It was on the 27th of March this year that Aravind (only 6 days old) was found abandoned in an auto rickshaw on 20th Street, Besant Nagar, Chennai, right next to a public toilet. Swinging into action on a tip off, the Police from the nearest police station rescued and handed him over to a Government approved adoption agency. Aravind has microcephaly (characterised by abnormal smallness of the head - a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development) and spastic quadriparesis (a subset of spastic cerebral palsy that affects all four limbs - arms and legs), so he was produced before the Child Welfare Committee on July 12th, and found himself journeying to Sri Arunodayam on the very same day.

To say that Aravind is a beautiful child is an understatement! He appears in good health and appears happy with all the attention he is getting. His Special Educator says that he enjoys listening to music, and sound-making toys are his special favourites. He can lightly grip the finger of the person talking to him and tries to babble back. He has a lovely smile! Aravind expects to have someone around him all the time – and of course, as a baby that is his right. Aravind has undergone a physio assessment and his therapy is to commence shortly. He will be placed under the Early Intervention Special Education Program, which is being designed to meet his individual needs.

Who doesn’t like parties? Children love to celebrate their birthday parties with a lot of fun and fanfare. To them, it’s the most exciting day of the year, and definitely more important than any other holiday! In July, we celebrated 8 children’s birthdays - Vishal, Siva, Johnson, Banu, Fathima, Damaya, Anu and Pooja.

Happy celebrations are good for the heart and a great self-esteem booster too! These events help the children socialise better. They are also a fun way to develop happy memories - very essential for abandoned children. While they love gifts (and they received many), the best gift we can give is spending time with them and focusing on their dreams, not only on their birthdays but all year round. Would you like to share in our birthday celebrations? Call our office at the numbers below and let’s work out a fun schedule for the children.

July 16th saw a new vocational stream being introduced for our teenage girls. They commenced tailoring classes with their new instructor, Megala. The girls couldn’t wait to get their feet on the machine’s pedal, laughing joyfully at its rhythmic sounds. Half a month has since passed and we are delighted that they’ve taken to the program like ducks to water! Their instructor is elated too as they show an ability to focus on their lessons. Some show a keen interest in embroidery while others prefer tailoring.

As the girls get proficient, we hope this success story will get them assimilated into the local community, enabling a change in perceptions and attitudes towards the intellectually challenged.

Our girls visited the Botanical Gardens - Semmozhi Poonga, in the city on July 20th making it a low budget fun trip that turned out to be an educational one as well! Everyone (including the immobile children) had a chance on the rides, assisted of course, by their caregivers. The park is beautiful and serene and its calm atmosphere had a remarkably calming effect on the children. The park’s officers were very kind and waived off the entry fee. They also sponsored ice cream for the children. What a lovely gesture indeed! Humanity at its very best :)

A team of medical professionals – an Ophthalmologist and two Optometric Technicians from Sankara Eye Hospital, Pammal were kind enough to screen our children - 80 boys and 13 girls - during a one day eye screening camp at our Boys Home on July 25th. The camp was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Madras, Nungambakkam. The Ophthalmologist referred 3 visually impaired boys to the hospital for eye surgery. The other children had no eye-related problems. 18 staff members were also screened and some were recommended to wear spectacles. Thank you Rotary Club and Sankara Eye Hospital for your kindness!

SUYOG 2018 is the title of this year’s “National Summit on Employment Opportunities for Persons with Multiple Disabilities” event held on the 26th and 27th July, organised by the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD), Muttukadu in collaboration with the European Union. Srinivasan, our youngster, was invited to demonstrate his paper bag making skills before more than 250 delegates from states across the country. NIEPMD is an institution under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and conducts this Summit each year. Officers from the Directorate of Training & Development discussed the process of becoming an entrepreneur and how the community could avail financial aid. More than 60 models (Person with disability and a mentor from each organisation) conducted their demos where the main focus was on eco-friendly, recyclable innovative products. Srinivasan took the audience through a step-by-step process and did a fabulous job. He got a loud round of applause from the officers who were quite taken aback at his very professional presentation. We are proud of you Srinivasan!

Dental camps are a regular program at our home especially as persons with intellectual disability (ID) have a higher prevalence and greater severity of periodontal disease than the general population. Their oral health tends to deteriorate at a much faster rate as they move into adulthood, mainly due to untreated issues and fewer restorations.

On July 30th we held a one-day Dental Screening & Treatment Camp in collaboration with the Dental Department of Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur. Eight dentists and 3 non-medical staff screened 74 boys and 14 girls. 14 girls and 43 boys passed the screening but 18 boys had to get scaling treatment. Extractions were advised for 5 boys, and 8 boys needed further treatment at the hospital. We are extremely grateful to the doctors of Sri Ramachandra Medical College for their compassionate service.

On July 28th, our Founder and Managing Trustee – Iyyappan Subramaniyan, received an award for services rendered to special children, in an event organised by Saksham, a national NGO working for the upliftment of the differently abled across India. Celebrating its 10th year of service in Tamil Nadu, Saksham provided aid and artificial limbs to more than 100 differently abled persons and honored Iyyappan with this award, which was presented to him by the honourable Governor of Tamil Nadu.