Plus

Plus

At Dayamina’s Day Centre, differently-abled youth learn vocational skills and even household chores so that they can be independent
Learning to cope with life
By Natasha Fernandopulle
"I like to come here," is what Dinusha Paul had to say about the Dayamina Day Centre. Dinusha, 27, has been at the centre for eight years and is taught music and dancing. She is also a girl guide. Dinusha comes to the centre three times a week. Scraping coconuts, sweeping, polishing, making cutlets and vegetable soup are some of the household tasks she has learned. She also waters the garden, and bathes her dog 'Flash' at home.

Dayamina is a day centre for differently abled youth, run by the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary. It is under the Sudaya Trust, which is an umbrella organization for three children's homes, including Dayamina.

"The purpose of Dayamina is to integrate these youth into society," says Sr. Gloria, the sister in charge. Each person here is guided according to their abilities and needs, she adds. As parents sometimes find it tough to cope with differently-abled children the centre also offers counselling for them.

Twenty-six-year-old Chaminda has been at Dayamina for 10 years. He comes to the centre every day and enjoys singing and dancing. "My best friend here is Viraj," he said. What he likes most is making carpets.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, some of the parents said they were thrilled to see the improvement in their children. Mrs. Perera said that her daughter Himali has "improved a lot" during the four to five years at Dayamina. Twenty five -year-old Himali is skilled in sewing. "Before she came here she didn't know how to hold a needle, now she embroiders flowers," said Mrs. Perera.

Sewing is one of the vocational skills taught at the centre; others are embroidery, making carpets, pillowcases and bedspreads. They also turn out bags from environment-friendly materials. Fabric painting, art and handwork are taught. Boys are taught carpentry and make stools, spoons and handles for bags.

Around one and a half hours of the curriculum is spent on reading and writing. Western music, eastern dancing and computer skills are also taught. On Saturdays and Sundays students are encouraged to go for dancing classes outside Dayamina, as the centre is closed over the weekend.

The six teachers at Dayamina work as a team. Dayamina is in need of caring volunteers to support their permanent staff, says Sr. Gloria. Part of the training for these differently-abled young people is in household chores so that they can be independent. Sr. Gloria is now helping Chaminda learn to travel by bus.

Mrs. Chithra Siriwardena's son, Rohan Pradeep, is 22, and has been at Dayamina for five years. She too finds that her son has improved. "He learnt to write when he came here and now writes very well," she says. Mrs. Siriwardena runs a shop and her son helps her.

He manages the shop, and can cut open a thambili and give it to the customer. Rohan enjoys handwork and makes and sells carpets and wool bags. Residential care for the differently-abled is an urgent need and suggestions have been made that the parents should form a trust to set this up. Some parents are working on a home for boys.

To provide them with job opportunities, Dayamina hopes to open a bakery with the support of parents. Centres like Dayamina and the work they do go a long way in helping the differently abled integrate into society.

Back to Plus