AIDS Education and Prevention, Vol 11 (3), Jun 1999, 203-211
ABSTRACT:
Evaluated the effectiveness of 3 dramas created by a community theater group to disseminate HIV/AIDS information. Pre- and post-drama interviews were conducted with a cohort of 93 randomly selected audience members (aged 15–45 yrs) from 10 separate performances in Tamil Nadu, India; an interview was also conducted with a post-drama-only comparison group of 99 Ss. Ss completed a series of 12 true/false HIV/AIDS knowledge questions, as well as an open-ended question about how they would treat a neighbor with AIDS. Results show that a significant increase in HIV/AIDS-related knowledge occurred as a result of watching the drama. Before the drama, audiences had relatively high levels of accurate knowledge about HIV/AIDS, but lower knowledge levels of common HIV/AIDS misconceptions. The drama reduced these misconceptions. The drama also increased the level of reported intentions to treat HIV-positive individuals more kindly. This research demonstrates that drama can be an effective medium for communicating HIV/AIDS information and can reduce knowledge gaps associated with low levels of formal education. Drama can also be used to convey socioemotive and sensitive material and could find wide applicability in many settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Author: Michael McCrystal
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RESEARCH: An evaluation of the use of drama to communicate HIV/AIDS information
An evaluation of the use of drama to communicate HIV/AIDS information,by Thomas W. Valente and Uttara Bharathhttp://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1999-03082-002
The Hindu: Children have right to nutrition, healthcare and education
David T. Hopper appreciates South India Girl Child Initiative
CHENNAI: “Every child, boy or girl, should have an opportunity to grow with access to nutrition, healthcare and education and without the threat of violence,” US Consul-General in Chennai David T. Hopper said here on Friday.
Speaking at a function to launch an audio CD `Kuyilum Mayilum’ on the girl child, he appreciated the South India Girl Child Initiative in trying to improve the educational and health status of under-privileged adolescent girls. The South India Girl Child Initiative is a joint effort of Aseema Trust, Nalamdana, Gram Vikas Samstha and the Centre for Applied Research and Extension (CARE).
Mr.Hopper said the initiative of the US Consulate here to protect women, going to the US on dependent visas, from domestic violence was being replicated by other US Consulates elsewhere in the country.
“We had started with issuing pamphlets in English, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam with details of how one could get help in the US.”
Though this was only a small step, it would be one of the frontlines against domestic violence.
He said: “Here in Chennai, we issue more visas to the dependents of foreign students and temporary workers in the US than at any other location in the world. We will issue more than 40,000 such visas this year.”
Playback singer S.P.Balasubramaniam and Children’s Garden School’s Secretary Shakuntala Sharma received the first copy of the CD.
To create a model
Aseema Trust’s V.R.Devika said the South India Girl Child Initiative aimed to increase life options for hundreds of vulnerable girls each year through direct interventions. It also aims to create a model for collaboration and network building by grassroots organisations.
Nalamdana’s Nithya Balaji urged philanthropists to donate copies of `Kuyilum Mayilum’ CDs to schools so that more children get to listen to the songs.
A portion of the money from the sale would go towards funding the education, food and stay of rescued girl children at the CARE school.
Children belonging to three schools — Avvai Home, Navbharath Matriculation School, and Okkium Thoraipakkam Panchayat School — have penned the lyrics. CDs can be had from Nalamdana Trust.
Those who want to get details can visit www.nalamdana.org.
The Hindu: Amazing Show, Oodles of Maturity
Amazing show, oodles of maturity
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/amazing-show-oodles-of-maturity/article345322.ece
Staff Reporter
CHENNAI: When two young boys danced along with a group of girls there was no giggling or smirking in this large gathering of students who were brought together by the Nalamdana Trust for an interactive afternoon recently.
For, the children were an awakened lot and are aware of their rights as individuals and respect each other. The programme, held on Friday, was the culmination of a year’s activities in which the children learnt a lot of things through art, song, dance and live presentation. The children presented dance programmes, dramas, role model presentations, songs and poster presentations and shared with others what they had learnt.
According to Nithya Balaji of Nalamdana, during this time the students also made two videos on the differences that they saw in the treatment meted out to girls and boys in their area and another one on why girls drop out of school.
Siblings D.Fathima and D. Parveen, who were in the team that shot the videos, said they worked for about 6 months learning how to operate a camera and spoke to people in their area about the issue. Students belonging to Olcott Memorial School, Corporation School Adyar, Besant Theosophical School and Corporation School Thiruvanmiyur participated in the Each One Teach One programme.
Nalamdana and World Vision, stage an awareness programme for child’s rights
According to a national study on child abuse, released in 2008, 53.22% of children all over India reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse.
Over the last month World Vision, India and Nalamdana have been working together to help create awareness of these crimes and to educate communities about child rights.
In one month Nalamdana has staged 10 street plays in the slums of Chennai, reaching nearly 1,500 women and children. Sponsored by World Vision, Nalamdana staged entertaining and educational performances in different locations to create awareness of the problems of child labour and the issues surrounding child protection including how to recognise a good touch and a bad touch. The plays also covered the importance of education, gave advice on how to avoid early marriages, and provided the communities with helpline phone numbers.
After each performance women and children came on to the stage and shared the information that they learnt from the play. The helpline numbers were also repeated several times and many women and children wrote down the numbers.
Nalamdana has extensive experience in developing plays and films that deal with the issue of child’s rights. A year ago, the film, Maaya Changu, on child safety was premiered at the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Egmore. This film, produced and directed by Nalamdana, helps to raise awareness and understanding of the key issues around child rights.
If you are interested in these kinds of awareness programmes or if you would like to fund a programme please contact our director Jeevanandham by email: jeevanalamdana@gmail.com
If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in the article please call the following helplines for advice:
Helpline for children: (toll free1098)
Helpline for women: (toll free 1091)
Please vote to support Nalamdana’s ‘Are You Well’ project
Nalamdana has uploaded details of the ‘Are You Well” project onto a website, set up by Mahindra, which helps to publicize and celebrate worthwhile projects which are helping to drive positive change in India.
The long running, and very successful, project “Are you well” takes place in a Government hospital in Chennai for patients living with HIV and TB. The project consists of role plays, monthly dramas, support group meetings and a cable radio programme for TB/ HIV patients on hospital campus. This project aims to entertain patients whilst also educating them about important health and hygiene practices.
However we are running out of funding so we have entered the project into a competition to win some crucial funds! If we win the competition with the most votes then we will receive a grant to help the project continue.
Please support us by taking five minutes to read about our project, check out the pictures and the video and most importantly VOTE FOR IT.
In order to vote you will need to register with the website or sign in via facebook, it will only take a few minutes of your time.
1. Click on link http://www.sparktherise.com/projectdetail.php?pid=5702
2. Register OR log in through Facebook
3. Click on email confirmation link
4. Select/ search ’Are You Well: Arts in Hospital Entertainment and Education Project by Nalamdana’
5. Click vote (you may need to login again to vote)
6. You will receive confirmation that your vote has been cast on your computer screen.
The voting is open NOW and closes on Tuesday 28th Feb 2012. Please take some time to vote and spread the message to your friends!
Our Wish List
Over the last 18 years, Nalamdana has reached out to many audiences around Tamil Nadu and in some other Southern States. Most of Nalamdana’s funding has come from international organizations. With the changing international atmosphere in terms of funding and India’s increasing prominence in the world stage, and Tamil Nadu’s growing economy and success, Nalamdana feels strongly that future support for programmes that affect our own communities must come from within.
Direct and Unrestricted Donations: These are typically larger, one-time donations that help Nalamdana build a corpus fund for their operational expenses. Make a direct donation to Nalamdana to support their already ongoing programmes that can benefit from additional support to make them more effective and reach more widely.
Annual Giving: Individuals or companies in India and abroad sometimes choose to make annual donations of a certain sum. Reminders will go out to them annually for the same. Sign up for an annual donation commitment.
Workplace Programmes:
Engage Nalamdana to develop a tailor-made programme for their work force on the health or social topic that concerns them the most
Take advantage of the excellent tools already developed by Nalamdana on a range of issues and sponsor additional copies of them for their own work communities or other communities/ schools/ beneficiaries that Nalamdana can help identify.
Our Wish List (download the PDF here)
1. Own vehicle. A hardy, 4-wheel drive, field capable vehicle like a Toyota Innova. 12,00,000.00 rupees
2. Programme sponsors for NEW Thendral Community Radio Station. Will include an entertaining sponsored programme series on health and social issues as well as advertisement space during that time. 5,00,000.00 rupees
3. Support to the Nalamdana Youth Education and Leadership. Support includes school fees, books, uniform, activities and annual summer workshop
Annual Sponsorship of one student 7,000.00 rupees
Lifetime endowment (one student supported annually from interest) 1,00,000.00 rupees
4. Top to Toe Adolescent health flip-chart for classrooms – sponsor the printing of copies 1,00,000.00 rupees
5. Printing copies of the Sakhi Saheli (a training module on RH for girls). This manual has been translated from English to Tamil by Nalamdana. 1,00,000.00 rupees
6. Making copies of the Red and Blue Book (on growing up for adolescents) in Tamil to distribute them to the schools, colleges and the youth clubs of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan 2,00,000.00 rupees7. Supporting the annual part running cost for the “Are you well: Arts in the Hospital” Project (Thendral Cable radio, role plays and full length plays) at the Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine. 6,00,000.00 rupees
8. Community drama performance in a slum or village on any health or social topic Nalamdana has scripts for (ie: HIV/AIDS, female infanticide, alcoholism, reproductive health)
20,000.00 rupees (cost per show)
9. Performance in a School setting (examples: sexual abuse, hygiene, child rights, etc.) 10,000.00 rupees (per show cost)
10. Sponsorship of education for 20 HIV infected/ affected children per year (Rs. 2,000 per child, per year) 40,000.00 rupees
11. Sponsorship of copies of Nalamdana films on DVD like Maaya Changu, Nandavanathil, Pesu Maname Pesu. Rs. 100 per copy