HISTORY.

In 1994 a medical camp just for handicapped children was held in Dr Shantu Patel’s hospital where 100 handicapped children were seen.  Six months later another similar camp was held with better facilities, 452 Children were seen and guided in a more comprehensive way.  86 children were afflicted with polio. They received treatment and were made mobile.  It was observed by all of us that with little help and guidance in the early age of children t he grossness of the handicap could have been averted.  But at that time it was also realized that a very concrete steps have to be taken to help handicapped children. 

Resources were sought from business houses and NGOs but to no avail.  Due to the constraint of space and funds, the Dhanvantri School was started on 1^st September 1996 with only 2 hearing impaired children in Dr Shantu Patel’s Pediatric hospital.  One of the mothers of the children became a teacher.  In the same year, the Child Welfare Trust was established.  In no space of time we had 45 children attending the school regularly and provisions were made in the hospital room only.  By 2000 we had 106 children in three separate groups.

1) Cerebral palsy.

2) Mentally challenged children.

3) Hearing impaired children.

We were managing with expertise from the spastic society of Bombay LTMG medical college, Bombay.