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A STATE OF THE ART rehabilitation centre for mentally and physically challenged children has been opened in southern India with the help of €3.4m funding from Irish not-for-profit charity Gorta.
The multipurpose centre will offer services to young people living with a wide range disabilities, many of whom have been excluded from formal education and therapy due to the complicated nature of their conditions and enduring social stigma.
A disproportionately high population of people with disabilities
Poor health education and a lack of quality prenatal care in rural India have contributed to a notably high number of children born with significant – but preventable – disabilities. Added to this, insufficient government assistance to poverty-stricken groups leads to the educational, social and psychological needs of many children being neglected – exacerbating the severity of their conditions and leaving them unequipped for independent living.
India’s high level of disability stems not only from poor healthcare but also a culture of intermarriage which leads to a high number of congenital disorders.
Nowhere is the effect of the combination of poor education and policy failure more evident than among the country’s rural poor: widespread, extreme poverty means many families simply do not have the resources to give appropriate care to children with special needs, condemning them to a life without the possibility of proper education or dignified employment.
Traditional drummers perform at the opening ceremony. Image: SCAD
Individually-tailored approach to care
The SCAD-GORTA Medical and Disability Rehabilitation Centre is the first of its kind in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu; it offers an individually-tailored, holistic approach to therapy for young people living with a range of disabilities, including multiple disabilities. Services include speech therapy, play therapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and occupational therapy, with the aim of helping young people learn to live with their challenges and reach their full potential.
Mindful of the need for a multifaceted, community-wide approach to helping children with special needs, the centre also provides a teacher training programme to teach educators from mainstream schools about the best methods of nurturing the educational, social and emotional development of children with disabilities. A prosthetics manufacturing workshop is also situated on campus to cater quickly to children in need of physical aids.
Prosthetics workshop. Image: SCAD
40,000 people in need will be helped
The centre, opened with significant funding from Irish aid NGO Gorta, will be run by local Indian development charity SCAD (Social Change and Development). Speaking at the inaugural opening of the centre in Ponnakudi, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday SCAD founder Cleetus Babu thanked “Ireland and the Irish people for their help and generosity”, saying that approximately 40,000 people in need would benefit from the much-needed centre.
Gorta has supported SCAD in Tamil Nadu state since 1989 on a range of community development initiatives.
Joseph Haughton opens a wing of the SCAD-GORTA centre named in his honour. To his left are Helen Haughton, Deirdre Kingston (Gorta) and (V.K. Subburaji, Special Secretary and Financial Advisor, Govt of India); to his right are Sean Gaule (Chairman, Gorta) and Cleetus Babu (Chairman, SCAD). Image: SCAD
Former Gorta Chairman honoured
Former Chairman of Gorta and retired Trinity professor Joseph Haughton travelled from Ireland to attend the ceremony at the age of 93, accompanied by his wife Helen. Haughton, who first set up the partnership between Gorta and SCAD in the 1980s, was honoured for his long-standing commitment to bringing help to disadvantaged people in the southern Indian state.
An integral partner to this much-needed project, Haughton told the packed auditorium: “My wife and I are deeply privileged to be here today on this very happy occasion”.
Emphasis on ease-of-use
More Irish-based assistance for the project came from Cork services company PM Group, which provided pro bono expert project management and engineering advice for the 11,353 sqm of buildings as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility Programme.
PM Group CEO Pat McGrath spoke at the centre’s inaugural opening, praising the “tremendous partnership” that existed between Irish and Indian groups during construction – and underlining the emphasis on the need for young people with special needs to be treated with dignity and respect.
Pat McGrath of PM Group speaks at the inaugural ceremony. Image: SCAD
Use of local construction materials and maintenance practises
The centre was built with an emphasis on ease-of-use for challenged children, as well as the use of local construction materials and maintenance practises – one example of this is the lack of elevators in the complex, which are costly to run and repair in rural India, with ramp access instead used between all floors.
The centre was also constructed with a focus on sustainability and on green power, using solar energy to power streetlights, according to McGrath. All food scraps and organic matter are placed in a biodigester unit which converts waste into natural gas that provides electricity to the complex; sewage waste is converted into water which, along with harvested rainwater, is used for the site’s grounds and sensory garden.
The Haughton Block. Image: SCAD
A project that will help many children lead self-sufficient lives
Following European standards, SCAD says the centre will provide care for approximately 260 children at anygiven time – with 80 in short-term residence, 100 in day care, and 80 in vocational training. Some 123 staff will be employed in therapy, training, manufacturing and catering roles.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of Gorta Sean Gaule thanked those at PM Group for dedicating several years to the project: “The easiest thing for PM Group to do would have been to donate some money, which of course would have been very welcome. However, Pat and his colleagues gave us something even more valuable: their expertise”.
Gaule said Gorta had worked in the region for 24 years and that he and his colleagues felt “extremely proud” to be partner in a project that will help so many children lead self-sufficient lives.
Inaugural ceremony. Image: SCAD
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Good on them.
Its just a shame India prefers to divert spend vast sums on nuclear weapons & a space programme, rather than its own people.
Everything Mitch says.
Nailed it.
Mitch, you don’t understand India’s compulsions. If your country is located in a war zone, with Taliban knocking at your doors from Pakistan and Afghanistan, and China trying to stifle your trade by blockading your sea routes with its submarines and aircraft careers, and make claims to huge chunks of your territory… then do you really have a choice? Nobody wants to spend billions in weapons unless there’s an existential threat that you can’t refuse to acknowledge..
There are hundreds of thousands of Al Qaida militants trying to sneak into India through any means possible and try to blow themselves up in your shopping malls, and every public place. India has already been victim to hundreds of suicide attacks like the ones recently witnessed in Nigeria. Thousands of innocent people have already been blow up like this. How can you deny this threat ? You can only think about food if you’re alive..
@Kartic. Maybe a Bollywood dance might explain it better…
How many Indian ports are blockaded by Chinese aircraft carriers…. (Though China has only one of these vessels…. Currently in the North China Sea)
How many shopping malls have been blown up by Al-Queda to date?
But don’t worry…. A Mars Rover is just what you need to keep you safe!
no govt can control what private entities want to do with their money, as long as they pay their taxes. Bollywood isn’t funded by the Indian govt, so you’re off the mark here
Mars rover is a spin-off from rocket technology and communication satellites. It should be viewed as nothing more than a scientific experiment. In any case, ISRO’s experiments are justified considering they earn the money back by launching commercial satellites for some other countries. They spent $74 million for the Mars mission, but have earned $1.25 billion through commercial satellite launches.
Mitch, you’ve to go back and do some research on the border issues between India and China to understand the threat. It goes back to the Chinese invasion and capture of Indian territory in 1962. China still claims huge chunks of Indian territory, and if India lowers it’s guard, it’s curtains for India as a nation. Look at how the Japanese and South Koreans are being bullied over their disputed territory. Projection of military power directly translates to economic gains unless you’ve someone like the EU defending your borders.
@Kartic – and what exactly has this got to do with Irish taxpayers?
Kevin,
Irish people should completely stop donating to such causes, like the one mentioned in this article. It’s not their problem and India has enough resources to take care of its people. I’m only trying to dispel the notion that some people have that India is spending money on defence without a reason, by ignoring the needs of it’s poor.
India has a huge economy; one of the world’s largest. Time and effort would be better spent encouraging India’s rich and powerful to take care of their own. A tiny economy like ours sending money to a giant economy like theirs is ludicrous.
yes, India has given $2 billion in aid to Afghanistan, so it’s weird that a charity donating a few millions to some Indian individuals is making the headlines. Britain gives £280 million a year in official aid… a legacy from Britain’s colonisation of India, but India is trying to discontinue this, as in the below article. Ireland has no obligations to provide aid to India whatsoever, so why do they bother???
How much was that lovely mother of the twin girls looking for, €34,000, I think, just saying….
Gorta are on a roll so. They have merged with Self Help Africa recently. Plenty money for men at the top. Well known former heads of semi state bodies and co ops. This story is a PR exercise after recent revelations here.
Surely there are people in Ireland in need of this charity? India has the money to have nuclear weapons but nothing for its’ own poor of which there are millions.
Find out first how much salary the ceo of this charity receives before you donate, you might be surprised who the charity is actually for!
A few well known names on the board and 13m in the bank. Safe as houses.
Any pictures of local community actually in using facilties. No needy people in any photos. Transparency please.
Hi Michael,
The facility is brand new (the article is about it being opened) so that’s why there are no photos of children using it. There are plenty of needy children in the area though, I can assure you of that!
@ Jen – Is any of this money compulsory political charity i.e. diverted tax payers money rather than direct donations?
They don’t do investigative journalism at the Journal, it’s more of a copy and paste the press release kind of operation.
Simple question one would think! Where did the money come from?
Kevin,
No, India isn’t one of the “official” recipients of Irish aid. So none of the tax payers money goes there. This is purely a private organisation helping some individuals and there’s no governmental involvement in this.
Great news and well done to all involved. This will make a substantial difference to many peoples’ lives. But get ready for the take cayur of our owwwwn furst crew.
You’re not making disparaging remarks about the proletariat now are you Petr? That would be quite remiss of you
India is a very rich country with nuclear power and a space programme in operation. Why are we giving them money? We already give 620 million to Africa every year and 13 million to Syria this year. There are desperately poor people in Ireland. Wake up!!
and all this money is borrowed and needs to be paid back with intrest
Well done.
I am delighted for the youngsters in India and would acknowledge the real need for places like this over there.
However,Ireland is deperately short of facilities for its own people. Time we stopped exporting cash to oversea’s charities and got our own house in order first!
Why are we giving money to a country with its own space program and Nuclear weapons. Hasn’t India one of the richest economies in the world. Surely there are far more deserving causes. Why should our charities build facilities like this when the Indian government choose to spend their money on other things
John, I totally agree. The charities here should focus on the disadvantaged people in Ireland. Of course there are disadvantaged people in every country, including the US, but it’s not Ireland’s priority. Most of these charities work directly with the people. So the Indian govt has nothing to do with it.
Agreed
I am beginning to loose faith in these charities. Think its time to give to local causes
Charity begins at home.Disabled and mentally ill young people suffering in Ireland,they are the ones who need the help.India pouring loads of money into space programmes.
I know what I’d give them, they have more than sufficient funds.
one in ten people in Ireland are struggling for a single meal a day. There are others who’ve lost their home or about to lose it. Makes me wonder why these charities look elsewhere to give their money away? Charity should start at home! Maybe after they pay their CEOs, what’s left is not substantial to make an impact locally. that’s the only possible explanation I can think of..
If only we had something like gorta raising more funds for the Irish mental health units ! Massive cause in every country ! Well done to them .
Gorta, stop the lights. Is Bunny Carr still involved with this charity?
Gorta? So will it just be catholic poor kids?
MONEY must be our biggest export good on yas
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