The Look
Don’t miss the expression on this child’s face: it’s one of rapt attention. she’s waiting for the next thing to happen and she is focused and fully present. It’s what Early Intervention is all about – helping our kids to pay attention so they can learn and grow and develop the skills they need.
Sad
Sometimes kids are sad. We can’t solve all their hurts and worries all the time, much as we might want to. Sometimes we just need to let them feel the way they do and be there for them in whatever way seems to help. I was moved by this little boy, and even more so […]
Bag Me Kya Hai?
Once upon a time, we had a genius of a speech therapist working with us. Her name was Aparna and though she finally moved back home to Pune after five years in the Foundation, her fame lives on in a game she taught us called “Bag Me Kya Hai?” (What’s in the Bag?). It’s a […]
Kids Grow Up (Another Story from Ummeed)
Look at them! Anshi and Eesha, two of the old hands at Ummeed’s EIC – Then and Now. I met both these little girls over a year ago on my last visit to the centre. I was amazed by how much they have grown and how far they have come. But this picture is the […]
Early Intervention, Ummeed Style!
For a taste of sheer joy, head on over to the Early Intervention Centre at Ummeed in Mumbai. I spent a morning there yesterday and it set me up for the week. I literally couldn’t stop smiling. Every child was cuter than the next – and the mothers! Such an amazing group of devoted, happy […]
The Best Part of Mumbai
One of the most wonderful things about traveling for work is the chance it affords to reconnect with old friends. Two of my very favorite people in Mumbai are Kabir and Karun, Vibha Krishnamurthy’s two boys. They wake up ready to roll, full of energy, insight and wit, and they meet me at the door […]
Inclusion in Mussoorie
Brother Dominic Jacob is the headmaster of St George’s School in Mussoorie. But before that, he had the same job at St Joseph’s Academy here in Dehradun. It was at his request that we started the Early Intervention Centre there and with he has been an invaluable advocate and friend ever since. Concerned about some […]
Step by Step
Manju and I just got back from doing a workshop in Delhi for a group of teachers who have just been recruited for a school about to open – it’s called Step by Step and it is to be a fully inclusive place. It was a wonderful experience. The teachers are young, bright and full […]