August 4, 2019
For parents and caregivers of children with disabilities, lack of
information is a major challenge. Margika came about to address this gap by
creating awareness, fighting stigma and by providing advance knowledge and
best practices from the world over, in the field of education and treatment
for children with disabilities.
Margika has been working for the welfare of children with mental and
developmental disorders and disabilities in India for years. The involvement
of Margika in making the education system inclusive has resulted in several
initiatives and awareness programs, workshops, trainings, etc.
At one such workshop recently held in Pune, Margika collaborated with the
Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics bringing
together teachers, parents and counsellors. “This kind of partnership is a
must for the all round development of children with special needs”, believes
Dr Neena Rao, CEO/Founder, Margika
Involvement of all stakeholders is important to address the needs of
children who face challenges like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia,
bipolar disorders and developmental disorders. – Dr Neena Rao,
CEO/Founder, Margika
The workshop in Pune highlighted the need for various stakeholders to
understand the importance of their respective roles in the lives of children.
Over 60 participants agreed to the formation of a group under the banner of
Margika to work together.
“We need to raise the bar from mere surviving to thriving and for this
economic and overall sustainable advancement of these kids, a holistic
approach is required with a bigger picture”, said Dr Rao. “It takes a village
to raise a child with special needs. Therefore collaboration will be the key
to their future. Only then can we achieve mainstreaming of children with
special needs. The aim of the workshop was to equip all stakeholders with
effective tools and build capacities.”
Parents and teachers have to understand that a child with disabilities or
disorders has every right to be a part of the mainstream. Therefore, it is
the duty of all stakeholders to make the education system inclusive and
barrier-free, discouraging segregation on the basis of abilities.
A parent at the workshop, who did not wish to be identified, said that the
workshop has helped him understand the needs of his child better. “I
understood more about how to help children with learning and developmental
issues. I also feel that all schools should be equipped to meet the
educational needs of children with developmental disorders. There should be
stricter policies in place and audit should be conducted to make sure that
implementation is being done.”
Another crucial aspect Margika looks at is the need for early screening of
children with developmental disorders. It has launched a project in Gujarat
for the screening of school going children for learning disabilities and will
soon take it to other states. Currently, the organsation is making its mark
in Telangana, Gujarat and Maharashtra by providing training to special
educators, mainstream school teachers, and parents.
GET IN TOUCH: Visit the website : http://margika.org. EMAIL: contact@margika.org. Or CALL: +91
94406-12551
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/margika-is-bringing-stakeholders-together-for-children-with-disorders
