NARIKURAVA CHILDREN Children

ECOMWEL – Background

The Emmaus Community Welfare Fund (ECOMWEL) is a registered society based in Chennai, established in the year 1981.  It was founded with the specific objective of providing opportunities for welfare, development and empowerment to the most poor and deprived sections of people living in India.ECOMWEL shares the principles and values of the ‘Emmaus Movement’ founded in Paris by Fr.Abbe Pierre in 1949.  In essence these values are about restoring dignity to the lives of deprived people by building self-reliance and fostering their own capacity for self-change.

ECOMWEL offerssupport to developmental projectsand is guided by its mission Empower those most in need.In the past, we had offered support to nearly 80 projects and programmes covering different cross-section of people from the individuals to small groups and large communities.

ECOMWEL Development Goal

An Environment, which enhances the self-esteem and social status of the marginalised –Elderly,children, people with disabilities, women, and empowering them towards Equality and Dignity.

The terms used in the presentation have significant meaning –Self esteem: the marginalised to have a positive image of themselves; Social status: the marginalised are considered as equals among themselves and to the other communities; Collective: together as a group;

Situation of the Narikuravas

Narikurava or Narikuravar are a community of people who originally belong to the indigenous tribals. Their primary occupation was hunting but since they were prohibited entry into the forests they were unable to earn their livelihood through hunting. They were forced to take up other alternatives such as making beads and selling, rag picking, child begging for survival. Being a nomadic community, the Narikuruvas face extreme discrimination in society. They are labelled thieves and plunderers and are often not allowed to stay within villages and town or sell their wares. Being extremely disjointed as a community have further weakened their voices against oppression. Children are the most affected, they drop out of schools ata very early age,some of them do not even go to school.

“In Tamilnadu child labourers among Narikuravas is 4649 and the school drop outs are 1074 while the total children population is 8241”

Source: TN Narikuravar Federation 2009

Project Overview

The proposed developmental interventions will bring changes in the lives of thechildren and the community. Education helps children and their families to widen their outlook ad build self-work dignity and determination. The proposed project First Step is an initiative toenable the Narikkuravar children to take a first step towards their development.

Project Goal is to enable the Narikurava children to gain access to quality education in terms of primary as well as higher education.

Project Objectives include: to identify the school drop outs and enrol them into schools, to motivate the parents and teachers to help the children continue their education, to motivate the aspiring students to continue their higher education.

Project Implementation will be done through ECOMWEL partners and ECOMWEL will be responsible for itseffective implementation.

Activities

• Each one Teach one  – Resource  link
• Inclusive Residential care support
• Higher Education Support
• Inspire – Life story  Documentation

Each one Teach One is an activity which will bring the urban children getting connected with the Narikuravachildren. This initiative will help the children to teach together the subjects that are part of the educational curriculum. Thirty children in the 6^th to 8^th Standard will be benefitted. The knowledge sharing will enrich and motivate the Narikkuravar children to continue their education and also to aspire to further their higher education

Inclusive Residential care support isan initiative to include recreational space and activities part of the educational learning.  In the current context,Many schools get their support for basic food, clothing and educational materials through the sarvashikshaAbhiyanprog.  Yet the students from the Narikkuravar community do not access this school due to non recreational space. In their own communities their life style allows them to live in freedom , but when they are admitted to residential school they find it difficult to cope , leading to  drop outs.  In order to control the drop outs recreational space and activities   is integrated.

Higher education Support initiative is aimed at supporting aspiring students who have completed the 12^th standard, to further their studies. Per year the project aims to reach ten students all over Tamilnadu through a scholarship of Rs. 50000/- towards, their admission, tuitions fees and educational materials. This will include both boys and girls, conscious steps will be taken to integrate girls 

Inspire is an activity to document the life histories of theNarikkuravas who have pursued their education against difficulties.Video plays a major role in helping a community envision its culture and in creating resources for future generations. This activity will focus on a few Narikkuravas who can inspire their own community children to aspire for higher education.

Corporate Engagement

In the project presented, the corporate can be engaged in many ways in terms of the volunteer support,sharing recreational kits, to document the inspirationallife stories and other resource access.