Hamara Bandhan -
Organisation for the support of socials projects in India
Schools for the blind
A lot of schools for blind children are equip with teaching material worse. in particular small schools are lacking special teaching material for the blinds. Therefore, we support currently two schools for the blind in the north of Karnataka.
The following projects we have already undertaken:
- Braille kits: special teaching materials for learning the Braille font
- Chalk Unit: Building a teaching workshop for the manufacture of chalk, and as an entry into professional life
- Financial support for teacher salaries and the children's food
- Special software for learning Braille and PC games for the blind
- Clothes for the children and mattresses for the dormitories
- Perkins Bariller for writung Braille
Smt. Ambubai Residential School for the Blind Girls
Smt. Ambubai residential School for blind Girls is a free residential school for visually handicapped girls in the age group of 6-10 years. At present there are ca. 40 students. Medium of Instruction is Kannada; apart from that English and Hindi are being taught as second and third languages.
Smt. Ambubai Residential School for Blind Girls is the dream Child of Prof Dattu Agarwal who himself is a visually impaired. His bitter experiences of being blind floated the idea of Starting a School for blind girls which is the first of its kind in the entire Gulbarga division.
Mr. Dattu Agarwal is the recipient of several awards and recognitions for excellent job in the field of teaching and social service. He has been honored as Model Teacher, best Social Worker etc from the Governmental and non governmental organizations. For more pictures see Photographs about the Ambubai Residential School for the Blind Girls.
Projects
- July 2009: Braille kits
Im July 2009 we were in Indien again and distributed Brille kits to the blind girls of a small school. Here you find photograohs of the Ambubai School and the braille kits and articles from Indian press. - February 2010: Braille software and laptop for the school for blind girls
In close cooperation with the principal Professor Dattu Agarwal, the teachers Mr. Mahesh and Mrs. Sangeeta, we developed an educational software for learning Braille. Among the first lessons, the letters are spoken and the corresponding positions of the Braille dots are explained. After thais, the girls can exercise the letters and have to enter the Braille dots on the numerical keyboard. The children can learn with this software, both the Latin and Kannada letters - the common language in the northern Karnataka. The entire speech is in Kannada, so that the children learn without any assistance.
In addition to the educational software we provided PC games developed specifically for the blind. With these games like tennis or car racing, the children have not only fun, but also improve their spatial hearing. To use the software, we also had a laptop in our luggage. The laptop can now be used by the teacher and children for learning computer skills.
Here you find photographs of the blind girls and the new software .
- 2010: financial support for salary and food
- October 2010: Perkins Brailler for writing Brailleletters
The Perkins Brailler is a braille typewriter with a key corresponding to each of the six dots of the braille code. In October 2010 we acquire a Perkins brailler for the blind girls and the teachers. The typewriter is very robust and the maintenance is very easy, so the teachers can keep the Perking working by do it themselves. Here you find Photos of the Perkins Brailler.
Asha Deepa School for the Blind (ADSFB)
Asha Deepa School for the Blind is a residential school for the Visually Challenged Children established in the year 2003. In an effort to extend the ambit of its expertise and help, the institute holds regular community based rehabilitation program in the rural areas. As a part of this program, the institute, represented by a counsellor and social worker identifies children with visually challenged. At the first instance, they will be subjected to the medical check up to know the possibility of the treatment to restore the vision. In case of curable blindness, they will be referred for further treatment. Non curable blind children will be retained in the school to provide various skills along with education.
Asha Deepa School for the Blind has rehabilitated 45 blind children in the age group of 5-15 years. These children are generally from illiterate, poor families born in villages. These children are taught in Braille by using touch & feel method. The children at residential school are also provided with food, clothing & health care. Asha Deepa School for the Blind not only provides education but also other life skills such as washing, grooming, cleaning etc. Apart from this, the children trained in Music, Drama, Singing & other recreational activities. The Institute has taken long strides in ensuring total rehabilitation of its special children. The school activists work closely with the parents of residential school children & formed a Parents Committees:
- To have interaction among the parents
- To facilitate parent-children meet to understand their children's problem/difficulties if any, and bring it to the school authorities notice
- To understand and measure their children's progress in the residential School
Here you find more photographs of ADSFB.
Projects
- November 2008: Braille kits
In November 2008 we supported the Asha Deepa School for the Blind (ADSFB). At that time there are 45 blind children residing in the school and the principal asked us for Braille educational kits for all children so that they have their own Braille instrument to learn & practice thereby contributing towards their educational growth. oThere were only five kits which were from the year 2004 and the same are being used to teach the children on sharing basis. And also few of them got damaged and not fit for usage. Therefore Hamara Bandhan e. V. purchased 40 Braille Kit for the Asha Deepa School for the Blind as a first project. Here you find photographs of the school for blind and the Braille kits. The indian press reported about this project of Hamara Bandhan. - July 2009: Chalk Unit
Building a chalk unit as a teaching workshop for the manufacture of chalk, and as an entry into professional life. Here you find photographs about the project 'chalk unit for ADSFB' .