A ray of hope into lives

Ray of HopeRay of HopeVolume 1 Issue 2

Happy New Year!!Happy New Year!!

Time is like an ever flowing river. Th year 2018 has passed leaving

uncountable joyful memories behind. We at KIRAN had a wonderful

year. KIRAN is all about living life together, sharing moments of joy and

grief. Like the other years in the past, 2018 was a year of celebrating

solidarity. Holi has brought colours into everyday life, Eid has made our

days sweet, Deepavali has enlightened our evenings and Christmas has

brought jingles of happiness. We are very much delighted by the

inclusiveness and acceptance we exercise at KIRAN. We celebrate

humanity irrespective of cast, creed, religion, race, nationality, and

culture. We believe in the beautiful poem penned by the Persian poet

Sa'adi.

The sons of Adam are limbs of each other,

Having been created of one essence.

When the calamity of time affects one limb

The other limbs cannot remain at rest.

If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others,

You are unworthy to be called by the name of a Human.

We have kept spreading smiles among the children and youth of different

abilities and of marginalised sections of society. These beautiful smiles

on the innocent faces of children twinkle in the sky of KIRAN like the

stars. We have never stopped or got tired of working for the welfare of

children and youngsters. Our every “Today” is an endeavour to build a

“Tomorrow” better than the “Yesterday”.

We would like to offer curtsey of gratitude to all the people of India,

Europe and the whole World who have supported our dream to build an

inclusive society for children and youth of different abilities.

KIRAN family prays that the coming year will bring Peace, Love and

Unity among all the children of Adam. May the coming year bring a

spring of solidarity.

A Letter from Sister Sangeeta

In the days of DIVALI 2018, festival of Light

Candles and burning oil lamps are everywhere! This holiday season begins with the full swing of the

Deepavali celebration. The people pray to God Lakshmi and Ganesh for happiness and peace; that

the good may win over evil and the “ray of light” overcomes the darkness.In our beautifully

decorated KIRAN Village, this time of year also displays the creativity and joy of children and

staff. As always on such occasions, the children love to pose for photo-taking.

As we begin to reflect upon another

year of work, I wanted to highlight a

few of our amazing students and

groups working to make our

community a common ground for joy,

inclusivity, and empowerment. Here

you see Sushil who has been with us

for a number of years and

c o l l a b o r a t e s i n o u r c r a f t

w o r k s h o p . H e i s p r o f o u n d l y

affected by cerebral palsy. I

admire him for his peaceful ways

and friendly smile during the work.

This year, the skill-training team has produced hundreds of candle-lights and Sushil has eagerly

helped to paint and decorate them. For the entire team, it has been such a joy to see that all of

their work was sold!

Next, I wish to present to you our Karuna Bhavan

Team which serves as a living-community for young

people affected by cerebral palsy (CP) within

KIRAN Village. This year brought the challenge of

seeking a new caretaker mother for the group

because Clemenzia, who did her service with much

love for over 20 years, retired and went back to her

family. We are so fortunate to add Rupa to our team

along with her passion for working alongside those

with different abilities. Our volunteer Louisa kindly

guided Rupa during her time of probation, and we

are filled with gratitude to see

Karuna Bhavan lighting up as the smiling and loving

community we know it to be.

Gyanda, one team member of Karuna Bhavan, has

been a part of the KIRAN family for over 20 years.

Her parents did everything to care for their lovely, intelligent but profoundly limited

daughter. Recently, KIRAN has stepped in to take a larger role in Gyanda's life. Her mother,

who was her life-long, compassionate caregiver, passed away last year in an unexpected

accident. Her father, who initially stepped into help, recently suffered a paralyzing brain-

haemorrhage and is now unable to pursue the role

of caretaker. Without willing and able relatives to take her in, Gyanda was left without

anywhere to call home. We are so grateful that KIRAN was able to step up and serve as a ray of

hope for her and give her courage through these hardships by providing shelter, community,

and support.

With the use of an electric wheelchair, Gyanda is now spending much of her time working to

finish her Masters in Social Work and visiting our Human Resource Training Center (HRTC)

library to deepen her interest in computer application. However, the road ahead is not

necessarily smoother than the road behind. Gyanda has difficulties with speech and hand-

control which may potentially limit her ability to make an earning in the outside world. Although

the future for Gyanda is unclear, we are eager to do everything in our power to make her

dreams of transforming lives through social work a reality.

I also want to highlight Ravi and Madina, two more team members of our Karuna Bhavan community. Ravi is today some 25 years old and was brought to us in 1999 as an abandoned 4-year old baby, deeply affected by CP. In spite of all efforts, we feel as though we have not succeeded in empowering Ravi as much as he deserves. He remains unable to do anything for himself and his opportunities are very limited. However, we often notice his attentive nature and interest in others around him. We often find him catching those walking by with his hand and communicating with his penetrating, beautiful eyes. Despite our wishes to bring more into his life, Ravi never lets us forget how valuable his spirit is to the KIRAN family. He loves to go for strolls in his wheelchair and lights up when he gets to take a jeep ride into the city. When the motor starts, his hearty laugh lets us know that he is perfectly and contently happy! However, Ravi's impact doesn't stop with our staff, he transforms the lives of so many others atKIRAN. Madina, affected by Down Syndrome, has lost her heart on Ravi! She cares for him, feeds him, and even scolds him. I feel she is a bit like his beloved wife. I am in awe of how both of these individuals, who have been abandoned, neglected, and suffer greatly, have built a relationship built entirely on love and joy! These two remind me of the purpose that relationships, partners, and friends hold in our lives. If we want to continue being a ray of light into the lives of children with different abilities, we need to focus on building connections one person at a time.

I would like to shine one more light on another vital member of KIRAN, our Deepu. (below photo

in wheelchair). Having been abandoned by her parents at age 4, she has been a part of us for as

long as she can remember. Early childhood polio left her paralyzed in her lower limbs but with

the use of a wheelchair, she is able to manage most of life independently. Recently, she

graduated with a Bachelors in Commerce and has enrolled in a course on computer accounting

with the hope of one day working in the banking system. We are proud of her academic success

and ambition. But appreciating Deepu would not be complete without recognizing her

leadership within our community.

Her fun, kind, and genuine

nature brings light to all

those around her. She

brings her gifts to the

lives of the other students

in Karuna Bhavan where

she often takes up the role

of “Didi” or “older sister”

through her guidance and

grace. Deepu is truly an

inspirationto the student at KIRAN and we feel so lucky to have watched her grow!

With these stories in mind, we are dedicating more time to ensuring KIRAN is around

for many years ahead. This past month, our Management Team held a two-day meeting

that focused on analysing our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks. We have

committed to working for greater financial sustainability and ensuring the high quality

of our services for the future. Susann Moesle, the President of KIRAN Switzerland,

General Body and Executive Committee members, and William Gali, our workshop

facilitator, were able to come to KIRAN Village for an open-dialogue on our best

practices and potential. Again, we were reminded of the need for collaboration and

committed friends from India and around worldwide in order to bear good fruit to our

efforts.

We want to especially thank YOU for being a part of the KIRAN family. The

children and staff want to thank you for your support and encouragement. Our future

goals are only possible because of what YOU have done. In order to learn more about

what YOU can do to continuing helping spread KIRAN's mission, you are welcome to

visit our NEW website: www.kiranvillage.org

I wish you JOY and PEACE especially in these coming days of Christmas and New Year;

let us walk together in HOPE!

Sangeeta J.K.

Founder & Executive Director

KIRAN, Varanasi, India

sangeetajk@kiranvillage.org

T h e Mother's Training program at

KIRAN began in 1998 as our other initiatives brought to light the need for encouragement, education, and resources for parents of young children with different abilities. The fear of the unknown causes many young parents to feel discouraged and helpless when navigating the diagnosis of their children, but we believe that with the proper tools, all parents are capable of empowering their children to their fullest ability. Although our initial target was mothers, we have found that enabling fathers is equally as important. Through a team of neurologists, doctors, physical and occupational therapists, caretakers, psychologists, and special educators, we invite couples and their child to stay with us for five days to expand their knowledge, encourage their confidence, and create a specific plan filled with short-term goals.

We have used our years of experience to create a weekly layout that optimizes the number of families able to attend Mother's Training and the benefit of their experience.

Although we are unable to sustainably operate the program without payment from participants, we only ask the families to contribute what they can for their housing and food, administering our professional services without cost. With KIRAN transportation from Lanka to our centre, we begin the week with healthy food and a detail explanation of the schedule to make our families feel as comfortable as possible. The first two days are dedicated to physical, education, communication, and health evaluations in order to create a management plan for each child. The rest of the days are dedicated to bringing a new understanding of individualized rehabilitation practices, legal agency, health and nutrition guidance, and therapy for every family. Overall, the week aims to enable parents with a new sense of capability and pride to carry throughout their parenting journey.

Although Mother's Training is able to reach more and more families every year, we know that the demand of jobs, responsibilities, and travel often prevents families from attending. In addition, the presence of intimidating diagnoses, social stigmas, and misunderstandings can leave parents feeling unable to find help. However, being the “ray of light” that KIRAN is, our Mother's Training team is filled with passionate individuals dedicated to sitting with, listening to, and working beside these struggling parents. Raj Kumar is the director of Mother's Training and he leads with a passion for convincing parents that they are capable of helping their children. His goal everyday is to increase the amount of parents that can say, “Now with confidence, I can do something for my child.” The spirit of our staff is the driving force behind this program and with it, Mother's Training has grown into a flourishing department.

For the past 20 years, we are proud to see that the Mother's Training program has only grown in the face of obstacles. With each session, we realize that we have just as much to learn from the families that participate as we have to teach them. As we watch parents from different social, religious, and economic backgrounds live, learn, eat, and share in hardship and triumph together, we know that Mother's Training makes change on a communal scale. Letting our “bottom-up” philosophy guide the way, we know that the families we serve will play a vital role in the growth of KIRAN's outreach and advocacy throughout our greater community. Looking to the future, we hope to continuously seek more sustainable and inclusive approaches to Mother's Training in order to make it the most accessible platform possible.

Mother's Training Program Mother's Training Program

Sophia Vander KooyBA in Political Science and International Studies

Campus Co-Editor of The Anchor

Art is an instrument of change.

If we look back in time art has contributed

hugely in the development of the world.

Art is being used to spreading

awareness since ages.

Many people with different abilities

has used art to express themselves

such as Christy Brown, Vincent Van Gogh.

A Comic Art Training was

organized in KIRAN

by with Jan Vikas Samiti

Well renouned Ahimsa artist Ignatius Xavier

has conducted two days training in

which 14 children with different abilities

including orthopedic challenged,

cerebral palsy, mentally challenged and

hearing impaired has participated.

During this training children

has also produced

24 informative educative drawings.

Children’s Day Birthday of India's first prime minister is celebrated as Children's day to honor the special love Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru had for the children. We celebrate children's day at KIRAN village as well as in the villages where we reach through our community based rehabilitation program.

This year we had organized an event at NPRC Ghodhana, Mirzapur with more than 500 children of 15 Govt

school has enjoyed various outdoor sports activities. Post sports activities message of gender equity and social

justice delivered through street play, song and dance.

In KIRAN village Children's day was celebrated with all the children of school , trainees and diploma students

with and without disabilities participated. Children watched a movie 'The Good Dinosaur' in the morning. After

the movie all children were taken to Bal Mela- A fun fair. This funfair was another occasion of celebrating the

sprit of community. All the staff and children had enjoyed the activities of the fun fair. Staff and teachers had food

stalls for children where they enjoyed Jhalmuri, Panipuri, Bread Pakora, Sandwich, toffee and sweets. Fun filled games such as umbrella game, Jalebi race, lemon spoon race, bottle -ball game has filled the ambiance of KIRAN with joy, laughter, energy. Such events blossoms the sprit of KIRAN.

International Day for Persons with Disabilities International Day for Persons with Disabilities

rd3 December is observed as United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities since 1992. Since KIRAN is working for the holistic development of the children and youth with different abilities this days has high significance for us. Every year we organized activities to spread awareness about different abilities in the community.

This year also we have organized many events to mark the day. Awareness activities has been carried out in villages where we work. Clean India is one of the major programs run by the Indian Government which focuses on cleanness of surroundings and habitats. On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities we carried out a cleaning drive to clean the village around the KIRAN and the Shooltankeshwar Ghaat. All the members of KIRAN society has participated in it with enthusiasm.

To promote the behavior of using dustbin, leaflet were distributed, children of KIRAN village went door to door to spread awareness. Dustbin at many places were installed for the sustainability of cleanness.

KIRAN is known for it inclusive school where children with different abilities and without different abilities study together under the observation of trained teachers in a barrier free environment. KIRAN school is an example of how an inclusive school should look like.

To share our knowledge with all the people who need it we have developed seven booklets on how to make a school inclusive and accessible for the children with different abilities. These booklets focuses on the

rdvarious aspect of inclusive education system. On 3 of December, these booklet were launched to make them available.

Empowerment of Children and youth with different abilities does not end with therapeutic rehabilitation,

education and vocational trainings. Fortifying their independency by helping them to grab opportunities

of earning bread and butter is also necessary for their social inclusion. Social Integration Department of

KIRAN society works to build a network which will let youth with different abilities to connect with the

opportunities which help them becoming independent financially.

Social Integration department keep perusing for such opportunities. Job fair organized by Jan Vikas

Samiti with our indirect support was one such opportunity where youths with different abilities and from

marginalized community had explored. Various employers has participated in the event. They offered jobs

of various nature suited for youths with different abilities. 35 youths had applied for the jobs out of which 5

were shortlisted.

We, as a non profit organization needs support of the people. We always try to

connect with the people who carries generosity in their heart. We organize various

events to connect with such people. We had organized a musical evening and

dinner to connect with the people who carries love for the children with different

abilities. Children and youth with different abilities had made the evening

scintillating with their performances. We had invited 30 people on the basis of paid

passes. The event was successful venture.

Job Fair

Dinner for The Dreams

Celebration of SolidarityKIRAN is a family , we celebrate all the festivals together with equal enthusiasm. This time it was the occasion of celebrating Deepawali and Christmas.

Children fills joy in the celebration of festivals, our more than 300 children made our Deepavali more scintillating. Children and youngsters had drawn many beautiful design with Rangoli art. Deeps were twinkling in KIRAN Village making it more beautiful. Dance and singing performances from our children had made it more beautiful.

Staff Excellence AwardsKIRAN works for the holistic development of children and youth with different abilities. It takes a lot of efforts of KIRAN family to keep the journey towards our mission on. We understand that our staff invest a lot of willful efforts towards the mission of KIRAN. To recognize their efforts we give annual staff excellence awards. This year also the efforts of staff were recognized and praised. Twelve of our staff were selected for the staff excellence awards 2017-18. In a small gathering of KIRAN family they were decorated with the certificate of excellence.