Debopamashram

Debopam Ashram & Research Center (DARC) is a world where innocent smiles bloom in its own rhythm into the matured world of light & darkness. It is an abode of hard work, dedication and care where human souls relentlessly strive to bring productivity in the lives of those underprivileged - the mentally retarded section of our society. Debopam Ashram & Research Center believes that persons with disabilities need no charity or sympathy but opportunities and care to prove their worthiness. The Organization believes in the rights of these challenged persons to be at par with all others.

Debopam Ashram & Research Center is a voluntary organization working for mentally challenged children. Established on 24th December 1993, the organization has dedicated itself towards educating, vocational training, therapy and research of mentally challenged children and children with learning disabilities. The center strives to bring about improvements in the lives of socially and economically deprived children to make them educated, skilled and self-reliant to the extent possible.

The Organization has several projects running towards fulfillment of this objective. The Organization tried to ensure that the Society at large treats these children with respect.

Mission

• To develop an all round integrated educational curriculum for the mentally challenged children.
• To bring about well planned technical training courses for the weaker section of the society with special emphasis for women and challenged children.
• To carry out activities to fight socio-economic dependence usually faced by challenged children.
• To upgrade skills which would help to generate employment opportunities for the mentally retarded persons with quality output and productivity.
• To conduct research work in finding out the cause of learning disabilities.
• Improvement is our motto & we shall achieve it through dedicated service, training and commitment.

Core Activities at a Glance

Debopam Ashram & Research Center conducts the following activities as a part of its work agenda. Activities include Integrated Education System, Non-formal Education, Vocational Training, Medical Care, Rehabilitation, Community Development etc.

Integrated Education System

Believing the policy of “Education for all”, we are running a school of education for special children with emphasis on formal and non-formal education. Presently the school has got a roll strength of 192 students and nine academic teachers. In the junior and senior classes, curriculum and books of mainstream schools are followed according to their mental age. Some students are being prepared for getting the Secondary School Certificate through Rabindra Mukta Vidyalaya

Non-formal Education

This project created a far-reaching impact on the social matrix of the area around the Ashram. Total of 63 adult persons of 19 villages where the average family size is 7.06 are getting benefits out of this scheme. This has been substantiated with the active participation of Gram Panchayats, Community Leaders and others for motivation campaign and infra-structure support.

Vocational Training

To make the disabled children self-reliant towards rehabilitation, our institute provides various kinds of vocational training for making products like envelops, fabrics, paintings, tailoring, spices, jute bags, candles, soft-toys, vegetable cultivation etc. During the last target period, 26 such children above 14 years age group have been trained. We sincerely acknowledge “Innerwheel club of Calcutta Mid Town” who is providing necessary support for proper implementation. INCA (Initiative for Community Action), an expert body of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Joka, Calcutta, is helping with their consultancy service in this project.

Medical Care

During the last target period, we have set up a newly constructed medical wing with suitable accommodations within the Ashram compound for disabled persons and their family members. It is equipped with modern medical aids and human resources like doctors, nurses, therapists. Doctors from D.M. Hospital, Kolkata, Aatti Eye Foundation, India, Shishu Mangal Hospital, Apollo Clinic are rendering their services regularly. Therapy sessions are regularly conducted by trained professionals. Latest Auditory – Verbal Therapy techniques are used for development of language and speech, for the hearing impaired.

Rehabilitation

DARC has been continuously developing wide range of measures starting from basic to goal-oriented activities aimed at enabling the disabled of all categories to reach and maintain their optimal, intellectual, psychiatric, social & functional level at a considerable high standard and thus providing them with the tools to change their lives towards high level of independence. To make the rehabilitation process more effective, multidisciplinary research work are undertaken which covers areas like survey of causes and early detection of disabilities, preventive measures, corrective treatment methods and so on. For that National Institute of Mentally Handicapped, Bonhoogly, Calcutta is providing necessary assistance, guidance and advice.

Research & Development

Continuous research work is being carried out to provide meaningful opportunities to people with mental retardation and other severe disabilities, enabling them to reach their full potential. Recently we have started a research work on usage of mini Biogas plant in kitchen under the guidance of Prof. Sunit Mukherjee of Dr. Subhash Mukherjee Memorial Reproductively Biology Research Centre.

Community Development

The Ashram has been organizing seminars, awareness camps and workshops to increase the general awareness of the weaker section of the society suffering from mental retardation. Periodical medical check-up camps (Eye, Dental, General check-up etc) are held. Organizing sports, games, play music and dance classes for the motivation of rural challenged disabled children draws special mention. Tree plantation is also our routine activity. A tube-well has been bored within the Ashram premises to supply pure drinking water.

Achievements

Our students participate regularly in special Olympics through “Special Olympics Bharat, West Bengal” and remarkable success have been achieved by four of our students who won the National Level Basket Ball Players Certificates. Our institute organized a three days Film Festival in collaboration with “Rotary Club of Dhakuria” at Nandan. This year cultural events were organized in the Ashram campus where icons like Tabla exponent Bikram Ghosh, Grand Master Dibyendu Barua, renowned singer Manashi Mukhopadhyay were present. “Premtala National Trust” and ‘Kaliya’ (Philanthropic organization) awarded our students for remarkable performance in various dance competitions in the year 2015.