Nalamdana

Category: Nalamdana News

  • Youth Education & Leadership Program

    Youth Education & Leadership Program

    Program background
    In partnership with Kalvi Trust, Nalamdana’s Youth Education & Leadership program has been running successfully over 31 years since 1996 and 379 students have been supported to date. Of these, nearly 65% of students were supported consistently for 5 years. Many of them have gone on to become professionals in their chosen field, and a number of them have gone on to gain employment in the IT industry.

    Academic year 2025-2026
    A total of 18 students were supported under this program for the year 2025–2026: 5 from Saradha Vidyalaya Schools, T. Nagar, plus 13 deserving students from nearby communities where Nalamdana has established a good rapport.

    Download the full Annual Report for 2025-2026 here.

  • November 2022 Newsletter

    November 2022 Newsletter

    As Tamil Nadu in India gets back to business in the post- pandemic era, it faces many social and economic challenges that demand attention. Few are as compelling or as urgent as securing the safety and wellbeing of the country’s children, who will one day soon shape its future.

    Child abuse cases have been steadily rising in India, and Tamil Nadu is no exception. Alcoholism and domestic violence, both of which the pandemic exacerbated, have deep and tragic effects on children. Increased access to digital devices and isolation from peer groups during the pandemic has widened the generation gap between children and their caregivers. Mental health challenges like stress, depression and anxiety are now common among young people, resulting, in some cases, in self harm. Use of drugs by school children is increasing at an alarming rate among boys and girls.

    For nearly 30 years, Nalamdana has been working closely with schools to implement creative and effective child abuse prevention and child protection interventions. This includes puppet shows and short film screenings followed by discussions with students, their families, and their communities. Feedback from the children themselves as well as teachers and family members has helped us identify key issues that need to be addressed through strategic behaviour change communication.

    Film screenings of effective short films made from field-tested scripts on child safety and addressing child abuse. These are shown at schools, colleges, and community groups where parents and caregivers live. Our trained facilitators follow up with post-screening discussions and share information about helplines and counselling options.

    Puppet shows and skits for smaller audiences (children or adults) in the context of workplaces, schools, health facilities and anywhere there is a captive audience. The smaller group allows for more meaningful discussions after the show

    Maaya Changu is a 40-minute feature film produced by Nalamdana that tells an evocative story about child protection. It received an unprecedented commendation from the Censor Board for its sensitive and powerful handling of the issue of child abuse. It has been screened it more than 250 times so far at many schools and communities to raise awareness about child abuse prevention and model responses to prevent and address it.

    Three decades, serving millions

    Over the last three decades, Nalamdana has reached over 3.1 million people with vital health information and skills through a variety of innovative approaches. Watch this video for an overview of our work. Specific achievements include

    • In just the last 6 years, Nalamdana has performed 61 community dramas, 141 puppet shows and school programs, and conducted 72 film screenings and discussions. It has held 12 health camps for truck drivers and produced 23 short films on key health issues.
    • The organization has awarded over 341 educational scholarships to disadvantaged students to pursue higher education to fulfil their dreams through its Student Leadership program.
    • Nalamdana also operates Thendral 91.2MHz, a government-sanctioned community radio station, thatfacilitatesoutreach efforts amongst vulnerable communities with entertaining and informative programs.
    • The organization teamed up with oncological treatment centers in Chennai to research and develop locally appropriate cancer prevention and treatment support materials including short films, radio programs and print materials.
    • With the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020, Nalamdana mobilized rapidly to use internationally validated health education guidelines to developed audio, video and print content in both Tamil and English to spread awareness about appropriate prevention and treatment measures.
    • Nalamdana has partnered with companies like PayPal, Cholamandalam Finance, and Madura Micro Finance Limited to implement corporate social responsibility initiatives for their audiences.
  • Nalamdana presents research at Bali health communication conference

    Nalamdana presents research at Bali health communication conference

    Nalamdana presented three abstracts at International Summit on Social and Behavior Change Communication in Nusa Dua, Indonesia. Nalamdana core team members travelled to Indonesia between April 16 and 20 to share their work at the SBCC Summit, attended by 1200 participants from 93 countries. Posters
    1. Through the Lens: Addressing Child Rights and Safety in Schools and Communities, Tamil Nadu, India
    2. Behaviour Change Communication Using Traditional Folk Art of Puppetry to Promote Good Hygiene Practices in Schools
    3. Reach And Effectiveness Of Behaviour Change Communication Programs on Eradication Of Open Defecation in Rural Tamil Nadu, South India
    Oral Presentation: Addressing HIV AIDS, and Providing the Right Information on Through Art
  • Thendral Radio featured in The Hindu

    Thendral Radio featured in The Hindu

    Since its launch in early 2014, Thendral, a Nalamdana-supported community radio station has been broadcasting on a range of health and social issues to the greater Neelankarai community, reaching nearly 28,500 listeners daily through 16 hours of continuous programming. Thendral’s audience has grown by leaps and bounds, as has the extent of community involvement in the station. One of its programs, Magale Unakkaga (This One’s For You, Daughter!), was featured in a leading Chennai newspaper, The Hindu, earlier this month. Designed and produced by women from the Chinna Nilangarai Kuppam fishing community, the program explores issues affecting women living in the community through expert interviews, skits, songs, and quizzes. Magale Unakkaga symbolizes Thendral’s vision of a community radio that is truly driven and owned by the community.

    View the full article on The Hindu website here.

  • Doordarshan (Podigai) Features Nalamdana

    Doordarshan (Podigai) Features Nalamdana

    On 6th March 2018, Podigai, a Tamil Channel of India’s national TV network, Doordarshan, contacted Nalamdana to feature this unique project and requested an interview with Nalamdana’s Board Chairperson, Ms. Balaji, who is also the project’s Principal Investigator. This was a unique opportunity to showcase, on International Women’s Day, this project that was for women, by women.

  • Thendral Community Radio: By the People, For the People!

    Thendral Community Radio: By the People, For the People!

    Since its launch in early 2014, Thendral, a Nalamdana-supported community radio station has been broadcasting on a range of health and social issues to the greater Neelankarai community, reaching nearly 28,500 listeners daily through 16 hours of continuous programming. Thendral’s audience has grown by leaps and bounds, as has the extent of community involvement in the station. One of its programs, Magale Unakkaga (This One’s For You, Daughter!), was featured in a leading Chennai newspaper, The Hindu, earlier this month (see here). Designed and produced by women from the Chinna Nilangarai Kuppam fishing community, the program explores issues affecting women living in the community through expert interviews, skits, songs, and quizzes. Magale Unakkaga symbolizes Thendral’s vision of a community radio that is truly driven and owned by the community.