Serving children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities

Celebrating special moments

The Pathum Uyana Centre of the Mother Charitable Foundation (MCF) steps into its 12th year of serving children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities. Having commenced operations on February 11, 2010, to provide daycare services, the Pathum Uyana Centre has now transformed itself into a residential centre for developing education and skills in children and adults with disabilities. It is one of the major education projects administered by MCF, thereby providing instructive support to socialise persons with disabilities through economic, social and attitudinal development.

A day school is also open for children less than 12 years of age who need to be nurtured in the care of parents. This school operates from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm. However, residential facilities are offered to children above 12 or 14 years of age, with the aim of guiding them to be independent individuals.

“We see that most children are reluctant to go to school and many of them couldn’t attend school due to the COVID situation,” opined Dinesh Manjula Fernando, Founder of the Mother Charitable Foundation. “During the lockdown period, we made stationery packs and sent them to children in outstation areas. We sent a guide along with the packs so that children could follow the instructions and engage in those activities with the help of their parents.”
The Centre currently accommodates 15 students, and Fernando has plans to construct their own premises. For this purpose they are in the process of collecting donations and funds. “The plan has already been approved, but we need more funds,” he added.

It’s all about unity in diversity

The facility includes a trained staff including teachers who teach aesthetics who come on a voluntary basis and physiotherapists. “We can accommodate children above 12 years of age and right now we accept admissions for boys. Parents of children with Downs’ Syndrome, intellectual disabilities can consider sending them here as our main objective is to make them independent individuals. Some of them can’t do any task without the help of their mother or guardian and this is a worrying situation,” Fernando said in conclusion.

The children at the Centre are trained to improve linguistic, writing, arithmetic and daily life skills along with arts, dancing & horticultural therapy. The adult children are trained to improve their vocational abilities to make greeting cards, pot plants, handicrafts and envelopes.
The Mother Charitable Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental charity initiative that aims to create an accessible environment for the disadvantaged without discrimination based on ethnicity, caste, religion or any other social stratification.

Dinesh (left) the livewire behind its success

The trained staff at Pathum Uyana guiding students to fine-tune their skills