Help Specially-Abled Children Become Independent & Self-Reliant

For specially-abled children, even a single bite eaten without help is a victory. A moment as simple as sitting on their own becomes a milestone that can bring tears to the eyes. These are not small achievements, for them they are life-changing moments. The dream here is not about making them IAS officers, BA graduates, or MBA holders. The dream is far more human, far more urgent: to make them self-reliant, to help them live with dignity, and to ensure they do not spend their lives dependent on others for every basic need.

This is the mission that Shanu Shrivastva has carried in her heart for nearly 20 years. At the Support Foundation, the children lovingly call her maa or maayi, because for many of them, she is exactly that- a mother figure, a protector, and the reason hope still exists. As an experienced social worker, she has devoted her life to children from poor backgrounds who are living with disabilities, giving them therapies, patience, care, and above all, a chance at independence.

She often says that society carries a painful misconception about these children, calling them “crazy,” when in reality their minds have simply not developed fully due to reasons beyond their control- sometimes birth complications, sometimes illness, sometimes circumstances no child should ever have to face. Her mission has always been to teach every child according to their own IQ level, their own pace, and their own ability, so they can learn the simple but powerful skills needed for everyday life.

At the Support Foundation, every lesson is built around life itself—how to eat, sit, speak, move, and slowly take charge of their own day-to-day routine. Every child who learns to feed themselves, every child who begins to respond to speech therapy, every child who stands through physiotherapy is a story of courage and transformation.

What makes this story even more heartbreaking is that this shelter, home to more than 30 to 40 children, survives almost entirely on Shanu’s own salary. There is no government support, no fixed funding, no extra resources. It is the result of just one woman’s determination to keep these children from being abandoned by the world.

But today, that strength is being tested. The therapies these children desperately need- speech therapy, physiotherapy, regular nutrition, and daily care cannot continue without support. The dream of giving them an independent life is still alive, but carrying it alone has become almost impossible. Shanu now lives with the fear of how long she can keep this safe haven running on her own.

This is the moment where your kindness can become someone’s future. Your support can help keep this shelter alive, continue their therapies, and ensure these children keep moving toward a life of dignity and self-reliance.

Please come forward and stand with Shanu in this mission of hope, healing, and humanity.

Donate now!