Me and my schoolmates at the Riverside School in Ahmedabad are raising awareness and funds to support children with special needs who are taken care of by the Prabhat Education Foundation.

These children and young adults are from marginalised communities in Ahmedabad and have special needs. The funds will be used to take care of their transportation, therapy, food, out-door activities, academics and vocational training. The total cost of running all the activities comes to 12500 INR per student per annum.

HELP ME RAISE 25000 INR & TRANSFORM THE LIFE OF A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS FOR 2 YEARS.

Read on to discover how.

I am doing this crowdfunding campaign in partnership with Prabhat Education Foundation. They have a few Centres in Ahmedabad. These Centres have been transformed into fun and child friendly spaces. Apart from the Centres, Prabhat also caters to children at home, who cannot come to the Centre due to issues of mobility. At present Prabhat serves a total of 400 children & adults in the age group of 0-36 years across all its programs. The disability that Prabhat deals with include Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation (different levels), Downs syndrome, Speech-hearing impairments, Muscular dystrophy, ADHD, Learning and Locomotor disabilities, Microcephaly and Blind/deaf.

The children are prepared to join mainstream regular schools, where Prabhat conducts multiple levels of training to prepare the school staff and make necessary logistical arrangements to accommodate the child with special needs. Some of these are local municipal schools while others are private schools in the community. Till date Prabhat has mainstreamed over 500 children with special needs.

The money raised will be given directly after the campaign ends to Prabhat Education Foundation, Ahmedabad. They will use the funds to bring changes in the lives of children with special needs living in some of the most challenging geographical locations in Ahmedabad. I shall then send you an update about the kid/kids who benefitted so that you know how your funds have been spent.

CASE STUDY

ABOUT ME & THIS CAMPAIGN

My understanding of privilege often led me to imagine a plush lifestyle with excess in almost everything. But, this notion was broken for me and many others like myself when our school introduced us to the Prabhat Programme. Prabhat is an NGO which incessantly works towards transforming the lives of children & young adults who are specially-abled and are from the poorer sections of our society.

Meeting them helped us realise that we are immensely privileged even in our ability to perform tasks which we consider simple such as climbing stairs, interacting with a computer or even obtaining an education.

Prabhat supports its children by teaching them how to navigate in this world which rarely is designed to suit their abilities. Their holistic approach and focus on building independence helps them realise their true potential. This transformation ultimately helps them to fully integrate their lives with the society which fills their life with confidence and joy.

What makes Prabhat's programme even more praiseworthy is the fact that Prabhat does all this at the mere cost of INR 12,500 which includes hiring special teachers, purchasing stationery, reimbursing their conveyance and organising field trips. This modest yet supper-effective cost encouraged me to start this crowd-funding campaign.

As an individual, I am trying to raise INR 25,000 to impact 2 children/young adults. If there is an excess in funding we will be able to impact the lives of more such children. Once the campaign is completed the NGO will give feedback on the beneficiaries. In cases where the parents are not comfortable with sharing the images of their son/daughter, we will use an AVATAR.

Lastly, I would like to thank you for going across the portal which has helped us in raising awareness. And, ask for a simple act of kindness which can for forever change the life of a child.

FUND A CHILD AT PRABHAT EDUCATION FOUNDATION

Sponsorship of a child brings hope, peace, joy and all the good things.  The detailed cost sheet is indicated below.

IN IMAGES: Different activities are done to transform these children with special needs

ABOUT PRABHAT

The Prabhat Education Foundation reflects a journey that began in 2003 through the identification and nurturing of children with learning difficulties struggling in mainstream schools. In time, the widespread reality of physically and mentally challenged children in and around Ahmedabad became apparent, and Prabhat moved into serving special children, as well as their families affected by stigma, ignorance and denial. Realising the need for access to care, education and learning of this group, Prabhat conceptualised an institutional facility to provide systematic rehabilitation services that could be accessible for those challenged by poverty and mobility. Working with and through local communities became Prabhat’s hallmark.

Prabhat Education Foundation runs its programs through funding received from Institutions and individual donations. The funds and grants is utilised for covering the expenses of procuring therapy material, training and learning materials, food, transportation, staff salary, rent, bringing in expert consultants, out-door visits, trainings for staff and parents for an entire year. The donors are eligible for tax exemption under 80G of IT Act. Foreign funding is also accepted.

TAX BENEFITS

All funding for this campaign has tax benefits. Receipts will be issued by Prabhat Education Foundation which is a registered NGO. Indian citizens can avail of 80G tax benefits. Foreign funding is accepted too.

LOCATION

FEEDBACK FORMAT

Once the campaign is completed the NGO will give feedback on which child has benefitted from our funding as per the feedback format below. In cases where the parents are not comfortable with sharing the images of their son/daughter we will use an AVATAR. I hope you understand the sensitivity in sharing that information.