BUDS Children from Kollam setup Medicinal Plants Garden Updated On 2019-12-12
The BUDS Children from Kollam had setup a Medicinal Plants Garden of their own. The children of the Thanal BUDS Rehabilitation Centre of Vettikavala Panchayath of Kollam district of Kerala had indeed succeeded in setting up a medicinal garden which would go on par with one at an ayurvedic hospital. The idea of setting up a medicinal garden was suggested by Smt. Santhi, who works as a teacher at Thanal BUDS Rehabilitation Centre.
The other staff and children also supported the plan. In the first phase, medicinal plants were collected from the localities of their houses. With the help of friends and well wishers, more plants were collected and the garden was setup. The garden includes more than 100 medicinal plants including dashapushpam, chathuravalli, nilambana, kayyonni, uzhinja, keezharnelli, kasthuri manjal etc. The BUDS children were active in planting the medicinal plants, watering them and taking care of the plants on regular basis. The medicinal plants garden includes rare species of plants as well. On identifying that cultivation can bring in mental and physical development of the BUDS and BRC children, Kudumbashree had been promoting 'Sanjeevani Agri Therapy' for the past two years. But the children had had brought in a new model through this medicinal plants cultivation. On identifying the positive changes in the children, the teachers have set up a water lily pond and a lawn in the medicinal plant garden.
BUDS Schools are free and open special schools for mentally challenged children of poor families, owned and managed by the Local Self Government Institutions under the support and guidance of Kudumbashree Mission and the community structure. Whereas, BUDS Rehabilitation Centres (BRCs) are day care centres for mentally challenged persons which are intended to fill a gap in the State’s existing system for providing care to the mentally challenged that caters only to persons up to 18 years of age. BRCs are meant for those who have already undergone special education through BUDS Schools or other centres. However, centres are also open to mentally challenged children who are unable to attend schools. BRCs are meant to train and support persons with special needs for equipping them with skills that make them employable.