Help a special needs child get access to nutrition

Program Update

Thank you dear donors for your generosity.

We, Sri Arunodayam, have put your contribution to good use in providing services to around 115 children in our care. (1) Care & Support: care-giving (safe shelter, food, clothing), medicines/medical interventions; (2) Special Education: education for children according to their abilities - Pre -Primary Level 1, Primary, Vocational, Early intervention and Custodial care; (3) Therapy and rehabilitation: physiotherapy and the use of muscle stimulation equipment to help in blocking and managing pain while reducing swelling and inflammation; (4) Occupational therapy: helping children achieve independence in all areas of life. Activities to improve cognitive, physical, and motor skills and enhance self-esteem; (5) Vocational training: providing training for youngsters in skills to sustain a trade; (6) Crisis intervention: assisting in rescues, helpline response, legal procedures, medical evaluation & follow-up, procedures with Child Welfare Committees (CWC), police, and other bodies, admissions and referrals.

Story from the field

Sai Lakshmi was abandoned at a temple in Villupuram and the District Collector ordered that she be sent to the Cradle Baby center. Later, the Child Welfare Committee (Vellore) passed her on to us as she is intellectually disabled. Sai lives with Cerebral Palsy (CP) - a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination (spastic paralysis) and other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain. CP affected Sai's muscle control, reflex, posture and balance. It had seriously impacted her fine and gross motor skills to the extent that she was confined to bed in the early stages of her development. To compound her situation, Sai has genu recurvatum (a deformity in the knee joint, so that the knee bends backwards), and she suffers bouts of fits.

Quite a dismal prognosis for any child but Sai is a winner! She is slowly and steadily transforming herself as she works with her teachers, caregivers and physiotherapist at becoming as normal as she can be. Sai has shown remarkable improvement in the past 6 months and has become quite the talker! She is able to eat on her own, dress up, sway to music, solve complex jigsaw puzzles for her age, and socialize so well that it's hard to recognize this child lives with CP. We believe she's well on her way to becoming independent.