Under Svarnim Puducherry, School Health Action Research Project (SHARP) is being implemented with the objective of using health information for actionable interventions aimed at improving the health, hygiene and nutritional knowledge of children and their related neighbourhoods. This would be achieved through the innovative use of various traditional media including puppetry, folklore etc. where children would become the communicators themselves.

As the first step, nodal teachers from 10 government schools were invited for a one-day brainstorming session. During this workshop, it was decided to develop key information content that would later be converted into live and fun-filled puppetry shows. These shows will be performed by the government school children themselves. The students will make their own puppets and also decide on the skits that would better convey the health related information to their fellow friends and other members of society including neighbourhood communities..

As this is completely a student-driven initiative, the students will be more happily and actively involved. It is expected that the schools in Puducherry will open by mid-November and after that, the students will be trained by the nodal teachers and the members of the Svarnim team for the puppet shows.

This initiative is accomplished in association with the Directorate of School Education, Puducherry with the support of the NCSTC Division of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.  

Dr. Senthil Kumar coordinated the workshop and would be leading the field level implementation as well.