Project

Childhood is a time of tremendous growth and learning.

Babies and toddlers learn new skills such as Rolling over, Taking their first step, and Speaking their first word.

From birth to 3 years, your child should reach milestones in how she/he plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves.

If you notice your child is continually behind in gaining the skills expected by a certain age, it is possible that your he/she may have a developmental delay or a disability.

These conditions are more common in children who are

• born premature,
• do not cry immediately after birth,
• have a very low birth weight,
• have an illness or surgery soon after being born,
• prolonged stay at NICU, or
• born with neurodevelopmental syndromes (such as Cerebral Palsy or Down's Syndrome)

In such a scenario, what can you do as parents?

Don't wait for your child to 'catch up on his own'. Act early.

Talk to your pediatrician first. He might refer you to a Neurologist and/or an Orthopedic to diagnose your child's condition.

Once the diagnosis is made, the parents are referred for an Early Intervention Program.

What is an Early Intervention Program?

It is a system of services that helps babies and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities to learn the basic skills that develop during the first three years of life.

Early Intervention is provided by a team of doctors and therapists working along with the parentsto support the child's development.

Why intervene EARLY?

• Child's brain is most capable of change and learningnew skills during the first three years of life.
• A child with developmental delay can progress better by starting therapies early on.
• It prevents frustration – common in children with communication difficulties – from turning into difficult behaviors.
• Families can get trained to better meet their children's special needs from an early age.

Act early, Help your child, help your family!

Parents play a key role in this program along with other professionals.

Putta Hejje, a unique centerfor early intervention services in the city of Mysore, provides the following services:

• Physiotherapyand Occupational Therapy

  To help build muscle strength and improve motor development.

  To help develop hand function and skills required for daily living.

  Focuses on reaching, rolling, crawling, and walking; andeating, dressing and indicating toilet needs.

  Also prescribes:

  • Special seating and postural systems
  • Aids and appliances to facilitate movement.

• Speech and LanguageTherapy

  To improve a child's ability to communicate.

  Focuses on speaking, listening, understanding.

• Special Education

  To shape a child's thinking, learning skills and social interactions.

  Focuses on enhancing attention, sitting tolerance, pre-academic skills and preparing child for school educational set up.

• Visual Stimulation

  To enable the child to tap into their residual vision.

  Focuses on enhancing visual attention and visual perceptual learning.

• Parent Counseling

  The therapy services at Putta Hejje are family-centered, where a meaningfulemotional and psychological support is provided for the parents of children with disabilities.

The success of this program depends more on the family's involvement.

So ACT EARLIER, STAY INVOLVED, SEE PROGRESS.

CCC (Project Period 1st May 2008 to 31st March 2013)

Asha Kirana is running a 10 bedded Community Care Center (CCC) funded by Karnataka Health Promotion Trust, Serving the people with HIV/AIDS in and around Mysore district. The CCC provides treatment for minor Opportunistic Infections and offer psychosocial support through sustained counseling, in a stigma-free environment. The goal of the CCC project is to provide a functional environment that can act as a bridge between hospital and home-based care.

Project Period- 28th June 2010 to till date

Expanded access to ART can drastically reduce the HIV transmission at population level, impact orphan hood and preserve families. In 2011, an estimated 34 million people were living with HIV. WHO and UNAIDS estimate that at least 15 million people are still in need of antiretroviral therapy in 2011. AshaKirana started an ART center in June 2010 under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in support by National Aids Control Organization (NACO) and Karnataka State Aids Prevention Soceity (KSAPS) to provide subsidized ART, and a free ART rollout for Children Living With HIV. 

Data from 28th June to June 2015

 Project Period- 1st Nov 2008 to till date

A large number of people move around India for work; it is estimated that 258 million adults in India are migrants, the majority are men migrating for employment. . Studies from across the world have linked migration to multiple sexual partners and increased HIV transmission. It has been said that migrants and other mobile individuals are bridge populations for HIV transmission from urban to rural areas and between high-risk and low-risk groups.

Asha Kirana in association KSAPS having integrated counselling and testing centre which consist of Medical Officer, Lab technician and a counselor and does free HIV testing since 2007.

Asha Kirana in association with Clinton Foundation under CHAI program started free ART to children ling HIV/AIDS since Jan 2008 and we providing free ART to 105 children since 2003.

PPTCT (Project Period April 2003 to Sept 2014)

Asha Kirana is implementing the PPTCT program under EGPAF (Elizabeth Glaser pediatric AIDS Foundation) in 11 collaborating private hospital in four districts- Mysore District, Hassan District, Chikkamaglore District and Chamaraja nagar District. Asha Kirana is conducting sensitization and education programs in collaboration with medical and nursing colleges in the area, leveraging on associations from the Indian Medical Association. The services offered under this program include voluntary counseling and testing, antiretroviral prophylaxis and counseling on safe feeding practices to prevent newborns from contracting HIV/AIDS. The HIV positive pregnant women are provided comprehensive obstetric and neonatal care. Frequent assessment of impact are undertaken on final outcomes of interest, Mainly HIV infection status of children, child mortality, social consequences of HIV testing (positive/Negative) and social consequences of replacement feeding. Asha Kirana is the forerunner in this region for providing PPTCT services in private sector.

EGPAF-PPTCT Details from 2003 to September 2014.