The Navajyothi Charitable Trust in Kozhikode is the proud recipient of the Spandan award for the best organisation working in the field of autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and multiple disabilities for the year 2013-14.
Navajyothi is the first organisation from Kerala to receive a national award instituted by the National Trust that works in the same field under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Navajyothi Charitable Trust, which consists of 17 trustees, most of them doctors, has five units working in Kozhikode, including the Prasanthi School for Children with Special Needs, Prasanthi Rotary Centre for Slow Learners, Prasanthi Special Play School, Prasanthi Centre for Autism, and the Prasanthi Vocation Centre.
There are around 170 children in these units. Managing trustee and founder of the trust Ramakrishnan Palat told The Hindu that he had started the trust upon finding that there were not many institutes for children with special needs in Kozhikode, which were accessible to the financially backward sections. The trust, since it began in 2000, gave preference to such children at the time of admission and offered them 100 per cent free service. The trust encouraged interested people to sponsor a child by donating Rs.5,000 a year for them. The Prasanti school has bagged the State award for the best institute for children with special needs from the Ministry of Social Welfare in 2010 and 2011.
