Initiatives
Inclusive Education
MANNA promotes inclusive education and mainstreaming of special children - Children with special needs should not be segregated but educated in regular schools as a step towards becoming a part of the community. Our intervention sessions are designed with an “end-goal” to ensure that special children are fully integrated in mainstream classrooms. Though there are several challenges for providing education to special children in a regular classroom, we hope together we can overcome these challenges by creating more awareness on inclusive education, by training shadow teachers who would motivate and guide the students, by providing appropriate individual therapies as required and by providing general support and guidance to the school, teachers and parents in managing the special children of the school.
Awareness in Schools
MANNA organised an awareness camp on 25th and 26th July 2017 in Englewood about autism and the importance of early intervention. The concept of autism was explained through a skit and songs. The teachers were provided tips about how to recognise and assess children with special needs. Special focus was on capacity building the teachers to manage special children in classrooms.
In the month of May 2017, Manna conducted teachers training at Yuvalok School in Horamavu. The training was focused on mainstreaming the special children and also how to handle special children in the normal school environment. Yuvalok caters in educating children from very poor backgrounds and partners along with us for the betterment of the special kids.
Training for Shadow Teacher
Shadow teacher training was provided to Ms.Luvisa Diane for three months between September-December’2013. A shadow teachers training curriculum was developed comprising of theory, observations and practicals.
Life Skill Training
Two candidates from Kripa Trust were provided three months training to become special educators. Training was provided between 13th January and 29th March’14. A special curriculum of three modules was developed to teach the candidates. Module 1 was on developmental disorders, module 2 on behaviour management and module 3 on interventions and therapies. The resource persons for the training was Candida Preetham, Judith Daniel and Lima Eugene. An assessment was conducted at the end of the training. Certificates were provided to the trainees.
Parent Support Services
MANNA offers individual parent counselling, workshop sessions and a parent support network to empower and equip parents in their lifelong experience of parenting special children. Since the parents’ involvement in the treatment of the child is important to the development of the child, we encourage parents to learn more about the disorder and develop skills that would help their special child. Our experienced staff provides extensive guidelines and techniques to help the parent follow a routine for the child at home and continue the therapies followed at the centre at home so that the child gets a minimum of 5 to 8 hours of therapy each day. Parents are invited every month to visit the centre, meet with the therapists and understand the progress of their children.
A parent workshop was organised on 11th October for parent training and motivation. During the sessions the parents were introduced to the activities of MANNA and the importance of early intervention. The parents shared their concerns about the challenges faced by their special children in schools and in the society. Many parents lamented that their children were refused admission in regular schools because of the disorders. A session on parenting a special child and understanding and addressing challenging behaviours was taken by Candida Preetham. Parents were also provided with techniques to handle children and continue individual therapies for their children in their homes by enabling them to observe a therapy session demonstration. The workshop ended with tea and snacks for the parents.
Advocacy/Awareness and Networking
Community awareness programmes are organised in neighbouring villages, schools, hospitals and care giving institutions. Increased community awareness leads to early identification, non-discrimination, mainstreaming of special children in the society and long term community support for special children.
Internship
MANNA welcomes interns to create community awareness about development disorders, as well as to provide opportunities to students to gain hands–on experience. Students from Christ University, Kristu Jayanti College, South Asian Bible College (SABC) and South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) have volunteered at the centre in the past year.