Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 03, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Nov 03, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
COIMBATORE: This march stressing the need for ‘life skill education’ for children is not very different from the others of its kind. Only that here puppets do the talking. Puppetry is used as a medium to convey the importance of providing continuous psycho-social support to children reeling under disaster or struggling to cope with stress. The 10-day ‘yathra,’ covering the entire coastal belt of Tamil Nadu, has puppetry artistes from the Kalaivanan Kalai Kuzhu, Chennai. Organised by the Centre for Social Education and Development (CSED) in collaboration with local non-Governmental organisations (NGOs), the yathra began in Chennai on October 23 and will conclude in Parangipettai on November 2. About 50,000 pamphlets on psychosocial care would be distributed to 10,000 students, teachers, NGO staff and volunteers. “Puppetry is a better way of reaching out to the public and has a greater appeal,” says C. Nambi, Director of CSED. The organisation has been providing psychosocial care through life skills education to children in the districts hit by the tsunami. It was observed that even a year after the tsunami, 20 per cent of the children were emotionally disturbed, Mr. Nambi points out. Out of this, 1.3 per cent of them are likely to develop mental illness. Most of the children going to school had either dropped out or had gone down in their performance. Life skills education is extremely important for these children to come out of the trauma, he adds. It includes decision making, problem solving, interpersonal relationship and effective communication skills. Empathy, self-awareness, creative and critical thinking, coping with emotions and stress are also part of the education. Child abuse is common and early marriages are being encouraged as most of the children had lost their families to the tsunami, especially in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore districts, Mr. Nambi observes. To address these issues, the organisation has started giving ‘family life education’ to the youth, especially girls. It involves discussions on reproductive health issues, inter-personal relationship skills, information on sexually transmitted diseases and safe sex and antenatal and neonatal care. They would also be made aware of ways to handle stress on the home front and legal rights of women. The workshops are being conducted with technical assistance from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences.
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