SUCCESS STORIES
Got playground in Government
middle school of Thenkuttaali
Dharmapuri district.
Children had no playground in Government middle school of Thenkuttaali -Dharmapuri district. Children’s parliament of that locality identified the issue, discussed it in their meeting and took it to the school headmaster.
Children light 12 street lights in
Thonnakuttalli
Bharadhiar Neighbourhood Children’s parliament took notice of Thennakuttaalli village in Dharmapuri district drooping in darkness for a long time. After discussion in the parliament they took the matter to the Panchayat president Mr. Venkettan
Panchayat President Mr. Vekatten fulfils child parliamenterians’ request
The middle school of Thonnakutta Alli lacked drinking water facilities for its students. Children had to walk a kilometre far to have a glass of water.
MuthuPrabhakaran resumes
schooling
Anna Nagar is a scenic country-side, situated in Petha Nayakkam Palayam, Salem district of Tamilnadu, India. In this village lived Saroja and Muniappan, parents of four daughters and a son. The family lived from hand to mouth.
Path we trodded…
The beginnings of Neighbourhood Parliaments of Children were in Kanyakumari, the southernmost district of India. Children in territorial neighbourhoods of about thirty families each were organized as neighbourhood units of children. And they were federated at the levels of the village, panchayat, block, and the district. The first district level elections were held on January 26, 1999.
The Hindu, New Delhi, November 8, 2003
“Children in the age group of 6 to 11 years and 12 to 18 years, in many villages of Kanyakumari district are putting their heads together to solve civic issues. They have successfully tackled issues such as roads, streetlights and even child labour. And they have been doing it since 1994. In the year 2002, the NP (Neighbourhood Parliaments) demanded the panchayat to install streetlights in Nettamcode village. When the demand went unheeded the children tied hurricane lamps to electric posts. At first the residents laughed and joked about it, but the novel idea clicked. Streetlights were installed in the village very soon.”
The New Indian Express (Madurai edition), Tirunelveli, June 29, 2003
In Kanyakumari, children are tackling issues like open-air defecation and school dropouts through Children’s Parliaments. During a Children’s Day celebration at Keezha Putheri village, these kids were recognized for identifying and motivating 425 dropouts to return to school, with support from the District Collector, Rajesh Lakhoni.
The New Indian Express (Madurai edition), Tirunelveli, November 14, 2003
The Tamilnadu-Pondichery State Parliament of Children had its first swearing-in ceremony for its ministers in 2009.
Initiatives for children’s neighbourhood parliaments have been taken in 23 States of Tamilnadu and in a couple of countries abroad.
