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Children’s village dedicated

PUDUCHERRY: Cosily settled in the arm of the “SOS mother,” five year-old Vijayalakshmi, without hesitation, identified the former as her “own mom.” Showering affection and love on her, the 32-year-old Sundarambal described the tiny tot as her last child. Both of them were among the 97 inmates — 88 needy children and 9 SOS mothers — of the new “children’s village” at Pillayarkuppam in Puducherry.

The complex has been dedicated to the needy children belonging to the tsunami-hit areas in the Union Territory, at a function held in Pillayarkuppam on Wednesday. The Rs.4-crore housing project has come up on a nine-acre plot on the Puducherry-Cuddalore highway.

It comprises 15 “family homes” for 150 children, co-workers’ residence, medical unit, kindergarten, community centre and other necessary infrastructure.

Of the 88 children, 84 are studying in different schools. As nine SOS mothers have already taken charge, seven more will join shortly after completing training to help the orphaned children overcome traumas and to develop in them healthy habits.

Social Welfare Minister M.Kandasamy commended the role played by the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in extending a helping hand to the government in providing relief and rehabilitation to thousands of people in the tsunami-affected regions.

He stressed the need for supporting the NGOs, which genuinely worked for the welfare of the public.

The authorities concerned had been asked to monitor the functioning of the NGOs in the UT and prepare a report within a month, he said, adding that the Government would take action against the erring outfits, which misused funds.

Mr.Kandasamy said though it was necessary to extend help to the needy sections, providing freebies to all irrespective of the economic criteria had come in the way of implementing welfare schemes and development projects.

President of the SOS-Kinderdorf International Helmut Kutin, who dedicated the complex to the needy children, said one of the homes in the complex would be named after Elena, the 9-year-old girl of Bergem in Norway, to commemorate her initiative for raising funds for the tsunami rehabilitation measures, shortly before she died of cancer.

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