On May 22, 1948, Arthur Dykes, terminally ill with liver cancer, became the first resident of Cheshire Home. The home was Leonard Cheshire's own - Le Court at Liss in Hampshire. While Leonard nursed and cared for Arthur Dykes in his last weeks, the concept of the Cheshire Homes and the Leonard Cheshire Foundation was born.

Now, the Leonard Cheshire Foundation holds out its helping hand to people with disabilities in over 50 countries around the world. In 1955, the first overseas home opened in India.

A narrow lane off the busy Airport Road, opposite Manipal Hospital takes us to a house with a large tiled play area facilitating easy movement of wheel chairs. Surrounded by shady trees and flowering plants this is a special house - it's a home for physically challenged women and girls from the poorer section of the community. This is the Bangalore Cheshire Home.

The Bangalore Cheshire Home started in a small rented cottage on Rustam Bagh Estate, with one resident - a young girl named Ivy Paul, who was completely bedridden with arthritis. From this modest beginning the Home has expanded over a period of 40 years.

A visit to the Home is an experience in itself. All the inhabitants look so happy and cheerful. Despite their problems, their pain, their poverty and above all their handicap, there are smiles all around. Everyone is trying to make the most of what they have.

The Bangalore Cheshire Home has various centres spread all over Bangalore. Its Residential Home situated on one acre of land donated by Dr. & Mrs. Z.R. Kothavala houses 45 physically handicapped women and girls aged from four to 84.

The Rehabilitation Centre, which started in 1985 trains physically handicapped men and women in various fields with the aim to make them economically independant. It runs various occupational centres as well:

The Workshop
There are about 15 handicapped men and women working here who sort and assemble machine parts for factories.

The Needlework Centre
Here handicapped women get training in tailoring, embroidery, knitting and other crafts.

The Craft Shop
This provides an outlet for the handicraft items and other things made in the Needlework Centre and is run by the residents of the home.

The Thrift Shop
It is a sale counter run by the residents who repair second-hand clothes and other items and sell them at a nominal price to the economically weaker section of the society.

The Computer Familiarisation Centre
This centre started in 1998 with a few tabletop PCs donated by IBM Global Services (India) Pvt Ltd. Here, school going girls are encouraged to learn the basics of computer so that they can avail further training as they grow up.

Bangalore Cheshire Home not only provides care and affection to the physically challenged people but also education, training and opportunities for personal development and independent living. Several residents of this Home have been employed as secretaries, hairdressers, telephone operators etc in various companies.

Cheshire Home has got 44 residents. Out of which 24 are school and college going girls. Out of these, 17 are studying in Seventh Day Adeventist School and pre university college in Rustam Bagh, off. Airport Road. About five girls suffering fom hearing disorder are studying in Sheela Kothwala School for hearing impaired at Rustam bagh, off Airport Road and two girls are studying at Christ college and Mount Carmal College respectively.
The cost of fees, books, uniform and everything is borne by home. Other adult residents (Most of them are wheelchair bounded and aged above 40 years) are working in a craft work shop. Stipend is also given to them.

Cheshire Homes India is open to our help and donations. It requests all of us to patronise its fund-raising activities and functions.

Contact:
Cheshire Home India
Bangalore Unit
Airport Road
Bangalore- 560017
Phone: 2520 2386
Email: Cheshmebu@eth.net

|