The International Women’s Day debate on early marriage versus pursuing higher education was a success, as mentioned in our previous post. However, we were surprised to see that local newspapers reported it as a debate on “child marriage.” Amutha Ma’am called them to inquire why, and the reporters explained, “Ma’am,…
Eighteen children who are learning to type on the computer were invited to the World Toilet Day workshop on Sunday, November 19 at 11.00. All of them came. The workshop was conducted by Amutha Madam and Raveena Madam. They first conducted a short quiz on FIN so that the…
In South India, millions celebrated ‘Saraswathi Puja’ or ‘Ayudha Puja’ i.e. day of prayer for the ‘instruments of livelihood’ on Monday, October 23rd and ‘Vijaya Dasami’ – the day of new and fresh beginnings for attainment of personal targets on Tuesday, October 24th. In order for FIN staff to celebrate…
On October 1, 2023, at 9 AM our team in Kameswaram was out on the beach. They had phoned all the students of their digital skilling classes, the teachers of the PR Puram school, and the toilet beneficiaries to go as a community to motivate all Indian citizens not to…
Liam McCarton, director of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Ireland and Lecturer at the Technical University Dublin, visited us in Kameswaram village with his wife Jackie. Engineers without Borders (EWB) is a global organization that seeks to implement engineering solutions to societal issues. FIN has been partnering with EWB-Ireland for two…
On October 2nd, Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday and the Swachh Bharat or Clean India day, we had initiated our “Bus stop Re-painting” project in Kameswaram village at Thaneer Pandal. FIN has a long history of friendship with this bus stop! We had transformed this bus stop from a dump into a…
In Kameswaram village like in most villages and towns in India – you cannot walk even 5 feet without spotting garbage on the side of the road. Now, usually, it’s because there are not enough public waste bins on the road. So this is why Friend In Need India…
How long will we continue to pollute our lakes, rivers and oceans, and beaches to honor our beloved departed ones? Today is the first day of the month of ‘Thai’ in the Tamil Calendar when prayers are offered to the ancestors. It is an ‘Amavasai’ when there will be…
Last year we created a social innovation: a calendar that spoke to the people of Kameswaram village with features like bus timing and emergency contact details. It was a big hit! This year we took suggestions from FIN staff and villagers and re-innovated the calendar by adding the government holiday…
In towns and cities, there are many outlets for musical talent to be recognised and nurtured. There are many schools of music and opportunities for development. This is not the case in villages. Earlier, women and men came to be known for their poetry and singing talent in temple functions.…