AANCHAL Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to special needs children and their parents and families. AANCHAL means Association for Awareness of Nutrition, Child Health and Learning. Every child is born special…and at AANCHAL we would like to see that every child grows into something special as well. Not all babies are born healthy, there are some that develop health issues due to known and unknown reasons as they progress through infancy. Through AANCHAL, we would like to see special needs kids laugh and play, grow and develop just like other kids. We would like for these children to smile again. Our vision for AANCHAL is to: • Provide a holistic integrated family-centred approach to child development • Create awareness about child nutrition and health among families, paediatricians, and teachers • Improve understanding of issues and illness that may affect child development • Facilitate early intervention programs to improve child development and help special needs children meet their developmental milestones • Provide financial help to parents of sick kids for medication, treatment, and specialist fees. In May 2012, AANCHAL Foundation in collaboration with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation launched the AANCHAL Aanganwadi Project. Through this project, AANCHAL identified, assessed and referred 41 children with potential developmental problems in 37 Aanganwadis in Maninagar, Ahmedabad.Out of these 19 children are currently receiving therapy at various centres that AANCHAL has collaborated with in Ahmedabad. The project was inaugurated by Shri. Asit Vora, Mayor of Ahmedabad and Smt. Kalindiben Patel, Corporator of Maninagar through two drawing competitions which were attended by 750 children, their parents and Aanganwadi teachers. AANCHAL received support from local charitable trusts and the event was covered in local media. AANCHAL is now working in the 352 anaganwadis in Ahmedabad south zone to identify, assess, refer and help children with potential developmental delays and range of disabilities. Areas covered within this project include: Khokhara, Kankaria, Danilimbda, Lambha, Isanpur, Ghodasar and Vatva. In December 2013, AANCHAL organised the 1st of a series of “Early Intervention Sensitization Workshop for Educators”. The workshop was attended by 26 pre-primary school teachers from 12 schools in Ahmedabad. St. Kalindiben Patel, Mayor of Ahmedabad inaugurated the workshop and extended her support to the organization. AANCHAL is registered under the Government of India Act ViklangDhara 1995 to make available free bus passes, wheel chairs, pension schemes and health insurance among other facilities to children with special needs and/or their families. AANCHAL is also registered under the Government of Gujarat Niramaya policy to help with the reimbursement of funds used towards children’s treatment and therapy.
