Sri Arunodayam is a home in South India for abandoned children with intellectual disability (ID). It was founded in 2002 as a registered public charitable trust and recognized in 2008 as a Reception Unit by the State Government of Tamil Nadu. Sri Arunodayam is one among very few homes in India that actually look after children with intellectual disabilities. Most homes act as day care centers that are funded by parents.
In India, social stigma, extreme poverty, and a lack of awareness and access to resources prompt parents to abandon their intellectually disabled children, most often in public places such as hospitals, bus and railway stations, and even in dustbins! The Department of Social Defence, the Department of Social Welfare, and Child Welfare Committees bring these children to Sri Arunodayam where they are nurtured, restored to health, and rehabilitated. At present we have 113 children in our care.
Sri Arunodayam is one among very few homes that actually harbour children with disabilities. Most other homes act as day care centers that are funded by parents. We, on the other hand, assume complete, life-long responsibility and provide shelter, care and medical aid, nutritious diets and complete rehabilitation services such as special education, physiotherapy and vocational training. We try to give these children what they've lost - a home and a family.
Sri Arunodayam has built its foundation on humanitarian values that uphold the dignity and rights of children. We offer abandoned intellectually challenged children the same opportunities that normal children receive, so that they may experience content and purposeful lives. Through our rehabilitation programs they become self-reliant and gain confidence to become productive citizens in society.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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