Help Us Save Our Autistic School

The Story :

Our journey began with a road trip to our hometown, Kushtia, Bangladesh. The plan was to have fun for a couple of days, a simple get away from the city life and work. We ended up staying there longer than we planned and the reason was that we made friends with three little children. We met them by the curb of a small tea stall where they would sit the entire day and just stare at the strangers walking by, in hopes that some of them would be generous and buy them something to eat, those of us who live here in Bangladesh know it’s a very common sight, a very cruel one, but nonetheless a basic reality.

The day we first met them we did the most obvious thing anyone of us would do, buy them food and drinks, try to make small talk and then be on our way, but somehow we were drawn to them, and couldn't leave. These children were different, acted differently than most children, had speech impairment, no curiosity, didn’t smile for us,didn’t answer our questions and never said thank you or tried to impress us in any other way. They took what we gave them and simply ate quietly. After some asking around, we found out that they were orphans and mentally challenged, and this was their daily routine for as long as anyone has known them.  We also came to learn that there is one more child amongst them, who is supposedly handicapped and loud, for which reason he was kept away. By night, we saw the two children pack the remaining food and leave. We walked with them and after a short walk stopped at the shed of a bus stand; this is where we met the third child. We saw him sitting there quietly playing with some junk. All three of them sat there and ate their food and played. They were actually enjoying themselves. We sat there for a long time and watched them fall asleep. That entire day we did nothing but observe these little kids. They didn’t seem mentally challenged at all, but rather suffering from some kind of anti-social behavior, later to be diagnosed as ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The next day we spoke with the locals in hopes of finding out if there was anyone with any ties with the children, but to our disappointment no one had an answer. Unfortunately the children were orphans, and we came to learn that they were abandoned by their parents because of their condition. This unfortunate circumstance is something many children face in our communities, due to not enough awareness, and not having the means to receive a proper diagnosis. This is when we decided to do something for them. We brought the children to a home, and kept them under the care of a trusted, and responsible relative until we could come up with a more permanent solution. We managed to arrange a place for the children within a week, and this was made possible by a kind friend who assisted us in  renting a fairly constructed house over large area of private property. We took our children to their new home and appointed a care taker for them. Days went by; we held meetings with friends and locals. People willing to volunteer for these underprivileged children started to help us regularly. Within a matter of months, we were running a school specializing in teaching children with Autism, with eighty-three students. Twenty-three of our children are orphans, and the rest are from low-income homes. We were not first sure about this as the whole thing was new to us and we weren’t very familiar with autism itself. However, in time and with the response and help we received from the local community, we continued to provide as much assistance as possible to help these children. With a simple intention to help those three autistic orphans, we were determined to help as many as we could.



Our Campaign:

We want to help children with learning disabilities, mainly focusing on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, and give these children a chance to grow up and build a better future for themselves to the best of their ability. Our children and their parents are completely dependent on our school and the little accommodations we have. We love our kids and they love us. So, after much consideration and discussion with the locals we decided to run the project and expand it with other facilities.  Doing this we will and can attract people’s attention towards our little home and get more support and help. It has been ten months since we started our school and we have never once had the need to ask for any financial support from our government or any other non-profit organization.  At this point, due to the circumstances we are asking for your help. After two months of planning and researching thoroughly, we now have a viable project at hand. With high hopes, we started raising funds by autism awareness, fundraising events, and online crowd fundraising.




Our campaign is divided in to 3(three) parts:

1.  Raising money for the land deposit.

2.  Raising money to repair and expand our 3,500 square feet school to a full 14,100 square feet Special Care Need Childrens Facility including an Orphanage.

3.  Raising money to introduce and execute a more advanced teaching system with the help of experts and offer better services to our children with special needs.



Success so far:

·         We have an existing 3,500 square feet running school with eighty three autistic children and expecting more to come in the near future.

·         We currently accommodate twenty three autistic orphans, and sixty students with ASD from low-income or no-income homes.

·         We have five voluntary teachers, one care taker, two female nurses, one doctor, and support of hundreds from the local community.


 




 Our Plans of expansion and renovation:

We are going to bring big changes to our existing setup, with plans of expansion up to 14,100sft, and renovating the entire facility with new equipments.

      
 Conclusion:

Education is still mostly the privilege of only the richest elite. Special needs education is lacking or does not meet the groups needing it. Persons with ASDs do not have a possibility for a proper diagnosis and treatment. Also chances to get into a rehabilitation process are poor.
Now, we are trying to do something that we can all be part of and be proud of. So, lets just do our part, lets just do what we can, no matter how little effect it has on the outcome at least we would know that we tried. All I am asking of you is for a share or a little contribution, its not much work but its plenty to raise awareness and to help us reach our goal for what we are doing.
Lets make a change, trust me its gonna feel really good, because the change we want to see in this world, it starts from us.





You can also like us and visit us on our facebook page :-

https://www.facebook.com/AutismIsRadical