Catherine Hope Center for Community Welfare – Ennore, Chennai
Catherine Hope Foundation (CHF) opened the Catherine Hope Center on August 1st, 2021 to empower the differently-abled, poor children, widows and vulnerable women from Ennore and Ernavur.
The Center at present holds tuition for children who have had a long gap in education due to various reasons such as the lack of smartphones/ gadgets to attend online classes, books, and money to pay the fees. Most of them have forgotten how to read, write, and have also picked up certain bad habits from the streets as they were idle through the day. Being moved by their condition and concerned for the children, we started taking tuition for all subjects for them. We have volunteers and three full-time staff to take care of the children at the Center.
We aim to aid in the holistic development of children. Hence, apart from handling tuition for mainstream subjects; we have compulsory reading time, spoken English lessons, interactive educational games, counselling, music classes, and other interesting tasks such as the Change Ambassadors Program (click here to know more) that instil a sense of responsibility to help their community.
The Center also aims to help the differently-abled community in the area. We have and will continue to identify the specific needs of the individuals and provide the required help to uplift their living conditions. Our priority is to first help them receive the disability certificate from the Government to avail themselves of the benefits.
What we inferred from our data by speaking to them is that they require a stable source of income to be financially independent. Some of them have requested help for opening small shops, and mobility services to aid their transportation needs. Some of them struggle with doing the basic tasks in their day-to-day routines, due to the challenges they face with their disability. So, we identify their need and provide them with crutches, and prosthetic aids to better their living standards. We also want to conduct systematic occupational therapy and physiotherapy through trained staff and medical staff for the differently-abled. The Center will also look to develop the necessary skills to empower and support their lives. The Center will further widen its scope to help widows, vulnerable women and young women from the area, by opening a daycare and providing vocational training in various skills for them to be able to contribute to their family income. Continue to support our mission, ‘Build multifaceted platforms enabling people from all walks of life to live life to its fullest.’
Our very first Parent-Teacher Meeting! Heartwarming and interactive parents expressed their gratitude for providing their children with such an incredible opportunity. They celebrated the improved lives of their kids with joyous testimonials. Scroll ahead to know more! Read More
We held our Center’s first Parent-Teacher Meeting on 5th December 2021. It was really heartwarming; we had a lovely time interacting with the parents. Many of them were moved to tears and expressed their gratitude for providing their children with such an incredible opportunity. All of the parents said that their children are making progress in their studies, and also that their behaviour has improved significantly.
Divya's mother said that every time she went to her child's school, the teacher would constantly complain about her daughter. As a result, the mother would dread going to her daughter's school. Since Divya began coming to the Center, the teacher has said that she has improved and is doing well in her academics, and she has given her positive feedback on her classwork.
Jayanth's father expressed his gratitude by thanking us with folded hands and tears in his eyes. He thanked us for giving this wonderful opportunity for all of the children around the area. He said that they weren't provided with any other opportunity for their overall development at the schools they went to, and that Catherine Hope Center has served as a beacon of hope for these kids.
We received such powerful feedback from many of the parents. It truly encouraged and motivated all of us, especially the teachers who are working so hard for the children.