Special Program For Disabled Children “CLICK CLICK”

For some years I have had a wish to help disabled children in Sarangkot. We already had a few physically & mentally disabled children in our day care center. These kids could stay longer in our day care, but after they‘ve reached the age of 8, they became more disturbing for the other toddlers. The teachers didn’t have enough time for them, because these children need specific attention.

In April 2008 Ria Hillebrand visited us. She is a physiotherapist and worked as a volunteer in KTM to help handicapped children.
She promised to help QOLN with the preparations of our new program “CLICK CLICK” from May 2009.

The name “CLICK CLICK” requires some explanation. When the founders of Global Child Welfare, Marc and Diane, visited our day care center in February 2008, they connected with BISWAS. Biswas is one of our disabled children at our day care center and he wanted them to take photos of him and he always said with enthusiasm “CLICK CLICK”!
Marc and Diane are personally funding this new project, so that is why I found this a suitable name.
By the way, the meaning of Biswas in Nepali is “TRUST”!

STEP 1: Visiting the CBRS (Community Based Rehabilitation Service)

Ria and I visited the organization CBRS on the 18th of May 2009. This organization guides and counsels families with disabled members and visits them in the villages.

We also invited Yam Timilsina to come with us, because he has a disabled child himself (Safal, 4 and half years old) and he followed training in CBRS 3 years ago.

He will become the new “care-giver” in our “Click click” program.

Ria & Safal

We had a meeting with the manager Padam and the counselor Krishna and explained them our plan to make a special program in our day care center in Sarangkot. Meanwhile, our building there is demolished and they started to rebuild a new day care center with an extra first floor, where we’ll have a special class for these disabled children. We hope the construction will be finished in October – November this year.
But at the moment is it very important to look for connections to help us to setup this program and to give extra advice and training to our care-giver Yam.

CBRS meeting with Yam, Krishna & Padam

CBRS is working in 4 districts around Pokhara and sends their helpers from house to house. They reach about 6.000 families with a disabled member (young and old)!
They have a lot of experience and give a 3 month course to be able to learn everything about disabled people and to counsel them and their families.
They also give special days to parents and children, but this happens only a few times a year, dependent on their funds.

In the future, Ria will bring us in contact with Holland organizations and a hospital from which volunteer physiotherapists could be sent. She will also look for special materials and will come back at the end of January 2010 to help us to develop this project. QOLN asked her to be the coordinator of this program.

STEP 2: Acquaintance disabled children in Sarangkot

On Friday the 22nd of May QOLN invited 2 counsels from CBRS to visit our day care center in Sarangkot. Together with Ria, Yam and QOLN we invited each disabled child together with his or her mother and made a file.

This day was a success! We could investigate 6 children.
Yam proved to be a good care-giver. He could easily make contact with the children. Also Ria and the counsels gave us specific information about each child and his or her handicap.

1. BABITA BANIYA

Babita is 8 years old and has the Down syndrome. Her mother never went with her to a doctor! This problem occurs a lot in the village. The people from the lower casts are not aware that there is medical assistance to help them.
Babita understands a lot, but her memory is short. For the last 3 years, she is going to the 3rd Kinder Garden in a government school. She doesn’t make progress. Of course, the teachers don’t have time or knowledge to help her. So our “Click click” program will be a very nice solution for her.

Babita Mother Babita & Ria

2. KUMAR & SHOVA THAPA

They are a brother (4 years old) and a sister (6 years old), both with mild mental problems. Shova can’t look properly because her eyes are going in the wrong direction. She has to be taken to an eye doctor. Kumar doesn’t speak at school or to strangers. His mother says he speaks at home to her in short sentences.

We also get to know that the mother was abused by the father (who works in Pokhara as a guardian at a hospital from Sunday to Friday). The mother has to work on the fields and so the kids are left alone at home.
Both kids are in our day care center. They play mostly alone and they are not active like the other toddlers.

Kumar & Shoba and their Mother Yam & Kumar

3. SANGITA BK

Sangita is already 11 years old. She was one of our first toddlers in our day care center. Already that time, we noticed she has a beautiful smile, but she didn’t progress in talking and learning like the other children. We kept her as long as possible in our day care center, till she was 8. After that, her mother tried to put her in each school in the neighborhood, but without any result. The teachers gave up because they didn’t know what to do with her!

Sangita says she loves our day care center and doesn’t like the other schools! Her IQ is like a child of 4-5 years old, but she is very helpful and loves to help with cooking, washing and cleaning. Any little job her mother gives to her, she is happy to do!

SangitaMother, Sangita & Ria

4. GANESH BK

Ganesh is 4 years old and can’t express himself. He doesn’t speak very much and can be very aggressive sometimes. He is from a poor family. His mother tries to take care of him and his 2 elder brothers. His father is in Saudi Arabia to work, but he couldn’t send much money. With a good guidance this boy could be able to speak properly and we hope we can help him with his trauma.

Ganesh & mother Ganesh

5. BISWAS NEPALI

Biswas is 8 years old. He is mentally and physically disabled. He normally comes regularly to our day care center and he is always “happy”! He is so positive and he loves to sing and to dance. But he can’t read or write.

Biswas is the boy that says always “Click click” when he sees a camera!

On our special meeting day in Sarangkot he didn’t show up with his mother. So Ria went to visit him at home on Sunday the 24th of May. But Biswas was send to an uncle in Chitwan (South of Nepal) because he and his mother were beaten up by his father while he was drunk!
His mother’s face was still blue and she looked desperate. They have also a little daughter, Samjhana, who is 6 years old. And how far is she already traumatized by her father’s misbehavior? The mother of Biswas would love to bring Biswas to our Day care center and new program, when the building is ready and the new program is starting.

Biswas

Of course QOLN will need funds to support this special program. For salary and extra materials, we’ll need 1.700 euro per year. If we need another helper or care-giver, we’ll need to add another 1.300 euro per year.

The BLUE PLANET LODGE wants to give its support too. After the new lodge is open, 5% of the profit will be contributed to this “Click click” program.

QOLN is also looking for volunteers who have experiences in working with disabled children. With their help the care-giver will get more information and training and the children will get more attention. For more information, please write to info@qolnsarangkot.org

In TRUST!
Sabine Sharma