Help a special needs child get access to nutrition by Sri Arunodayam

To never give up hope

Children need a healthy, wholesome, high fibre diet that keeps their digestive systems functioning well. The healthy food that you help provide, helps them grow and keep good overall health. Good nutrition helps them develop in so many ways – physically, mentally, and even emotionally. With renewed strength they have the ability to keep trying to overcome their limitations. Sri Arunodayam’s meal menu is well balanced, planned with the help of nutritionists, paediatricians and physicians.

The Menu is planned based on recommendation of the Dietitian in the Nutrition Department, Institute of Child Health, Ignore Children Hospital, Chennai. For Breakfast and Dinner: Any kind of Tiffin like Idly, Dossa, Upma will be provided along with Sambar and Sweets to the children. For Lunch: Rice, Sambar, Porial, Rasam and Appalam will be provided for Lunch to the Children.

Program Update

Our menu is well balanced, planned with the help of nutritionists, pediatricians and physicians.The Menu is planned based on recommendation of the Dietitian in the Nutrition Department, Institute of Child Health,Chennai. For Breakfast and Dinner:Any kind of Tiffin like Idly, Dosa, Chapathi, Pongal will be provided along with Sambar and Sweets to the children. For Lunch: Rice, Sambar, Porial, Rasam and Appalam will be provided  to the Children. 
 Other Program updates are : On January 26th our children’s products through Prayatna were displayed at Kinder Nest, KK Nagar. The products were also on display at the Hindu Spiritual Fair, Guru Nanak College, Velachery from January 29th to February 4th. On January 30th, members from SPASTN  came over to screen our children for signs of hearing and vision loss.We are happy that SPASTN will be conducting regular camps at our home.Around ten of our youngsters participated in the 18th International Childhood Cancer Day rally organized by Chennai Volunteers on March 17th at Besant Nagar Beach between 7.30 am and 9.30 am. We were joined by other NGO organizations in the awareness campaign.

Story from the field

     We are happy to share the wonderful news that Mukesh, our visually challenged teenager, has aced the 10th Standard SSLC Public Exam with 401 marks out of 500. Although completely blind, Mukesh is not one to wallow in self-pity. What he lacks physically, he more than makes up for in intelligence.
      Although starting an academic program much later than others his age, Mukesh showed tremendous progress in studies and we enrolled him in St. Louis School for the Blind, Adyar. Of keen wit and mind, Mukesh not only aced at studies but also at music that he learnt to play at this school, famous for its orchestra of blind students.
      It is said that “many have sight but few have vision”. The complete opposite is true of Mukesh. Always an achiever – in fact stubbornly so, he never takes “no” for an answer and finds strength and means to accomplish goals he sets for himself. He wants to pursue higher education and we know that’s exactly what he’ll do! We are incredibly excited at his potential to lead a powerfully inspiring and purposeful life.

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.