Anbu Illam - "The House of Mercy"

To poor families it can be a disaster if they have a child with cerebral palsy- their son or daughter may be unable to talk, walk, even to feed themselves. How can they look after them? How can they afford to keep them? Would it be better to leave the new baby at the hospital - or perhaps put it in a rubbish bin? If the child is less seriously affected they parents will still be very worried about his or her future, and whether they will be to ever earn a living, or will be a drain on the inadequate family resources.

Anbu Illam is a Christian home for children with cerebral palsy from very poor families. The children enter the home when they are five or older - before this they will be treated as out-patients in their own homes and their parents are taught how to care for them. This is the only cerebal palsy home in the whole of the state of Tamil Nadu, so children come here from up to 150 kilometres away. Like all the other diocesan projects, most of the children in the home come from Hindu families - but the families know that every day will start with Christian worship and their child will receive Christian teaching.

Every child has their own individual education plan. They have physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and lessons in the centre's school. If possible, they are helped to walk, although they might have to use walking frames or walking sticks. At the age of ten some children will have made enough progress to be able to attend regular schools nearby - some of these will be good enough students to go on to college or university, or be trained in the use of computers, or in electronics. Other pupils will stay at the centre and receive vocational training. They acquire different skills such as tailoring, carpentry, candle-making, cycle-repairing, screen-printing and chalk making. All this means that once someone leaves Anbu Illam at the age of eighteen they will be able to rejoin their family and earn their own living. They may even be able to set up their own business, or a little stall. How wonderful for someone whose parents wanted to throw them in the dustbin!

Find out more about cerebral palsy.

Double click on the photographs below to meet some of the children of Anbu Illam: