Objectives:
Facilitate supplementary education, medical rehabilitation, mobility improvement, and social integration of non-institutionalized mentally challenged children.
Member Involvement:
- Yoga, music, physiotherapy for overall well-being
- Art therapy, drawings paintings, clay modeling, and origami for fine motor coordination
- Visits to their homes and schools to extend improvement opportunities
- Meeting with parents to provide them guidance and improve quality of care they provide
Frequency / Location:
Every Sunday 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the FS campus
‘Sunday School’ stays open when other schools are closed. No formal teaching occurs in it. It started in 1979 and is operated by volunteers. The main aim of this school is to provide its beneficiaries supplementary education, medical rehabilitation, mobility acceleration and social integration.
About 30 to 50 non-institutionalized children spend three hours on Sunday mornings on the FS campus. They are picked up from their homes and brought to the FS campus where they learn different things like basic reading and writing. They engage in creative activities that improve their fine motor coordination like drawing, painting, clay modeling, etc. Trained art teacher, music teacher, physiotherapist, and staff specially trained to deal with such children help with these activities. They are all volunteers as well. The therapeutic values of these activities are quite significant and the children emerge more able and confident. Lunch is provided at the end of each ‘Sunday School’ session.
There are other outdoor activities, besides games, such as visits to local bank, railway station, zoo, nature camp, and holding picnics. Some of these trips have also been to places outside the city like Mahabaleshwar, Pune, Panchgani, etc. In the past they have taken part in sports meets in other cities and won accolades.
The children are also provided medical assistance. Orthopedic surgeons, pediatricians, dentists, and others regularly volunteer to conduct check-ups. Physiotherapy is provided. Friends Society also helps the children through vocational guidance and facilitating admissions in regular or special schools.
Family members are encouraged to take responsibility for the welfare of their children and are given guidance by FS volunteers on correct handling and child rearing practices. They are counseled when required on different aspects for the optimum development of their kids.