Improve Lives of 90 Special Needs Boys in India

Mayaram was a regular boy, interested in sports and playing with friends. His circumstances, however, were not so normal. He was an abandoned child, growing up in a shelter home in Bangalore. But that didn’t deter Mayaram from enjoying himself and taking care of his friends at the shelter home.

Unfortunately, a few months ago, Mayaram’s life took a bad turn. After hospitalization for an illness, he became paralyzed due to wrong medication being administered. The once active boy was not able to move or speak. Finally, when the hospital couldn’t help him any longer, Maya was brought to the Institute of Mentally Handicapped Children (IMHC) where U&I staff met him.

Says, Jayraj, U&I’s Care manager, “He was completely unresponsive. He didn't want to try to get involved in anything.”

But over the course of the last few months, Jayraj has noticed disctinct changes in Mayaram’s behaviour. Thanks to physiotherapy, speech therapy and personalized attention, Mayaram is slowly improving in his motor abilities. “While his movements are still very very slow, he is starting to join the other boys on the playground,” reports Jayraj. Mayaraj is also re-learning how to colour, how to form letters and how to dress himself. The last few months have been tough on this young man, but with U&I’s help he is not giving up.

We are thrilled to make a difference in the lives of these boys at IMHC. The changes are not always huge. Sometimes, they are not measurable and quantifiable. But for Mayaraj, U&I’s involvement in his life spells hope for the future.

When you see Muthu digging the soil or watering plants, you know he is in his element. He has a smile on his face. He is focussed on his work and exudes a sense of calmness.

But Muthu wasn’t always this calm or peaceful.

Just a few years ago, Muthu was an angry teen. His entire focus was to get out of the Boys’ Home and live independently.

As a young man with mild mental retardation, Muthu managed his daily activities better than some of his peers at the Home.

But, Muthu struggled with depression, anger and mood swings. He would often lash out at the other boys, displaying his anger by punching others.

Muthu refused treatment or counselling at the government-run mental care hospital which worked with the Boys’ Home residents.

Finally, after repeated tries, U&I’s staff member at the Home, Jayraj, was able to make some headway with Muthu. He explained to Muthu that he is still unable to live on his own. That he needed to learn more about daily responsibilities. He counselled Muthu about managing his anger. He redirected him to different daily tasks and vocational activities. He invited Muthu to help him in the garden.

Muthu took to gardening. He tended to the plants in the Boys’ Home every day. Slowly, with counselling and training, there was a change in Muthu. He stopped lashing out in anger. He learned to control his emotions and focus instead on his routine.

There are other Muthus at the Boys’ Home. But U&I is working individually with each of them to make sure they live to their fullest potential.

Working in government-run Homes and with abandoned special needs individuals has its own set of challenges. Sometimes, it takes many many attempts to get through to one child. But we're in it for the long haul. It's been eight years of working with these boys. And we're not stopping any time soon. 

It’s never easy. But it’s always worth it.

Links:

• http://www.uandi.org.in