Author: damien
Day care programme
There are up to 30 children and youth attending our day care programme. This group is very mixed, ranging from five to over forty years old with varying special needs. Many of them have intellectual challenges, often combined with a poor concentration span and hyperactivity. Some have multiple impairments and require diverse therapeutic interventions and […]
Students under our day care programme
Outpatients come for treatment
Babies and small children come with their parents for physio-, occupational- and / or speech therapy. Some of them come daily or several times per week, others irregularly as they come from further away. We expect their parents to participate and cooperate to achieve the maximum result. This individual care is very time intensive and […]
Outings and field-trips
Many of our children come from poor families and they are often not taken out of the house. Once a year we have a full day outing when we rent a big bus and leave in the early morning. Often as early as 4am, some of our team members come to Deepam to prepare a […]
Celebrations & events
These are important events which bring us together even more. There are many occasions such as birthdays or farewells for volunteers. We do celebrate Christmas which is usually not celebrated at the homes of our children, as most of them originate from “Hindu” families. The meaning of Christmas is explained to them the same as […]
Deepam’s evolution
It started out as a playground under the trees In January 1992, two Italian ladies from Auroville gathered children who had special needs in the local village of Kuilapalayam, in Tamil Nadu / South India, on the so-called ‘playground’ under some big tamarind trees. At that time, there were mainly children with intellectual challenges and […]
The meaning of our name
The meaning of our name: A typical earthen oil lamp is called a “Deepam”. Deepam means light or flame. We chose this symbolic name for our project because we intend to bring light into the lives of children with special needs. Traditionally in Tamil Nadu for centuries, the Deepam Festival of Light is celebrated in […]
Diagnoses and applied therapies
In the local rural villages, we face all kinds of special needs. Mostcommon is learning disabilities, cerebral palsy and hearing impairment. Different types of muscular dystrophy are also common. We do also see children who suffer from hemiplegia and different congenital disorders such as Down Syndrome. Many children suffered from birth asphyxia and therefore have […]
Our team
Multiple tasks for a small team Each of our team members have different tasks and responsibilities according to their abilities and according to what is needed. Tasks that need to be done include shopping, cleaning and maintaining the materials, the building and our van. We do our own fundraising and keep proper accounts which are […]
Photos
Under the trees – 1992 Development: 1993 foundation for first building, 1995 inauguration, further extensions and additions over the years Therapy & Education Group Activities Painting Class Deepam’s Festival Outings & Fieldtrips Big Friends Nagammal 1993-2015 Sarasu, another girl
