Jeba Kumar’s Story

Ten year-old Jeba Kumar suffers from cerebral palsy. When he first came into contact with our community team, Jeba had led a very isolated life.

His father died when the boy was just one so his mother was forced to work long hours in order to support her family, leaving her son to cope alone for most of the day.

When our assessors first met him, Jebba would crawl around the simple thatched house they lived in, unable to talk or interact.

Each child is assessed before a tailor-made rehabilitation programme is drawn up

Our assessors will look at each child’s specific needs and tailor treatment to ensure he or she can reach the very best of his or her abilities. Our approach is very unique for this part of India.

With our support, Jeba received speech therapy and was taught to read and write. On the physical side, the boy was given regular physiotherapy and stretching techniques.

From crawling to walking

Now Jeba walks with the help of crutches instead of crawling. He can talk a little and likes to sing some songs. His progress has been so good that he now needs less support from us, bringing hope and relief to his mother. With further assistance through our vocational training schools, Jeba hopes one day to find a job when he grows older so that he’ll be able to support himself.

There are more Jebas needing help

We help around 1,200 children who would otherwise be neglected by society. Read more about our community rehabilitation scheme here or watch a film about our outreach work. If you would like to support our work with differently-abled children you can donate.