Reaching out to children and young adults with a disability living in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Anondo Neer Project was developed by the Marist Missionary Sisters for people with a disability provides life skill training, basic physiotherapy, literacy and numeracy education, income generating skills and opportunities for socialization outside of their home, to intellectually challenged, (many are also physically disabled) and deaf children. The project helps with medical care related to the disability and assists with the costs of some medications. It also provides the parents and immediate families of those with a disability with health education and emotional support to help deal with them.
During 2016 the project saw fifty children/ young adults with a disability participate in the projects activities which were run 5 days a week at our Tejkunipara centre (20 children), at Mother Teresa’s Home in Islampur (16 abandoned disabled children) and in the Noya Nagar area (11 children). Two intellectually and physically disabled children continued to receive care several times a month at Notre Dame and two other children, who formerly participated in activities at Noya Nagar but have now moved to areas just outside of Dhaka, continue to receive physiotherapy and other help from our staff. The project has also continued the development of occupational skills for those children/ young adults involved in the program. They regularly make small paper bags that are sold to a local store and also made Christmas cards and jewelry to sell over the festive period.
The Marist Mission Centre (MMC), in collaboration with AMS, has ensured that this project has been able to provide a positive change in the lives of many disabled children and young adults living in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2017, the ongoing partnership with MMC will ensure this program continues to effect change for some of the most deprived children in Bangladesh.