Education (including skill development) and health are major focus areas of the Mitrans and these are addressed and attended to, as long-term projects. Some ongoing long-term projects where significant efforts have been invested are at Olcott Memorial Higher Secondary School in Besant Nagar, Chennai, Government Adi Dravidar Welfare High School, Chennai, Swami Vivekananda Rural Community College (SVRCC) in Puducherry, Paradise Home in Muttukadu Village and Little Drops and Reheboth near Porur.
The Olcott Project is an Integrated Literacy and Health project and the largest in formal education so far. RCCM has been associated actively since 2015 with Olcott – a school established in 1894. The project here has only experienced growth. Various activities that have been accomplished include construction of separate toilets for both boys and girls, revamping classrooms, and repairing and maintaining the reverse osmosis (RO) plant providing water fit for drinking. On the health front, health camps are being organized and blood grouping for the students there is an annual affair. Due recognition towards motivation is given to the teachers with one teacher every year being identified and conferred the ‘Nation Builder Award’.
Apart from classroom education, due importance is given to extra- and co-curricular activities. The thicketed playground that was impossible to use has been cleared up for children to play. The girls team Kabaddi team was initially coached with Mitrans helping with the coach and now the team(s) are regularly winning state and district level tournaments. Ongoing Motivational Programs will continue for students of 10th and 12th standards.
Providing exposure to computers and digital education for students at elementary class level in Olcott is a key focus area for Mitrans, as most of the students are from economically weaker sections with extremely limited exposure. Keeping this in mind, Mitra tied up with Classle, a cloud platform provider to enable digital education at Olcott. This enables the students to go online and get audio visual content based on Samacheer Kalvi of the Tamil Nadu State Board. The infrastructure for such IT Enabled education needs to be periodically upgraded. The internet charges are also borne by Mitrans. Footwear to the children has also been provided by Mitrans as many used to come barefoot.
Another project close to the heart of Mitrans is the one with Swami Vivekananda Rural Community College (SVRCC), Puducherry. SVRCC is a leader in skills training education since 2008. The college has been working to provide job-oriented education to the less privileged youth in the local communities. Besides high-quality technical education, the college also provides training in soft skills, yoga and life coping skills to students in all streams. While donations for the library and education of students, is part of the Mitran association with SVRCC, of special mention here is the Tally Training Academy project. RCCM is partnering with YENNES (a company run by Mitran(s)) – a 5-star certified Solutions and Services Partner of Tally, India’s leading business management Software Company. YENNES been hugely generous in sharing 75% of its office space in Puducherry along with bearing the cost of running the Academy. The income from such training will accrue to SVRCC. SVRCC will also be using the space provided for their city office. This year a Tally Training Academy has also been opened in SVRCC premises – again with support from YENNES. Further expansion requires more funds.
Government Adi Dravidar Welfare School is a government run school for the socially and economically backward. RCCM has been working with them since inception and has taken various initiatives to help the children of the school get facilities that other children have. A Rotaract Club has been formed and they are part of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), that is one of the foremost programs of Rotary in helping build future leaders. Mitrans have seen the exposure help build confidence in the students. Two toilets blocks, one of the girls and one of the boys have also been provided. The students have also been provided with shoes and they are now wearing it with great pride. Dentals camps in the school are an annual affair. The doctors from among the Mitrans take this up with zest.
Mitrans also work closely with and for “Paradise Home”, a home for the intellectually challenged in Muttukadu, a village 30km from Chennai. The home has about 70 inmates aged from 5 to 40. Mitrans regularly partake in the events at the Home, sponsor food on birthdays and anniversaries, sponsor the entire cost of two children every year, and provision of biscuits on a monthly basis for the entire year. Solar power generation has been initiated at the Home. This is just Phase 1. RCCM will expand the scope further.
