To expand the reach of our support program to the rural area, we had arranged camp at village Sonwadi / Gajwadi at foothills of Sajjangad in August 2015.
About 12 candidates along with their parents were present at the camp and expressed their requests. After thorough scrutiny, we identified 6 candidates who were taking inclusive education for the support program from the camp. Thus, first Rural Centre of Make My Dream Foundation came into existence.
Thereafter, we had intermittent visits to the centre and tried to support the candidates in different modes. Corrective Surgery, supply of artificial aids, supporting for tuition fees, medical check-up, identification of proper schools, supply of books and stationery etc, are the major heads of support program offered by us.
We observe that in rural areas the development and support programs for physically challenged candidates are inadequate. Illiteracy of parents about early detection of disability and inadequate treatment scaffolds the problem. Many mentally challenged children are not treated in the right spirit of development and their inner potential is untapped.
We feel the urge of manifold awareness programs and programs for removal of “superstitions” from the mindsets of parents and relatives to increase the reach of real development. There is a lot of scope for such work in rural areas.
We feel that a strong network between NGOs should be built up in rural areas to enhance the same.
Under this program, we plan to hold more such camps in rural areas.