For as little as $35 (the cost of 1 sq.ft.) you can help Sri Arunodayam construct a new home for abandoned girls with intellectual disability (ID). Sri Arunodayam was founded in 2002 as a registered public charitable trust and recognized as a Reception Unit by the State Government of Tamil Nadu in 2008. Sri Arunodayam rescues, cares for and rehabilitates children with ID who have been abandoned by their families.
Estimates say that India has 12 million children living with disabilities. These children are at a 1.7 times greater risk of being subjected to some form of violence, and 60% of those with an intellectual impairment are sexually abused. Only 1% have access to school and 90% won't survive past the age of 20! Having reached capacity, Sri Arunodayam is constructing a new home to accommodate abandoned girls with ID as there are very few homes for such children in the country.
Responding to the critical need to provide safe harbor for girls with ID, Sri Arunodayam is constructing a new home in Kolathur, Chennai. This residential home will also have special education class rooms, physiotherapy rooms, a medical unit, and a vocational training center. Our home is one among few homes in India that shelter abandoned children with ID. Most homes act as day care centers funded by parents. All our children have been abandoned and require lifelong rehabilitation.
Sri Arunodayam has built its foundation on humanitarian values that uphold the dignity and rights of children. In accordance with our vision and mission statements, and the requirements of the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection Of Children) Act, Rights Of Persons With Disabilities Act, UN Charter on the Rights of the Child, and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we endeavour to give abandoned children with ID the same opportunities as normal children.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
