What will be the outcome if many organisations join hands to stand up for a cause?
The answer was there for everyone to see on the PSG Public School grounds here on Wednesday when 20 organisations came together to launch the ‘Standing up with a million Indian children’ campaign.
Brainchild of Shanti Ashram, the campaign involves reaching out to a million children in the country in four phases, starting November 14, and ending November 14, 2014. And, to celebrate the launch on the eve of Children’s Day, 2,000 school children, who would be the beneficiaries, were present. The campaign was launched by Coimbatore Mayor S.M. Velusamy in the presence of children and principals of close to 100 schools, who have enrolled for the campaign. Representatives from organisations too participated in this grand show of music, dance and drama that spoke the spirit of the campaign.The partners resolved to implement the campaign to ensure the rights of children, and to work decisively for their protection and progress.The focus of the campaign is to ensure that school students in Coimbatore have a birth certificate and have undergone age-appropriate immunisation. This will be undertaken from November to January. From the data obtained those students who do not have birth certificates will be assisted in getting one, and those who are not immunised will be administered vaccines in February 2014.
On completion of the campaign in Coimbatore, it will be launched in East India for three months, then in West India for another three months, and then North India for the last three months, to complete it on next Children’s Day.
Kezevino Aram, director of Shanti Ashram, said that the work would be carried out in different parts of the country by lead partners. The number of children expected to be covered in Coimbatore was 2.5 lakh. Partners have been identified based on their involvement in working for children, he added.
