These visiting nursing students helped in plotting the places from where children visited the Developmental Paediatrics department at MOSC Medical College, Kolenchery, Kerala, in the one year since we started the service in September, 2012. We were encouraged to find that although we have had children visiting us form different parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, etc. for consultation, most of the children visiting for developmental assessment and support are from within a distance of fifty kilometres.
Those coming from these short distances kept encouraging us to start an early learning support for them and for five months now,we have a regular play group for pre-school children. Parents of these children further encouraged us to move on to starting an Early Learning Centre (ELC) to augment their developmental prospects.
A residential house in the college campus is getting modified now to start the ELC, hopefully in the new year. The parents of children visiting us have been the movers for this initiative.
Although I have been out of circulation due to my illness for the last two months, my six colleagues have even more enthusiastically continued their good work. I am glad that the work has progressed with its own momentum.
This is the fifth initiative of ASHIRVAD to partner with another institution in its 30the year, to create facility for children with special needs. Anna and I are amazed how a faltering step we took in 1983 has become what it has become! Thanks to Friends of ASHIRVAD who carried us upon their hearts.
We had a celebration to remember the one year of our service with a T-shirt design competition for medical and nursing students, drawing competition for children in five local schools, and a staff-student indoor badminton competition. The college auditorium was full with students, faculty and parents, when we had the concluding meeting, where the campus children sang and danced and the medical students presented a skit to create an awareness about the needs of people with different abilities.
All beginnings have a journey course and a terminus. We feel that it is now the right time for ASHIRVAD to make a departure and explore and initiate a vision for LIFE FORMATION in the light of brokenness and pain we have witnessed in the lives of families and professionals!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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