FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many children do you have at Deepam?
Around 30 children and youth attend our special education program for the full day, five days a week. Additionally, approximately 15 babies and small children come with their parents as outpatients for 1:1 therapy sessions, either daily or several times per week.

Over the years we have worked with several hundred children and their parents. Some came only once for an assessment, others come several times a week and some have been with us for many years. A few of them attend main stream schools and come to us for therapy sessions.

What happens when the children get older?
We can gradually integrate the more able youth into the outside world. Some find training or a workplace with our help. The less able students with more severe intellectual challenges are unable to integrate into work. They may have poor concentration and often have poor fine motor skills and therefore need substantial supervision. Some of them look physically mature but might have underdeveloped cognitive and emotional skills. As we have managed to find suitable solutions outside for those who have better skills, the ones with very limited skills are still with us. Most of these adults need social care rather than work or training. We have two adults attending our program who came since the beginning in 1992.

How is Deepam funded?
We are entirely funded by donations, mainly from private donors and a few organizations and businesses. As we grow, our budget is also rising. We have only made new developments when we could sustain them financially. In the recent years, the prices for basic goods in India have risen enormously. Therefore, our monthly expenses keep rising.