Empowering the mentally challenged

Satisfying the needs of mentally challenged and aiming to educate, empower and transform the lives of these children was the mission of Dr P Ramanjaneyulu and his wife Bindu.

A sociologist Dr Ramanjaneyulu and Bindu, took up the task of taking care of the children and started a non-profit organisation, ‘Anuraag’ seeing as these children could not join mainstream schools.

The It began in 1991 in the Defence Colony area of Sainikpuri. The organisation is registered with the Registrar of Societies.

Speaking to the CityTab, founder Dr Ramanjaneyulu informed that in the beginning the school had only five children and today it has around 100 candidates on its rolls and more than 20 members in its staff to teach them.

Further, he said that the main aim of the school is to secure a promising future for the mentally-challenged children.

From minor learning disabilities to sever challenges of the mind, the school is equipped to cater to the needs of these differently-abled kids.

Throwing light of their work, Dr Ramanjaneyulu said, “We provide three training programmes like motor skills, cognitive skills and self-help skills that involve basic development in a child like sitting and standing walking without help, counting money, reading, eating and toilet-training.”

“In the vocational training section, children are taught candle-making, designing greeting cards and preparation of detergents.

Those with good skills in these areas are sent to workmen for further training and self-employment, so that they could earn money and be self-sufficient,” he said.

Other goals of ‘Anuraag’ is to identify children with special needs, bring out learning and teaching material for them; empower girl-children from disturbed and disadvantaged homes; creating sanitation and healthcare facilities in rural areas and to facilitate livelihood programmes for women.

Dr Ramanjaneyulu added that the organisation cares for community health programmes as well. “Anuraag works in close cooperation with women groups for promoting health issues concerning them.

We are running a free outpatient clinic for providing medical facilities to slum dwellers,” informed the sociologist. “There is also a mobile medical care unit with an ambulance,” he added.

“Catering the requirements of mentally-challenged children the organisation is all geared up to celebrate its silver jubilee on January 30,” the founder said.