THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: From this year onwards, August 16 will be observed as ‘BUDS Day’, a day dedicated to intellectually challenged children, under the auspices of Kudumbashree. August 16, 2004, is the day when the first BUDS school for mentally-challenged children of poor families in the state started functioning in Venganoor grama panchayat of Thiruvananthapuram under the auspices of Kudumbashree.
The move is aimed at making BUDS institutions more popular and bringing intellectually challenged children to mainstream society, in the context of the achievements accomplished by Kudumbashree in collaboration with the local self-government institutions in the field within the last 19 years. The day also aims to integrate more children into BUDS institutions and provide mental support to their parents.
The Kudumbashree is also holding a BUDS Week celebration from August 9 to 16. Various programmes have been organised in all BUDS Institutions in the state as part of this.
LSG Minister M B Rajesh will make the BUDS Day announcement and carry out its state-level inauguration at a function to be held at Kerala Arts and Craft Village, Vellar, Kovalam, at 3 PM on the day. MLA M Vincent will preside over the function.
District panchayat president D Suresh Kumar will inaugurate the ‘Sajjam’ building resilience programme through which about 1 lakh Balasabha members will be trained to recognise and deal with natural calamities. The BUDS logo will also be released on the occasion. The tagline and logo for the BUDS Institutions were selected through a competition.
A special livelihood scheme involving parents of children in BUDS Institutions is also being implemented. Programmes are designed and implemented to include the mothers of the children studying in BUDS Institutions keeping in mind that they often have to spend time with their children at the institutions. Vocational training in paper & pen making, paper file making and umbrella-making are also being provided to trainees above 18 years of age to ensure a steady income. Currently, 162 enterprises are part of the BUDS Institutions.
Kudumbashree also brings products prepared by the children of the BUDS Institutions to the market under the brand name ‘Ithal’. Products like note pads, office files, seed pens, cloth bags and paper bags are branded and marketed by 14 BUDS Institutions in the district.
BUDS INSTITUTIONS