CENTRE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION 

As one enters this idyllic portal in Pollibeta, absolute serenity and peace envelop you. This experience of tranquil bliss is complete when around 120 smiling, happy people greet you with a warm smile and a cheerful ‘good morning’ as they set off to say their morning prayers and begin their days work. This haven for rehabilitating differently- abled children is called Swastha. Set up in 2003, the Coorg Foundation decided to take up a project which was very much the need of the hour in the district of Coorg.

The concept of Swastha was first given impetus by Mrs. Ganga Changappa who started with 20 children. She took the help of Mrs. Sreekala Rao, an officer’s wife and later on Mrs. Renu George joined in. A feather, among many, in Swastha’s cap is that it is the only residential school in the district providing the required care and training to 120 special children, free of cost, through its centers in Sunticoppa and Pollibetta. The facilities include a hostel, food and conveyance. The center teems with dedicated, trained and experienced special educators, speech therapists and psychologists. Several children from Swastha are now working for others or are self-employed.

CURRICULUM:

Special Education: Swastha has teachers who are dedicated to educating the children according to their ability and aptitude

Pre-Vocational and Vocational skills: The differently-abled children have enormous concentration and focus once they are gently guided into learning various skills. They are trained by specialists in various crafts in the pre-vocational phase and then placed in centres that enable them to use these skills to make a living.

Speech Therapy: It is heart-warming to see children who were born with speech defects being able to communicate and so be able to integrate themselves into society

Drama and Music Therapy: To develop social skills and a holistic development of the personality.

Counseling: Counseling here involves not just the children but the parents and society to accept and enable the defiantly-abled to live a life of dignity and independence

Skill Development Programs: Various skill development programmes are conducted every year in association with the Vocational Rehabilitation Council, Bangalore, funded by NABARD. They are trained in making envelopes from hand-made papers, screen printing, offset printing, book binding, making bookmarks, greeting cards, mushroom cultivation etc.

Yoga and Sports: A healthy body houses a healthy mind and the people at Swastha include sport as part of their everyday living. Besides that, Swastha has numerous awards under its belt. A point in case is three children from Swastha coming home with medals at The Special Olympics Asia Pacific Games which was held at New Castle, Australia in 2013.

Cultural Activities: There is no dearth of talent at Swastha as children put up dances, skits and some have even starred in Udaya TV, a local television channel. Even as hearing-impaired children dance to different beats you are astounded by how acceptance and love can throw open the doors to endless opportunity and talent.