Let's build
an autism
school in Nepal
Help SSDRC move to their first permanent home
Welcome to our fundraising campaign to help one of Nepal’s only specialist schools for autistic children move to its first purpose-built home.
Since 2010, Kathmandu's Special School for Disabled and Rehabilitation Center — SSDRC — has offered a warm and supportive educational environment to dozens of disadvantaged and orphaned Nepalese children with autism spectrum disorder, who would otherwise be without specialist care, therapy or resources. Yet the school receives no regular state funding, and relies primarily on charitable donations to exist and survive.
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Our fundraising project was inspired by a month-long period spent volunteering at the school, on the outskirts of Kathmandu. During our stay we built deep relationships with many of the children and staff, and began this photo project documenting every student we met – scroll down to see our moving array of images.
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It is the dream of each of these children for the overstretched organisation to move from its current ramshackle, rented – and far from ideal – base to a purpose-built home, on its own patch of land.
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Please read on to find out more about the school and how you can help – or cut to the chase and visit our GoFundMe page here:
New home, new hope
Introducing SSDRC
The Special School for Disabled and Rehabilitation Center – SSDRC – is a non-government and non-profit making, registered educational centre for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
SSDRC was founded in October 2010 by philanthropist and campaigner Sabita Upreti with the goal of providing specialist education and therapy for deprived children and families in Nepal – a country where such services are in critically slight supply. Home to 45 children, the primary aim of the centre is to rehabilitate children with autism into the wider community, guided by the ethos that every individual with autism has the right to services that enhance their well-being and quality of life.
Our mission
SSDRC is currently based in two cramped, single-storey concrete buildings on a small, sandy patch of rented land in the industrial Pepsicola area – named after the large soft drinks manufacturing plant which dominates the area’s skyline and air quality – of Old Sinamangal, Kathmandu. We saw first-hand how the derelict and under-resourced school site was hampering not just the students’ academic progress, but their health and wellbeing.
It has long been the dream of teachers, parents and stakeholders for the school to relocate to a new larger, purpose-built and self-owned home – offering the capacity to welcome more than double the number of students, creating a far richer educational environment and guaranteeing the future of the school for years to come.
We’re raising funds to help pay for the land on which this new, modern three-storey school will sit – and provide the materials and labour to build it. With donations totalling US$9,000 (UK £6,500) we can fully fund the purchase and construction of two, brand new 13.4 sqm (144 sq ft) ground-floor classrooms – help us, and them, make this dream a reality.
What is autism?
Autism is a developmental disorder characterised, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive and antisocial behaviours.
Initially identified in 1943, it was not until 2013 that the present autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis was defined – a gradual, umbrella scale which incorporates many existing developmental disorders, including autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Currently, one in 68 children in the USA are diagnosed with ASD, a rate it is believed would be replicated internationally if a similar level of professional services were in place.
However, autism was not recognised by authorities in Nepal until the early 2000s, which has only made the need yet more pronounced and grave – more than 400 children are currently on the waiting list to join SSDRC, one of just a handful of specialist educational centres in the country.
As well as offering hands on education and care, SSDRC also does invaluable work spreading awareness about autism across Nepal – one of the poorest nations in the world, with 40 percent of Nepalese people living on less than $2 a day – where resources are in short supply, while prejudices remain rife.
Our goals
Introducing SSDRC
The Special School for Disabled and Rehabilitation Center – SSDRC – is a non-government and non-profit making, registered educational centre for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
SSDRC was founded in October 2010 by philanthropist and campaigner Sabita Upreti with the goal of providing specialist education and therapy for deprived children and families in Nepal – a country where such services are in critically slight supply. Home to 45 children, the primary aim of the centre is to rehabilitate children with autism into the wider community, guided by the ethos that every individual with autism has the right to services that enhance their well-being and quality of life.
Our mission
SSDRC is currently based in two cramped, single-storey concrete buildings on a small, sandy patch of rented land in the industrial Pepsicola area – named after the large soft drinks manufacturing plant which dominates the area’s skyline and air quality – of Old Sinamangal, Kathmandu. We saw first-hand how the derelict and under-resourced school site was hampering not just the students’ academic progress, but their health and wellbeing.
It has long been the dream of teachers, parents and stakeholders for the school to relocate to a new larger, purpose-built and self-owned home – offering the capacity to welcome more than double the number of students, creating a far richer educational environment and guaranteeing the future of the school for years to come.
We’re raising funds to help pay for the land on which this new, modern three-storey school will sit – and provide the materials and labour to build it. With donations totalling US$9,000 (UK £6,500) we can fully fund the purchase and construction of two, brand new 13.4 sqm (144 sq ft) ground-floor classrooms – help us, and them, make this dream a reality.
What is autism?
Autism is a developmental disorder characterised, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive and antisocial behaviours.
Initially identified in 1943, it was not until 2013 that the present autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis was defined – a gradual, umbrella scale which incorporates many existing developmental disorders, including autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Currently, one in 68 children in the USA are diagnosed with ASD, a rate it is believed would be replicated internationally if a similar level of professional services were in place.
However, autism was not recognised by authorities in Nepal until the early 2000s, which has only made the need yet more pronounced and grave – more than 400 children are currently on the waiting list to join SSDRC, one of just a handful of specialist educational centres in the country.
As well as offering hands on education and care, SSDRC also does invaluable work spreading awareness about autism across Nepal – one of the poorest nations in the world, with 40 percent of Nepalese people living on less than $2 a day – where resources are in short supply, while prejudices remain rife.
Photo project
Meet the students...
In May 2017 we visited SSDRC and, over the course of a month, built up strong, lasting relationships with the children and young adults who attend the school every day. To help share and illustrate our experience, and raise awareness about the centre, we captured portraits of each student present.
Hover your cursor over each image to find out their names. To get to know some of the students a little better, click on the case studies tab below. Do let us know if you would like any more information about any of the students or our project.
All photos by Rob Garratt – feel free to republish, but please do credit and kindly share any coverage with us.
And now it's that time...
How to donate
If you’d like to donate towards SSDRC’s forthcoming move, we can guarantee that every penny or cent, that any amount, no matter how small, will make a huge difference.
The quickest, simplest way to donate is to visit our GoFundMe page. Go on, do it!
However, if you feel more comfortable donating directly - or would like to sidestep the platform's 2.5% administrative fees and ensure all your cash goes where you and we want it to - feel free to get in touch by emailing sannakontinen@gmail.com.
And please do ask any questions about the school, this project or autism in general – we’d love to share our experiences, memories and insights.
