About Us
The Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind and Other Disabled provides free education, vocational training, skill development, placement, food and accommodation for the differently-abled. Mathru operates 2 residential schools with comprehensive programs for students who are blind and hearing impaired. Mathru has made an impact on hundreds of students due to the dedication of management members, staff, volunteers and the donors who support Mathru's work.
Mathru also runs 2 daycare centres with comprehensive programs for children with special needs like:
- Autism
- Deafblind
- Mentally retarded
- Cerebral palsy
- Down syndrome along with learning disability
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Vision
Every disabled child who lives in extremely poor and impoverished conditions must be given quality education and useful training to lead a self-sufficient and dignified life.
Technology Vision
Mission
To work for the welfare of the disabled children and uplift their socio-economic condition, by:
- Providing quality education,
- Medical assistance, and
- Useful vocational training and opportunity to develop inherent skills so that they find a meaningful place in society and lead meaningful lives.
Providing students with an excellent education is first and foremost on Mathru’s priority list. The school follows the curriculum prescribed by the Karnataka State Board, making an exception only for the Mathru School for the Differently-Abled where individualized syllabi better suits the children.
Students’ health is very important to Mathru. Students are provided with special healthcare services and are examined by doctors including ophthalmologists, dermatologists and orthopedists. The doctors are called upon for an initial examination when children arrive at Mathru and thereafter are called upon on an annual basis to complete a checkup of each student. Mathru maintains individual medical record of each student.
To bring out the hidden talents of the blind students, Mathru School started an academy of art, music, dance, and drama in 2002. The Mathru School conducts several cultural activities throughout the year to showcase the students’ talents. In addition, the students participate in many cultural competitions for which they have won various prizes as well as the appreciation of the community and media.
To meet our goal of promoting independence and happiness, Mathru School offers students many opportunities to build self-confidence and personality. The students regularly visit nearby railway station, police station, bus stand, malls, parks, temples, disater management centre and musuem. They also take part in educational excursions and sports meets regularly.
An important objective of Mathru is to identify the skills and abilities of the blind and other disabled and to provide suitable jobs wherever and whenever it is required. Mathru employs 2 visually challenged personnel, who are working as faculty.
Trust
- Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind is registered under India trust act, 1981-82 bearing Registration No 133/2001-2002 dated 5th January, 2001 before the office of the Sub Register, Bangalore North.
- Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind registered under Section 12A and under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
- The Trust is registered under Section 51, 52 of persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, bearing registration number 032.
- Mathru is governed by Trustees, who do not derive any financial benefit nor their Trusteeships carry any remuneration.
- Minutes of meetings are documented and circulated.
- The Trust approves programmes, budgets, annual activities, reports and audited financial statements.
- Trustees ensure compliance of all regulations and laws of the land.
Management
The trustees, volunteers, advisory committee members and dedicated staff members are the backbone of the various Mathru projects. Thanks to all their efforts, the Trust is able to make the impact that it has today.
The Trust Members
The Mathru Educational Trust was started by 4 dedicated people with a common goal to serve the blind and other disabilities by providing quality education, training, skill development and placement. However at present there are 3 trustees. They are:
Mr. S. Shankarappa
Founder and Chairman
Ms. Gubbi R. Muktha
Founder & Managing Trustee
Mrs. Gnaneshwari
Founder and Honorable Trustee
Consultants and Chief Advisors of Mathru
Mr. C R Rao
Chief Financial Consultant
Mr. G. Purushotham
Chief Financial Advisor
Mrs. Shashi Sathyanarayan
Project Advisor for Multiple Disabled
Mr. Guruprasad
Project Advisor for the Blind and Hearing Impaired
Certificate
Mathru Registration Renewal Certificate
FCRA Renewal Certificate
Faculty
Mathru employs dedicated and talented staff members. Around 40 dedicated personnel take care of different projects.
Volunteers
Mathru is extremely grateful to all the volunteers who helped the organization in various areas like spoken English, music, general knowledge and raising fund. Here are few of volunteers:
Smt. Usha Vishwanath
raises funds, teaches primary school children and counsels for the adult blind.
Mrs. Anandi
helps raise funds for Mathru.
Mr & Mrs. Sudha Narashimachar
Corporate Volunteers
- Target
- Centum
- Adobe
- National Public School
- Reva College
Mathru's Covid-19 Support
Covid-19, a global pandemic issue, has also adversely affected the smooth functioning of Mathru Activities.
Though we have great plans for 2020, due to Covid-19, we could not execute many of them. However, with the limited resources and available funds, we have executed some of them.
Execution of plans in Covid-19
Families of the special children were called by us and given advise about steps to be taken to avoid Coronavirus, use of sanitization, mask, taking care of special children, etc., For the families which are near to the Mathru centre, medical assistance like sanitization, mask, vitamin tablets, groceries kits have been distributed with the help of few donors and volunteers.
In D J halli, Shivajinagar, Bangalore, we served grocery kits and other Covid essentials for nerly 40 families of deafblind children. These children are basically from very poor families striving hard for their basic essentials.
During April - May 2020, we supported these families with grocery kits with the help of local donors and corporators.
Due to the financial crunch, we were able to pay only 50% of the salaries for the staff who working for over 3 years with us.
Even in this crisis, we have not stopped serving the special children. From the month of June 2020 as per the guidelines of High Court and the Department of Education, we started online classes for the blind children. Notes in Braille have been provided to help them read at home. Every day, our staff are in touch with the children. Nearly 70% of the children are availing education through online.
In case of hearing impaired, since sign language classes have to be taken, we are unable to take classes. However we are consulting some expert group to help us regarding this. From July 2010, we started online classes for these hearing impaired children also. However we have requested parents to take the help of local educated persons and help their children to read and write. We have supplied necessary books and notes to their doorstep through family members and by post.
In case of multiple disabled, our special educators and therapists are giving home services twice a week for the children nearby to the Mathru centre and also taking classes through online to the parents on the activities to teach their children at home, which is followed by our special educators.
Lot of counseling and moral support has been continuously given by our project heads and special educators and also trustees for the disabled children and their parents.
Home services to multiple disabled children during Covid
Online classes taken to deafblind children during Covid
On World Food Day, Mathru in association with Adobe, distributed food kits and Covid essentials to disabled children.
