UL Care Nayanar Sadanam

UL Care Nayanar Sadanam was conceived by the ULCCS Foundation with the support of the district administration in the year 2015 and is housed at Nayanar Balika Sadanam, Eranhipalam, Kozhikode which was named after the freedom fighter and social activist, Shri. V. R. Nayanar and Smt. Kayaratt Madhaviyamma popularly known as Mrs. Nayanar. The project focuses on the rehabilitation and skill development of intellectually challenged trainable group above the age of 18. It aims to mainstream the differently-abled adults through effective training, placement, and follow up which in turn would be helpful for them to stand on their own. Presently, it accommodates 50 people with intellectual challenges apart from those placed for on-the-job training in various organizations.

UL Care Nayanar Sadanam presents an admirable platform for nurturing the employability and work skills of the intellectually challenged adults to help them attain independence in their daily routines by utilizing their abilities to the fullest through individualized vocational transition planning and productive in house training programmes. The services of special educational institutions for children with intellectual disabilities are generally limited to the age of 18. Thus, adults with intellectual disabilities are left with their families at that crucial age in which physical and mental changes are expected to happen in them. Many of these individuals might need constant care at that age which will not be easy for their families to assure them with, amidst their work schedules. This fact has led to the enforcement of this propitious project.

The seed of this noble cause was initially sowed by Shri. V. R. Nayanar an unsung hero in the history of Kerala who stood for the rights of the needy during the period of independence. Kerala was struck by famine soon after the infamous World War II which further led to the outbreak of widespread cholera due to less medical and hospital facilities. Subsequently, many children were found orphan which prompted the warm-hearted Nayanar to initiate orphanages and Balika Sadanams all over Kerala. Of the 21 institutions formed then, ‘Nayanar Balika Sadanam’ in Kozhikode, is the only institution that prevails today. After him, the Sadanam was run successfully by his wife Smt. Kayaratt Madhaviyamma till her age of 76. Nayanar was a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation, who desired to visit the Sadanam upon Nayanar’s invitation which couldn’t be fulfilled. In view of this history, Gandhiji’s holy ash has been preserved in the Sadanam for years.

At the institution, the inmates spend time, getting themselves engaged in several creative activities apt for their abilities under the scrupulous care and supervision of special educators. The products made by them are traded in the market and the benefits earned are passed to them. The idea is to provide them with a suitable exposure to the reality of earning. This would make them feel confident as well as relevant in their own families.

Besides vocational training, they are given proper placement assistance to bring them out of the box and get them engaged with on-the-job training in various organizations. At present, about 85 adults are placed in various public and private firms in different parts of Kozhikode district and the project anticipates in meeting its target of 100 placements in the near future. Regular follow up is done to assess their performances and to guide them throughout their period of work.