CHENNAI: The city saw about 30 homeless children take part in a candle light vigil to express their solidarity with the victims of the Mumbai terror attack.Carrying placards and banners, the children also read out messages condemning the terror attacks and voiced their views about the need to prevent such incidents.The event was jointly organised near Egmore railway station here on Friday by the Indian Community Welfare Organisation (ICWO) and Action Aid-India to pay tribute to the 19 victims of the Mumbai serial blasts.Speaking to Express, R Lydia, representative of ICWO, said that the vigil also focused on the need for awareness of avoiding similar tragic events.Whitney Anderson, an intern at ICWO from Canada, said that the initiative resonated with the need for citizens to come together to address the issue of terrorism that is global in nature.“The tribute is also helping in giving voice to the homeless and encouraging them to come forward and share their grievance about terrorism with the community,” she added.A Rafisha, a student of Chennai Middle School, Varadarajapuram, was one of the young volunteers who took part in the candle light vigil and designed the placards after her mother, Karpagam, a member of the reflect group in Egmore of the ICWO, informed her about the initiative. Adult members of the reflect group also participated in the event, to mark their solidarity with the victims.The ICWO has 25 reflect groups spread across the city comprising homeless women in the city to empower and provide them a platform to voice their concerns.
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