Vatvruksha: A home away from home

BHARATI PAWASKAR

Their message is loud and clear - to every parent who has a special child. Asking the parents to erase this ever haunting question, ‘who will be there for my special child when I am no more’, from their minds, Dr Nilesh Usgaonkar, a well-known paediatrician from Margao has taken that much-needed step towards conceptualising a ‘home away from home’ for special adults in Goa.

Launching the website of ‘Laxmi Narayan Trust’ under which this project ‘Vatvruksha’ would rise, Dr Nilesh came out with a promise on the Independence Day of offering solace to restless parents, offering them a Trust they can trust. With expertise, enthusiasm, efficiency and effectiveness as the core competence, Vatvruksha is designed to put to ease their disturbed minds and aching hearts.

In India there are 2.5 crore persons with disabilities which is 2.2 per cent of our population. In Goa there are around 15,000 differently abled persons. Appealing Goans to come together, to create a future that these special children desire and deserve and to offer them a safe, secured, joyful and dignified life, Dr Nilesh and his like-minded team is working on this one-of-a-kind project in Goa.

Early identification of disabilities, interventional therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, in certain cases surgical corrections, inclusive education, vocational training and equal and gainful employment opportunities. “These are the basic needs and requirements of the differently abled individuals apart from providing lifelong care,” observes Dr Nilesh who founded Laxmi Narayan Trust with these issues in mind.

Established on July 9, 2014, with the very objective of providing a long term residential care giving facility for the adults with special needs Laxmi Narayan Trust is already serving society through health camps, vocational training workshops, health awareness seminars, motivational talks and recreational events.

The Trust has been in social activities since its inception and so far has conducted eye checkup camps, medical camps, clay idol making workshops for special children. It also distributed educational and sports kits, notice boards, cupboards etc to schools in Goa. The journey is on and so far 600 children have availed the benefits from such activities.

Dr Nilesh recalls the turning point which compelled him to think deeply on the issue of special children - “During my tenure as PTA president of Sanjay School, Porvorim, I came across aged parents having an adolescent child with special needs. These parents expressed their concern about their child’s future care, especially when they will be no more! Giving a deep thought after listening to their disturbed minds and aching hearts, we, my better-half Deepa and I planned to take up a survey of long-term residential centers for special adults in our neighboring states as Goa had none.”

And to their surprise, the couple came across many Goans placed at such outstation centers in Mumbai, Dombivali, Chandgad, Shimoga, Pune and Bangalore. It was here that the Usgaonkars realised the utmost need of such a residential center in Goa for adults with special needs. “And that was the beginning of our journey,” quips Dr Nilesh.

“When a special child is born in a family, initially, the parents are in denial mood. They are not ready to believe that their child is special. It’s but natural. But once they accept the fact that the child is differently abled, they sink into depression. That’s also common,” reasons Deepa Usgaonkar, trustee and herself a mother of a special child. She further adds, “The parents get physically and mentally exhausted while nurturing a special child. The financial needs surge up with expensive interventional therapies. Sometimes the child is put on lifetime medications.”

Special education teachers come across students with various disabilities and each student is a unique case. They modify their lessons to suit each student. Parents sometimes are overprotective too. In the absence of parental support, teachers have to tackle behavioral issues including restlessness and mood swings in special kids and take appropriate disciplinary majors. There are emergency situations which are difficult to handle if the illness is chronic.

The mother in Deepa expresses, “We all know, every parent having a special child is the best caregiver because it is they who experience the pain and hardships while nurturing their child. So initially, the parents of residents at our center themselves will serve as caretakers along with other trained nursing staff.”

‘Vatvruksha’ has 1000 sq mt property along with the ancestral house of the trustees who zeroed on constructing a residential center for special adults. “It was Deepa’s idea,” confirms Dr Nilesh elaborating on ‘Vatvruksha’ - a three-floor structure with 15 two-bedded rooms, two medical rooms on each floor, a physiotherapy unit, a vocational center, office, seminar cum recreational hall, IT server space, dining hall, kitchen and utility space within the premises.

“We believe in serving humanity. We wish to offer our residents a joyful, dignified, safe and secured life, teach them life skills and take care of their physical, mental, behavioral, emotional and spiritual health,” promises Dr Nilesh who is expecting people’s participation through donations for his noble work. With the launch of the website, (www.laxminarayantrust.com), Facebook page and Instagram, he expects to reach global Goans who are in need of assistance.

He is aware that usually, parents approach such residential centers as a last resort as they experience a feeling of guilt and grief.  “We assure them to be the parents of these children of lesser God,” smiles Dr Nilesh.