Who We Are
What is Swayamsiddh?
Swayamsiddh, situated in Chatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra is an association formed by mother parents of children with Mental Retardation, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Multiple Disabilities. It is the first of its kind in Marathwada Region.
Our Primary Objective
The primary objective of Swayamsiddh is to help children with special needs get adjusted to the society; giving a new meaning to their existence.
Our History
How it started...
Swayamsiddh was started in the year 2001 by parents having intellectual disabled children. They were united in their belief that given proper guidance and training, their children can maximize their potential and integrate themselves with society in general. Swayamsiddh started with 4 children initially. The idea was to keep them occupied through training in various physical activities, games and some basic day to day living skills. All the activities are conducted under the guidance of the mothers.
Within this group, parents voice their concerns, share responsibilities, gather resources & provide support to others, facing similar problems. This helps in overcoming some of the difficulties through implementing ideas that the group provides.
During initial activity Summer Camp, many other parents came along with their children with special needs. Parents shared their desires and ideas in helping their children grow. Children participated in various fun as well as educational activities. Through exchange of thoughts and experiences and with the help of each other Swayamsiddh was transformed into a School. Initially, the school started with 28 students and the number reached to 46 by 2007, including 4 orphan children. The school facilitates children with all the necessary amenities like Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Aqua Therapy, Paediatric Therapy and many others including the training on vocational skills to help them live an independent life.
Being aware of need for a school and residential and other facilities for children as well as their parents, Swayamsiddh decided to move to a new School Building keeping in mind all the requirements of children with special needs, a full fledged physiotherapy lab, play area, educational aids, kitchen, dining hall and with all the necessary requirements for providing residential facilities. The Land for the school is donated by the philanthropist Shri Somnath Sakhare.
Our Guiding Pillar
Mr. Harish Baijal, I.P.S.
(Commissioner of Police, Retd.)
Swayamsiddh’s story is incomplete without mentioning the unwavering support of Mr. Harish Baijal, I.P.S. (Commissioner of Police (Retd.), Solapur), who has been associated with us since 2001 and has gone above and beyond to nurture Swayamsiddh and help us grow.
Mr. Baijal’s association with Swayamsiddh began decades ago when, as a young officer in Aurangabad, he was tasked with executing a court order to evict a home for children with special needs. Moved by their plight, he leveraged his network to secure a permanent home for them - convincing a philanthropist to donate 1.5 acres of land and organising a Star Night fundraiser with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and the late Mr. Jagjit Singh, which helped build a dedicated two-story facility.
Trustee's Message
Special children, intellectual disabled children, mentally deficient children, children with mental disabilities, mentally retarded children, etc. are some of the many terms used to describe children who we believe are simply differently abled.
Actually these are the true Children of God as they know no other emotion than pure unconditional love. They expect nothing more than love in return for their love.
Society at large generally refuses to accept the fact that every individual human is distinctly different and each has his or her own individual talents and capacities to deal with the day to day life. Most of the time we are engrossed in the so called "Rat Race" to be the best and in fact take for granted that our children are the best and will always be toppers. Many a times people look upon intellectual disabled children as abominations which are not possible, which are unreal and are mostly unable to accept them as part of mainstream society. Yes, these children and their parents do face many hurdles but none which are insurmountable with the right training and if required the right medical treatment. More often than not they are misunderstood and as a direct consequence are abused.
"We, at Swayamsiddh, have made it our life's mission to help society understand these children better and recognize them for what they are, the true Children of God."
"We, at Swayamsiddh, have made it our life's mission to help these children overcome all their hurdles and integrate themselves in mainstream society as much as possible and also to help them lead, as far as possible, an independent life."
Help Us Grow
An Appeal for Support
We hope that this profile document has given you a fair idea of efforts being made by us to do as much as possible for the children with special needs.
There are several areas where we incur recurring expenses. Some of them are: School Furniture and fixtures, Staff Salaries, School bus maintenance, School Stationery, Regular Running Expenses, and General maintenance.
We would appreciate any support from you, be it in monetary terms or in kind.
All donations are exempt under Section 80(G) and 12A of the Income Tax Act.
Cheques / Demand Drafts / Banker's Cheques to be drawn in the name of "SWAYAMSIDDH" payable at Chatrapati Sambhajinagar.
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UPI ID: 982254561@sbi
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Registrations
Swayamsiddh is approved by the Ministry of Divyang Kalyan, Govt. of Maharashtra
- MAHA/17/2001 dated 16.01.2001 under Societies Registrations Act 1860
- F-6664 (Au.) dated 13.08.2001 Under Public Trust Act 1950
Beneficiaries
70
children studying in the school