Ms Latha Sundaram : Managing Trustee of Aram Foundation charitable Trust

Latha Sundaram ,former Indian volleyball player, an Indian  Railway employee , and Managing Trustee of Aram Foundation charitable Trust has made a difference in the lives of thousands of  underprivileged women and children through EDUCATION  and AWARENESS programs on charity  basis. Following are the major projects launched   and continuing since 2012. The    daywise   activities  with  photos  are available in https://www.facebook.com/Aram-Foundation-Charitable-Trust-417419358313304/?fref=ts.

1 HAPPY CHILD project  solely aims to make the child independent happy and self confident with good habits and conducted for the students from 1 to 12 standards covering over 45,000 underprivileged children.This is being done with the help of psychologist, social work students and volunteers from NSS. This program helps to  develop the  soft skills, altruistic behaviour, courteous manners , cleanliness, time management skills  etc.The self evaluation booklets are  good in monitoring them and in awarding rewards for  categories like most courteous, most helpful, most neat and tidy,

most outstanding and 100% attendance.  (2012)

2. HAPPY CHILD, POSITIVE PARENTING AND HARMONIOUS FAMILY project  which would mentor and motivate the children on a range of matters and make them positive to bring the best out of them has benefitted 12000 students (approx) of class 9 to 12 in corporation schools where the children are mostly from broken families,  no good role models and no guidance whatsoever. There was a positive influence in the behaviour of thousands of children such as getting them to be more responsible,  helping them kick off vices and improve their concentration on academics. This was a seven month program .  (2013)

3. This is perhaps the first trust ever to teach self defense techniques and give hands on training regarding AWARENESS, SELF VIGILANCE AND SELF DEFENSE TRAINING WORKSHOP for the girls in corporation and government   schools, colleges and corporates with counselors and professional self- defense trainers benefiting  90,000 above girls. Twelve basic techniques  that will help them escape from any untoward situation are taught.This builds their confidence and alertness . Tips on how to identify systematic abuse is taught. Specific cases of abuse are given counseling and guidance by expert counselors and psychologist. Taught in sessions of two and half hours in batches of 200 (100 pairs ) (2013)

4. Safe touch awareness to rural and urban children over 30,000 kids with volunteers trained through the training the trainers program specially for this through CDs, written material and leaflets.The rehabilitation of children who have been victims of physical, psychological and sexual abuse with follow up has been done .Simultaneously the teachers and parents are also given awareness on how to identify the change in behaviour due to abuse, and how to deal with it and where to get help from. Most of these  projects have covered schools and colleges  in coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Salem.

This is repeated every year.(2012,2013,2014,2015 )

5. Aram foundation had  conducted the GENERAL GUIDANCE AND SPECIAL COUNSELING PROJECT for all the children from 8th to 12th standards of  26 Corporation schools and 11 private schools .The general counseling is phase 1 and the   sessions deal with adolescence, emotional control, parental support, environment issues, fear , anxiety, parts and functions of the brain etc. During phase 2 action plan for children  nominated based on the criteria given who needed guidance on a variety of matters is given . During phase 3 the follow up and motivational session is conducted to

monitor the change in their behaviour with individual case study and follow up by counselors and neuro- psychologists and educationists. This has brought about a positive academic and behavioral impact . Parenting problems are addressed  with solutions for better family ties .This is a year long program and continues for the fourth year in succession now.(2014)

6 LEGAL AWARENESS PROGRAMS for women and girls to create awareness on their legal rights and  privileges, and free legal advice on issues are conducted by the lawyers and has benefited over 10000 girls . (approx)

7. Joining hands with the Salem division of Southern Railways as part of the Swachh Bharat project the  Foundation  has been involved in the cleanliness drive and beautification of the Railway stations across Salem Division since last October. 16 programs of cleanliness drives, awareness programs through street plays and flash mob and graffiti in coimbatore Railway station , railway colony and railway schools , 4 in Tirupur and 1 in Erode and two in Podanur station has been conducted with student volunteers.

Graffiti in the 1 and half km wall of the coimbatore Railway station with 275 volunteers was an epic day long event. The city centre walls, offices , schools and  EB offices  orphanages and old age homes have been beautified with awareness messages.The entire wards of the General Hospital, Coimbatore  has been painted for positive ambience for the patients over 8 weekends by students.

 8. A daylong  EFFICIENCY WORKSHOP FOR SPECIAL EDUCATORS  for the  83 trainers of Autistic children trainers of SSA and AUTISM BOOKLET released by the executive member of the trust .

9. Academic help for 10th standard corporation school students numbering 275 in smart classes  with the help of thirteen trained teachers recruited for the  after school sessions on wednesdays and saturdays has commenced since September 2015.

10.  Five Awareness and entertainment and counselling for the first time offenders in Central prison has been done.

11. The trust had adopted  ward  54 with 2650 households and conducted cleanliness drive along with the sanitary workers door to door  for source segregation for nearly a month and brought in public co-operation and  significant changes in Cleanliness of the area. Played a key role in mobilizing 6850 students from 33 schools for participation in

the "Guinness record on the Largest lesson on Recycling " conducted by the Coimbatore corporation in 2015. Played a vital role in the program with Traffic wardens of CCP in bringing a 100% coverage of traffic rules in all schools and colleges in Coimbatore City  in 2012-13

Award received : one award from All India Radio and press trust for best social work on12/12/2012