Our Projects

Polio Children runs a number of  initiatives to achieve its mission of enhancing the welfare of children with polio and  adults  with post-polio syndrome. The projects listed in this section require funding  to keep them going.

Primary Focus Projects

Sai Ram with his University Diploma on his graduation day

University Education Fund started in 2004, has benefited 70 high-school graduates. 19 of them have  gone on to obtain competitive employment in fields as diverse as teaching, tourism, and postal service. Find out more about the University Education Fund.

Vocational Training Programme was started in 2007. After researching trends in the local job market, various training programmes were created to enable children to gain skills in trades such as welding, motorcycle repairing,  and tailoring . As a result, 19 children are now earning a living through their work. Find out more  about the Vocational Training Programme .

Secondary Projects

Wheelchairs

On the way to school... with assistance

The lower limbs of more than 200 children (53%) at SKSN, our primary program of support, are totally paralysed because of polio. At the time of the founding trustees’ inaugural visit in November 2002, there were only 35 wheelchairs, many of which had broken through overuse in a hostile terrain. A few children had ambulatory aids like canes and crutches. But most of them were left to the indignity of crawling on their hands over stony paths to get to their classrooms. While we have been able to add another 30 wheelchairs since, there remains a critical shortage of this essential implement.

Polio Children is committed to providing funds to procure  additional wheelchairs for which we need your help.

Projected cost: £33 ($50) per wheelchair

Total cost: £2,643 ($4,000)/year  for 80 wheelchairs

Health Nurse/Medical Assistance

The nearest medical facility is located about 28 kms (17 miles) from SKSN. On any given day, at least 20-30 children present with medical ailments of which at least 10% have illnesses of sufficient acuity to require evaluation by a doctor.

Over the years, Polio Children has provided  £4,800 ($7,266) to support a school nurse, pay for doctor’s fees and hospital visits, and procure medicines. This initiative needs an ongoing funding stream.

Projected cost: £2,057 ($3,114)/year

Prosthetics lab

Teacher and student in the prosthetics lab

As noted above, literally hundreds of children at SKSN have physical disabilities who would benefit from devices that would assist them with mobility. The greatest need is for calipers, and crutches. A prosthetics laboratory was set up in 2004. In addition to fabricating prosthetics and serving as a repair shop, the laboratory also serves as a Vocational Training Programme for interested students.

Projected cost: £17,006 ($25,734)/year including £13,656 ($20,620) materials

Self-help Groups

Senior girls at a weekly self-help group meeting

During  a visit to the school in February 2009, one of the founding trustees (Shirish Patel, M.D.)  provided formal training to the SKSN staff and senior students in setting up and running self-help groups. This need had been identified by the school administration but few resources were available to assist the children address their emotional concerns.

Today, all 370 students meet every Sunday, in groups of 10-15, to support each other on issues ranging from coping with  anxiety and depression to finding ways of enhancing academic achievements. Says Dr Bhati, the school’s  President, “If we had had  this resource a few years ago, we would not have lost some of our children”.

Projected Cost:  £3,305 ($5,000)/year to provide light refreshments to students and nominal honorariums to the supervising staff.