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Sri Sathya Sai Baba Service
Activities |
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Shanthi School in Kuwait
WINDOW TO SAI SEVA
THE SPECIAL 'SHANTHI SCHOOL'
IN KUWAIT
FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL
NEEDS
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The location of Kuwait in the Persian
Gulf - Middle East Asia
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Imagine if destiny ordained your family with a child
with special needs. A child who even after receiving
your love and attention for 6 yrs can barely
recognize you! ….or a child who forgot everything
that you taught just 5 minutes ago in a trice! …or a
child who never learnt to write and can barely speak
because his hands or mouth would not coordinate with
his brain …
How
would you feel? Sometimes you might feel confused,
sometimes frustrated, and at times in dire need of
support. But imagine a case where the mother of a
family, apart from taking care of her normal
children, volunteers herself to take care of a
special child and spends most of the day with this
special child…giving the child the special attention
and love that the child desperately needs…caring for
him with the same love and concern that she does for
her own child…and making miracles happen. Calling
such selfless volunteers as angels will not be an
overstatement, you will agree.
No
wonder, the parents of one such special child wrote
in a letter to the Sai volunteers in Kuwait,
“When God could not be everywhere, he made
Mothers. But when he wanted to spread hope
and love, He made Guardian angels like you
ALL.”
Further, in the letter, the parents told the
volunteers how their child had now
“grown to newer heights on your wings of love”.
 We
are talking about the Shanthi School for
special needs children, set up and run in an amazing
fashion by Sai devotees in Kuwait.
This
has been going on for seven years now and we knew
about it only when we saw the pictures and read the
inspiring stories of the mentally challenged
children in an exhibition in Chaitanya Jyoti Museum.
This had been organized by the Sai Organisation of
Kuwait during the Guru Poornima Celebrations in
Prashanthi Nilayam as part of Swami's 80th Birthday
celebrations.
We had
decided on that day itself that we will share this
story with all our readers. For it is a story of
great inspiration…it is a tale of the power of love…
a testimony to what can be accomplished by willing
hearts full of selfless love …. of how miracles can
happen if we are sincerely committed to God and good
work.
Before
we further tell you in detail about the activities
that go on in this special school, their
methodology, their philosophy of care, etc. let’s go
right to the beginning…how the school came about in
the first place.
The Beginning
Due to the
expense of schooling in Kuwait, parents of
low and middle-incomes find it impossible to
find schools for their children with special
needs. Seeing this opportunity for service,
the Kuwait Sai Centre opened the School for
Special Needs Children as a service project,
dedicated to their beloved Sai, in 1998. It
had 5 students and 12 volunteers then and
was actually located in the living room of a
volunteer’s home.
In order to
cater to the increasing demand of such
children with Special Needs, the school was
shifted to a more spacious location in an
area called ‘Shaab’. The house was offered
free to the school by a generous Kuwaiti
gentleman Mr. Hussain Al-Qattan. This made
it possible for the volunteers to enroll
more children.
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The
First Building of the Shanthi
School
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The
New Building being inaugurated
by
Mr.
Hussain Al-Qattan
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This new
location was inaugurated by the then Indian
Ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Mr. Prabhu Dayal
in 1999. However, as the owners were to
renovate the house, the school had to be
shifted to another location in a rented
apartment in a place called ‘Salmiya’ to
sustain its activities. The school presently
has 18 children and 16 volunteers.
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Classrooms inside Shanthi School
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The
Volunteers
What is
the Volunteers' Attitude and Approach?
‘Every
day and every interaction with these
children taught me values such as
patience, compassion, selfless love and
more than anything else a positive
attitude to life. I have learned to live
every moment as God's special gift
without complaining about things that I
do not possess.’
This is what a
volunteer, Sister Vidya Saigopal, of the
Shanthi School has to say. And this is kind
of response you will receive from any
volunteer who is working in this school. It
is not only this positive attitude that has
made this school a success but also the
volunteers’ training ability, skill and
commitment which has done wonders. And how
do the volunteers pick up the skills to
train these special children?
The school is
very professional in its approach. It
actually trains its volunteers regularly
through workshops to help build their skills
to handle the children in the best possible
manner. Training programmes are conducted by
professionals for these volunteers who come
from diverse backgrounds, in various fields,
including Psychiatry, Physiotherapy,
Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy.
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 Why
and How Do The Volunteers Work?
Professionals
and volunteers work tirelessly out of their
love for these children. And the
only reward they expect is a smile on the
face of the parents when their little one
utters his first word or takes her first
step.
With 16
volunteers and 18 children the
volunteer-child ratio, as you can see, is
very high. This enables excellence in care
and quality time to be given to the wards.
One has only to learn how the volunteers’
positive attitudes shape this model
institution.
“I see God in these children,”
one of the volunteers says,
“I feel that I could be of use
to someone at the end of the
day. I am thankful to Bhagavan
Baba for having provided me an
opportunity to serve these
children and thereby transform
myself to be a better
individual.”
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Every volunteer
has, in fact, something similar to narrate.
Sister Meera Bala, who has been associated
with the school for quite sometime now,
enthusiastically tells us,
‘When I
was a little girl of 10 years I used to
be really scared of seeing a mentally
retarded boy walk down our lane. My
family members used to dissuade us from
even standing in the balcony when this
child passed by.
How ignorant people were those days...
Now thinking back I feel, if
only I had the education about children
with Special Needs, I could have been a
friend to him and thus made his
childhood enjoyable. I strongly
feel that everyone in this life should
be educated about children with Special
Needs from an early age. Strangely from
the first day of inception of this
school, I have never once looked at the
children with any fear. On the contrary
I just love being with them.
Personally, I feel I am
very fortunate to be working
with these special children of
God. They are so full of love
and affection and there is never
a dull moment with them around.
A hug, a smile, and a whole lot
of love are all that they expect
from us. Strange though it might
sound, I have a lot to learn
from their unconditional love,
egolessness, their innocence and
the enthusiasm with which they
attend school.
Though their attention span and
level of retention is low, the
children never shy away from
learning whatever is taught to
them. The classroom comes alive
when we have music, dance and
party sessions. Every day is a
learning process for us
volunteers too. We have been
trained by specialists, and
teaching methods range from
flash cards to puzzles,
audio–visuals, speech therapy,
computer aided programmes,
vocational skills and academics.
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Oh! How I miss them when we close school
for three months in summer.’
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Celebrating Birthdays of special
children....they share and
care....
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Methodology and
Philosophy Of Care
Who is a
‘Special Child?’
Children aged
between 4 and 16 who have conditions such as
Down’s syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy and
other learning disabilities are admitted to
the School. They are assessed with
professional help before admission, to
decide their level of ability and their
requirements and are then placed in
different groups. The morning begins with
Prayers (and smiles) for these very special
children and the lessons are taught based on
a structured curriculum.
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Divine Guidance - The Altar at
Shanthi School
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The childrens' day starts with a
prayer...
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What
does the School Do?
Anybody who
visits the school will see that the School
offers the children opportunity to realise
their full potential and to make them as
independent as possible in daily life. Here
they learn, they share, they respond and
most importantly, they blossom. Essentially
Love is the primary medium of instruction.
And this is their key to success.
Gross
motor activities such as running,
throwing, catching, jumping are encouraged
in the children through group activities. A
range of fine motor activities are also
carried out by the children to foster
eye-hand co-ordination and facilitate the
development of small muscles.
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Fine Motor Skills - To foster
eye-hand coordination...
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Skills
to enable the children to be more
independent are taught through
steps like brushing the teeth, washing,
feeding, toilet training, personal hygiene,
grooming etc.
Children
are also encouraged to use all their senses
- visual, auditory taste, smell, and touch.
They are
encouraged to solve simple puzzles,
gradually moving on to more complex
cognitive skills such as problem solving and
logical thinking.
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Solving puzzles and then
cognitive skills like problem
solving....
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Reading,
writing and arithmetic are taught through
conventional methods.
Teaching
aids such as video films and specially
designed computer programs are used
to reinforce what is taught the conventional
way.
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Developing writing, reading
skills...specially designed
computer programs to reinforce
conventional learning.
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The
volunteers teach art and crafts to the
children as part of the curriculum.
The children participate in an Inter-School
Drawing competition conducted by The Khalifa
School (a private school for Children with
Special Needs) and regularly win prizes
every year in such events.
They are
also given wholesome encouragement to
perform cultural activities. For
example, during the celebrations of
Bhagavan’s birthday by the Kuwait Sai
Centre, the children usually perform small
skits on stage and this has always been a
highlight of the stage programs. The
audience looks forward to their performance
every year.
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Learning crafts, arts and more
crafts...
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The
children also are trained in vocational
activities such as making candles,
greeting cards and a variety of other
handicraft items. These were recently
exhibited in the “Educare” exhibition
organized by the Kuwait Sai Organisation at
the Chaitanya Jyoti Museum in July 2005.
And
Field Trips…
Shanti
School aims to inculcate in each child, an
appreciation of his or her own unique
abilities. To relate to the world around
them and then be accepted by society is an
important step. This important
aspect is covered through educational field
trips organized throughout the year. These
efforts have been more than amply rewarded
through the satisfaction and joy of parents,
and more importantly, the love showered on
the children.
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During Field Trips...to help
them relate to the world
easily....
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Some of these
special children have been able to achieve
better skills in their thinking activities
and believe it or not, they are in the
process of joining schools for normal
children! |
Celebration of
School Day
The Shanti
School celebrated its School Day on 18th
May, 2005 to showcase the talents of these
children who performed to an audience. Under
the divine guidance of Bhagavan Baba and the
efforts of the volunteers, the children gave
a moving performance. The audience was
amazed, and warmly appreciated the special
talents these children are endowed with.
The School Day
was attended by dignitaries presided by the
Chief Guest Ms Nadia, a prominent Kuwaiti
philanthropist and included the Principals
of other Indian Schools in Kuwait. Speaking
on the occasion, Dr.Ramachandran - father of
a student Sanjana - spoke eloquently of how
his child has remarkably progressed to take
care of her own basic needs, within a short
span of time.
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Indian
Ambassador with Mr. Hussian Al -
Qattan
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The
Chief Quest, Mr. Hussian Al-
Qattan
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A
member of the Royal family at
the school...
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Meena and Leslie
Noronha, the parents of Calvin, wrote a
moving letter to the teachers after seeing
Calvin perform on the School Day. We have
already mentioned a small excerpt of this
letter in the beginning of this story, here
is the whole letter for you now.
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A
Letter From One of the Parents.
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Dear
Teachers,
This is
a note to say “THANK YOU” for all
that you have done and are doing for
our child. The words “Thank You”
convey our Gratitude, love, prayers,
blessings and best wishes to you
all.
Congratulations on a wonderful show
on the School Day. It was a
magnificent and memorable occasion
for us. Seeing our child perform on
stage, made our eyes water and
hearts swell with pride. This was
possible only because of your
efforts. We thank you very much.
Your patience, love and painstaking
efforts were evident during each
moment of the “Show”.
Our
child Calvin has grown to newer
heights on your wings of love. When
God could not be everywhere, he made
Mothers. But when he wanted to
spread hope and love, He made
Guardian angels like you ALL.
Wishing
you all happy Vacation!
Thanking
you. In appreciation and Gratitude,
Yours
sincerely,
Meena & Leslie Noronha
(Calvin’s Parents)
31st May
2005 |
With Swami’s
Grace, the school hopes to expand and
increase its strength in the days to come
with the objective of spreading love and
providing quality care to these special
children. They know it is not going to be
easy but they are not deterred, as one
volunteer says,
‘We
would not like to give up our attempt -
but be confident as each day passes. It
is a test, a challenge and so we need to
grow and learn with each child and learn
to meet his or her special needs.
When the student is successful, the
teacher is successful. We are both
learners and there is great joy in
learning. It is a bond which can never
be broken.’
Really
inspiring, isn’t!
To download a
powerpoint presentation on Shanthi School,
click here.
If you know of
similar things happening anywhere, please
write to us at
h2h@radiosai.org.
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