Giving wings to their dreams

110 children from tribal areas taking part in Kuttikalude Nattukoottam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 17/05/2017: Students lern clay modelling at a camp oranised by the State Council for Child Welfare for Tribal Children, in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday .................Photo:S_Mahinsha

P.K. Kunhikkannan, a mason from Aralam tribal colony, Kannur, moonlights as a teacher for the children of his colony.

He also plays with them, and narrates stories to them, getting them to open up not just to education, but also to the world outside their homes.

On a trip to the capital city with a bunch of his students to take part in

Kuttikalude Nattukoottam , a residential camp organised by the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare from May 17 to 20, Kunhikkannan told

The Hindu that the camp shared his goal of bringing the tribal children to the mainstream.

Cultural exchange

The four-day camp, where 212 children of both tribal and general categories from across the State are participating, gives them an opportunity to get to know a varied cross-section of peers through interactive games and other activities.

The children, aged between 8 and 16, were invited to participate in the camp by the district-level committees of the council. A total of 110 children from tribal areas, and 102 from other regions are participating

At cultural get-togethers held every evening during the camp, the tribal children will get to showcase their native songs, stories, and more, giving the other children a taste of their culture.

Inspiring children

Such exposure was crucial for the tribal children in particular, because otherwise, their aspirations would be limited to that of the adults in their native areas, said Kunhikkannan. “This is why many tribal children drop out of school, and get addicted to intoxicants; they’re not inspired to achieve anything beyond this.”

The camp aims at addressing the concern of intoxicant abuse as well, through awareness sessions on abuse of drugs and tobacco, according to S.P. Deepak, general secretary of the council. Sessions on sexual harassment and children’s legal rights will also be held.

Many activities

The camp also involves workshops on the environment, acting, painting, clay-modelling, Origami, and kite-making. Further, a city sight-seeing trip is slotted for Friday. The camp was inaugurated by Minister for Health and Social Justice K.K. Shylaja on Wednesday.

Initiatives by the State government for educating tribal children, such as the Unarvu programme, had been bringing about a gradual reduction in their school drop-out rates, Kunhikkannan said.

Having been forced to discontinue his education after the 10th grade, he was delighted that his dreams were now being realised through the lives of these children.