Neighbourhood Free Tuition centres (NFTC)
Neighborhood Free Tuition Center (NFTC) is an initiative of Bhoomika Trust to provide supplementary education to underprivileged students in tsunami affected areas by utilizing the services of educated youth. Like elsewhere, these students need help to do their homework and revise their class lessons. Financial constraints prevent them from going in for paid private tuitions. These factors limit the performance of these students hose complete potential is not realized.
Working with a small group of twenty to twenty five students from class I to VIII for a few hours in the evenings, each of these tutors provides individual care and attention to the students, all of whom are from the neighborhood. The neighborhood approach also fosters parental and community involvement. The program is currently being implemented at forty centres for the benefit of one thousand students in Thirunelveli, Pudukottai, Thiruvarur and Kancheepuram districts of Tamil Nadu.
Anemia awareness programme
In November 2006, Bhoomika Trust in partnership with ASSCOD executed an anemia awareness program for tsunami affected children in a school in Mugaiyur village, Kancheepuram district. A weeklong exhibition on anemia which included posters, charts and books was arranged at the school. Various competitions based on anemia such as essay writing, elocution, painting, poems, skit, singing, rangoli etc were also conducted. Qualified resource persons addressed the children to bring about awareness on anemia prevention. A panel discussion, involving a doctor, social workers, dietician and the village nurse was also held.
Creche
Bhoomika continues to support Catalyst Trust's crèche at Chinnandikuppam which offers day care facilities for about twenty toddlers. Trained childcare workers interact with the children who are provided with play material, a nutritious drink and a meal on a daily basis.
Computer literacy
Bhoomika Trust supports Catalyst Trust's Computer training centre at Chinnandikuppam which trains children on basics of computer education which has around thirty children enrolled for the training programme.
Restoration of lost childhood
Bhoomika Trust and Don Bosco Anbu Illam undertook a project in August 2005 to provide educational needs as well as social integration skills to one hundred tsunami affected children between the ages of ten and sixteen, living in temporary shelters at Thuraipakkam, Chennai.
Apart from providing after-school assistance in education, the children were given inputs for overall development such as life coping skills, conflict management, stress management, self-acceptance, self-esteem and personality development. As part of a holistic approach towards child empowerment, training was also given to teachers on positive parenting, health and hygiene.
Teachers were trained on child rights, other laws relating to children and the responsibility of teachers towards the students was emphasized. Parents and teachers were trained on how to deal with children with behavioral problems.
Children acquired leadership skills and responsibility through regular meetings of children's parliaments, summer camps and field trips. In addition they received a medical check up to assess malnutrition and other childhood ailments
Educational material
In November 2006, Bhoomika Trust provided support to ASHA for education towards purchase of educational material for about two hundred children whose homes were damaged by a fire in the tsunami temporary shelters at Pattinapakkam, Chennai.
Hostel
Bhoomika Trust provides support to a hostel for underprivileged children from tsunami affected areas of Tamil Nadu. Two separate hostels for boys and girls are run for seventy nine children. A general health checkup by a qualified medical doctor for all the children is also organized. The children are provided formal education, by enrolling them in nearby schools and follow a routine with sufficient time to play, study, grow and develop.
Recreation equipment
In collaboration with Don Bosco Anbu Illam, a LCD projector and television were provided in November 2005 and are being used in temporary shelters in and around coastal Chennai to provide the community with recreation and means of educational information.
Free First Aid training
As an emergency preparedness measure, Bhoomika Trust enabled free First Aid training between January and March 2006, through St John Ambulance Association for students and teachers in tsunami affected areas. The eight hour certificate program included learning materials in the regional language
First aid is the immediate and temporary aid provided to a sick or injured person until medical treatment can be provided. It generally consists of a series of simple, life-saving medical techniques that a layperson can be trained to perform with minimal equipment. In a medical emergency the trained first-aid provider, equipped with the knowledge of handling emergency situations, could intervene until medical help arrives.
From Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh to Alapuzha district in Kerala traversing across Tamilnadu, 23 programs were conducted covering a distance of about 2000 kms along the coast line of South India. 1400 participants drawn from 28 schools across the districts were offered this free First Aid training by networking with twenty NGOs.
The feed-back postcards which are filling our postbox, indicate that there is a need for more such programs. We had a postive response and enthusiastic participation from the NGOs and the participants. The support and cooperation extended by the various district and local centers of St.John Ambulance was equally encouraging.
| Program Details |
| Feb 11, 2006 |
St. Joseph's Higher Secondary school, Kootapalli, Thirunelveli |
| Feb 18, 2006 |
St.Mary's Higher Secondary school, Colachel, Kanyakumari |
| Feb 21, 2006 |
Government Higher secondary school, Mudaliyarkuppam, Villipuram |
| Feb 23, 2006 |
Caldwell Higher Secondary School, Therispuram, Tuticorin |
| Feb 25, 2006 |
Little Flower High school, Melmanakudy, Kanyakumari |
| Feb 27, 2006 |
Government Higher Secondary school, Idumbavanam, Thiruvarur |
| Feb 28, 2006 |
Jagathammbal Subramanian Government Higher Secondary school, Pulicat |
| Feb 28, 2006 |
Government High school, Kodiakarai, Nagapattinam |
| Mar 01, 2006 |
Government Middle School, T.Keelakadu, Tanjore |
| Mar 01, 2006 |
St.Annes Higher Secondary school, Koodangulam, Thirunelveli |
| Mar 04, 2006 |
Government Higher Secondary school, Manalmelkudy, Pudukottai |
| Mar 04, 2006 |
Government Higher Secondary school, Sadras, Kancheepuram |
| Mar 04, 2006 |
St.Theresas Girls High School, Tharangambadi, Nagapattinam |
| Mar 09, 2006 |
Karaikalmedu High School, Karaikalmedu, Karaikal |
| Mar 10, 2006 |
Syeed Mohamed Government Higher Secondary school, Thondi, Ramanathapuram |
| Mar 11, 2006 |
Thanthai Periyar Government Higher Secondary school, Ariyankuppam, Pondicherry |
| Mar 11, 2006 |
St.Josephs Higher Secondary school, Kovalam, Kancheepuram |
| Mar 11, 2006 |
Mahatmaji Central School, Kollam, Karunagapally, Kerala |
| Mar 12, 2006 |
St.Francis Assisi Higher Secondary school, Cherthala, Allepey, Kerala |
| Mar 13, 2006 |
St.Philomena's Girls High School, Cuddalore |
| Mar 13, 2006 |
Mypadu High School, Mypadu mandalam, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh |
| Mar 14, 2006 |
Kothapatnam High School, Kothapatnam Mandalam, Prakasam Distict, Andhra Pradesh |
| Mar 18, 2006 |
Fathima Matriculation School, Srinivasapuram, Chennai |
