A doctor tells how they launched an early care service in India for children with disabilities, who in local society normally have a very low chance of life. A moment of therapy with one of the patients. MERCÈ LEONHARDT

Nine years ago they started the Early Intervention program of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation for the early care of babies and children in their first years of life with possible difficulties.

The first time Mercè and her husband arrived in Anantapur, they knew that a newborn with a disability had little chance of life, because he could die not only because of his fragility, but because Indian society condemned him. The first meeting with Vicente Ferrer was very interesting, since he sensed the need to specifically care for the little ones. He was aware that to achieve this, it was necessary to create a care program that would help them reduce the consequences and risks derived from their disabilities, as well as, where possible, make efforts to prevent said disability.

Dr. Mercé Leonhardt and her team. They started courses for a month with the aim of teaching how to identify everything from cerebral palsy to different sensory deficits such as blindness and deafness at an early age. At the same time, workshops were organized to discover the best way to recognize their disability during the birth of a child, in order to be able to care for them from the beginning of life.

Many ideas came out of the workshops and one of those that took shape was called Bajo la Palmera , because it is where the elders of the towns usually meet to exchange impressions and find out about everything that happens. There the births are known and the incidents that may have happened are known. This was the starting point: the palm tree was an ally for the objective and would help start organizing the Early Intervention program. Once Mercè and Ferran had returned to Barcelona and a month later the coordinator wrote to them about the future program, Mr. Chinnappa, informing them that they had 100 children with different identified problems. They mobilized and two months later they returned, accompanied this time by a small team of three professionals to take advantage of and train Indian specialists in the treatments to be applied to children with disabilities. More and more boys and girls receive specialized care and have the active participation of parents who are beginning to look at their children's future with hope.

They also created training commissions to which they added visits to all those children and babies who needed special attention. The team grew with the participation of a neuropediatrician, communication and language therapists, ophthalmologists, optometrists and physiotherapists who have developed the program's field of action. Currently, a member of the organization remains with the Indian team for a long season to accompany them and continue guiding the initiative to the needs of the minors.

Currently, Mrs. Lawla Zulekha coordinates the team, which has a broad vision of the organization and is capable of creating a cohesive, strong and sensitive team in the face of pain and suffering. However, more and more children receive specialized care and have the active participation of parents who are beginning to look at their children's future with hope.

Still a long way to go. There are six regions with six specialists who care for all the minors in the program. It is not easy, but they are left with the enthusiasm, interest and dedication of the young Indian team, which fights every day to give a good diagnosis and treatment to the babies, and to accompany the parents. Text adapted by MARIONA ALSEDÀ FLORENSA

Source: Vicente Ferrer Foundation