Growing with the People Program
The origin of the program is in continuation with the Child Workers and Mothers Conventions organized by the Child Rights Forum (CRF - a net work of about 40 NGOs and activists on child rights), which works on child laborers and for the welfare of the street children in Tamilnadu funded by CORD-AID, Netherlands.

Educating the school and out of school children and women members on legal education and social education to trigger their thinking about their rights and duties and enable them to become active partners in civil society building is the major aim of the program. Initiated by CRF West Zone, this new program inaugurated on 19th January 2003 at Marialaya, Coimbatore. At present there are 12 NGOs across the state are implementing the project.

Working closely with the legal-aid system, this program is being tremendous outputs among the children and the people in the community in context of social thinking and for their rights.

On behalf of GPP program a central level convention for the first time held at Erode on 19th November 2005 organised by WORD, brings all the beneficiaries of the project together across the state. Mrs. M. Sarala, Director welcomed all the participants for the convention. The Director, Marialaya- Coimbatore narrated the brief description of the project, Growing with the People Program.

For the inauguration, Mrs. L. Barbara Lydia, an eminent lawyer from Erode pointed out that lot more initiations like this should take place for the protection on rights for children and women. Mostly the women not at all know their legal rights even if they are so empower in all kind. Hence this kind of conventions and the work done by the NGOs are pertinent to disseminate the most needful rights.

Mr. R.Balasubramaniam District, Secretary, The Erode District Consumer Protection Forum explained in detail about the various works that are being done by the Consumer Protection Forum. He reiterated that knowledge should be disseminated in all kind and the knowledge should be translated into action.

Mr. A. V. Kumarasamy, Joint Secretary, Kongu Engineering College, Erode emphasized that duty of the parents are more important. Parenting is a kind of talent in transforming the children to become a good citizen. They should not indulge the children at work for additional income for the survival of the family.

On the other fold of the program, various cultural and competitions held for the women and children to bring out the hidden talents and to bring out the best performance within them. The first three best performances in each category were selected. The best performance by the children and women accolade with prizes.