Provide care and education to an intellectually challenged child by Raphael

Provide care and education to an intellectually challenged child

Thank you!

This program is fully funded because of donors like you.

Impact

Shubani can now lead a good life despite all her struggles.

Shubhani is the youngest member at Raphael’s Early Intervention Centre. She is a two-year-old who suffers from a developmental delay and cerebral palsy.

When she arrived at Raphael she had a squint in her left eye. She also did not have proper control of her movements.

After several physiotherapy sessions, Shubhani’s state has improved a great deal. Her squint has lessened and her hand-eye coordination has increased. She is also able to hold her head up and sit for 5 minutes without support.

Subhani's mother is filled with joy at her daughter's progress. She now feels optimistic about the future of her child. With financial help, poor children like Shubhani can get the therapy that gives them a shot at life.

You could gift a young child like Shubhani the treatment that they cannot afford. Your help could restore meaning to the life of a family who feel hopeless right now. You can give with confidence because every program on our platform is GIVEASSURED.

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About The Program

What the beneficiary gets
Nutrition
Holistic Development
Therapy
Tuition
What you get
Tax Exemption
Periodic Reports
Program Description

With the primary intent of providing relief from suffering, Raphael runs the Raphael Special School for children with intellectual disabilities. During the day, the children are put into different classes depending on their mental age. Very small children are admitted to the Early Intervention Unit and are taught by special educators. The school runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

After the successful completion of their academic course, which lasts several years, the children with the potential of learning are given vocational training are provided training for jobs. The ones who acquire a reasonable degree of skills are employed in the rehabilitative workshop of Raphael and are paid. Donations made to this program support the cost of food, healthcare, operating expenses, and personnel cost

When you donate to this program, you will be the reason for an intellectually challenged child getting access to special education.

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About The NGO

Raphael
Raphael Logo
Raphael

Situated in Dehradun, Raphael was founded by renowned humanists, Lord Leonard Cheshire, and his wife Baroness Sue Ryder in April 1959. In the more than 50 years of its existence, Raphael has offered its services in varied areas for the relief of suffering.

They have worked with people suffering from Leprosy, Tuberculosis, and Intellectual impairment, touching more than 22,000 lives in the process. Leprosy cured patients and intellectually challenged residents are also encouraged to work in their Rehabilitative Workshop, for which they are remunerated accordingly. Apart from running a school and shelter home for their students, they also have a Community based rehabilitation project, as part of which they work with children in government schools.

Once the students in their residential home grow up, they are encouraged to live in a home environment under the supervision of a house parent, while they attend classes at the day center. This helps prepare them for independent living in the community.

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founders
Founded in 1991
NGO Leadership

Brig AAS Sinha

areas of operation
Area of Operation
Area of Operation

Mentally challenged | differently abled

location of work
Location of Work
Location of Work

Uttarakhand

awards
Awards And Recognitions
Awards And Recognitions

2017: Bharath Vikas Ratan Award

2015: Amitava Pal Choudhuri Memorial Award

last audited
Last Audited
Periodic Compliance Checks by GiveIndia

December 2018

reporting
Verification Visit Reports
Verification Visit Reports

Verification Report 1

Program Updates

Program Updates

22 September, 2023

An update on the program you are supporting

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Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

Total number of beneficiaries impacted - 73, in Uttarakhand


Challenges faced and next steps

Number of new beneficiaries enrolled in the academic year 2022-23 is 87. 27 students benefited from physiotherapy & 32 from speech therapy. 6 students moved to mainstream schools. A new sensory park was established to fulfil their sensory need. In addition to this, the day scholars celebrated various festivals and participated in various events. They competed in sports activities with mainstream schools. 6 students participated in the �Talent and scope of persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities� organized by The National Trust. The vocational students prepared dishes like sandwiches, idli, etc. which they also were able to sell to the guests who came during the Christmas celebrations.


Stories from the ground

1 yr 8 month old Umar lives in Dehradun with his parents. His father is an auto driver while his mother is a housewife. He came for assessment on 20/10/2022. The initial assessment findings indicated developmental delays. He was able to sit with support, hold an object in his hand and responded to his mother�s voice. The parents are very motivated to work with Umar and are accepting and understanding of his condition. They want early Intervention services and training. Early intervention focussed on physiotherapy to reduce delays in his motor milestones and speech therapy for intensive stimulation. Umar�s mother follows the intervention programme at home. He has responded well; now he is able to sit with support, can sit on a special cerebral palsy chair, smiles and responds to teacher and therapist, looks at himself in a mirror and smiles.


21 December, 2022

Provide care and education to an intellectually challenged child

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Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

During the day, the children are placed in different classes like primary, secondary, prevocational and vocational. In these classes the focus of training is on different skills like Activities of daily living (ADL), social and communication skills, Academic/Functional skills, prevocational skills, domestic and leisure activities skills, and community participation. The students are taught through music and dance, computers and tablets, art and craft activities and games. Apart from this, those who require also receive physiotherapy, speech therapy and sensory stimulation. Around 95 students were trained in the above mentioned skills. The objective is to make them independent in their daily tasks. Functional and academics skills are provided with the purpose of making them aware about the things prevailing in their surroundings. The objective of social and communication skills is to enable them to express their needs, feelings or anything else they want to tell. Domestic and leisure activities are taught so that they can help other also besides helping themselves. When they are under a routine and proper schedule, this helps them in achieving the objectives of the tasks. About 95 students attend the school during the day. Most of them have achieved the goals set for them in the last six months. 11 children attend the early intervention daily programme and are divided into the pre-school and primary classes.


Challenges faced and next steps

Many students with intellectual disability are affected by Epilepsy and this can be a problem when they are working. Staff around them need to be aware of the warning signs and take all precautionary measures. Also they learn at a much slower rate and thus the task that seems simple to a typical child, has to be broken into many tiny steps. There will be many festivals in the next six months and the students will prepare to celebrate. Those working in the candle workshop will be extremely busy preparing wax filled diyas for Diwali. The students will participate in the craft workshops which will be organized by Spic Macay as a part of Virasat Festival. Sports day will be celebrated on 14th November. The annual picnic will take place on 3rd December.


Stories from the ground

2yr 11month old Ammara was assessed on 21 Feb 22. Her parents are separated and they live with the maternal grandparents. The initial findings indicated delayed milestones with good neck and trunk control, sitting without support and can sit up from a lying down position. She could not stand. She responded to her name, using sounds to communicate but limited oral functions. Interventions were started immediately. Ammara’s mother was accepting of her condition and keen to be trained. Ammara is now attending the pre-school class in the Therapy centre, she can identify common objects, can stand with minimal support and greets others using gestures. Her mother has now been enrolled in a two year full time special education programme.


30 June, 2022

Provide care and education to an intellectually challenged child

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Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

As the lockdown eased and restrictions were gradually lifted, students started to come back to school. Children with disability have perhaps faced the largest setback during this time with difficult access to online technology, missing out on social skill development and many have perhaps regressed in what they have learnt. It is common knowledge that they require constant repetition of instruction to maintain skills and this was just not possible. Most of our beneficiaries are from the lower economic strata of society and the parents themselves faced the challenge of loss of jobs and illness. However, we have managed to vaccinate every employee and student above the age of 18 years. Strict Covid protocols are in place but it is often difficult to implement some for persons with disability, for eg, wearing a mask is difficult for most. The re-opening of the school has been a great relief for teachers, parents and students alike as it has made teaching easier and more effective Evaluations of Individual Education Programme goals set for 6 months were done and it was good to see that most goals were achieved. A new set of goals was set for each student for the following three months There were many events during this period. Several festivals were celebrated. On occasions like Independence Day, Janmashtami and Raksha Bandhan, the students participated in special performances with much enthusiasm and interest. A two day Special Olympics State Level Selection camp was organized in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand on 19th and 20th October. The games included Handball, Table Tennis, Badminton, Volleyball and Powerlifting. Eight students from Raphael participated, five of whom were selected for the next level of games. Congratulations to Sonali, Priyanshi, Nikita, Deepak and Layba. Special educators Madhu Rawat and Neeraj Bhatt attended the camp as coaches. In September 2021, 26 children were assessed for sensory and occupational therapy needs by a visiting Occupational Therapist – Ms Theresa, from Samvedna, in Thatyur, Uttarakhand. She spent a week at Raphael and made a programme for each child. This will be implemented by the concerned staff and a follow-up will be conducted as and when needed. On 14th Oct Dussehra was celebrated and both students and teachers participated in various events. The students performed a dandiya dance, followed by another dandiya by both students and teachers, and then one with staff only. The effigies of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhkaran were burnt in the presence of three students who were dressed as Lord Ram, Lakshman and Sita. The highlight of the programme was when chocolates were distributed among the students.

A total of 21,800 diyas for Diwali were made by some students under the guidance of their vocational trainer. They had been making diyas since August and worked very hard to ensure that they were of good quality. Not even one diya was left over this year and many disappointed customers were turned away.

The Annual Sports Day was celebrated on 15th November and all the students participated with enthusiasm. They took part in the March Past, the 20-meter race, 20-meter walk, Bocce, sack race, etc. A Tug of War also took place between the teachers and the students, and the students won. The day concluded with a prize distribution ceremony. On 3rd Dec 2021 on the occasion of world disability day, a school picnic was organized in which the students enjoyed their time participating in some sporting activities like glass passing and tug of war. Some students were also taken for the factory and site visit. As part of the Positive Parenting Programme series, a session was conducted on ‘Thinking beyond Labelling’ for the parents of the children in the Early Intervention Programme. The topics covered in the session were ‘Activities of Daily Living - How it works, how to use Visual schedules and Solutions to Sensory Issues’ The session was attended by 18 parents. Christmas was celebrated on 20th Dec before the students went home for the winter vacation. The children sang carols and performed a couple of dances. The highlight of the programme was Father Christmas arriving on a motorcycle ringing a bell and carrying a bag of gifts. A ‘selfie’ board was created for the Raphael family for which everyone was invited to take selfies and post them on the board. Siblings and parents were invited to Raphael on 20th December to join the children in playing different games. The children then had lunch with their brothers and sisters. The siblings saw how they could have fun and include their disabled siblings in activities. From 21st to 23rd December the Principal held parents counselling sessions for parents of the residents who were going home. Number of people impacted and how they were helped A total of 146 were impacted by the programmes provided by Raphael. Parents and guardians were also impacted; it was a relief for them when their wards could return to school. Throughout the lockdown period, constant parent counselling was done so that they could work with their children on home-based programmes given by the teacher. They were encouraged to work on long term rehabilitation plans for their children. Many students showed regression of earlier learned skills, especially social and language and communication.


Challenges faced and next steps

There were no challenges in the utilization of funds and no specific hurdles that had to be overcome. The activity plan for the next six months: The school will reopen on 24th January after the winter vacation. However, this will depend on the Covid situation. In case the students are not able to return to class, sessions will be conducted online. Individual Education Plans will be evaluated and new goals will be selected for the quarter. With Raphael’s Founders' Day in April, students will be busy with preparations; this programme too may be virtual. Inservice training for special educators on “INCLEN-Diagnostic Tool for Autism Spectrum Disorder" and "Developing a positive attitude towards Persons with Disabilities.” Online disability awareness programmes have been planned for government teachers; this may be affected by the election protocol. The positive parenting programme will continue with "Positive Behaviour Support,” “Building communication skills” and "Good practices and Care at Home” for parents. An exhibition in the Resource Room will be organized for ideas on low-cost aids and accessibility


Stories from the ground

itender Bisht Jitender, originally from Bageshwar, Uttarakhand, is a seven-year-old boy who has Cerebral Palsy with mild to moderate intellectual disability. He came to Raphael on 8 March 2021 with his mother, who is now employed at Raphael in the assisted living programme as a warden. His father has been missing since 2015. The initial assessment suggested that he communicates in one word, greets strangers with gestures, and has some behavioural issues. With no exposure to a school, he has no academic skills. Jitender is attending the School Readiness programme to prepare him to eventually be enrolled in the Raphael day school. The intervention programme has been shared with his mother so that she can continue it. As a result, there is a remarkable change in his behaviour, his attending skills have improved, and he can identify pictures of familiar objects. After five months of intervention, Jitender joined the Primary Class in the Day Centre where he is doing well and takes a keen interest in all classroom activities.


5 October, 2021

Provide care and education to an intellectually challenged child

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Activities and work undertaken in the last 5-6 months

Since Uttarakhand was in lockdown from April to July 21. 93 children and young adults with a disability were reached through online sessions. No major events were possible. While using technology was a challenge for the staff and the children, a big milestone was achieved in that everyone has now become comfortable with the technology.


Challenges faced and next steps

A major challenge has been the inability of many of our students who live in remote areas where there is no internet, poor connectivity and often the lack of a smartphone. All staff were retained and paid full salaries.


Stories from the ground

Impact story:EISHANIEishani is a 5-year-old girl who lives in Defence Colony, Dehradun. Her father is an Ex. Army man and creative, editor and writer and his mother is a Professor in a government school. She has an elder brother. Eishani first visited the Therapeutics Department on 5.11.2020 at the age of 5 years. The assessment report suggested that he was on Down syndrome, was verbal (one-word Level) and had low vision. She was partially dependent on her Parents for her daily living activities such as dressing and toileting. She had been attending a regular school since 2019 her family wanted Raphael’s help to make her for Speech Therapy. Eishani started attending the Early Intervention programme regularly. The focus of is training is to develop Communication Self-help and Pre-academic skills. She has responded well to the programme and made good progress and improvement has also been seen in her Speech and Language skills & Pre academic skills. She attends regular school. The goal is that in the next two years she should become independent in looking after herself.


23 March, 2021

Education and training of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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The objective of the programme is to generate awareness about Persons with Disability through advocacy; identify and assess children with intellectual & other developmental disabilities (such as, but not limited to Autism, Cerebral Palsy & Down Syndrome); educate & train children with disabilities to realise their potential. The focus of the training is on functional academics; language and communication skills; and the acquiring of daily living, house-hold, domestic & vocational skills. The emphasis, throughout, is on ‘inclusive’ learning and activity.


The services include a special education school cum Day Care Centre with a capacity for 150 children with disabilities.This includes class rooms, a library, a computer laboratory and vocational training facilities; a Therapeutic Centre that provides physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychological assessments and counselling; school readiness and early intervention services.
A Training Centre conducts professional courses and in-house training of resource persons, stake-holders and members of the staff.



5 July, 2020

Children with intellectual disabilities learning different skills

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Children with intellectual disabilities learning different skills




The students took part in a cultural programme where they performed a group dance. Children’s Day was celebrated and the children played games. All the students were taken for a picnic to a forest which they thoroughly enjoyed. On the occasion of World Disability Day, some students went to the zoo and some went for a picnic to a park. Big Bazar had a special shopping day for children with disability and some students went to purchase snacks.
Special Olympics Youth Foundation programme was hosted at Raphael for children in the age group of 2-10 years and some of our students took part.



22 July, 2019

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Program Update


Children with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities come to Raphael day school daily. The Day School caters to children upto the age of 18 years. Children in the ager group of 0-6 years receive early intervention services 2-3 times a week. There are usually 8-10 children in 1 class, each managed by a special educator. The daily activities include training in self-care, domestic functional academic and social skills. Physiotherapy and speech therapy session are provided to those also need it. An individual education programme (IEP) in made for each student and regular parent counselling is done. Some students may be placed in vocational training activities after graduating from the day school. During the day, these children are put into different classes as per their mental age. The age group of these children varies from less than one year to 18 years. Very small children attend the Early Intervention Unit, also a part of Special School. The education and training is conducted by special educators (not more than 10 in a class). The school remains open for 10 months in a year and the school timings for the children are from 9 AM to 3 PM. After the initial academic classes lasting for several years, these children with potential to learn some skills are put into vocational class and after they acquire certain degree of skill in a particular activity, they are put through on the job training.


Strength:


(a) Residential Unit - 88
(b) Day Scholars - 49
(c) Lifelong care in overall figure - 94
(i) Above 18 years - 25
(ii) Below 18 years - 7
During the quarter, eight students left as they had completed their training as per the individual plan, and four new admissions took place.


(i) Raphael celebrated India’s Republic Day on 26th January. The students sang a patriotic song and did a March past after the flag hoisting ceremony.
(ii) The District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC), located at the local hospital conducted an awareness workshop on the services provided by their centre on 30 January 2019. It was attended by 46 teachers and teacher trainees.
(iii) On 23rd February, 10 students participated in sports activities organized by Jyoti Special School, Rishikesh where six students won Silver and Bronze medals in the 100 and 200 meter relay races.
(iv) On 23 February, the local Red Cross Society held a workshop on giving ‘First Aid’ to children suffering from epilepsy. They gave tips on handling children having epileptic fits and seizures and also gave information about immediate aid to a child who has hurt himself/herself before being taken to the hospital. This was attended by all the staff.
(v) On 28 March, a campus cleaning campaign was initiated and all students and staff joined hands in this drive to keep the campus clean.
(vi) 22 year old Kamil lives with his parents and five siblings in Mehuwala, on the outskirts of Dehradun. He was selected to take part in Basketball in the International Special Olympics held in Abu Dhabi in March this year. He was accompanied by Kishan Rana (Sports teacher) who had coached him for two years. Kamil got a bronze medal at the international games and we are proud of him. His father could not stop smiling!


Story from the field


Sachin Barthwal joined Raphael Day School in the year 2007 at the age of 10. He is intellectually disabled with mild cerebral palsy. He was admitted in primary class where he did well. Thereafter he was promoted to academic class and trained in academic, functional, domestic and vocational skills. As his understanding level was good, in the year 2014 he was placed in Doon Girls School, Dehradun as Gardner trainee under supervision of their Gardner. After 2 months he got salary from the school. Recently, he was honoured as Best employee for the year 2018-2019 for his good work. He is doing his job with full dedication and honesty.


What is the expected total number of beneficiaries in this program for FY18-19?101
What is the number of beneficiaries/ benefits provided in this program, Year-To-Date16
Village/City/State where project is locatedDEHRADUN
Total Budget for the project for FY18-195200000
Total Expenses for the project YTD5333790

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