Fundraising to change lives
About SSDRC
The Special School for Disabled and Rehabilitation Center – SSDRC – is a non-governmental and non-profit making, registered educational centre for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
SSRDC 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 slight supply. The centre’s ethos is guided by the belief that each person with autism has the capacity for growth and development, a right to services that enhance well-being, quality of life, and opportunities to learn.Â
The primary aim of the centre is to rehabilitate children with autism into the wider community, by teaching basic social and practical skills they need in their daily life.
Our mission
Since xxxx SSDRC has been based on a small 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. It has long been the dream of teachers, parents and stakeholders for the school to relocate to a larger, patch – and own their land for the first time, thus guaranteeing the school’s future.
In late 2017 SSDRC bought a 500sqm area of land, 10km further outside the city, at a price of US$80,000 – which was predominantly covered by a US$60,000 bank loan, and used all the school’s available funds.
We’re raising money to help begin building on the land, so the move can take place before the next academic year?, and hope to raise enough money to finance and purchase and building of one classroom area.
About us
In summer 2017 we – Sanna Kontinen, a Finnish ABA therapist and Rob Garratt, a British journalist – visited SSDRC’s current home for close to a month, working on a voluntary basis with the children and offering specialist training to the staff. We saw first-hand the extremely basic conditions, lack of resources and poor equipment/resources and can guarantee any funds donate are both sorely needed and will find a very efficient effective use.
About autism
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive and antisocial behaviours.
Since 2013 psychologists have worked with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a gradual, umbrella scale which incorporates many previously established developmental disorders, including Autism Disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder and Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.
Autism was not recognised in Nepal until xxxx? – one of the reasons SSRDC does not directly refer to autism in its title is because the condition had not yet been accepted by the government. Today . SSDRC, and Ms Upreti, also invaluable work spreading awareness about autism in a country which not recognise the condition until the past decade?