lighthouseffect light stations - Reasons to volunteer with or donate to Ummeed

established

2001

current areas of impact

India

mission

To help children deal with, and where possible, overcome their developmental disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, attention deficit disorder, etc.)

Ummeed reaches its goal by providing integrated care to affected children, involving and training parents in designing programs, and coming to joint decisions with families on care and management of the impacted child.

accomplishments

Ummeed is a nonprofit organization committed to helping children of all sections of society, irrespective of the children's disabilities or the families' financial considerations.

At present, Ummeed helps over 70 patients visit per week. Additionally, for children with developmental disabilities, integrated care is very important, and Ummeed is the only organization in India that uses this methodology today.

As of today, Ummeed provides a host of services for children with development disorders, such as:

Assessments (developmental pediatric assessments, occupational therapy assessments, speech and language assessments, physiotherapy assessments, IQ assessments, educational assessments, and behavior therapy)

Ongoing Care/Therapy (occupational therapy, speech therapy, physiotherapy counseling)

Research & Advocacy (worked on a project with Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai on Epidemiology of Autism, as well as initiated a special group for professionals working with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Mumbai.

Running an early intervention center (children aged between 2-5 years are given the opportunity to attend a play-school, and are exposed to opportunities of early childhood irrespective of their different abilities.)

future plans

Ummeed intends to scale up its operations in order to increase its impact. This includes helping more children, doing more research, running an information platform, training professionals, initiating satellite centers, and supporting a greater range of organizations in raising awareness and in advocacy.

reasons to help Ummeed

According to the United Nations:

Approximately 10% of the global population, or 650 million people, live with a disability.

Studies show that women and girls with disabilities are vulnerable to abuse. A survey in Orissa, India, uncovered that almost all of the women and girls with disabilities were beaten at home, 25 per cent of women with intellectual disabilities had been raped and 6 per cent of disabled women had been forcibly sterilized

(Sources: UN International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, August 2006).

And, if it is true that the quality and quantity of care is extremely variable for the over 35 million children in India with developmental disabilities, then the future for these impacted children remains bleak. However, Ummeed, a well-established and registered nonprofit organization, aims to change this trend, and its past accomplishments and future plans stand as proof.

But the funding currently received by Ummeed from trust funds, individual, and corporate contributions covers only about 20% of Ummeed’s operating loss. Without financial and/or volunteer support, it will be difficult for Ummeed to attain its expansion plans. No contribution is small enough, and with adequate support, the many unfortunate children of India will be given hope for a better and more normal life.

Disclaimer: Please know that due to resource constraints, lighthouseffect does not personally visit the operation sites of featured organizations, and therefore cannot endorse that you donate your time or money. If you wish to do so, please be diligent in personally researching the organization in question.