Category: Uncategorized

Myself K. Kaviya studying 9th grade in Government high School, Kuruvadi, Kadaladi Block, Ramanathapuram District. I have an elder sister doing 11th standard. My father is a construction worker and my mother is working as a cook in Kuruvadi school.
Before intervention of Community Resource Center (CRC), we did not have any kind of opportunity in engaging co-curricular skills, reading and writing practices. Even, we don’t have any guidance in clarification in our school subjects. Without guidance, most of the girls were not interested to continue their higher education after 10th. So, more drop outs was in our village and some of our friends engaged in part time works with their parents.
By that time, PAD organization approached our village, and conducted the meetings with village leaders, parents and our children. Based on our request, they established the CRC in our village. Now, there are 27 children participating regularly. It was new opportunity to us to learn daily subjects and new ideas with the help of centre facilitators. Through that how we can develop our skills by participating in various event. They taught us, how to speak without fearless, engaging in traditional games, celebrating every important day like science day, world water day, national girl child day and teacher’s day.
We developed our co-curricular skills such as handicrafts, dancing, acting, singing, elocution, debates and silambam, etc. Participating in such a way made us eager to speak boldly without fear. After the establishment of CRC and Adolescent Girls Group (AGG) meetings, we developed and fixed our goal. We have set clearly and explained what activities we have to do to achieve that goal and thus it helped me to set my goal. At first, I was not interested in joining any competition now after joining the centre, I want to join even if I lose. We formed and practiced dance as a group. I got interested in dancing by participating in various competitions one by one. Later I also participated in painting competitions and essay writing competitions. In our school, they took me to participate District level book exhibition at Ramanathapuram and I performed well. The district collector praised me for dancing well and asked me what I wanted to be. I wanted to be an IAS as soon. Immediately, he gave me lot of books according to my goal with lot of appreciation. It made me very happy. The incident was also reported in the newspaper. They took that paper and put it on the notice board in my school which makes me very proud.
In my school they gave me the topic of road safety and I had to make a painting on it and I won the first prize in that painting. And I participated in the essay competition related to drug addiction and won the second prize. When I told this to my parents, my parents were very proud. I was happy because of this I have an idea of what day of the competition I want to participate, whether win or lose, but I should join even small competition.
I thankful and grateful to my facilitator Kanakavalli and PAD who always giving information from various sources. It was very helpful for me how I bravely participated in many competitions and dances.

I am Umadevi from Manickanagar. My father is a casual labourer and my mother does cutting Prosopis plants for the livelihood. I have three elder brothers. I have completed my Under Graduate (B.Sc., Physiscs). I have been enrolled in the sponsorship program when I was in 5th grade. I attended and learnt my lessons at the creative learning centre that initiated by PAD and Children Believe.
I also learnt much about child rights and many moral stories. The contests like drawing and elocution were very useful for me to improve my skills and talents. In fact, this centre gave me free space to bring out the latent talents in me.
• When I was in 12th grade in the government higher secondary school, the management distinguished the students as fast learners and slow learners by making them sit in separate groups. This way of distinguishing students had been a great insult to me. Our village students and I approached the management for justification with the help of Child line and the management changed their approaches in a positive way without any partiality.
• On the way to the main road from our village where located the TASMAC, hence, we used to feel afraid while walk along the path. Therefore, myself and youth club members staged a strike sitting on the road. As a result, the shop was shifted to other place.
• I learnt much about child rights and the roles and responsibilities of youths in a village after the youth camp. We all created a vision mapping about the development of our village and I organized everyone to form a youth group in our village and played an important role in the development of my village.
• I led the youth group and formed a village garden and with income from this garden we supplied note-books, stationeries and geometry boxes etc. to all school going children.
• I led to dig a well to supply potable water to the whole community while there had been a water scarcity in our village.
• I initiated to Laying streetlights all along the road to length of 2 kms.
• Mending the road, installing taps at the doorsteps etc.
• I attended village meetings, Gram Saba meetings, and placing petitions at the collector’s office on grievance day petition. I myself met the collector four times on such days and submitted my petitions. All these changes took place because of our intervention. This really made me very happy.
• Now I am getting training on how to face the government oriented job examinations such as TNPSC Group II at an Academy. I have a confidence that my ideal life will be fulfilled. My ambition is to become an IPS officer. To this end, I spend my time studying in a full-fledged way.
• I still workout for the development of my village through encouraging and helping the adolescent girls in all the ways I can.

“We are now taken seriously. Adults pay attention to us and ask our opinions about village development ventures,” says a proud young man from Manick Nagar, India.

“This was not the case before,” continues a young woman from the same community. “The young men and women of our village did not come together for village development talks. Now, not only do we work jointly, we also approach government officials together.”

According to the World Demographics Profile, 2018, the population of youth in the 15 to 24 age group is 16.1 percent across the globe; in India, it’s 17.9 percent.

Though mature enough to decide the future, youth in India don’t have direction or support to thrive in their rural communities. This leaves them disengaged, with few opportunities.

So, at Children Beleive, we are helping young people build their skills. Youth clubs and leadership camps are one way to do that. It’s how one of our local partners, PAD (Peoples Action for Development) inspires youth to overcome their fears and access their hidden talents.

Being away in these safe spaces gives youth from different villages time to reflect upon their lives and gain an aerial perspective. They begin to question social norms in an inclusive and equitable learning environment. Suddenly, youth discover their purpose and passion and are more prepared to articulate discrimination they face in their hometown and overcome it.

So far, 33 camps are reaching 750 youth (including 330 boys and 420 girls) who are learning their rights so they can become champions of child rights and ambassadors for child protection.

In Manick Nagar, where most villagers face barriers to realizing their rights, youth have already implemented 17 of 20 goals they made to improve the community. For example, as well as preventing child marriages, child labour and supporting children to go back to school, they’re negotiating with elected representatives for basic resources such as roads, transportation, water and electricity.

The young people have already stopped 17 child marriages and rescued 46 child labourers. Thanks to their efforts to rescue and re-enrol school dropouts, 44 children are going back to school.

And, nearly 30 young people are contesting local elections in 21 villages where we operate. They’re demanding the “Free and Compulsory Education Act” and the “Child Labour Prevention Act” protect children up to the age of 18, rather than the current age of 14.

With this renewed energy and respect for themselves and others, youth are volunteering to distribute stationery to schoolchildren, organizing local getaways, getting involved in the local disaster-preparedness plans as well as highlighting needs through street theatre, cultural programs and more.

It’s a Monday morning, and I am driving to work. The previous evening many of us were in a daze. So many people were crying tears of joy.
We were excited about a visit to a community where we work in India. Karen Dellert and her husband, Wayne Hollohan, had travelled to meet their sponsored child, Anitha, in Manickanagar, Ramnad District. This was after Karen’s family had been supporting Anitha for 13 years, originally by Karen’s mom who asked her daughter to continue the support after her death.

The day started at 4 a.m. with Lipi Jobson, our communications manager in India, and I joining the couple from British Columbia on a visit they’d been planning since travelling to nearby Sri Lanka eight years ago. Anitha was perhaps equally excited having been unable to sleep the previous night in anticipation of the special meeting.

Karen and Wayne were welcomed in the community with traditional flower garlands. The couple were clearly delighted to meet Anitha. “I was overwhelmed, which quickly turned to joy, to see what an amazing young person [Anitha] has grown into,” Karen told us later. “I felt proud of her and glad I sponsored her and made the visit.”

The couple met the family and community on a tour of the village. Excitement was overflowing in the neighbourhood where the sponsors were given a window into the workings of the village, watching a fisherman weaving his net, men setting up for a local festival, visiting Anitha’s mother’s shop and a local beach. Karen and Wayne saw children play local sports, such as kho-kho and kabbadi. And our local partner hosted a lunch for the sponsors and Anitha’s family.

Then it was time to share gifts. Anitha may be getting her Bachelors in Commerce, yet the drawing books, paints, brushes and pens she received are enough for a career in the arts. Karen and Wayne knew of Anitha’s love for drawing from the art she regularly sends them; in fact, they told us they hang it on their fridge back home. And, there were more thoughtful gifts that won’t soon be forgotten.
In the end, Anitha cried tears of joy, saying, “They kept asking, what do you want?” I told them, “Your visit is sufficient! Though I said nothing, they are giving me everything.”