

inception, his Mid-day Meal Scheme has been enhanced by successive governments and has now been adopted across the country. In Tamil Nadu, the scheme has undergone several changes such as the inclusion of eggs and vitamin tablets to improve the nutritional value of the meals. Its contribution to reduction of drop-out rates, increasing enrolment and improving nutritional status of children is very well acknowledged. On this occasion, Dr.Gnavel exhibited to children, a rare group photo of then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indiragandhi, Kamaraj, Lal Bahadur Shastri along with Pondicherry “The Mother” a collaborator of Sri Aurobindo.This photo was published by Overman Foundation.-Kris

Foundation Hirzel through OFI donates a school bus to SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School, benefits rural school children.

Foundation Hirzel through OFI donates a school bus to SEVAI Shanthi

View of the bus donated by Foundation Hirzel through OFI

Matriculation Higher Secondary School, benefits rural school children. This bus service provides School Bus Service to rural villages in around the School and several children from seven village hamlets commute to the school making use of the bus service. This school bus service ensures students to attend school regularly and timely. The school bus user kids learn to take care of their personal belongings, like a school bag, water bottle, and lunch box. This helps them in their overall development and well-being and makes them a responsible and independent individual. SEVAI School bus daily comes at the same stop on same time in their respective villages and the school bus service enables rural kids to have quality education for the age group of children from Lower Kinder garden to Higher Secondary grades.  Rural parents prefer School buses as the most preferred modes of transportation for their children. One of the most important benefits of school buses is that they arrive on time ensuring the school children reach school promptly. Because if school bus service, the parents are assured that their children and teachers are on the school premises on time and classes can

Mrs.Benjamine Oberoi Launches the School Bus Service

start on scheduled time. This makes the daily schedule as smooth as possible for the school children, school management as well as the parents’ engagement in earning their livelihood.GPS system has been fixed on the school bus and the school tracks the location of the school bus with kids. The GPS tracker empowers school management and parents to know their child's location and give them confidence. When using services of school buses, parents are rest assured about the conveyance and safety of their kids.  From a young age, the school kids get to learn a lot of new things. And when they travel in school buses, they not just make new friends, but they learn sharing, companionship and how to make new friends. The School Principal Chitra Balasubramanian enlightens that the school children

Happy Journey of kids in the School bus

enrollment from the rural areas are increasing by ending the school dropout rate of rural children from the bus service villages. This bus service was launched in November 2019 by Mrs.Benamine Oberoi. The School Principal Chitra Balasubramanian thanked Foundation Hirzel and OFI for such a support of donating a bus and added that the school would ensure meeting the driver salary and bus running cost with the contribution of the parents of children using the bus service.-Govin

SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School launches students friendly School Library.

Children Friendly Libruary using process-Robin Jour with school children

SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher School, Pettavaithalai launched ‘child friendly’ library in November 2019. This library project has been established in accordance with the SEVAI, Alphabet Club, the Casa Foundation and Hippocampus and several professionals accorded their knowledge in this library establishing process. SEVAI appreciates a French volunteer Robin Jour, well supported by another French volunteer Sarah Sebaoun for the intelligent and creative role in instituting the school library. Robin Jour brilliantly applied his knowledge in  every step in the creation of the new inclusive and creative joyful learning room for school kids especially for second, third and fourth graders in the school.This child friendly library project is the brain child of Dr.(Mrs) Benjamine Oberoi, a reputed psychologist and social worker who has been dedicating her life to enhance life in India and especially Tamilnadu through her “Casa Foundation” and" OFI-France " with the support and guidance of Hippocampus, a Bangaluru based organisation which indeed helps schools across India to increase their literacy capacity. Mr. Troy Swanson an American philanthropist, provided books to the school through “Alphabet club", an European based organisation that develops literacy project across the world through kids library movement. Mrs Oberoi Benjamine is the source of inspiration and functions as the link between SEVAI and ALPHABET CLUB, French Volunteers in the Library project success.Mrs.Benjamine Oberoi inaugurated the library during the fourth week of November 2019 in the school and spoke among the teachers and participants about the importance of child friendly learning centre in the form of library. Mrs.Benjamine Oberoi appreciated the donors of the books and Mr. Troy Swanson efforts for his support for establishing the library and the French volunteer Robin Jour for his creating works and Management of SEVAI School,

Learning kids in the child friendly school library

teachers and all the supporters of the project for the successful launch of the school Library project.Mrs.Benajmine Oberoi spoke on the occasion and further said “Education and library are interrelated and fundamentally co-exist with each other. Education is the process of gaining knowledge, values, skills, habits, and beliefs. It is the social process in which children are subjected to the influence of the school environment to attain social competence personnel development. Education is the outcome of the knowledge and experience acquired. Library, on the other hand, is the source and storehouse of knowledge, information, and resources vital for the leap in the advancement of knowledge. Libraries enhance the cause of education. A library plays an important role in meeting the growing needs of people in literacy. The library is essential for self-education, a means of information and knowledge. Education is the complex social process of gaining knowledge and experience formally”. K. Govindaraju, the founder/Director of SEVAI expressed his happiness for the establishment of such a child friendly library in the school and he ensured that this facility will be optimum used for the educational benefit of school pupils. On behalf of the School, Mrs.Chita Bala Subramanian, Principal of the School thanked all the key actors of the project for the successful launch of children friendly library project in SEVAI Shanthi School. -Kris

Foundation Hirzel and OFI supported SEVAI- RTC have Hand Pump and peddle pumps, for demonstration.

Pedal pump,India Mark II,  India Mark III and sanitary toilets for demo in SEVAI RTC.

SEVAI Rural Technology centre (RTC),as supported by Foundation Hirzel and OFI, in Sirugamani trains villagers in Hand pump and treadle pump technology. RTC has erected India Mark II, India Mark III, Pedal Pump, TARA Pump, and various cost effective cost effective toilet live models these benefit rural populations. K.Devendran, the coordinator of RTC made enlightened students those visited RTC on 17,Dec 2019 and said,  “Hand pumps are manually operated pumps; they use human power and mechanical advantage to move fluids or air from one place to another. Hand pumps are commonly used in developing countries for both community supply and self-supply of water and can be installed on boreholes. There are several types of water hand pumps. When the piston moves downwards in hand pump, the foot valve closes to prevent back flow of water and the piston valve opens to allowing the piston to move down through the water in the cylinder. India mark II: This Hand Pump is widely used in rural areas it is commonly called India Mark II Deep Well Hand Pumps. In this pump the connecting rod and riser pipe will be of three meters long each. These pumps have to work in rural areas, where infrastructure facility for maintenance is not available it is necessary that these pumps are sturdy, reliable, trouble free and easy to operate. The India Mark II is a human-powered pump designed to lift water from a depth of fifty metres or less. The Mark II is world's most widely used water hand pump. The pump is installed on top of a drilled well or borehole and these pumps are easy   to install, Easy maintenance, Wear Resistant- better Abrasion for long life, Good machinability, Excellent stain resistance and Cost Effective. India Mark III Water Well Hand Pump; Development of the India Mark III hand pump arose out of the community-level experiences of those who produced, installed, and distributed the India Mark II pumps. The India Mark II pump is one of the most widely used hand pumps around the world. But it is not suited for village level operation and maintenance (VLOM).Because the Mark II water well hand pump has a closed-top cylinder, every time the pump cylinder components require maintenance or replacement, the riser main, pump rod, and cylinder all have to be pulled out of the well. During development and distribution of the India Mark II, experiences in the field and the laboratory made the developers of that water well hand pump aware of the need for communities to have the ability to maintain and repair their own water pumps without relying on too much outside support. In addressing this issue, the developers sought to research and design a hand pump that offered those repairing them the ability to remove the piston and foot valve for maintenance without removing of the riser main. The VLOM strategy appeared to be a technological strategy. That is, the solution to villages and communities being able to repair and maintain their own hand pumps was seen as a technological problem that could be solved by the development of pumps that were VLOM-capable. The VLOM idea restricted itself to the technical aspects by developing pumps that could be, manufactured locally, thus ensuring availability of spare parts, maintained by a village caretaker with minimal skills and lightweight tools, sturdy under real-life field conditions, cost effective, Experience in the field soon revealed, however, that there were more than just technological reasons for water well hand pump break downs and a lack of maintenance. Development of user-friendly water well hand pump technology that villagers, with a minimum of training, could work on as hand pump mechanics ultimately led to the need for deeper community involvement, responsibility, and ownership in all aspects of water resource development”.The RTC Coordinator further said, “Treadle Pump is a foot operated reciprocating type positive displacement pump to draw water with open channel water delivery system from surface water source like dug well, ponds, canal etc.A treadle pump is a human-powered suction   pump that sits on top of a well and is used for irrigation. It is designed to lift water from a depth of seven metres or less. The pumping is activated by stepping up and down on treadle, which are levers, which drive pistons, creating cylinder suction that draws groundwater to the surface. Treadle pumps free farmers from dependence on rain-fed irrigation and helps farmers maximize return on their small plots of land. The treadle pump can do most of the work of a motorized pump, but costs considerably less. Treadle pumps are most commonly used by farmers on small plots of land, typically about the size of an acre. They are also used in developing countries and small villages. Compared to bucket irrigation, the treadle pump can greatly increase the income that farmers generate from their land by increasing the number of growing seasons, by expanding the types of crops that can be cultivated and improving on the quality of grown crops”.-Govin

TARA Pump demo in SEVAI Sirugamani RTC as supported by Hirzel Foundation and OFI.

TARA Pump Demo in SEVAI-RTC ,Sirugamani

SEVAI Rural Technology Centre in Sirugamani as supported by Foundation Hirzel and OFI, has fixed Tara Pump, the “Direct Action Pump for Low Lift Wells” for demonstration purpose. It uses a buoyant pump rod that helps to reduce the forces on the handle. The Tara pump is a public domain pump that operates by the direct action of the operator. Since there is no mechanical advantage afforded as in lever action pumps, the effective depth of the Tara pump is limited to about 10-15 meters. The operator lifts up and pushes down on a T-handle that is directly connected to the pump rod. This direct connection eliminates the need for bearings and axles, as on lever action pumps and allows water to be delivered to the spout on both the upstroke and the down-stroke. It is not designed for heavy-duty use, and can serve small communities of about 100 persons. The pumps are generally installed in collapsible boreholes drilled with the sludger method. This is made possible by the inclusion, below the foot valve, of a lower well assembly. This lower well assembly includes a well screen, a sand trap, and a cutter. The Tara pump can be inserted directly into a coarse sand aquifer. The lower well assembly allows water to flow from the aquifer to the pump cylinder.In effect, the lower well assembly performs the same function as the well screen in a rigid tube well casing. Only very simple tools are needed to assemble and disassemble Tara shallow well hand pumps. Village caretakers can easily work on and maintain a Tara pump.The open-cylinder design allows for easy removal of the piston assembly and the foot valve.It can be used for drinking water and irrigation of family gardens too. -Govin

SEVAI Watershed approach enhances food production and enables farmers’ economy.

Thottiyapatty Farmer in Paddy Cultivation

SEVAI Watershed approach enhances food production by adopting soil and water conservation. Watershed is the key management approach for rain shadow areas of Dasilnaickanoor and Thottiyapatty villages, where a Trichy based NGO promotes watershed concept among the farming communities of this region. The Director SEVAI NGO spoke among the marginal farmers’ committee members of these villages and said, “Agriculture is the largest source of livelihoods in these villages. Food is important for everyone to live so farmers produce a food their called backbone of society for the most obvious reason, they grow food and feed people. And thus farming is the basis of a country's economy. Food is basic requirement after air and water. No matter how much do you earn but yet you need the same food grains and leaves and plant what a poor person needs. Cooking process can differ but grains are same for all. Farmers ensure the food safety if at household level food security and farmers work in open sky and it is more challenging than other occupations. Farmers are an important part of the survival of our various societies because they provide food and fiber that nourishes and cloths us. They have the ability to deal with varied growing seasons, climatic variations, soil conditions, and the often harsh catastrophic events. In Thottiyapatty and Dasilnaickanoor areas of Trichy region of Tamilnadu, farmers practice micro watershed approach in water and soil conservation and optimize the agriculture occupation in their villages as the farmers were well educated by a Trichy based NGO, SEVAI on Watershed management and its benefit for the farmers. Watershed programme is an integrated one, addressing the problems in rain fed areas of Thottiyapatty and Dasilnaickanoor villages. It addresses the environmental and ecological problems like deforestation, over-utilization of water and most importantly it seeks to convert unsustainable agriculture to sustainable agriculture besides tackling unemployment and under-employment faced by the farmers as well as landless people. Through watershed programme the farmers gained knowledge about soil and water conservation, crop production practices, land use pattern and alternative practices”. -Kris

SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School inculcates Joyful Teaching Learning process.

Joyful Learning Kids of SEVAI Shanthi MHS School

“SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School inculcates Joyful Teaching Learning process in the school offers favourable environment for the academic and extracurricular performances of students” Principal of the SEVAI Shanthi Matriculation Higher Secondary School Mrs.Chitra Balasubramanian  enlightened the teachers and further said, “As educators, we need to take learning seriously. But that does not mean that learning must feel like serious business for our students. By providing joyful learning environments and experiences for our students, we can improve engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes and it would increase pace of learning with activities like playing, exercising, laughing, acting kind, and having choices as to how to participate. Motivation, attention, perseverance, and creativity go up when students are involved in joyful learning environment. We need to design these environments for our students based on what we know about the intelligence, emotions, and learning opportunities by creating an inviting classroom where students feel happy and comfortable helps to lower feelings of stress and increase positive attitudes about learning. Our students may have any number of struggles that make it challenging to be successful in school. We need

Children Learn in Joyful School  Education Environment 

to have the power to create a welcoming, supportive, and interesting place for students to learn. Paying special attention to the learning materials you use in class is also part of designing a joyful classroom. We can create and use content that appeals to our students and they have shown improvements in retention and understanding of the concepts after lessons. Teacher need to take up an approach that connects real life to learning while valuing what is interesting to our students. There are many ways to surprise and delight our students to heighten their interest in what they are learning. Make learning experiences relevant to the group’s interests. We can’t assume that we know what is interesting and enjoyable to our students. To best understand what our students like and care about, it is important to get to know our students better and take notice of what they are happy about. Invite students to share their interests and desired things, and offer choices as often as possible for them to investigate, respond and create in ways that matter to them”.-Govin

Karthigai festival celebrated in SEVAI-RCI Children Open shelter.

Karthigai festival in Open shelter -happy occasion

Karthigai festival was celebrated in SEVAI-RCI Children Open shelter on 11^th December 2019.Karthika Deepam is one of the most ancient festivals that has been celebrated since ages according to Indian history. It is symbolic of the festival of lights in Tamil Nadu and it is considered as extended Deepavali and the occasion occurs during the full moon day in Tamil month of Karthigai, December. The Children and Open house staff of RCI-SEVAI CCRS project decorated the child friendly shelter beautifully with Karthigai lights. The team of Open shelter earlier washed their floors and in proper way and see that the walls and floor look attractively and children friendly. The inmates and team members draw Rangoli near in the floor to mark the festival as well as to make the shelter as children friendly and pleasing to eyes. The lights usually represent the incorporation of happiness and prosperity in the shelter. The inmate children of open shelter enjoyed the festival and try to make their shelter as their home to look attractive and happiness. Mrs.Revathy, Project Coordinator of RCI-SEVAI CCRS Project, Sukumaran, Home Superintend of Open Shelter and home care givers and kids of the Shelter participated in Karthigai Deepam Festival.Revathy, PCO greeted every one present on this occasion and said, “The Open Shelter is an joyful home for the inmates and special days such as Karthigai festival rejuvenate children, fill the shelter with happiness, joy and delight. Every child in the shelter heartily need to celebrate and takes part in special days, whether it is a festival or a special day for some cause. I believe that the celebration of these special days bring happiness of the inmates a spirit of togetherness”. –Govin 

Trichy Parkour (TPK), a free running academy completes its successful seven years of its services initiated on 12.12.2012.

Trichy Parkour (TPK) Team 

Trichy Parkour (TPK), a free running Academy conducted physical training both indoor and outdoor classes for over 1000 passionate people irrespective of age and gender in Trichy, those they meet in Parks, walkers paths and interested schools and Institutions. Its services in Trichy Science Park, Open shelter Under Railway Children-SEVAI, School teachers and pupils of S. S. Matric higher secondary School and the service organizations appreciate the yeoman services of Trichy Parkour Academy for the physical and psychological fitness of its service recipient citizens. Trichy Parkour (TPK) has a team of dedicated team members for their academy services for the interested citizens in their physical training both indoor and outdoor classes. The CCRS project Director appreciated the Trichy Parkour team for their free Physical and psychological indoor exercise support extended for the inmates of Open Shelter over 60 weeks and the services are well valued by the inmates. One of the key functionaries of Trichy Parkour said, “Trichy Parkour practitioner aims to get from one point to another in a complex environment, without assistive equipment and in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Parkour includes running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, rolling, quadrupedal movement, and other movements as deemed most suitable for the situation. Trichy Parkour Free academy is well composed of dedicated team members both male and female as trainers in the Parkour activities in Trichy. Parkour is a lifestyle to get strong physically and psychologically and to be able to adapt to any situation and overcome obstacles in life. It involves various techniques that require periodic training, compact work and experience to attain perfection. It is a non-competitive activity that has no specific age limit or eligibility. Imran thanks the Trichy Population for their cooperation for the successful implementation of Parkour activities in Trichy. TPK functionary explains that TPK is functioning as AOP, an Association of Persons and proposes to register Trichy Parkour Academy as the statutory body for the expansion of Trichy Parkour (TPK) for reaching larger population of Trichy”.-Kris

Childline 1098(Collab), Trichy completes one year services after taken over by SEVAI.

Trichy Childine 1098 (Collab) Hub

Childline 1098,Colloab Director, K.Govindaraju,SEVAI mentioned, “Trichy Childline 1098, a 24-hour free emergency phone and outreach services for children in need of care and protection, has completed one year after being taken over by SEVAI-Trichy organization as a collaborative agency with Nodal agency Department of Social Work, Bishop Heber College, Trichy.
CHILDLINE reaches out to any child who calls 1098. Additionally CHILDLINE is focused on creating awareness on the benefits of 1098 among the public and most marginalized groups of children. CHILDLINE reaches out to those children who are denied their rights, especially street children, child labourers, children who are abused, child victims of flesh trade, child addicts, children in conflict with law and children whose families are in crisis.Childline-1098 has taken up several cases against child marriages, child sexual abuse, child trafficking, corporal punishment, adolescent behavioural problems in schools etc. Open house programmes, involving government officials of district child protection unit, members of police department, education department, Women and Child Welfare Department and the NGOs have been conducted. Awareness programmes with regard to childline, POSCO Act and Corporal Punishment, JJ Act was conducted in schools and colleges during 2019. 'Childline se Dosthi,' week celebrations was conducted in November 2019. To create awareness on childline and discuss issues concerning children, monthly meetings will be organised on second Saturday of every month at 11 am at Childline Collab Agency: SEVAI, Trichy.The childline has received 413 genuine calls from January –November 2019, which has been divided under different categories such as Child marriages, Shelter, Medical, Restoration, Protection from abuse, Sponsorship, Child lost and found, Parents asking for help, Emotional support and guidance, Information and referral to service, Education support etc. and efforts have been taken to support the children through legal and official and professional sources. CHILDLINE provides immediate and emergency assistance and later refers the child to other organizations for long-term rehabilitation. The services provided by Childline 1098 include Counseling, Crisis Intervention, Temporary Shelter, Home Placement, and Institutional Placement”.-Kris

Childline-1098, Trichy organized an open house program

Childline 1098-Team member enlightens the participants

Childline-1098, Trichy organized an open house program for school kids in Bichandarkoil, near Trichy in the premise of Raja Aided School open stage. One of the  Childline-1098 Trichy team members shared his views among the kids and their parents and teachers and said, “The best way to prevent child abuse is to help parents, teachers are to develop the skills and identify the resources they need to understand and meet their children’s needs and protect them from harm and it is important  to practice  the common activities of prevention programs, keys to successful prevention services, and protective factors that increase the health and well-being of children and families and it is the responsibility of  everyone to support families in raising safe and healthy children. The first step in helping abused or neglected children is learning to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect and Childline 1098 will be helpful to sensitize awareness on child abuse, including signs associated with

Confident Girl child in the openhouse

maltreatment such as physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional maltreatment. The harmful effects of child abuse and neglect vary depending on a number of factors, including the circumstances, personal characteristics of the child, and the child’s environment. In many cases, child abuse and neglect have consequences for children, families, and society that last lifetimes. Child line-1098 services provide the most common physical, psychological, behavioral, and societal consequences of child abuse and neglect, including findings from its field experiences”. The team member further said, “We believe that every child has a right to a safe childhood free of violence and it is important time to start the conversation in our communities about how we can keep our children safe. By promoting safety, awareness and dialogue, we can prevent abuse from happening in the first place and help keep our children safe”. Childline-1098 team further narrated the key reasons to Prevent Child Maltreatment and said, “It might seem self-evident that we should work to prevent child maltreatment. The damage it may cause can be even more insidious and far-reaching than most people realize and it is vital to prevent child maltreatment before it hurts children and communities, Child maltreatment can be fatal, Child maltreatment can confuse a child’s normal growth and development, the emotional and physical damage a child may suffer from abuse and neglect is extensive and  consequences of maltreatment include chronic health problems, cognitive and language disorders, and socio-emotional problems such as low self-esteem, lack of trust, and poor relationships with adults and peers. Prevention programs targeted at children can improve a child’s awareness of how best to avoid child maltreatment and other unsafe practices.  Child abuse prevention efforts serve as a way to combat other social problems.  Child abuse prevention creates a more compassionate society, one which places a high value on the welfare of children”. -Govin