SOFOSH hopes to find homes for children with special needs

Reema (name changed) needs an injection that costs Rs 250 every day to ensure her steady growth. Identified with a growth hormone deficiency, Reema also needs a loving family that will look after her.

“But that is easier said than done,” rues Madhuri Abhyankar, director of Society of Friends of Sassoon Hospital (SOFOSH) that has given 2,500 children for adoption from their centre. Children with special needs find no takers among adoptive parents, says Abhyankar and now, SOFOSH will try to convince parents at a post-adoption meet on April 18. This time, the society has specifically targetted young couples and has used the Internet apart from meetings with parents to encourage such adoptions.

Like Reema, there are three other children at SOFOSH who are yet to be adopted. While one child also has a blood disorder problem and requires a transfusion, another has not been adopted owing to her age. All these factors prove deterrents, as most adoptive parents want a child who is not very old and has no medical problems. “However, this time, we will generate awareness about this problem at our post-adoption meeting,” she says.

Childcare activities were initiated in 1973 at Sofosh’s centre ‘Shreevatsa’ which has provided shelter and hope to orphans ranging from newborns to six-year-olds.

“Hence, we named our centre Shreevatsa, which means children of God,” she said.

Also, some children who have HIV or are mentally challenged have now got a new home at ‘Tara’ at Pimpale Gurav. SOFOSH has constructed a permanent home for 60-80 children who have mental and physical handicaps. “We are trying to encourage parents in our network, especially those who have a biological child, to look after children with special needs. Apart from meetings held for parents before they adopt a child, we will also organise more post-adoption meets,” says Abhyankar.