The seed of an idea was planted and nurtured by the Venganoor Grama Panchayat and Kudumbashree to offer rehabilitation to the differently abled children from Below Poverty Line families in the panchayat. It has blossomed into a colorful six-room school named “Buds” with the aim of providing for the developmental, social, and emotional needs of 38 children – children who formerly were often ignored and neglected. These young children battle with disabilities including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, blindness, deafness, and speech impairments due to cleft palates. There are nineteen children with mental retardation, of which four also have Cerebral Palsy. These children are being provided with necessary medical attention, physical and mental therapy, mobility equipment, hearing aids, individual vocational and educational training, skills to enable them to be independent. Some of them are being helped to enter mainstream schools. Through the school; the buds, their family and the community are gaining the skills to ensure these children live full and happy lives – becoming part of the beautiful flower garden that began from a tiny seed.
