Mayachangu film was screened on March 21st, 2016 at Madappakkam village where MCC college NSS students put their camp. Around 50 students, 5 faculty members and 20 members of the local community watched the film. There was great discussion and feedback after the film screening.
Nalamdana embarks on ambitious, multifaceted sanitation campaign
Nalamdana, supported by Rotary Club of Madras Coromandel, has embarked on a series of school-based programs to improve knowledge and healthier behaviours around clean drinking water, hand washing, environmental and toilet hygiene. Nalamdana is employing an innovative approach through puppet shows for younger audiences to ensure high levels of message retention.
The project is called Indriya Kuzhandaigal- Naalaya Thalaivargal! (Today’s Children are Tomorrow’s leaders).
The project is intended to create awareness on clean water, hand washing, environment and toilet hygiene among 12 selected local schools identified by Rotary Club. Under the Rotary’s Global Grant project GC# 1531246 the project will help provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and library, e-learning and sports facilities to 12 selected schools in Chennai. Nalamdana is a co-operating partner for this project.
Under this project, On March 1st, 2016 – Nalamdana started its work at Kandigai Primary School and engaged younger audiences through puppet show and interactive sessions. The next day on March 2nd, had discussion and interactive session for school parents and teachers.
Nalamdana’s annual fundraising event, Nalam Night 2016, went off very well on January 29th, 2016 at The Park, Anna Salai, Chennai.
Many of Nalamdana supporters and well wishers turned-up for this event which included an art auction, raffle of donated items and a performance by a local indie band, Grasshopper Green.
Thendral Community Radio now has an expanded broadcast schedule of 16 hours daily from 6.00am to 10.00 pm all year long. There has been a very positive response to the programmes.
Thendral Community Radio’s contribution to health education in Chennai was highlighted at the National Science for Women’s Health and Nutrition Conference in March. The organizers of that conference, CEMCA (Common wealth Education Media Centre for Asia) and the NCSTC (National Council for Science and Technology Communication), are looking for proposals from India’s Community Radio network which create awareness on anemia, non-communicable disease, menstrual hygiene, low birth weight , HIV&TB, health , nutrition and environment. Nalamdana has applied for funding through this project, bringing more than 22 years of expertise on precisely these issue areas. If approved, Thendral Community Radio would receive funding for a full year’s worth of daily educational episodes on these important health topics.
To commemorate World Kidney Day, Nalamdana staged three community programs on kidney health awareness in Chennai sponsored by Sapiens Kidney Foundation run by Dr. Rajan Ravichandren, Founder of Sapiens Kidney Foundation, Adyar.
These three programs were performed at Chinna Neelankarai Kuppam-ECR, Kodamedu-Saidapet and Chitra Nagar-Kotturpuram on 11,12 & 13th March respectively. The total campaign was covered by The Hindu daily paper on March 12th and in Adayar Times on March 15th. Vijay TV documented this program. Sankara Television channel done the live telecast of program at Koda Medu, Saidapet. Doctor’s speech on this issue was broadcast in all community radio in Tamil Nadu.
The Sapiens Kidney Foundation has requested follow-on work from Nalamdana to perform additional awareness programs on Kidney health in Chennai and other districts in the following months.
On request from the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB), Nalamdana has been engaged to conduct 10 community dramas on general health and hygiene awareness in low income communities of R.K Nagar Constituency, North Chennai in TNSCB’s Tenemental Schemes.
Nalamdana was charged with presenting awareness programs on general health & hygiene, garbage disposal and toilet usage and maintenance. The first five programs were completed successfully from March 2nd to March 6th, 2016 at R. K.Nagar Constituency, while the remaining programs were temporarily delayed due to elections.
