After a fortnight of being over busy with the preparations for the Sports Day, at last the day arrived.

The ground was meticulously done up, white chalk powder lines were installed for different events.

Victory stands were beautifully done up to make the victors feel proud of being there after the events.

All the children were instructed to go to their allotted places on the lawn, centre wise. The tutors were

present to take care of the children and to guide them accordingly.

SPPD, Soriyampatti

The ground all set for the upcoming event

Mr.Jegajothi Manohar, Panchayat President, M.Pudhupatty and nine volunteers from the European

Voluntary Service were the Chief Guests. Mr.Saravanan, Board member introduced the guests to all, and

requested one of them to say a few words and declare the Sports open.

The guest speech began with a usual note on the importance of Sports and Sports Day, and

Mr.Joryck one of the Chief Guest declared the Sports Day open and then the events start.

All the students taking part in the sports lined up for the march past. They marched past the Chief Guest

who stood to their attention.  One by one the events took place in a very well disciplined manner and

the winners listed were made to stand on the Victory Stand and they were cheered by one and all.

Items of the Programme:

For Students                                                                      For Tutors 

•        Running Race (Boys & Girls)                       *  Musical Chairs
•        Pile me here (Potato Gathering)
•        Frog race
•        Fill me quick
•        Karate testing (Boys & Girls)
•        Relay – boys
•        Co – co – girls

Pile me here - Potato Gathering

Fill me quick!

Frog Race

Students Team Events - Kabbadi

Event for tutors - Musical chair

Every event drew cheers and applause from the spectators. The games and sports lasted for about three to four hours which was followed by the most interesting moment of the function – the moment of appreciating the winners by awarding them gifts and prizes, cups and shields.

Certificates awarded to winners

The winners of Kabbadi - stand in full pride on the victory stand

The smart tutors in the musical chair event

This was the ultimate moment of pleasure for winners when, amidst loud clapping and shouting of cheers, they received their rewards for their good work – from the Chief Guests.

The thrill, the excitement, and then, the pleasure of winning are all moments worth seeing and enjoying.

We loved to witness our friends and others participating with their hearts and souls with a complete involvement in the games. Their victory boosts up each and everyone’s morale.

The National Anthem was played to close the sports day.

As usual an interesting programme was made for the day. The sports began exactly at 11 a.m. Mr.Appanayakar, President of Valavanthi Panchayat had declared the sports meet open. The programme started with a prayer song which was followed by the sports events.

Sports meet declared open

Prayer Song

Items of the Programme:

• Running Race (Boys & Girls)
• Pile me here (Potato Gathering)
• Fill me – Quick!
• Karate testing (Boys & Girls)
• Relay – boys
• Co – co – girls

Team Events for boys - Relay

Team Events for Girls - Coco

Individual Events for girls - Fill me - Quick!

Mr.P.N.Venkatachalapathy, Senior Manager, Indian Overseas Bank, Musiri and Mr.Hariprasath, Asst. Manager, IOB, Musiri, Mrs.Jegajothi Manoharan, President, M.Pudhupatty Panchayat, Mr.Manoharan were the chief guests of the show.

The winners and runners-up were awarded with cups and certificates by our honorable chief guests. With the vote of thanks delivered by Mr.Padmanaban, Executive member, SPPD,the sports and annual day function came to an end with the National Anthem sung by the children.

We came to India within the framework of a European program (“Youth in Action”) to help and participate as volunteers in SPPD projects for one month.

We have been living in SPPD center for two weeks and we have been sharing the children and staff’s daily life.

Everybody gave us a very good welcome and the atmosphere in the center is really peaceful.

We had the opportunity to visit the different projects set up by SPPD and their beneficiaries.

• Children program: Rosaleen Larkin Children’s home, evening study center, non residential educational support.
• Women program:  Self Help Groups, legal aid, savings, micro credits, insurance plans and micro enterprises, training and empowerment.
• Sustainable agriculture: traditional organic farming methods, training, Self Help Groups, tree planting.
• HIV/AIDs program: awareness campaign, counseling, support, education.

In our mind, these kinds of projects are very interesting and beneficial to the local community and local development. They provide an effective help to the people who really need it.

This experience of volunteering, based on intercultural exchange and the discovery of India, is really rewarding for us, personally and professionally.

We will keep only good memories about it and hope that many other volunteers would have the same chance to live it!

Our sincere thanks to SPPD staff.

Biogas Mini Plant

Pictorial Representation

Initial Preparation

Requirements:-

Cow dung – 500 kgs, Sugar – 1 kg. ,

Cow dung and sugar mixture

  Procedure :-

The cow dung and the sugar are mixed together and kept in a barrel. This mixture should be left undisturbed for 15 days. During this period, gas is formed. After 15 days the lid is opened and left for three hours for the foul smell to escape.

Once the foul smell has lessened, cooking work can be started.

After 15 days, ½ kg wheat flour should be diluted and poured into the barrel and this should be done for a month.

After a month, every week 1kg of wheat flour should be poured. This process is for the next two months and later every consecutive day the wheat flour should be poured in the barrel. As the gas level reduces the input for it will increase.

Regular Process

Kitchen waste materials:-

Kitchen waste collector

Rotten vegetables and fruits, curds, curdled milk, used tea dust, rice water, ashes, spoiled meat can be collected and stored in a drum with a filtrate at the centre. To this, 20 litres of water should be added. When all these materials blend together, a liquid state will be formed and drained inside the drum with the help of a filtrate.

Placement:-

When the mixture (cow dung and sugar) is set the drum is capsized into another drum (bigger size) and sealed.

The diluted sour liquid is poured into the drum through the water inlet. Gas will be produced in the capsized drum. This gas is connected with the help of a tube to the kitchen which is consequently used for cooking.

Filtrate

The waste water in the bigger drum is collected at the outlet. It is diluted and used for watering the garden. If this process is carried out continuously, this biogas can be utilized for five hours without any interruption. A day’s cooking can be accomplished with this gas.

Plant installation process

Drum with cow dung mixture turned over into another

Kitchen waste collection drum

Advantages:-

 – The biogas produced can be used for 5 hours.

– If handled properly the life span of the plant will last for 20 years.

– The waste water from the outlet can be diluted with cold water and  used for watering the plants. 

Biogas produced utilized for cooking purpose

Biogas Training :-

Our home children were trained on biogas usage and its importance. Also the purpose of installing a mini-biogas plant in our organisation was educated to them. The method of converting the bio-degradable wastes into gas, its process and output was explained.

Now the children themselves maintain the plant. They take care of pouring in the liquid at regular intervals as well as utilizing the waste water for watering their kitchen garden.

Training imparted to children

Training on usage practices to the staff in charge

Age                                               :   18

Father’s Name                         :   Ganeshan

Mother’s Name                       :   Palaniyammal

Grade                                          :   Diploma in Fitter

Address                                   :  2 – 87 A, Perumalkowndanpatti,Thondamankinam, Krishnarayapuram – 621313, Karur

Brief Description

Selvaraj was born on January 14^th 1993.  He comes from Kulithalai where he was living with his paternal aunt because his father had abandoned the family five years ago.  The day before he left the house, his father was beaten up by his wife’s family.  He took Selvaraj’s younger brother and went to his in-laws house seeking justice.  The child returned home but his father has not been seen since then – nobody knows what has happened to him.  Selvaraj’s father’s family is under the suspicion that his mother’s family killed him but they have no evidence against it.  His mother is still living with her mother in law and her other children in her husband’s village.  Selvaraj was sent to his paternal aunt’s house.  In his aunt’s house he was ill treated and made to do manual work like rearing the cows, household chores, etc.  He was also working in a bike shop in Kulithalai.

He was also working in a bike shop in Kulithalai.  We identified him as a child labourer and knew that his aunt was not sending him to school, although her own 3 sons were going to school at that time.  Selvaraj spent many nights sleeping in the railway station because of the way he was being treated by his aunt.  Selvaraj’s uncle and the shop owner were willing to help us bring him to SPPD to ensure that he would go to school.

Three of his four siblings are working – his sister in a cotton mill – she dropped out of school at 13 years of age.  His youngest brother is living with his mother and is studying 4^th standard.  The other two brothers have dropped out of school after 5^th standard – one is now 14 and the other is 16.  They are both working in a shop as coolies – day labourers with no permanent position.

He came to SPPD in 2005 as one of the initial group of children from the Government’s SSA Education for All Programme.

When he was younger Selvaraj also believed that his mother’s family had killed his father and he tried to kill her.  When he arrived at SPPD he was very aggressive and even beat the teacher on one occasion.  In the past 2 years he has matured and is now a hard working kindly young man.  He does not want to have anything to do with his mother’s family, but still hopes that his father will return.  He is on better terms with his aunt’s family in Kulithalai and goes there for holidays.  He is very good at mechanical and electrical work and helps to maintain the bicycles and motor bikes and look after the garden at SPPD.  He appeared for the State government Board exams (10^th standard) in March 2008 and secured 282 marks out of 500.

Later he joined the ITI course in Sittilarai in 2009 and has completed it in April 2011. He has successfully passed his Diploma in Fitter with Trade as Fitter.

In February 2010, he attended the internship training in the Veesons Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd. Company at Trichy. The training was related to fitting work. He was very eager to learn about the techniques of fitting procedures.

He is not only interested in motor mechanics but also in agriculture. He looks after all the milch animals like cow, goat and hen which are reared in Iynthinai Farm (A unit of SPPD), involves himself in kitchen garden and nurseries. Now he is well equipped in both the fields’ i.e. automobile fitting and agriculture.

At present he has submitted his resume at Ramakrishna Mission as well as in an automobile company at Sittilarai.

Translation of letter submitted by G.Selvaraj

From

G.Selvaraj,

C/o Arunagiri,

25, Periyar Nagar, Kulithalai.

Dear Sir,

Greetings to you.

Since my completion of ITI course at our Children’s Home, I have not been in touch with you for quite a long time. I apologize for this delay in my intimation.

At present I’m working as a contractor in BHEL Company in Trichy drawing Rs.150/- per day. On 21^st November the ITI Course Provisional Certificates were issued and due to my work at Trichy I received the same only on 26^th Nov. ’11. On the same day I visited our Home and submitted a photocopy of my Provisional Certificate, Mark Sheet, SSLC – T.C, etc. in the office.

Due to certain family problems I was unable to pay frequent visits to our home. In future, I assure you that I will visit our home regularly and build in confidence in our growing youngsters who are present at your care.

I once again thank you for supporting me with this bright future.

Thanking you.

G.Selvaraj

Yuvaraj’s father is Mr.Tamilselvan. Five years back Yuvaraj’s mother Rani had coupled her life with another man and left the house abandoning Yuvaraj. From then on Tamilselvan is staying with his parents. They were taking care of Yuvaraj. Two years later they also expired. Tamilselvan, Yuvaraj’s father is mentally retarded from his young age and he can’t speak fluently.  Also he has lost vision in one eye. He is not able to do any hard work and look after his son because of his serious health condition. Finally he got himself employed with Velavar Electricals Shop as a pune, helping them in buying tea, cleaning work etc. and earns Rs.1500/- per month. Since Tamilselvan had rashes on his hand, his employer hesitated to send him to purchase tea, etc. and hence this job is also not certain. Yuvaraj’s father doesn’t know to cook. So with the assistance of Kathiresan his neighbour, he gets his food from a nearby hotel on monthly payment basis. The salary he draws is sufficient only to feed his son. He found it difficult to educate his son. In this juncture, Kathiresan came to know about SPPD and requested us to enroll Yuvaraj in SPPD’s – Children’s Home.

Reason for admission :- Considering Yuvaraj’s situation, no motherly love, father – unable to take care of him; we had enrolled him in our home. Also, there are many nights Yuvaraj had gone to bed without food, since his father used to return home at late hours. He was unable to speak properly, because his father was not able to train him in speech. As they were staying in a very deserted place, there were no neighbours to take care of the child during his father’s absence. Hence he was enrolled in the home.

Yuvaraj at the start:-When Yuvaraj was admitted in our home, he never knew how to brush his teeth, wash his clothes and have a bath. There was a lot of stammering in his speech. The reason behind this was they resided in a very remote area where they had no neighbours at all and moreover Yuvaraj’s father was not in a position to train him in speech. He never used to mingle with other children at home or in school.  Though he was in Grade IV, he was not up to that grade level. Reading and writing was yet another problem for this child. He always used to wet his bed during his sleep. He loved loneliness. Worst of all, he never knew in what condition he was.

Treatment at Trichy:- As his situation was in a very bad shape, we had taken him to Dr.Shayida Shereen, M.B.B.S, D.N.B, Psychiatrist at Thillainagar, Trichy.  At the hospital, Yuvaraj’s complete details were retold to her. She had also raised many questions regarding Yuvaraj’s life style at home.

Doctor’s Opinion :- This child was brought up by a father who himself was in an unfit position. There is wide scope of the child carrying the same hereditary. Moreover he has lost his motherly care at a very early age. Only few years he was in the embracement of his grandparents.  He never had the opportunity of playing with children. There was no one to guide him with his studies.

Her advice :- She prescribed medicines which should be regularized for him without any break. The prescribed medicine were to be given for two months and once in two months he was asked to be brought for a re-check up. She stressed that it would be fine, if we could consult his Headmaster and allow this child to do his Grade 1.

On following the prescribed medicine, he had severe vomiting for two days and became too weak. On 19^th Sept. he was taken to the hospital. She prescribed tablets for appetite.  He is continued with the same prescription.

Changes observed:- He has shown vast improvement in his behavior. Now he mingles with his friends and is found active to a certain extent. He has learnt how to brush his teeth. Now he uses a lot of words in his sentences. He has also learnt cycling.  He shows active participation in his karate class. He is very interested to attend his computer and English coaching class.  He loves to handle paint in the computer. He makes an attempt to write and practice on the slate. He is acquainted with numbers orally from 1 to 10 and written from 1 to 20. He is able to write his name in Tamil (his native language). He is learning how to write his name in English.

A vast difference is noted in him From What He Was To What He Is!

So, where have the beans come from in such abundance? Our children have grown them!

Although SPPD is situated in a dry land area with very thin topsoil, the kids’ hard work made wonders. They cleared their plots of land from grass, tilled the soil, enriched it with vermicompost, and planted their small gardens.

It’s amazing how fast everything grows here. Planted in September and October, the gardens have already started to bring first crops. The kids proudly demonstrate their plots.

Velmurugan and Kaliyaperumal planted radishes, chillies, tomatoes, and flowers:

Gowtam and Kartik grow pumpkins and tomatoes:

Ravikumar and Yuvaraj in the shade of beans; they also planted onions and tomatoes:

Rakesh and Harishkumar in front of their sprawling gourds:

Saratkumar, Saran, and Sivakumar’s pumpkin is almost ripe:

The gourds have grown taller than Nandakumar and Praveenkumar:

Saktivel’s pumpkin yields a good crop:

Vinitha and Bwuvaneswari grow bitter gourds:

Raghapriya, Suganti, Jothika, Kirutiga, and Gowshika behind of their vast plantation of cluster beans:

Radhiga and her patch of radishes:

Tamilselvi, Aghaliya, and Saghuntala grow chillies:

Kaviya and Dhanalakshmi’s aubergines grow nice and leafy:

Kesiga and Sasikala planted tomatoes:

Bwuvaneswari and Gayatry have chillies and aubergines growing on their patch:

The kids and teachers had worked hard till late the day before, learning speeches and practising dances, and continued preparations the next day.

At 5 o’clock in the afternoon, the celebration started. Mr.Selvaraj(Union Chairman, T.Pet Union), Mr.Jegajothi Manohar (President, M.Pudhupatti), Mr. AppaNayakkar (President,Valavanthi), were the main guests.

The children looked gorgeous, wearing their colourful national clothes and bright make-ups, and girls had roses in their hair.

The guests and children presented their speeches about Jawaharlal Nehru and other great leaders.

Then there came the most enjoyable part: dances. Our kids love to dance, and they never get tired of it. Three dances were presented, and everybody liked them.

The children also had a lot of fun during the performance of a mimic.

After the dancing, some of the kids quickly changed into kimonos, and showed some elements of karate under instruction of their karate teacher, Mr. Saravanan.

After the official part finished, children had a kind of improvised disco, where they all danced free-style to Tamil music, and had a good time.

Yesterday, when we were watching “Back to the Future-2”, the computer suddenly froze. The kids groaned with disappointment. I tried to return it back to life, but it took a lot of time and effort. The kids waited patiently while the computer was installing updates, opening programs that didn’t work, and doing other stupid things that Windows Vista likes to do.

Finally, we could continue watching the movie. One girl, Kaviya, said happily: “I prayed to God for the movie to work again, and now it works!” “Thank you, Kaviya, it’s very good of you!”, I said.

After a while, the computer wouldn’t cooperate again. We tried everything, but all in vain. “Where is Kaviya?”, I asked, looking for her face among the children in the dark room, but I couldn’t find her.

Despite all efforts, the program didn’t work. We had to look for something else to watch.

Kaviya was not there, she had been sent to do her homework.

The children get up at 5 am, do chores and, before going to school, study some more.

So, I couldn’t have imagined it would have been possible to study more. But it was before the quarterly exams.

About 2 weeks before the exams, the pressure started to rise. Some kids studied well after 10pm, and they didn’t watch TV on Sundays. Younger kids didn’t appear very stressed though. Their teachers seemed to be more anxious than the students themselves.

When the exams finished, we congratulated the kids that they could finally relax. But it turned out that there was more work for them to do: question paper answers. The students had to memorise and write all the correct answers for all the tests. And then it was over, at last.

You can see the results below. Well, we can’t say that they didn’t try.