Suhit Jeevan Trust

Supported by: WEL

About the organization

The basic aim of the institution is to provide all special services to children with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in the Raigad district and other villages of the entire Konkan region. If students are unable to reach us, we are and we will reach out to them. It is part of our mission to ensure that not a single ID child should be left behind from special services and benefits. 

The overall objectives of the organization are to: Create healthy family and social setups; Uproot Intellectual Disability from the society; Cultivate ideas that serve to fulfil the real needs of society; Set achievable and measurable goals; Create appropriate coordination between needs and available resources;  Remain committed and participate in various projects for the benefit of society. 

The vision of the organization is to create awareness in rural and tribal areas for the prevention of ID.  The organization also seeks to empower each ID child as per his/her special needs and abilities. It aims to make families, and society in general, aware of the various special services, facilities, and schemes available for these children with ID. The organization seeks to generate dignity and respect for these children. To this end, it aims to provide them with equal education and employment opportunities, rights, and participation in their families and society. It also strives to make these students economically independent through special education and vocational training. Through all such efforts and more SUHIT hopes to bring children with ID into the mainstream. 

Location and area of work

The organization works in the Raigad district, especially in the talukas of Pen, Uran, Khalapur, and Alibag. The support provided by Wipro Cares was towards supporting the educational needs of children with intellectual disabilities through a special school called Sumangal School for Children with Intellectual Disabilities. The project is currently being run in the city of Pen. 

Program updates

The support provided by Wipro is being used for the work mentioned below.  

• Identifying, assessing, and supporting the educational and rehabilitative needs of around 75 children with intellectual disabilities through individualized intervention plans. 
• Recruiting 5 special educators (in addition to the existing 4 special educators) and 1 non-teaching staff (in addition to the existing 2 support staff) to ensure a better teacher-pupil ratio in the school. 
• Building the capacity of newly recruited teachers and existing staff through workshops, mentorships, and other opportunities for the team to grow and work effectively towards providing meaningful educational support to children with intellectual disabilities. 
• Continuing to carry out outreach programs in collaboration with Anganwadi, local panchayats, and other relevant stakeholders to create awareness among local communities about intellectual disabilities and support efforts toward ensuring access to education for children with intellectual disabilities. 
• Working with Anganwadis in supporting efforts towards early identification and intervention for children with developmental delays and intellectual disabilities. 

Thus, the needs assessment of the children is regularly undertaken through experts, special educators, parents, and therapists as per the individual needs of the children. After the lockdown children were facing various issues. They reported some behavioural dilemmas, on account of being confined to their homes. They were reluctant to return to school.  

However, through IEPs (Individualised Education Plans) and regular intervention, we have been able to gradually address the situation. The special educators and support staff were interviewed and selected as per the norms of the organization and RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India). This helped us create a better student-teacher ratio and provide better individual attention to our students. 

The newly selected staff was also trained for their new responsibilities in various areas of work using various in-house trainings. The outreach program is also underway, and we are in regular touch with various local communities and gram panchayats. We are also drawing insights from Anganwadi and ASHA workers, concerning the risks faced by babies and women. Awareness activities are also being taken at schools and college levels so that we target the demographic at the right age. 

Learning

The key learnings over the past one year were:

• We observed that parents have become more accepting of the suggestions coming from the end of teachers. As a result, interactive sessions are becoming a great way to tackle any or all issues with the students learning, growth, and development. 
• Parents can play an active part in the learning process and thus educating parents on the various newer methods or topics can create a difference in the home space. 
• Regular touch with the students is very necessary as due to the lockdown many students have regressed in their behavioral and intellectual areas again. 

Challenges 

• Many of the students have behavioral problems due to their long gap in education. Therefore, the physical fitness of the students has become a major part of this challenge.
• Many children have gained weight so their overall activeness is lost due to the same. 
• Students who used to come regularly are now reluctant to leave the confines of their homes due to various emotional, environmental, and physical issues.

Plan of action

The plan for the next 1-3 years will see us including more activities for the holistic growth and development of the child. There are some new infrastructure needs which have been completed so the proper use of these new facilities will be a primary target. The institution also plans for the improvement of accessibility facilities and the adoption of more eco-friendly practices in day-to-day activities.