SPECIAL CARE CENTER:

Save The Children India (STCI), a voluntary not-for-profit organization, has been running a Special Care Centre since 1982 in the Drive-In theatre premise in Mumbai.

The Centre caters to the rehabilitative and educational needs of children who are either mentally challenged or hearing and speech impaired. This Centre which is recognised by the Government of Maharashtra provides formal and non-formal education, pre-vocational training, health check-ups, counselling, mid-day meal facilities, speech therapy, self-help skills and integration with normal children.

The Special Care Center’s programs also focus on exposing these children to the world around them. Cultural events, competitions, annual day, sports day, celebration of festivals, picnics, educational tours and field trips are organized and they serve as a creative outlet for the children and as a unifying force that brings the community and the centre closer together.

As the Drive-in theatre is in the process of being demolished and converted into a commercial premise, STCI had to think of a solution to the problem. With this concern in mind STCI started working with the Government of Maharashtra and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra – Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, for a plot of land, where it could build its own school.
STCI secured a plot in the prestigious Bandra Kurla Complex, where it shares a boundary wall with the prestigious American School of Mumbai and with the Dhirubhai Ambani School.

The foundation stone for the Special Care Centre was laid on 12th Oct’03 by Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra – Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde and Mr. Schouwenaar – CEO Zeeman Textiel, Netherlands. Our architects for this project are M/s I. M. Kadri Consultants Ltd. Our civil contractors for this project are M/s Likproof India Pvt. Ltd.

The new Special Care Center is a five storey building with facilities such as vocational training centers for the special children, street children and adolescent girls from the nearby slums, special classrooms, children’s clinic, occupational therapy, library, documentation & research cell, counseling center, physiotherapy room, quality hearing aids, placement cell, teachers training facilities and a cultural center. The children are provided by a pick – up and drop facility from their homes by school buses provided by STCI.

               

Like any other pet project, a lot of hard work has gone into this project by various people involved in it. Meetings, visits to the site, follow ups etc. have all been a part and parcel of this extensive yet joyous activity. From just a site board at the site to the construction of entire building, we have come a long way.
It is said that every step makes a mile and we at STCI have proved that adage right. This new Special Care Center has been a dream for STCI and we are finally seeing a concrete culmination of our project that began several years ago.