Asha for Education

Project Brief: PAT works among the children in the slums of Thiruchirapalli (Trichy), Tamil Nadu. Asha's involvement began in Aug 2005.
Project Type: Pre-Primary (description)
Primary Focus: children from slums (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Tribal
Supporting Chapter Contact:
Chennai

Status: CLOSED - COMPLETED
Project Steward: Priya Veerasubramanian
Project Partner(s): R Stephen
Project Address: Peoples Action for Transformation (PAT)
No. 4, A-Block, St. Paul’s Complex, Bharathiar Salai
Thiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu 620001
Tel: 0091-431-2413434, 2463434
Stewarding Chapter: Chennai

PAT runs four daycare centres for children in the age group of 2-5 years in three slums -- Kempstown, Ramamoorthinagar and MGR Nagar -- within Thiruchirapalli (Trichy) City Corporation limits. These daycare centres provide children with a nutritious diet, early childhood education, hygiene, clean clothing and medical service.

PAT would like to expand its daycare facilities to cover a total of 100 children between the ages of two and five from the slums mentioned above and three adjacent slums (Khajapettai, KhajaNagar and Melaguparai) as well. The overall objectives of the project include:
- Feed children with nutritious diet and drink.
- Pay medical attention to their ailments.
- Provide clean clothing
- Create stimulative play environment & basic awareness
- Encourage more co-operative learning environment
- Create opportunities for children to learn by doing
- Develop low cost materials for them to acquire first hand experience
- Foster independence and creativity by encouraging self expression
- Develop children's ability to communicate effectively.
- Ensure that the activities in the centres were related to their own world.

Thus far, the daycare centres have brought about significant improvements in the general well-being of these children, especially in their physical growth and personal hygiene, personal and social habits. PAT has also succeeded in arousing their intellectual curiosity. So far 220 children from these creches have been enrolled in primary schools.