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Presently Sayanti can open her shoes, solve simple addition and right computer with her right leg.. Sayanti is proud is a proud student of Apanjan.
Apanjan started in 1999 responding to the rehabilitation need of the mentally and physically challenged children and adolescents, all of them with severe learning difficulties. Starting with 3 children, the project has since then bifurcated into three units’ residential, day care and OPD with more than 70 children.
Residential:
There are currently 47 boys and 10 girls in the residential home. All these children have been rescued from different areas, neglected and uncared for, as they are orphans and homeless. Utmost care has been taken to provide all of them with shelter, care, nutrition and medical treatment. They are also exposed to speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy special education. Most of the children have also been trained to develop personal and social skills while some have also been equipped with occupational and academic skills, which is of great utility in their day-to-day life. These children have been taught to peel vegetables, prepare gift bags, candles and the like. Initiatives have also been taken to begin a full-fledged vocational training centre for the adolescent boys and girls whereby they will acquire kill for a future livelihood. The children had the opportunity to have exposures of visiting Science City, which was undertaken as experimentation of observing the ability of severe mentally challenged children to socialize with strangers. They enjoyed observing the various scientific games. On another occasion the children viewed an educational cartoon-movie. This particular program was sponsored by a group of philanthropic businessmen.
Day
care centre
The Day care centre runs with six special educators, physiotherapist, speech therapist, music therapist and helper catering to 19 children of the residential homes and about 35 children from the local community. There is an arrangement for school bus which picks up and drops children attending the day care centre from the local community. It has been observed that the children are gradually reducing their dependency on their educator and trying to become self-dependent.
Weekly Community Clinic:
The Weekly Community Clinic has been set up with the intention to extend the facilities of treatment to the children in the residential homes as well as those attending the day care centre. It is well equipped with specialized doctors and health experts for rendering different therapies. A sickbay for the children in the residential homes is housed in the medical centre.
Play Therapy:
All the Mentally Retarded (MR) children are provided with both the indoor and outdoor play therapy. In accordance with the ability of each child play items are prepared and practicing throughout the year. Each and every year on the 26th January, the Republic day the annual sports have been organizing which is participated by all the children.
Cultural Therapy:
The recreational activities are considered as the cultural therapy. Under this unit music, dance, play are comprised. Through this therapy hyperactivity of the children has been reducing to the considerable extent. Socialization of the children has also been happened through this process.
Learning Computer Application:
Since June 2008 the computer learning process is introduced to the children at the state functioning well. Mild and moderate MR children are capable of learning computer in both the languages Bengali and English. Sometimes they have helped the OFFER management by typing.
Mixing with the mainstream children:
In order to widen scope to mix up with the mainstream children and interacting with them exposure visits, picnics in an alternative months and annual picnic have been organized. The program helps the children in integrating with the children living in the mainstream society.
Skill Development:
Developments of skill for the elderly children have been arranged and prior to undergo the skill training they had to undergo other necessary pre-requisite. They have been sent to the workshop of Monginis and learnt lessons out that.
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