CHILDREN

Tasked with creating an app that addresses a ‘community problem or issue’, five Bengaluru girls won $10,000 (approximately Rs 6.4 lakh) at Technovation, an international technology entrepreneurship competition, to further develop their app designed to keep waste off the streets of Bengaluru. Team Pentechan. From left to right: Mahima, Sanjana, Swasthi, Anupama, Navyasree. Pic: Holly Thorpe Anupama N, Sanjana Vasanth, Mahima Mehendale, Navyasree B and Swasthi P Rao, all of 14 years and in Class 9 at New Horizon Public School, won the prize money when they took first place in the competition in San Francisco. They competed in the…

117 children of waste pickers in Bangalore received scholarships worth Rs 2,16,450. The scholarship programme, initiated by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment at the Union Government level, is extended to all pre-matriculation students, who are children of parents engaged in ‘unclean occupation’. When the scholarship programme was rolled out, the government had not included waste picking as an occupation in the eligibility list. The consistent efforts of the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers led to the inclusion of waste pickers as well. Many organisations across India pursued the case of inclusion at both the state and municipal level. In Karnataka,…

Anamika * has six cellphones, all the latest smartphone models. Bharat * has a refrigerator and a television set in his bedroom. So what, you wonder. Many of us already do. Anamika is barely six. Bharat is nine. And no they do not have famous or celeb parents. They are not on YouTube (yet), they do not have Instagram accounts dedicated to their lives (just wait a couple of years). They are simply highly privileged children living in your neighbourhood. These two children are what we call the new normal. They are being brought up in enormous wealth and affluence.…

A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm: Henrik Ibsen Here's proof that the good folks of Whitefield are ever ready to take the helm.  There are several children in the Whitefield area who require help. Help raise money for young Deepan, who needs funds to support his medical treatment. Read how the community came together to ensure two young boys could pursue their studies. Also see how far the road work in Whitefield has progressed and by when you can expect completion. Finally, with BBMP elections around the corner,  do ensure that you…

B.PAC organised the release of CLPR report on the functioning of Special Fast Track Courts in Bengaluru with respect to sexual abuse of women and children on June 13th. This was followed by a panel discussion on issues and recommendation for effective functioning of these special courts.  B.PAC under its B.SAFE initiative - The Billion Eyes Campaign, in association with Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR) organised a panel discussion on the issue of Special Courts for women and children.   Out of the 93 Fast Track Courts set up in Karnataka in the year 2000, only 39 courts were…

An article in the New York Times says having a working mom leads to economic, educational and social benefits for her children. The children of such mothers tended to "complete more years of education, were more likely to be employed, and in supervisory roles and earned higher incomes", the article says quoting a Harvard Business School study which looked at working moms and their children in the US. I happen to agree that it is good for moms to work--for self-worth, self confidence and economic independence. But I also believe the quality (and quantity) of work is very important. And…

In April 2015, news portal thenewsminute.com reported that a Kerala couple had shut down a Facebook page, titled "Kochu Sundarikal” (little beauties), after it was found to be a platform for paedophiles. The page creators had shrewdly circumvented Facebook's nudity clause by posting pictures of young girls and actresses fully clothed. However, comments revealed the nature of the page and the intention behind it. Subsequently, news of another Tamil Facebook page was unveiled by the same portal. This one, titled “Chinna ponnu veriyargal” (Crazy about small girls), used the same tactic of posting fully clothed pictures of young girls, and…

On April 24th, 40 children from the Sarjapur road area, along with volunteers from Kasa Mukta Bellandur (KMB), took to the streets to educate eatery joint owners about the hazards of serving food in disposable plates, encouraging them to adopt eco-friendly alternatives instead.  Pic: SujathaPic: SujathaPic: Sujatha‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); Everyone is aware about the impact of the usage of plastic and the kind of imbalance it is causes. Indeed, pollution of the environment by chemicals leached from plastics into air and water is an emerging area of concern. The convenience of using plastics and disposable items…

As a child, I would visit my grandparents house in Trivandrum for the summer vacations. And unlike most city children these days, I didn’t go to any summer camp. This is something I’ve never regretted because I always had fun in the sun, up in my tree house, in a park, or at a museum. As art and culture entered my life, my interests expanded. Summer became the perfect time to paint and read. For those parents who are currently playing host to their children on account of summer vacations, here are some fun family activities that you and your…

In the recent past Bangalore has transformed from ‘garden city’ to ‘garbage city’. The waste issues of Bangalore have now become a national issue. And a major contributor for the same is ‘plastic bags’. Even though single-use plastic has been banned by the government, it is still sold by shopkeepers and used by people. To do our bit to solve this major cause of pollution, we the children from SJR Verity on Sarjapur Road volunteered along with a few adults, and started an ‘Anti-plastic awareness campaign’ during our summer break. The anti-plastic awareness campaign kicks off. Pic: Sonika Jindal We…