Special needs children at the Indian Ladies Association Sneha centre launch their annual charity cards sale today, to help keep a vital service going. FOR the past 19 years special needs children of all nationalities have found friendship and independence through a local charitable centre.
The Sneha (Hindi for 'tender love') Recreation Centre was launched by the Indian Ladies Association (ILA) in 1987 because they noticed a lack of facilities available for children with disabilities.
Initially its aim was to provide relief and support services to parents of children with disabilities, but by popular demand it soon became a vital recreational and educational centre.
For nearly two decades it has opened its doors free of charge to more than 60 expatriate and Bahraini special needs children.
The centre in Hoora accommodates 20 children at a time, aged from five to 18, or up to 20, if there is a vacancy.
It is run by two teachers, Veena Nayak and Sophia Alwin and 25 ILA volunteers, who help the children individually and collectively to acquire functional literacy and numerical skills.
The children also engage in music, art and craft, basic cooking, sports and learn essential life skills.
"We take them on day trips once a month to places such as the supermarket, fire station, restaurants and to the tailor to make them aware and socially acceptable," honorary Sneha co-ordinator Meera Kamath told the GDN.
"When we go to the supermarket we teach them how to shop and over time they learn to do it independently.
"The main thing is they gain confidence and interact with people.
"Even though academically they might not know a lot, they can learn safety, hygiene and life skills.
"We teach them how to handle money, go to the cold store and buy a drink.
Once a week the centre holds cooking lessons. Many of them also enjoy outdoor activities and several of them participate in the Special Olympics and other sports events at the Bahrain Disabled Sports Federation and Lions Club of Bahrain.
Although the children only attend the centre from 9am to 11am, Sunday to Thursday, it is enough to help them structure their day and challenge them to achieve.
"The children love to come to school, every child needs a place to go to interact and learn manners," said Mrs Kamath, who has been volunteering at the centre for 19 years.
"The best punishment if they are naughty is to threaten them with no school tomorrow.
"For parents it can be very difficult to have special children.
"Parents are very grateful and if this place wasn't here, children would be at home.
"We see a big difference in discipline when they come here because we challenge them to grow.
"Many people have a false notion that special needs children are violent, but they aren't, all they need are opportunities."
Parents of Sneha pupils told the GDN that they had seen a remarkable difference in their children as a result of them going to the centre.
Indian Shalet Pais said her 16-year-old son David had been going to the centre since he was five and as a result was better equipped to communicate and socialise with people.
"He has changed a lot. When he was alone it was more difficult for him to communicate with us," explained Mrs Pais, who has been in Bahrain for 22 years.
"He loves to go to Sneha. He has difficulty in concentration and his speech is not very clear.
"But his social life is much better, he does a lot of work at home, vacuuming, cleaning and folding clothes, but he doesn't like to write.
"He likes dancing and colouring and cooking, and he is learning life skills."
Pakistani Tanvir Asad Ali said Sneha had helped her 18-year-old son Rehan become more independent, confident and had taught him important life skills.
"He has developed socially. He use to scream and be shy and not socially involved, but he learnt communication and patience," she said.
"He can go out and he is into basketball and has been in the Special Olympics."
Rehan has been going to Sneha since he was six and when he leaves the next year, or so, will be going to work at his fathers' gents' boutique in the Yateem Centre.
"He goes in the afternoons at the moment. He can't speak very well, but he is a very good supervisor," she added.
ILA honorary president Vani Krishnan said the centre carried out many activities to help children become independent adults, but they needed rehabilitation centres to give them skilled training.
"Expat children when they grow up have no chance to go to rehabilitation centres in Bahrain, where they train them in carpentry, mechanics and technical work and this is sad because they are not able to learn," said Mrs Krishnan.
"After 19 they have no where to go and these children could go there and learn."
It costs around BD10,000 a year to run the centre, which is funded entirely by donations and fund-raising programmes organised by the ILA, which is now celebrating its Golden Jubilee year.
To help raise funds, as well as create awareness of the centre and involve the children in a fun project, the ILA decided to launch the Sneha Greeting Card Project in 2000.
The Sneha greeting cards are handmade by the children and then they are printed.
Since the project was launched, it has proved a huge success and more than 150,000 cards have been sold to corporate bodies and individuals in Bahrain and the demand has been increasing.
The 2006 Sneha Card Collection is titled Bridges of Friendship and features a range of visually appealing subjects that have been given colour and rich expression in the brush strokes of Sneha children.
Card designs explore themes of Arabia, wildlife, nature and friendship.
"We have been working on this collection for four months. We start out with 45 designs and then choose the best 10, or 12," said Mrs Kamath.
"Children make them with the help of volunteers.
"It's an activity for the children and it also brings in about BD5,000 to BD7,000.
"The last five years it has helped us and the work helps the children. People know about the centre, but we want to show the activities done here."
This year's collection will be launched at the Bahrain Arts Centre (near the Bahrain National Museum) at 8pm this evening. All are welcome.
The centre has already sold more than 10,000 cards from the 2006 collection, but is hoping after the launch to reach around 50,000 plus.
Sneha Cards are available blank, or with greetings for Eid, Diwali (festival of lights) and New Year.
They can also be tailored to include company logos and particular greetings.
Cards are sold in individual boxes of 10, with assorted designs priced at BD3, or companies can order in bulk and benefit from special rates.
The printing is being sponsored by the Bahrain Round Table. For more information, or to place an order for Eid, Diwali or New Year contact 39854868 or 39240695 or 39576051 or 39678592 or 36454726 or 39211690.
Sneha are also planning a craft bazaar to be held at the Bahrain National Museum's Heritage Village on November 23 and 24. All original pictures featured on the cards will be framed and on sale at the event.
Diyas (clay lamps) made by the children in celebration of Diwali on October 21 will also be on sale at the event
"The diyas were ordered from A'ali Pottery Village, so we are helping local trade and then they are painted, glittered and packed by the children," said Ms Kamath.
They are priced between BD1 and BD2.
To make a purchase, contact Mrs Kamath on 39240695.
Every year, Sneha strives to involve other special needs centres in Bahrain in its activities to help foster relations.
In December it will be inviting 20 special needs centres to a performance day, where they can stage a dance, a song or a skit.
The ILA is currently searching for a bigger premises for the centre, which for the past 17 years has been housed in an apartment in Hoora.
Ideally it is looking for a one level villa, with a large hall, at least four classrooms and a garden.
The centre welcomes contributions and has four Sneha Sunshine Donations packages for people to choose from:
- Sneha Sunshine on Wheels is BD25 and goes towards the cost of a monthly outing.
- Sneha Sunshine Day is BD50 and helps to pay for a day's activities in Sneha.
- Sneha Sunshine Creations is BD75 and helps to pay for creative projects in the centre.
- Sneha Sunshine Medicheck is BD100 and goes towards the cost of speech therapy, physiotherapy and other necessary services.
"It's a donation with dignity, it shows where the money is going and you get a thank you certificate," noted Mrs Kamath.
For more information about Sneha, or to make a donation contact the centre on 17531468, or Mrs Kamath on 39240695.
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