It is said that a good teacher is like a candle which consumes itself to light the way for others. This is an apt description for teachers of special children who must work hard at transforming their students who are disadvantaged in many ways. It takes a lot of patience to work with these children, and without a daily dose of innovation and passion brought to the job, it’s quite impossible to make the desired impact.

Teaching the children to express gratitude for the great work our teachers do, we celebrated September 5th – Teacher’s Day – amidst a lot of fun and games. This was a post-lunch event from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm where both teachers and students collaborated to stage a wonderfully entertaining evening. It was a memorable day for all who attended.

Keeping a special child’s attention on school work can be quite challenging for a teacher. Many of the children have malformed limbs and decreased muscle tone. They experience a constant urge to keep moving around, which makes it tough for them to engage in learning over extended periods of time. Quite often, the solution is a simple one. In this case - customised classroom furniture that meets the special needs of children with disabilities. A kind sponsor came forward to fund this project and our little girls can focus better at their studies.

It is said that a person’s IQ could change over time. That’s why we’ve begun the process of re-evaluating all 115 children in our care in order to chalk out a more detailed rehabilitation plan for each one. As children get older, their test scores become more stable but the most volatility in IQ scores can be witnessed mainly in childhood and adolescence. Experts in education, audiology and psychology are conducting a series of tests, evaluations, and interviews to determine the range of issues each child faces. The program is likely to take around 3 months to complete.

We are right in the middle of assessing 26 youngsters using the Vocational Assessment & Programming System (VAPS) tool, which was developed by the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID). The assessment will identify each youngster’s potential in terms of leaning ability and skill levels. The program is specific to youngsters at Prayatna (our vocational training center). The tests are to determine ‘work readiness’ and will assess areas such as communication, general awareness, work related skills, work related behaviors, and general behaviours. This type of assessment is very essential for vocational trainers to plot the right type of training programs for community-based employment.

On September 1st, we put up a stall at the “Joy of Giving” carnival organised by Good Shepherd Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Nungambakkam, Chennai; on September 4th and 5th at Craft Mela, (organised by L&T at its headquarters) in Manapakkam; and on September 22nd and 23rd at Besant Nagar (organised by Mitr Café). The products were well received and the fastest moving ones were the colorful paper bags, aroma diyas and candles, phenyl, coconut shell keychains and pendants, and wire baskets. We are working to improve a few areas of operation such as inventory management and incorporating customer feedback to make a couple of products even better.

Our teenage girls are making heads turn – with their superbly crafted products! They commenced tailoring and embroidery classes two months ago and we are delighted that they’ve taken to the program. The girls have turned out embroidered handkerchiefs and are working on some intricate pieces. As they get more proficient we hope to work out employment opportunities for them within the local community.

As many of you are aware, we are constructing a new home to accommodate 100 abandoned, intellectually disabled little girls. The Bhumi Puja was conducted on September 6th and the ritual was performed by Manikandan - the first child to step into our home! The little girls followed by laying the first bricks into the sacred pit.

Sadly, our country has become dangerous for a female child. Incidences of abuse and violence against women, girls and even infants have increased manifold. By constructing this home we are doing our bit to rescue and protect innocent children who always end up as victims in the chaos of moral decay. If you would like to partner with us in this program, click here. Our fundraising campaign begins in a month and we'll keep you posted.

Our Founder and Managing Trustee – Iyyappan Subramaniyan was honoured for services to abandoned differently abled children by the members of the Puvanagiri Anti-Corruption Association in Cuddalore District - a social service organization that has been helping the needy over the past 10 years. The Association conducts medical camps, blood donation camps, and actively campaigns for organ donation to help the needy poor. In this, their 10th year, they chose to honor Iyyappan at a function attended by the Chief Doctors of the Chidambaram Hospital, on September 24th. Without publicity, the Association was able to mobilise more than 50 blood donors through word of mouth! It was a wonderful learning experience to see how people in rural areas are able to do so much with extremely limited resources.