In the "Valley of Gods", discover and follow the progress of the Handimachal programme for special-need children in Kullu (Himachal Pradesh, India).
Have you ever been asking yourself, as you ride to work through crowded streets, pollution, noise, whenever you feel useless and powerless in a highly competitive and dehumanized professional environment: “Can I change this?” Yes - we have such an opportunity,...
The age of COVID-19 has got us locked in our homes not just as a nation but as a global community. We are all experiencing the threat of the pandemic, but at different levels and varying degrees. For some, it’s a feeling of constant anxiety, for others,...
People with disabilities often experience higher rates of unemployment when compared to people without disabilities. Some disabled people struggle with the set hours of office life, while others find their workplace lacks tools and equipment to make their...
Dear reader, dear friend, Don't think that because we are not publishing any new post nothing is happening at the Handimachal Kullu Therapy Unit - in fact, a lot is going on every day and I will able to publish a short summary of the programme progress...
These truly are uncertain times! The entire nation has been under government mandated lockdown for the past 30 days or so, and so have we at Handimachal! As Pediatric Therapists, our hearts go out to the children we treat and their families. Although...
Today we said goodbye and good luck to Rekha Thakur and Shruti More, who had been working for 5 and 7 years respectively with Handimachal, and very lately expressed their wish to leave the programme. The page is being turned, but this incredible adventure...
On 31 July, Save Manali NGO organised its annual function in Manali and introduced various initiatives and work from other local NGOs. The Handimachal team was of course present. The video of the Mannequin challenge was played for the public but above...
We are happy to announce that, after 8 years of continuous operation in Kullu under various organisations, the Handimachal programme for special-need children is getting its own legal existence - the Handimachal Society received its registration number...
During the last week of June, the Handimachal team was extremely lucky to welcome Mrs. Kinnari Bhatt, an Indian OT specialised in ABA services to children facing autism disorders. Thanks to Kinnari and to the support from the Parents' association and...
Dear friends and supporters, The Handimachal Society, duly registered in Kullu on 14 February 2017, is happy to announce its registration under Section 51.2 of "The Rights of Persons With Disabilities" Act 2016, as from 6 December 2017 with registration...
Dear friends, Although I am late in posting you with what happened in Kullu recently (which will be done very soon hopefully), I do not wish to delay more this very exciting information: Handimachal just launched its first community-based rehabilitation...
Saturday, 23 March morning: Romain (OT volunteer), Chloé (APA volunteer) and myself reached Kullu valley. Early in the morning, I dropped Romain and Chloé near Tapu bridge in Kullu, where they were met by Karen - thank you Karen for getting up so early...
On Sunday 21 February, our 5th Awareness Camp was held in penchayat Bhawan Badan Bhuin (Bhuntar), 10 kms South of the Handimachal Kullu Therapy Unit. Bhuntar is a very busy Indian town on the national "highway" and is known for its well-stocked shops...
Our young friend Saggar is probably our most regular patient in the Handimachal Therapy Unit, always smiling and active in his sessions - and still, his family story is quite sad. Discover Saggar's stody, told by our permanent OT Shruti More, during Dennis...
It is hard to believe that I only have a week left at Handimachal. What a wonderful experience it has been…. living in the beautiful Kullu valley, getting to know the lovely families of the children of Handimachal, working with the therapists and Auntie...
Whatever work you do is supposed to make a difference, and it does. In our case, the difference lies in what Handimachal has been making in the lives of the many special need children of Kullu valley. Prakash Thaapa is one such special and ironically...
Necessity is the mother of invention as the saying goes, how true is that. Need of splinting for the children like Sonali and Sagar was a major necessity to prevent further development of hand deformity. Lack of resources led to difficulty in making the...
The difference Handimachal Kullu Therapy Unit has been bringing to the differently-abled children in the community through its weekly programmes has been impressive and we start planning to reach the unreached hundreds in the remote areas of Himachal...
“Anything is possible” – this is the mantra that I have chanting since being in India. I have discovered it is possible to squeeze 10 persons into a taxi, a shared taxi as they call it here. I have hair-raisingly discovered it is possible for two buses...
The youth services and sports Association, Kullu, conducted the annual District Sports Festival for differently-abled children, on 25 November at Dalpur grounds. There were about 80 children participating in various competitions. The various competitive...
While Samantha, our latest OT volunteer, left Kullu more two weeks ago already to continue her adventure travelling in India, and Denise (speech therapist) has just flown back to Canada, Clarisse (APA volunteer) is now heading back to France. A few days...
Below are two messages received this week from Alycia Walker, our new OT volunteer from England, and from Christelle Pettazzi, introducing a new APA activity in Kullu. On arriving in Kullu and I was quickly made to feel welcome by the team and especially...
‘The Handimachal Therapy unit gives a ray of hope, a new way of thinking, a new goal’ Above is just one of the positive comments provided by patients and their parents, at the Handimachal Kullu Therapy Unit. Evaluating and improving our own work is something...
I am extremely happy to publish today the first pictures received from Samantha, our current OT volunteer in Kullu, of the wooden chairs designed for Aastha and Chanderkiran, two children who have been following rehabilitation therapy sessions in Manali...
The Handimachal project for disabled children is quite often introduced in the local press in Kullu, which is essential to publicise our services to families in the valley and raise awareness on disabilities issues. This week, for the first time ever...
