Chennai’s Sei Sanjeevani Cerebral Palsy Care Center is a rehabilitation centre for children with cerebral palsy, and aims to provide physical therapy and rehabilitation free of cost. This past weekend, the institution conducted a sports day, which turned out to be a fun-filled experience for the children and their parents.
“The idea of organising a sports day was to involve kids and their parents in activities that they would enjoy doing together. All activities required them to work on a physical task that they have been working on during their rehabilitation sessions,” says Vijaya Ravi, who founded the centre in 2019 and is its CEO and trustee.
Vijaya says that children with cerebral palsy only have motor dysfunction, and are not lacking in intelligence. With timely rehabilitation and training they can be sent to regular school, she believes. The centre provides physical training for kids in the age group of three to eight years. “Such events enable social engagement of parents with other parents and build a support community, apart from an opportunity for these children to show off their newly acquired skills to their parents and peers,” says Vijaya.
Throwing the ball; passing the parcel; navigating through conical structures; gathering balls from one bucket and placing it in another were some of the activities conducted. “In all these activities, parents also assist the kids and cheer them on. Such an event also shatters the myth about cerebral palsy. In our country the prevalence of cerebral palsy is high, but awareness is too low,” she says.
The centre is located at Prem Vihar Building, Harrington Road, Chetpet. For details, call:9867763891
