THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Praveena (name changed), a Class X student who belongs to the Malapandaram tribe, lives with her family in a shanty made of tarpaulin sheets near the forest in Pathanamthitta. There are just about 250 families remaining in this nomadic tribal group, all living in poverty, devoid of basic necessities. Praveena is probably one of the first in many generations to go to school. However, with no access to a mobile phone and the internet, she has lost all hope of continuing her education.
To help students from the tribal settlements get access to online learning,Childline Thiruvananthapuram, in association with Loyola College of Social Sciences, Sreekariyam, has come up with ‘Snehanidhi’. Gadgets like tablets and power banks for six children of the Malapandaram tribal group were handed over to the Tribal Development Department officers in Pathanamthitta.
“There are more than 50,000 tribal students in the state. Their learning has been interrupted since classes went online. To reduce this digital divide, we thought of providing the necessary equipment to these children,” said Jobi Kondoor,district coordinator of Childline Thiruvananthapuram.
“Initially, the plan was to implement the project only in Thiruvananthapuram district. However, due to requests from other districts, we have extended the operations,” he added. The fund for the project was contributed by Loyola College. In the second phase, mobile phones will be distributed to tribal students in the Thiruvananthapuram district identified by the ST promoters of the tribal department and Childline officials.
“We will distribute 13 mobile phones to students from tribal settlements in Kuttichal panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram. The project will not just focus on tribal areas. Children in coastal and hilly areas in the state where internet connectivity is a major problem will also get help,” said the Childline official.Contribute to the project. Contact: Jobi Kondoor, district coordinator, Childline Thiruvananthapuram.
Ph: 9497594630.