An equal world for all

Umed Pariwar a citybased association of parents that works for the betterment of mentallychallenged and cerebral palsy persons is entering its 25th year To mark the occasion they have planned yearlong activities to raise awareness about this neglected segment of the societyDifferentlyabled children perform at a dance competitionThe association was started in 1990 to provide total care to such special children including prevention early intervention training education research and rehabilitation Subhash Rawal president of Umed Pariwar recently announced the calendar of the yearlong celebrationsUmed Pariwar members during a conferenceldquoThe association started with periodical meetings of the parents of differentlyabled children and it has now grown into an active association It has been supporting parents physiologically and emotionally to raise their special childrenrdquoBags created by children under Umed PariwarThere is a need for a residentialcumrehabilitation facility for such adult persons which would accommodate them and provide an opportunity to do productive activities ldquoWith this in mind we are setting up Arvind Saurabh a residential facility across 10 acres of land near Wadaki Nala on HadapsarndashSaswad Road We appeal to citizens to contribute for this initiative in terms of money material and timerdquo added RawalThe journey however hasnrsquot been without challenges Trustee Rajendra Nahar mentions bureaucratic hurdles at government departments for conducting various activities ldquoWe had a tough time getting permission from the Pune Municipal Corporation for getting the drawings made by the special children displayed in the public gardens The toughest challenge was when we approached the Pune Collector to commence work of our project The land was donated to us in the early 90rsquos and we took it for development in 2006 When we contacted the land department for permission to start construction we were informed that we could get only 04 FSI as it falls under the Forest Act We had to struggle for nearly three years but finally we got permission to construct on 20 area without spending even a single paisa as speed moneyrdquoArvind Saurabh will eventually have a capacity to accommodate 100 differentlyabled individuals It will have a therapy centre special area for recreational and sports activities a hydrotherapy centre and an amphitheatre More importantly it will take care of differentlyabled individuals for their entire lifespanUmed Pariwar also organises a twoday biannual state level conference in Pune where they have panel discussions on subjects related to children It includes a special session where parents share success stories of their children in various fields like sports dance and musicParent counselling is also done to educate them about various schemes and facilities for special children Every year on their Foundation Day in April the association conducts dance and drama competition for children from schools and vocational centres in Pune They also run a Sheltered Workshop where 1112 persons come daily and get involved in activities like manufacturing office files paper bags earthen lamps etcThis year there will be a special medical camp for special children from September to December In February 2015 a statelevel conference shall be organised where doctors and parents of affected children and government officials will be invitedBal Melawa a dance competition will be organised in March 2015 in Pune where 450 special children from 30 institutes are expected to showcase their dancing and acting skillsAt Umed Pariwar Shanti Complex New Mangalwar Peth Narpatgiri ChowkCall 9822030093