Rickshaw Drivers and Childline Will Work Together for Children’s Safety

veronika — Fri, 27 May 2016 15:26:54 +0000

The safety of children has become a priority in the town of Thiruvananthapuram; with a smart and swift decision, Rickshaw drivers and Childline will work together from now on.

Let There Be More Happy Kids! Photo Credit: Travel Stock/ Shutterstock.com

Childline, India’s first foundation providing help for street children who need it, has gone above and beyond to do so since 1996. The toll-free number can be called day and night, and according to Childline, since their first day in operation, they have had 36 million calls until today. The service works in a whopping 366 cities and towns throughout India, through 700 partner organizations.
From now on, auto rickshaw drivers will be among those partners: according to Times of India, on the International Day for Missing Children Observance, the workers of Childline did a sensitizing training for rickshaw drivers in the city to raise awareness. During the orientation class, some 60 auto rickshaw chauffeurs were added to a WhatsApp group called ‘Auto Suhruthukkalkoppam’ which translates to With Our Auto Friends. Apart from the newly added drivers, the group includes police officers and Childline workers.

WhatsApp to the Rescue. Photo Credit: 10 Face/ Shutterstock

Jobi Kondoor, district coordinator at Childline, said the following about the initiative: “’Our main aim is to utilize the service of the rickshaw drivers not just in tracking down missing children, but also save children, who are estranged from homes. We sensitized them about the functions of Childline and also told them whom to contact when they spot a child under suspicious circumstances.”
During the training, Childline workers also advised on how to communicate with assumed runaway children. The reason why Childline is targeting rickshaw drivers is simple, as Jobi said: most children who run away from home use rickshaw as their primary mode of transport.

P. Prakash, Thampanoor sub-inspector was the one who established the program told the Times of India: “The Whatsapp group will help in prompt sharing of information, which in turn will result in effective intervention from the part of law enforcers.” He also added that in many cases, auto rickshaw drivers turned out to be a much better network for surveillance than public cameras.

Rickshaw Hero. Photo Credit: Kevin Gessner

Recently, the concept of using the help of rickshaw chauffeurs has proven to be a good instinct; a six-year-old boy has been reunited with his family thanks to a perceptive rickshaw driver.
For the time being, the initiative has started in the Thampanoor area of the city, but in time, the programme will be expanded to cover the whole town. Maybe next time you join the Rickshaw Challenge, you can keep an eye out, too!

Are you crazy enough to come along for the ride? Then join us on the next Rickshaw Challenge. Get a team together and let’s see you at the starting line! If you want to join us in spirit, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to keep up with our latest antics.

Stopping off in Trivandrum

admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 12:26:27 +0000

Thiruvananthapuram, usually known by its colonial name Trivandrum for obvious reasons, sports the title name of being Kerala’s capital city. It’s also one of India’s oldest cities, with evidence pointing to its existence as far back as 1000BC.
This is a place that couples the energy of a state capital with Kerala’s laid back attitude, and while Trivandrum is usually used more as a base to spring into Kerala’s backwaters and beaches, however saying that, there is plenty to see and experience in Trivandrum itself. The city has one of India’s most important and oldest temples, as well as Victorian era museums and stunning architecture.
We end the Classic Run of the Rickshaw Challenge in Trivandrum, and we’re going to tell you why we love Kerala’s capital.

Close to India’s Southern tip

On the Rickshaw Challenge’s Classic Run, we like to take in the sites that have some memorable significance in India, and the southern tip of the sub-continent is a landmark we’re not going to miss out on.
For the penultimate day we’ll pay a trip to Kanyakumari, which is the most southerly point of Mainland India. It’s both a point of natural beauty and history, with interesting sites, like the Kumari Amman Temple dedicated to the Goddess Parvati on the point whether the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea meet.
Located just 70km outside Trivandrum, it’s a good base to travel to after seeing the tip of India.

Historic city

Trivandrum is old. Very old, so old in fact it has references in Greek and Roman literature (and appears to have had enough significance to have travelled that far). There are plenty of sites to see in this city that befit its ancient pedigree.
The Sri Anantha Padmanabha Temple is one of Trivandrum’s main sites, and one of India’s oldest temples. The temple itself is full of sculptures and mandaps, and its importance reflects in the fact that the city was built around the temple itself.
You’ll need to see it to believe it, but just to give you and idea about the dramatic beauty of the temple, it was nominated for the last round of the 7 Wonders of the World. The building is a unique blend of Tamil architecture and local Keralan style. There are many structures inside the temple, including the famous 500-pillared corridor.

Proximity to the beaches

One of the main reasons Kerala’s capital is so popular with tourists is its proximity to the beaches on Kerala’s coastline. Kovalam is one of the most popular resorts in Kerala, which is a small fishing village clustered around sandy beaches, where the main stretch is built up with hotels and restaurants. Being only 15 kilometers from Trivandrum, it’s a great place to visit not just for the beach, but if you want to find some inner peace and tap into your spiritual side there is also yoga courses and ayurvedic treatments.
An alternative to Kovalam is the resort of Varkala, which is famous for its spectacular cliff setting and has become a backpacker’s haven. Of course, it also has golden sands and a row of stalls playing trance music and hippy clothes, so it caters to an alternative type of tourist. But despite being a hippy mecca, it does have its own temple, where on the beach, there is a place for Hindus to make offerings for loved ones who have passed away. It’s still a fishing village, so you’ll find some local life here as well.

Thiruvananthapuram – Rickshaw Challenge

Rickshaw Drivers and Childline Will Work Together for Children’s Safety

Stopping off in Trivandrum

Close to India’s Southern tip

Historic city

Proximity to the beaches

Trivandrum