"Indian solutions for Indian problems”
 
 
 

PROFILE :

Going down the memory lane Karunamayee Parents’ Organisation for the Mentally Handicapped (KPO) started working with its embryonic perception from 1984 for pleasure and delight of the challenged children housed in like schools with colourful prizes associating them with light sports and random sketches, by sparks, with a different name. With changed nomenclature as it is now (KPO) it got registered in 1997 under W.B. Societies Act 1961 as a service provider to the variously challenged people and philanthropic and humanitarian organisation.
2. KPO is virtually the brainchild of sensitive and prudent parents of ill-fated challenged children with a mission to serve and assist them and others similarly circumstanced to ward off their handicaps and impairment, in motivated ways, to facilitate phased restoration of behavior habits to enable them converge in socio-economic mainstream and have permanent shelter with homely care and amenities after demise of parents to an extent sustainable. A home away from home is what KPO is after.
3. A small room and 3 challenged children registered the beginning but, in course of time, KPO’s compassionate perception, its meaningful purpose and devotion, its patient weathering of crunchy obstacles smoothened its passage to a rented building in Jagatpur, Baguiati, Kolkata – 59, (spread over 4000 sqft.) where variously challenged children and their family numbering around 1000 directly and indirectly now are being professionally treated. Challenged children are subject to psychological diagnosis at the start and when prescribed course of treatment continues for ascertaining improvement. As per psychological reading, a challenged person is placed under appropriate therapies, as under:

  1. PHYSIO THERAPY
  2. SPEECH THERAPY
  3. INFORMAL EDUCATION / SPECIAL EDUCATION
  4. PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING / THERAPY
  5. BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION
  6. MUSIC THERAPY
  7. DANCE THERAPY
  8. VOCATIONAL THERAPY
  9. MULTISENSORY AND EARLY INTERVENTION
  10. PERIODICAL HEALTH CHECK UP
  11. PARENTS’ COUNSELLING
  12. HYDROTHERAPY
  13. BUS FACILITY


Presently file and envelop -making have become rewarding. What marks an achievement is supply of files and envelops effected to Govt. and autonomous bodies owing to better standard and competitiveness. Parents of challenged children are in the process of being taken in for their training and practice with a view to upgrade their levels of living as they mostly belong to BPL. Another feather to add, KPO has been selected to participate for improvement of this particular trade for training such BPL communities for their economic up-gradation under KUSP programme, a joint venture of Govt. of W.B with DFID. A very vast area consisting of Baguiati, Kestopur with villages around, DumDum, NagerBazar, DumDum Park, Salt Lake, Madhyamgram, Barasat, New Town etc- is KPO’s jurisdiction. Experiencing that some challenged persons are unable to come to KPO institution for acute disability and / or other pressing family constrains, KPO takes them in under home-based training.
4. Up- to- date equipments and machines have been put to use and challenged persons are found by this time to be a fait with them. Doctors call at regular intervals. Parents / guardians of challenged wards are also given medical advice for their physical welfare. Therapists and Special Educators on roll are experienced and sensitive professionals.
5. This congruous development et al of KPO is attributable to assistive intervention of Roy Trust UK, an assembly of charity doling out financial fillip as a time-bound measure upon perception of sincere and undiluted service potential of KPO towards the variously challenged community.
6. This intervention of Roy Trust UK was affected in instalment of token financial assistance to KPO from time to time as a result of minute observation of activity of KPO towards challenged children and, upon satisfaction with KPO’s sincerity and service potentiality, Roy Trust UK emerged as a steady fostering strength. KPO has acquired its own building JOFFE HOUSE by name, three- storied one spread over 10 - katha land, at Mondolpara, Milanbazar, Krishnapur, Kolkata – 102 where, besides Accounts, other training classes are on regular session. Apart from an open area, there is 2000/ sqft. covered space at Joffe House.
7. KPO shares part of assignment undertaken by Sarva Siksha Mission, North 24 Parganas, in so far as providing Special Educators is concerned as DLRO. Such Special Educators are deployed in far away remote rural areas. KPO is registered under National Trust Act 91 under Govt. Of India. Registration under PWD Act 95 has been obtained. It enjoys the benefit under 80G of IT.
8. Every effort is made for alround well-being of challenged children under care of KPO to the extent affordable. It deserves to be recorded that challenged children are provided with free transport both ways and nutritious drink and eatables.
9. Medical attention to the challenged children under the tutelage of KPO is accorded and, at times of persistent illness, intensive care is taken. In addition to such enrolled children, their parents / guardians are also accorded medical diagnosis and advice with a view to ensure family health care. At Joffe House in Mondolpara, Kestopur, KPO’s doctors call on as per schedule to attend local people mostly falling under BPL and prescribe minimum medicines. Negotiation is underway to have a tie- up with a Research and Diagnostic Center for the benefit of pathological examination at a very low cost, if no cost facility is not affordable. In short, apart from doing what best from affordability point of view is possible, KPO has been striving for achieving social welfare of the non-privileged people it can reach to.
10. One of the qualitative points KPO can take note of is its evaluation and monitoring being done by National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH) Govt. of India.
11. The core aspiration KPO is seized with fulfilling is after becoming a holistic haven for the challenged community always on the increase with spontaneous provision of adequate and appropriate education, therapies, healthcare and short-stay home as well as human resource development of the kind required for propagation of service towards them. That every one attached to KPO, i.e. total task force and challenged children are covered under insurance is a steady foot onward to achieve benevolent destination.
KPO, therefore, craves to be sympathetically considered for academic accreditation as a promising, potential organisation for the variously challenged but differently-able community.