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In India, it is estimated that 3% of children (aged 0-14 years) are mentally challenged. These children, variously labeled as retarded, autistic and learning disabled, are often ignored and abused. Families whose resources are already stretched with the needs of their "normal" child, often give up on the intractable problems of their "special needs" child. Sadly this learning disability has also become a teaching disability. But there is hope yet, today there are a teachers and institutions who are willing to take on this challenge. They equip the child with basic skills such as self-care, independence and where possible even impart vocational skills. Vibha is a proud partner with Jan Madhyam (Delhi), RMKM (Rajasthan) and Shristi Special Academy (Karnataka). Each an institution that works to bring the marginalised child back into the mainstream. April is Autism Awareness month. In this month's newsletter, we profile Chiguru, an inclusive preschool program for rural special needs children run by Shristi Special Academy. As always, your feedback is critical, please write and tell us what you think. |
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Vibha Events
Vibha FUNd-raisers generate both - FUN and funds. Whether it is the brightly colorful and dandia dhamakas or the nostalgia filled cricket tournaments, or even the more cause conscious Walk/Runs, they generate funds that form a major portion of Vibha’s resources. These events also help spread awareness on the plight of the underprivileged child in India among a wide section of people in the US. Even though people are drawn to the event because of attractions like a sport, music or a popular artist, they are touched by or reminded of the cause, and they respond! Vibha has a proven track record of organizing several successful fundraisers. Click to view this year’s calendar of events. Vibha 5K Walk/Run, started in 1998 in Atlanta became a national event and is now organized every year between the months of July and Oct. More than 2000 people participate in the walk/run, but the associated publicity reaches more than 100,000 people. This year, the Walk/Run will start in the Bay Area in July and will also be held in Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, and Washington DC.
The Vibha Disco Dandia nights, in the Bay Area, are spread over 3-4 nights during Navratri, and are usually an advance sell out. Over the last 8 years, more than 3000 people have attended this celebration and the energy and enthusiasm is unparalleled. In Atlanta, 400 cricket enthusiasts (50 teams of 8 players each) participate in the annual Vibha Cricket tournament, making it one of the biggest cricket tournaments in the US. Played over two week-ends, the tournament has become so popular since 1998 that a subsequent Super-16 Invitational tournament was spawned in response to the players’ demand.
The Vibha Cricket tournament is also a much sought after event in Austin. The volunteers in Austin also do something very unique – at regular intervals they screen socially conscious movies and documentaries, like Bus 174 and Born into Brothels. This helps bring together like-minded people, and encourages them towards collective action. Art-For-Heart - Talent show for Kids is a special event organized in Dallas. Children (between 3 to 18 years) perform their talents (solo instrumental, solo dance, recitation, group dance etc.) and put together a great show to raise funds for the benefit of children in India.
Anjali – Vibha’s creation in Minneapolis provides a platform for local artists to perform. This event has generated a lot of excitement among Vibha Volunteers and the Indian community as well. It has helped in the rapid growth of this action center. Sponsors needed. You can help! Vibha sincerely appreciates all the sponsors who have been instrumental in staging these events. These myriad events across several cities provide a great platform for corporate sponsors to market products/services. Potential sponsors range from big companies like Coke, Equifax, I2, Texas Instruments, Northwest Airlines, and Manhattan Associates to even a successful entrepreneurial friend who wants to make a philanthropic contribution. Events are also an effective venue for any business-to-consumer type of company like Insurance companies or banks. Vibha encourages volunteers to explore their own networks for sponsorship solutions. Several National, Annual, or event-based sponsorship packages are available. Please write to sponsorships@vibha.org and a Vibha volunteer will be in touch with you. Together, we can do much more! Write To Us...Your feedback is important to us. Vibha welcomes any comments, suggestions or questions you may have about our projects, programs, products, monitoring etc. If you are particularly interested in a topic and would like to see Vibha showcase it please let us know. |
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Project ProfileShristi Special Academy Shristi special academy was started in 1995, by three special educators who wanted to reach out to mentally challenged children and their families. Apart from rehabilitating these special children, counseling families to cope with their upbringing and dealing with the stigma associated with mental disabilities is an integral part of Shristi’s mission. Shristi uses a holistic approach that includes periodic medical screening (ENT, Dental, and General Check up), psychological assessments, nutritional supplement, rehabilitation training, practical exposure through field trips and family counseling. The ultimate goal of all their programs is to make each child as self-reliant and socially integrated as possible. All children regardless of their families’ economic status get the same high-quality care. Shristi reaches out to the mentally challenged children who come from economically backward families and those from neglected rural areas. About 50% of the children are from such families. Shristi offers its services through two campuses, one in Bangalore City and another in rural Jettipalya about 20 km. outside Bangalore. The services and programs offered are: early intervention, vocational training and sheltered workshop, respite care for the severely challenged and multiply disabled, autism intervention unit and Chiguru, an inclusive preschool program in the rural community.
Success stories from Chiguru, the preschool program at Shristi: Shoba, a 5 year-old girl with Down Syndrome. Her teachers describe her as a beautiful, smart girl with a smile on her face. Before enrolling in Shristi, she attended an anganwadi school in her village where she was treated badly by her class-mates. Since joining Chiguru, her communication has improved. She can now expresses her thoughts and needs clearly in Kannada whereas she could only communicate with a few words and gestures before. She has learnt self-care skills like washing her face and brushing her teeth. Her academics have improved and she can identify objects, recite letters and numbers. Her family has been counseled to handle her behavior issues and her grandmother (who is her primary caregiver) finds it easier to handle Shoba after admission at Chiguru. Manoj, a 5 year-old boy and Pavitra, a 3.5 year old-girl, siblings with congenital heart disease, cerebral palsy and delayed development. Both the children receive physiotherapy, occupational therapy and stimulation along with nutrition and medical aid as needed. Manoj is now able to walk a few steps independently and has improved his fine-motor, cognition, self-care and social skills. Pavitra, has achieved independent sitting and neck control and is able to grasp objects, is more aware of the environment and is making attempts to explore and play with objects. She is able to remain away from her mother for short periods of time. Their mother, who is their primary care-giver has been trained to handle their toileting, eating and self-care needs and is coping better with the challenge of raising two children with disabilities. Brief Project DescriptionSince June 2005, Vibha has been funding the Chiguru preschool program. This is a program designed to enrich the rural community through early education, early identification of developmental disabilities and early intervention. About 36 infants and preschoolers, ages 2-5, in the villages surrounding Jettipalya attend this free program. Chiguru has two goals -first, to act as a high quality head start program for rural children; second, to develop a model for inclusive education where developmentally normal and delayed children learn together. Chiguru’s curriculum, defined by UNICEF, builds language, cognitive, socio-emotional and physical motor skills. Integral to the curriculum is teaching the children good health and hygiene practices. The children are in school 9 AM to 2 PM and are provided transportation to the school from the villages, as well as breakfast and lunch. The meals address nutritional deficiencies the children face at home.
The unique feature of this program is its inclusive nature. Developmentally delayed children benefit from having typical peers as role-models. Typical children are sensitized to their differently-abled peers and learn from their unique talents. This is a pilot program for inclusive education. The plan is to duplicate it across other villages once the pilot program is proved effective. |
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| Vibha 1030 E El Camino Real, #424 Sunnyvale,
CA 94087 |
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Vibha is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit, non-religious, non-political
organization that seeks to restore to underprivileged children their
basic rights to food, shelter, health and education - in short, a future.
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