Help Educate 500 Deafblind Children in India

Thanks to your amazing generosity, a boy in Tamil Nadu can now speak and communicate with the world around him. Say hello to Varun, a 7-year-old from Salem district, whose path from seclusion to happy interaction has been nothing less than inspiring.

Born premature and diagnosed with severe hearing loss and low vision, Varun struggled in silence for the first years of his life. His parents, Settu, a daily-wage labourer, and Jayabharathi, a homemaker, did not know how to deal with their youngest son, who shunned eye contact, wept incessantly, and made little headway in learning.

All that changed with the entry of Varun into the Centre-Based Direct Service Programme, aided by Sense International India in September 2024. With customised special education and therapy, Varun started to flourish.

He was exposed to:

• Speech and communication drills with the use of assistive devices and repetition learning.
• Group activities to reduce his social anxiety and facilitate peer interaction.
• Tactile and visual aids such as flashcards and counting beads for reading and numeracy skills.
• Active parental involvement—now his mother supports lessons in the home every day.

Now, Varun talks with increasing clarity, recognises school rituals, and even counts confidently to 50. His vocabulary increases, and he joins in class activities with enthusiasm and interest.

According to his mother, "Earlier, he used to be quite reserved and would cry when questioned. Now, he loves class work and responds with interest. His speech was clearer, and his vocabulary has come a long way. We are grateful to the team for proper support and the assistive device."

Your contribution made this possible.

Varun's journey is just beginning. Over the next few months, our team will be working with him to refine his concept development, improve his speech, and develop his literacy skills in real-life, experiential learning.

Thank you for your support for inclusive education and for each child's right to succeed.

• Varun__Education_Project.pdf (PDF)