Task-ARUWE

Task

I. PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

I. 1. Bala Vidya (Supplementary Education for Children)

I. 1. a. Objective
The main objective of Bala Vidya project is to provide educational support and holistic development to children who belong to the urban poor.

I. 1. b. Activities
Initially, Aruwe carried out a base line survey to identify deserving children who would require assistance to continue school education. The beneficiaries were chosen based on the survey outcomes and all those children who are given the support hail from very poor families, and also to children of single women namely widows or deserted by their spouses. Through this project Aruwe provides supplementary education, counselling, school uniforms, books, stationeries and related assistance to all the children from standard one to twelfth. Aruwe does concurrent monitoring and evaluation of the project.


I. 2. Bala Arogya (Health for Children)

I. 2. a. Objective
To provide nutritional support to children, especially night meal to enhance their functioning across life domains

I. 2. b. Activity
Nutritional support is provided to 130 children besides, educational support. They are provided snacks, and also nutritious dinner on a daily basis. Necessary health and hygiene education and support, recreation facilities, and redressal mechanisms are also made available to children of Aruwe while focusing on their holistic development.

II. PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN

II.1. Sthree Shakthi

II. 1. a. Objective
To form self-help groups to reverse marginalization of women to visible advocates of gender empowerment

II. 1. b. Activity
Aruwe’s ‘Sthree Shakthi’ program is holistically combined with education, training, crisis intervention and management, and linkages with other institutions to render a comprehensive strategy for empowering women. Sthree Shakthi project aims at enhancing women’s access to resources for better quality of life through use of literacy, health, drudgery and time reduction devices, confidence enhancement, and increasing control over their income through involvement in skill development and income-generating activities. This marked a paradigm shift from welfare to empowerment; energising women from being passive recipients of benefits to participants in schemes, and further to being the initiators and leaders in the project.
Aruwe’s intervention over a decade has resulted in transforming women from the urban poor communities into active, assertive and vocal members of society through over 100 women’s self-help groups.

II.2. Neythal Koodam

II. 2. a. Objective
The main objective of ‘Neythal Koodam’ programme is to train women on tailoring and thereby enhancing their economic status

II. 2. b. Activity
Aruwe provides vocational training to women including tailoring and embroidery, and women entrepreneurship development programs. Such programs have been bringing a ray of hope into the lives of thousands of women. Efforts are made to ensure that post training, they are able to establish tailoring units on their own and thus enjoy a sustainable income. The trained women are also helped to start small-scale production units.
The impact of the ‘Neythal Koodam’ initiative has been apparent as more than 70 percent of women from the first seven batches found employment either as entrepreneurs or as employees in private tailoring units.

III. Programs for Elders

III. 1. Residential Care for Elders

III. 1. a. Objective
To feed, clothe, shelter, and care destitute elderly women as they have a right to quality of life.

III. 1. b. Activity
Aruwe provides its inmates shelter, food, clothing, medical care, recreational opportunities and legal aid referrals which are facilitated to optimize their capabilities towards meaningful living. Besides, they are given income generation options to keep them engaged and to have self-esteem. Picnics and outdoor activities are a common event for Aruwe’s elderly.


III. 2. Day care for the elders

III. 2. a. Objective
To provide food, clothing, counselling and recreational activities to the community living elderly women.

III. 2. b. Activity
Seventy elderly women, on an average attend the day care every day except Sundays. They are engaged with recreational activities besides receiving counselling support when required. Food, clothing, and medicines are also given to those elderly free of cost. Aruwe extends its service also to ensure dignified death ceremonies of those dying elderly in the community. Aruwe has reached out to many elders and the number is on a rise.

IV. PROGRAMS FOR COMMUNITY

IV. 1. Samooha Mana Arogya

IV. 1. a. Objectives
- De-stigmatise and de-mystify mental illness among lay population,
- Sensitize the community to mental health issues,
- Identify persons with mental health problems in the community, and
- Provide treatment and rehabilitation services through referrals and linkages

IV. 1. b. Activity
Aruwe creates awareness of mental health problems among community people using public friendly methods like face-to-face talks, street theatre, folk dance and drama in technical consultation with a multi-disciplinary team. Aruwe collaborates with other organizations to train community volunteers in the identification and referral of persons with mental health issues; operate periodic mental health clinics in the community to provide medical care to the identified mentally ill; and to train the community workers to implement simple psychosocial rehabilitation measures, especially mobilization of locally available resources. Besides, Aruwe networks with other medical and social service organisations for the purpose of rehabilitation.


IV. 2. Arogya Mugaam

IV.2.a. Objective
To promote positive health, prevention of diseases, early diagnosis-treatment and follow up of disease, and provision of healthy environment

IV.2.b. Activity
Aruwe conducts regular general health camps to screen common ailments in the urban poor. Regular dental and eye camps are conducted with the help of government and non-government organizations and volunteers. Aruwe has successfully campaigned in immunization of children and pregnant mothers and many children and adults are reached out through health camps.

V. ARUWE IS A RESOURCE CENTRE

V.1. Government Girls Reception Unit, Chennai
Girl children between the age group of 6 to 18 who had lost their foothold in society are in need of protection services. Aruwe Resource Team works relentlessly for the welfare of these girls within the framework and the agenda set by the Juvenile Justice Act.
Aruwe forms part of the Resource Team to work with the Government Reception Unit Home for the Girls at Kellys, Chennai since December 2012. The Goals of the Resource Team is to provide emotional, medical, and educational support for each child and to equip the family/primary care givers to care and provide for the child needs
This Unit works towards providing care and protection of children who are runaway, abused, exploited and neglected children. These children who are left abandoned in the streets are produced before the Child Welfare Committees with the help of Child-line and JAPU Police. The Child Welfare Committee is constituted by the Government under Juvenile Justice Act 2000 to enquire on the cases of the children. After the enquiry the children are either restored to the care of families or relatives or place them in non-institutional care. During their stay in the Homes they are counselled, intensely engaged in the Rehabilitation, Restoration and Repatriation.


V.2. Government Boys Observation Home, Chennai
Every juvenile who is not placed under the charge of parent or guardian and is sent to an observation home shall be initially kept in a reception unit of the observation home for preliminary inquiries and care. Aruwe’s co-management efforts have been focused on working within the Juvenile Justice system, inside government observation home to provide those children counselling, care and rehabilitation. The Directorate of Social Defence Chennai has permitted Aruwe, to work with the Government Observation home for the Boys and Girls in Kellys who are in conflict with law. Our activities aim at the welfare and benefit of children in the Observation Home. They are provided with Counselling, Life skills and recreation activities like in-door and out-door games. Rehabilitation activities are provided with importance given on character building.
The Government of Tamil Nadu has given such recognition to Aruwe in lieu of its successful work in the field of social development and welfare for the past two decades.

VI. TRAINING COLLEGE STUDENTS

Aruwe is also a Resource Centre for Students from various Colleges for field work training
- Madras School of Social Work
- Loyola College, Chennai
- Stella Maris College
- Madras Christian College
- Women's Christian College
- St. Joseph College, Kovur
- DRBCC Hindu College
- Hindustan College
- Patrician College
- Nazareth College
- Vivekananda College