Support Abandoned Intellectually Disabled Children

Dear Friend,

Thank you very much for your generosity! In this report, we share how our programs accommodate the larger objective of sustained holistic development through timely medical and psychiatric care, special education, physiotherapy, and vocational/skills training. We empower children in our care to become the best version of themselves!

Nurture through nourishment and necessities

Over 120 children receive nutritious meals 3x/day with calcium-rich milk, dates and/or fruits at snack time. Twice a week they have eggs, twice a month they have chicken, mutton or fish, and enjoy an assortment of vegetable soups and fruit juices in summer to keep them hydrated and nourished. On festive days, they are served special non-vegetarian meals for lunch, including the famous ‘biryani’. As we make it a point to celebrate festivals across religions, the children have a wonderful time enjoying frequent special meals! Meals are hygienically prepared in a centralized kitchen and special attention is provided to the washing and preparation of fruits, vegetables, and groceries. Utensils are thoroughly scrubbed after each meal and our management conducts frequent cleanliness and quality checks.

Children also receive new clothing 4 to 5 times a year. These are provided on their birthdays, major festivals, and when participating in programs outside our home (watch our Pongal and Christmas videos here: https://www.facebook.com/sriarunodayamtrust/videos/1821404164977344;https://www.facebook.com/sriarunodayamtrust/videos/295188170188290)

Nurture through physiotherapy and rehabilitation

49 girls and boys receive physiotherapy every day. Each child receives approximately 30 minutes of therapy and some receive therapy for around an hour depending on the degree of disability. We provide various types of physiotherapy, including chest physio, electrical stimulation, gait training, knee joint flexion and extension, quadriceps strengthening, and more. Bedridden children are trained to sit/stand with the help of CP chairs to strengthen their hips and lower limbs. This program is successful in helping children manage pain through techniques using heat and cold, massage, and stretching; improve movement and range of motion/flexibility, improve posture/rebalance the body, improve psychological health, reduce dependence on prescription medication, and maintain healthy weight by reducing fat build-up.

Nurture through timely medical care

42 children receive medication for fits, 52 children receive psychiatric medications, and 45 children use diapers. All children receive vitamins and health drinks including soups, fruit juices, and milk. All receive mandatory vaccinations and the oral polio vaccine (OPV) given in multiple doses to provide full protection. We signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a medical college in Chennai to provide free health services for our children (read about it here https://madmimi.com/s/4097971). We also hosted dermatology, dental, ENT, ophthalmology, cardiology ECG, and general health medical camps in recent times, and introduced a new mental health program known as “Me Time” (read about it here: https://madmimi.com/s/4097971). The program encourages children and staff to schedule free individual, private sessions with our Counselor, providing them with a safe space to freely express their feelings, work through difficult emotions, and tap into their inner reservoirs.

Nurture through expanding the mind

Our teaching approach uses an assortment of audio, visual, and sensory aids, within and outside the classroom. We use sensory integration therapy to help children concurrently learn to use their sense of touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing. This has improved challenging and repetitive behavior often related to difficulties with processing sensory information. 46 children (26 boys and 20 girls) attend daily special education classes. Additionally, 16 children (8 boys and 8 girls) have been mainstreamed across Class I, Class V, Class VII, and Class IX. Four girls passed out of the National Institute of Open Learning (NIOS). Special education helps themrelate more easily and hold intelligent conversations, be less distracted and better focused, meet their quarterly development goals more easily, reduce absenteeism, experience better health and wellbeing with lower behavioral problems, and improve learning/memory skills, social/communication skills, and self-confidence.   

Nurture through creativity and career development

41 youngsters (31 boys and 10 girls) are learning tailoring, wire basket weaving, dairy farming, diya painting, and put into work-in-place programs, according to their areas of interest.  We employ a multi-disciplinary team of medical care specialists, pediatricians, psychologists, caregivers, teachers, physiotherapists, and vocational trainers to provide these youngsters with a wholly integrated rehabilitation program. This provides the solid foundation they need to become more actively engaged in society. Through skills training programs they remain emotionally regulated with less hyperactivity problems. With increased concentration at work they’ve become specialists in their fields. They understand the value of their work and are able to participate in decision-making. They are also gainfully employed and able to earn from the products they create. The group bagged several large orders from schools, colleges, and corporates (check out their new line of bags here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/754377013505860)   

Your giving makes a huge difference in the lives of these children. Thank you, once again, for your kind support!

It was Christopher Reeve who said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”  He must have been talking about Nithya, a petite 20-year-old with boundless energy. Effortlessly switching roles, she’s a tailor, a caregiver, a nurse, and a champion sportswoman! Nithya’s story gives hope to youngsters living with mild forms of intellectual disability.

When she came to live at Sri Arunodayam, the effects of rejection made her crave attention in awkward ways. We enrolled her in Prayatna, our in-house vocational training center, where she learned to constructively focus her energies. It’s here that the transformation took place.

Nithya loves to care for the little ones at our home and she expressed her desire to do a course in nursing. We enrolled her at the Association for Non-traditional Employment for Women (ANEW), in Anna Nagar, Chennai. As part of her internship, she trained at 4 top hospitals under the direct supervision of the hospitals’ nurses. Having successfully completed her course, Nithya now works with our in-house medical team.

Her boundless energy drew her to sports and she’s a champion today! In March 2023 she won the Gold medal and a cash prize of Rs. 3000/- at the Chief Minister's Trophy, District Level Competition for the differently abled. On the 17th of July 2023, she went on to win the Chief Minister's Trophy, State Level Competition organized by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. Nithya did us proud, winning the Gold medal and a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000/- this time. She’s now training for the Paralympics.

It’s hard to imagine that this is the same troubled youngster who entered Sri Arunodayam almost six years ago. What a radical transformation! It’s been worthwhile to see her find her place under the sun.

Nithya’s story illustrates how children can blossom with a little love and direction. Working the rehabilitation programs at Sri Arunodayam and outside has helped her become a self-confident young lady with a very promising future!