Every year Paadhai organises a 5 day camp for the girls at the shelter. After the yearly exams the girls have got 45 days of summer holidays and have to stay at the shelter. This creates boredom, restarting school is difficult and so we think it is important to offer relief in order to gain new energy to go back to school after the holidays.
This year we plan a motivation camp in Ooty, a hill station situated 500 kms from Chennai. This year our aims are interaction between our girls and local tribal children and sessions where the locals talk about themes like the environment, the climate and other cultures.

ESTIMATED COSTS
TRAVEL EXPENSES BUS	33,33€
TRAVEL EXPENSES TRAIN	300,00€
TRAVEL EXPENSES SLOW TRAIN	25,00€
LOCAL TRANSPORT	250,00€
ACCOMMODATION	333,33€
FOOD	250,00€
SNACKS	83,33€
ENTRANCE FEES	250,00€
GUIDES / TEACHERS	58,33€
TOTAL : 1583,32€

Day care centre for children

In the slum domestic workers (household workers in rich families) are brought together and are organised into women groups to make them stronger.

In the specific slum where a day care centre will be set up 200 families live in huts at the border of a river functioning as an open sewer. Most of the inhabitants have migrated from the villages of Tamil Nadu to the urban area of Chennai.

The majority of the children in the slum are 2 to 5 years old. They do not go to school yet so they urgently need to be looked after in a day care centre : the parents go to work to survive and their children are left behind to the care of an older child. All day the children stay on their own, without supervision.

That is why there is a pressing need to organise day care at a crèche where an animator, a teacher, a helper and a cook will be engaged.

Moreover the necessary materials have to be bought : educational material, household effects and toys. Suitable premises need to be rented, electricity costs need to be paid. One meal per child per day will be provided for.

Objectives of the project

While parents work to support their families, day care for their children is essential.
Children should be looked after in a safe, stimulating and caring environment by qualified people and with the necessary facilities.
Since the slum is situated at the borders of an open sewer which provides water for consumption, where people wash themselves and their clothes, the day care centre offers essential hygiene which is absent in the slum itself.
Most of the children are undernourished or badly nourished. The lunch and supplementary food offered by the crèche is a urgently needed boost for the children’s health.

Intervention and rehabilitation of Children in Abuse

Savitha (name changed) 13 years is a daughter of a sex worker.
She had to stay alone with her father during night. Her drunkard father under the influence of alcohol had sexually abused the girl several times and one day she was raped. She says that she did not talk about her father’s behaviour to any one because she feared that no one will believe her.
Hema (name changed ) 7yrs says that her neighbour a young man around 25 years used to take her home to show television and play with her genital organs. She innocently says she will not be allowed to see television or otherwise.
These are some of the incidence of child sexual abuse. Not every body report about such abuse which she is undergoing. In most of the cases they are threatened for unnecessary reasons. The parent- child relationship, teacher- student relation is not conducive for the child to report of such incidence. The victim of child abuse is usually isolated and does not get any guidance on how she could protect herself from such abuse. But inspite of all the stigma recently there are few cases that is getting reported in the police.

Sex segregation is in practice among all sections of people in India, irrespective of caste and class are common in rural as well as urban communities. There are certain myths regarding the low capabilities of the girl child, beside several barriers, evils, stigmas and taboos attached to her.
The girl children in a family is not taught to speak out her problems related to sexual behaviour and instead they are taught to undergo any violence or exploitation in silence. They are not expected to report of any such incidence because the parents and adult are being in fear of threat that it may cause shame to the family.
Most of the child sexual abusers are closely related family members, friendly elder, teacher and the other people who are closely associated with them as employer and having power or control on them. The child victim is often threatened of punishments for which she undergoes the abuse without informing others.
The child’s physical, psychological, moral, social development is under threat, including early pregnancy, maternal mortality, physical disability, and sexually transmitted diseases etc.,

To create awareness among the girl Children on Physical and Sexual abuse.
To enable the child to voice against the exploitation in any form.
To prevent the incidence of Abuse among girl children.
To empower the children through various training programmes on leadership skills.
To enable the children to report about the incidence of Abuse to the key persons and get their support.
To provide the basic needs and shelter care for run away girls, those who are in distress or in abusive situation, undergoing sexual and physical abuse, children from broken families, Orphans, children of sex workers and street and working children.
To intervene into life of the girls who are in distress or in abusive situation, undergoing sexual and physical abuse at their home, work place etc., and provide necessary assistance. To provide Counselling and assistance to girls who are in distress or in abusive situation and their family members.
To provide education, technical, vocational training for children in need.
To avail referral service and networking with other like minded NGOs for home placement, follow-up, to provide educational, vocational, assistance for the girl child in need.

Working methods

School children:
Creating awareness and making the child to realize that any form of sexual abuse/ exploitation is against the Right to protection. The child should be empowered to voice the kind of exploitation which she undergoes in silently.

Parents:
Not only the children but the parents who need to play a very supportive role in this regard should also be addressed to.

Community:
The general public must also be informed of the consequence of the child abuse and the impact that it can create on a child who is undergoing an abuse.

Periodical programmes like competition, debates, group discussion, street play, puppet show, Play back theatre, film show etc., for school children will be organized in order to motivate the children to share their problem. More concentration will be given to children coming from sex workers family.
Motivate the Parents to take part effectively in Parents Teacher Association meeting in order to emphasis the importance of knowing their children and understand the problem of child in abuse.

The children rescued from Physical or sexual abuse will be given shelter care and the basic needs of food clothing and shelter. They will be given the protection from the abuser and the abused children will be helped to overcome the trauma.

The rescued child will be given due counseling and guidance. In case of severe form of abuse, if needed the psychiatric assistance will also be given. Based on the interest of the child she will be given with the alternatives like re-integration with family, attending school or learning a vocation skill. The family and the child will be assisted to get rid of the stigma attached to the abuse.

Expected results

The target group will have raised awareness Physical and Sexual abuse.
The girl children will be enabled to voice against the exploitation in any form.
The incidence of Abuse among girl children will be prevented.
The girl children will be empowered and will exhibit leadership qualities.
The children will be motivated and will be encouraged to report about the incidence of Abuse to the key persons and seek their support.
The Abused Children in need of basic needs and shelter care ,run away girls, those who are in distress or in abusive situation, undergoing sexual and physical abuse, children from broken families, Orphans, children of sex workers and street and working will be provide with shelter care.

Project 2008

Paadhai is located in the slum Valasaravakkam. Until recently it was a small house (4 by 6 metres) constisting of a small playground with a water well, a French lavatory, a bathroom ‘shed’ and a small kitchen.

But fortunately all that is in the past now. After a year of hard work, lots of activities and lots of lobbying, the new building was inaugurated. The present building is such an improvement for the girls : there is a separate dormitory, a separate living room, a sick bay and improved and sufficient sanitary facilities.

The original building plan was adapted adequately : extra windows, restrooms and showers, extra ventilation, a safe balcony... all these features fully meet the children’s needs. Not only today’s but also tomorrow’s needs, since the new home has a capacity of 50 girls. Consequently girls who could not be helped before, can now call on Paadhai any time.

Paadhai Belgium sponsored these extras to the building. We warmly thank all our beneficiaries and sympathizers, in short everybody who contributed to our achievements.

Projects 2009

Educational summer camp