The Sethsarana Skills Development Center in Malamulla, Panadura is the focal point of this project. Programs are held twice a week for special needs children to help them develop their motor skills. Children born with mental disabilities such as Autism and Down’s Syndrome are generally neglected and are brought up at home. Once they grow up, they become a burden to society if they are orphaned and in many cases, not taken care of by their siblings. As they lack the basic skills set to take care of themselves, they become a burden to the society. At the Social Care Center, children are being groomed to develop essential skills such as brushing their teeth, tying their shoelaces etc. In addition, depending on their level of cognition, they are been taught to read and write.
During Phase I of this project, we supplied the center with necessary stationery and refurbished the children’s area with new coats of paint. We are also working on a Sensorial Board for the center. As Phase II, we hope to furnish the Center with classroom furniture which will be more suitable. We will also provide the center with a CD player/radio for the kids to listen to soothing music while they learn.
As Phase III rolls out, we hope to make improvements to the play area and bring in a new set of outdoor play.. Such as swings, slides and seesaws.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
- Motivate learning through hands on activities.
- Practical skills training that will help support their livelihood in the future.
- Help integrate differently-abled children into the society.
- Create a suitable environment to promote healthy learning.
This will be realized through activities tailored on improving gross/fine motor skills. This would also involve developing a curriculum to enhance their capabilities. We would also work on a creating a better learning environment by changing the decor to a more kid friendly one.
