This camp is a special one. Not just because it is all about colour, music, fun and frolic, but because the 50-odd participants that inject life into it are all special.
‘Shraddha-2013’, as it has been titled, promises to stand apart from the other vacation camps that are being organised across the city. Differently abled children, brought together by Sneha and Souhruda neighbourhood groups, them too different in the sense that they are set up by parents of specially abled children, are the stars of the camp, which was inaugurated by Mayor K. Chandrika at the Kamaleswaram Government Higher Secondary School at Manacaud here on Monday.
The camp, in fact, is just a starting step to what is intended to be a continuing project to empower such children, according to organisers.
Identifying talents
The camp will focus on identifying the innate talents and aptitude of each child, be it in arts, sports, gardening, computers, or crafts, and then nourish these through the two neighbourhood groups, which have joined hands with the All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) for the camp.
The camp currently has about 60 children, with more set to join over the next one month. The inaugural day on Monday saw the children, accompanied by their parents kicking off the camp in style by painting on a giant canvas. Colours ran riot as their little minds poured out their thoughts, wishes, impressions and memories. Cars, trains, trees and even abstract forms got etched on the white canvas.
The camp will also offer training to the children’s parents, and teachers and non-teaching staff of schools for special children and other interested persons. Siblings of the children too are part of the camp, helping their brothers and sisters, according to the organizers. Details of the camp are available on telephonse number 94465-91480.