YMCA SPECIAL SCHOOL FOR THE MENTALLY CHALLENGED

Services to the Mentally Challenged has emerged as a need based initiative in the year 2000, when we found many parents of children with hearing impairment and mental retardation approached us for help. One among them was Ponnuthai, a young construction worker who lost her husband due to cardiac arrest. She had a young son named Nesamani who was 6 years old. He had no eye contact, no speech and daily living skills. His only action was asking for food all the time. The boy seemed very pathetic and the mother had no way to help him except finding a source for meals and living for them. The Madurai YMCA responded to this situation immediately by training him without demanding any money from the mother and the life of Nesamani has been transformed tremendously. Today, he is able to take care of his daily activities, he plays happily with the other children in the school and hostel. His cognition and eye contact has improved. The widowed mother who was in tears is happy and cheerful seeing the development of her son.

This special programme provides opportunities for more than 50 mentally challenged children to develop their daily living skills, get basic education and facilitate them to develop their capacities through special schooling.