CHARDEP has executed a number of inventiveness during the month of October– 2009.
HIV / AIDS:
Rehabilitation of Female Sex Workers – A model to the society :
Mr.G.Manikandan – Director, CHARDEP delivering his Inaugural address
Mr.Ramkumar – Director, CSR delivering his Special address
Mathavi Kalanjiyam, a SHG managed by FSWs has been successful in accessing a bank loan for the sum of Rs.300,000.00 for taking up IGP. This would fetch them a supplementary income there by enabling them to live an independent and dignified life in par with other women in the society. The SHG has been enjoying the patronage of CHARDEP for the last 3 Years. Canara Bank (Vadasery branch) is been credited with supporting these marginalized to economically empowered. The loan distribution function held on 12 Oct 09 at CHARDEP-APAC Health Centre at Marthandam was witnessed by 3000 people. Mr.Chellappan the branch Manager, Canara Bank, Mr. Ramkumar, Director – CSR were the special invitees.
Micro credit programme:
Direct loan has been given to 3 SHGs through direct linkages with banks for the amount of Rs. 20,00,000/-.
19 New SHGs were found.
Revolving fund has been given to 3SHGs for the amount of Rs.1,80,000/-.
Health Education:
OCTOBER 15 – Global Hand Washing day
The practice of ‘ hand washing with soap ’ tops the international hygiene agenda and been observed on October 15 every year as ‘Global Hand Washing Day’.
Since its founding in 2008, which was designated as the International Year of Sanitation by the UN General Assembly, Global Hand Washing Day has been echoing and reinforcing the call for improved hygiene practices worldwide.
To make this day into a valuable awareness creating day CHARDEP took an innovative step and conducted a mass awareness generation through school students. The programme was conducted at SLB School, Nagercoil chaired by District Collector Mr.Rajendra Rathnu. More than 5000 school students from all over Kanyakumari district took part in and spread the message to the society. The Collector in his speech focused on the importance of keeping one’s hand clean. Further, he shared about the recent research findings that “our hands are having 42% to 47% of germs even though we may feel clean” and advised the people to wash their hands with soap in order to reduce the risk of contacting with virus and bacteria causing diseases.
As a part of Global Hand Washing day CHARDEP distributed more than 10,000 hand bills to the school students and to the public. The hand bill contains information regarding the importance of developing habit of washing the hands with soap in daily life as a preventive measure which would protect from harmful infectious diseases like diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, which together are responsible for the majority of child deaths.
About Global Hand Washing Day
The guiding vision of Global Hand washing Day is a local and global culture of hand washing with soap. Although people around the world wash their hands with water, very few wash their hands with soap at critical moments (for example, after using the toilet, while cleaning a child, and before handling food). Hand washing with soap is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, which together are responsible for the majority of child deaths. Every year, more than 3.5 million children1 do not live to celebrate their fifth birthday because of diarrhea and pneumonia. Yet, despite its lifesaving potential, hand washing with soap is seldom practiced and not always easy to promote.
The challenge is to transform hand washing with soap from an abstract good idea into an automatic behavior performed in homes, schools, and communities worldwide. Turning hand washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into an ingrained habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhea by almost half2 and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter.3 More hand washing with soap would make a significant contribution to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015. Global Hand washing Day will be the centerpiece of a week of activities that will mobilize millions of people across five continents to wash their hands with soap.
