Children | Citizen Matters, Chennai

Scant access to nutrition, education and healthcare: Study highlights sad plight of Chennai’s homeless kids

October 11, 2018 Aruna Natarajan

A survey by IRCDUC on homeless children has revealed that only 54% access services by the anganwadi centres in the city. Many suffer habitually from fever, cough, wheezing and diarrhoea as a result of their rough living conditions.

Of child marriages and substance abuse: How Kannagi Nagar children sketched their problems

October 4, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

Art therapy emerged as an effective tool in Kannagi Nagar, as children expressed their concern and fears through pictures. See how their sketches bring out the social evils prevailing in the area.

No fans, no cooking arrangement: Inside anganwadis in Chennai’s relocated slums

September 26, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

A recent study exposes the harsh realities of Anganwadi centres in resettlement colonies of Perumbakkam, Navalur and Gudapakkam and the lack of adequate schools in the vicinity.

When a Corporation school student met a NASA astronaut in Washington D.C.

August 11, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

Under the US Consulate’s English Access Microscholarship Programme, eight students from Chennai’s Corporation schools were taken to the US capital recently. R Gopinath was one of them. Citizen Matters Chennai spoke to Gopinath and others who have been a part of the broader programme.

பாலியல் வன்கொடுமை – பெற்றோர்களுக்கு ஒர் திறந்த மடல்

July 21, 2018 Sonal Kellogg

Child rape has assumed pandemic proportions in India. Often parents don’t have the slightest inkling of the abuse faced by the victim, as in the recent Chennai case. A CSA survivor writes an open letter to parents, telling them about the role they have to play in protecting their child.

Chennai’s growing tribe of cloth-diapering moms doing their bit for the planet

July 17, 2018 Seetha Gopalakrishnan

They are convenient, have a relatively friendly environmental footprint and work out to be cheaper than you’d think. And a good number of Chennai moms are saying ‘aye’ to these modern cloth diapers. Would you make the switch?

How Chennai police is helping marginalised youth and kids stay happy and productive

July 16, 2018 Aruna Natarajan

Close to 75 Police Boys and Girls Clubs in the city, in collaboration with NGOs and corporate organisations, are engaging these kids and youth in various academic, cultural and sporting activities, thus keeping delinquency in check.

Human values can be induced through storytelling: Bhavna Singh

July 13, 2018 S Chandramouli

Stories can be told through sound, words and visuals. Stories expressed through sound are mostly songs and spoken tales. Novels, short-stories, ballards and poetry are stories expressed with words. Finally combining words, sound and visuals

Spreading the message with colours: Residents paint an old school wall at RA Puram

June 13, 2018 V Shivkumar

From cleaning streets to beautifying the wall of a corporation school, residents in RA Puram reiterate the importance of citizens’ participation, especially children, in maintaining our public spaces

How a caring Headmistress brought about change in a Kottur school

May 4, 2018 Seetha Gopalakrishnan

In a school that was struggling with absenteeism and lack of focus and self esteem among students, HM Maheswari Kalpana and her team reach out of parents to help their children come to school and improve their performance. She and her team aspire to make all these children leaders in society.

Why Chennai Central needs an anti-trafficking help desk

May 2, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

A total of 1269 children were rescued in Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations; close monitoring of these train stations would help in preventing incidence of trafficking and faster support for victims.

Chennai anganwadis would surprise many; here’s why

April 20, 2018 Jagadheeswaran D

Many of Chennai’s 1350 anganwadis under the ICDS scheme are clean, well-equipped with teaching aids, toys and run by dedicated teachers who take a holistic view of the needs of a toddler. Here’s a sneak peek into a few such centres.