Chennai organisation helps Kashmirs disabled children

Parents in Kashmir have found a beacon of hope after a Chennai-based organisation sponsored to set up a special school for mentally challenged children in the Valley.

By Parvez butt

Srinagar, Sept 21 : Parents in Kashmir have found a beacon of hope after a Chennai-based organisation sponsored to set up a special school for mentally challenged children in the Valley.

Located in Srinagar, the school is an initiative of a Chennai based NGO, 'Life Help Centre' which took forward the project with the help of other foreign agencies.

"I have never been so happy in life. We have been very depressed about the life of our child but today I feel relieved," said Qasi Nisar, a parent.

The school, which can accommodate 30 students, also has residential facilities.

According to the officials of the State's social welfare department, there are 40,000 disabled children in the State who suffer from various disabilities.

"There were no provisions for the mentally-challenged children. And the private sector, the NGOs have been working in this field for long. So, we wanted to promote and encourage them for their initiatives," said M.A. Masood, deputy director of the state's social welfare.

Recent surveys show that three percent of India's children are mentally challenged.

Though Indian laws make it mandatory for all schools to treat special children at par with the regular ones, many private-run institutes flout rules and there are many cases of such children being refused admission.

ANI