Dr. Nilima Sabharwal has returned from her Home of Hope projects in India. This HOH Newsletter will cover her visit to two of the Delhi projects:

MANOVIKAS - School for the Mentally Challenged and an Academic Innovator
"The progress at this site over the past ten years continues to amaze me," says Sabharwal. "Today it stands proud as a consultant/training center making major strides in the field of Mental Health, giving HOPE to millions of mentally challenged children in India!"
  1. Manovikas, through joint lobbying efforts with other Institutions, has been instrumental in lobbying efforts to get key laws in India. The Disability Act now requires mentally challenged children, under the age of 14, to receive compulsory education and allows admission into mainstream schools.
  2. The School for the Mentally Challenged has become the study center for the National Institute of Open Study (NIOS) and the Indra Ganhi National Open University (IGNOU).
  3. Manovikas has developed the Entrepreneur Development Training Program (EDTP) for the mentally challenged, teaching them business management. This includes managing the retail store at Manovikas that raises near $10,000 a month, and is currently managed by Manju who suffered cerebral palsy and is known as the 'wonder boy of Manovikas!'
  4. Today, there are 200 mainstream public school teachers being trained at Manovikas.
  5. There is also an independent living program designed to empower the young adults with special needs.

KOSHISH School - History in the Making
A wall separates the posh locality Sarita Vihar from Koshish where, according Dr. Sabharwal, all one sees are mounds and mounds of garbage. A simple structure stands tall and proud here, serving as an informal school for the kids who live in this area, and two of the youngest students welcomed Dr. Sabharwal.

"What struck me were their clean, shining uniforms and a true interest in their future," says Sabharwal. "It is also amazing to see the children's mothers being educated about the value of training for their little ones."

Very soon, the brand new Koshish Technology Center will be ready to open up. It will have new furniture and equipment, organized signs on each door and an office with an excellent staff. This Center is a Pilot Program, among the first of its kind in India. Thanks to our working with NIIT, children as young as 2 and 3 years old will be introduced to technology, and their futures are full of opportunity.

"HOH is proud to be a supporter of such pioneering work" says Dr. Sabharwal.


Making a difference···    one child at a timeTM

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