In August, a 55-year-old woman from Balapur killed her two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, who was mentally ill. What led her to take this step was her worries about the child's future.
Many parents of mentally challenged children who are plagued by the worry of the future of their off-springs. Aadhar, an association of parents for mentally callenged children at Badlapur, which also received the national award for the best institution for the disabled, is an apt answer. The organisation is involved in lifelong care of mentally challenged people.
On December 3, Vishwas M Gore, chairman of Adhar, was in Delhi to receive the national award at the hands of our President, Pranab Mukherjee.
Gore, a finance professional, quit his job to look after the association founded by his father Madhav G Gore. Madhav worked with the Children Aid Society, Mumbai and after retirement he founded Adhar in 1994. "Once my father came across a news report about an American lady killing her mentally challenged child as she was anxious about the latter's future after her death. This prompted him to start Adhar," he says.
Adhar, which has two branches in Badlapur and Nashik, takes care of 500 mentally challenged adults. "Parents of special kids want to keep them at home and take care for them. Having these children becomes emotionally overpowering for them and they often isolate themselves from the society for the risk of being ridiculed," he says.
"Parents should accept realities and admit their children to such lifecare centers," he says. The institute is run by 135 dedicated staff at Badlapur that looks after 200 adults, out of which 56 are women. "Here, we keep the inmates occupied and give them vocational training. It is their own world where everyone is alike," he says. And since it is lifelong care of such adults than just a day-care unit, parents worries are also waded off," he adds.
The institute which runs on donations and charity faces a deficit of Rs50 lakh per year. An average spend on an adult is Rs11,000 per month. However, parents just have to pay Rs7,200 per month. "The remaining amount is taken care of through donations and I do not think that for such a good cause money should ever be a problem," says Gore.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}