MEET US
TRUSTEES OF WWTI
Sulochana Kalro Affectionately called Sulu, is the Founder and Managing Trustee of WWTI since inception in 1984. A social worker by profession, she was inspired and encouraged to start her own organisation by a government official who recognised her abilities.
Acknowledged achievements for her children’s rights activism, disability awareness and advocacy work, and her years of dedicated service. She was a member of the Juvenile Welfare Board between 1999-2001. She is an adoptive parent herself which has given an added dimension of sensitivity to her work with children in need with a rights-based approach.
Arvind Prabhoo has been a well-wisher and advisor to the WWTI Board for several years before becoming a Trustee in April 2017. Well known in the field of disability, he was invaluable in the establishment of Umang in rural Vanjarwadi. Arvind is known to wear many hats, including as President of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Samiti, a state-of-the-art sports complex in Vile Parle, and as Programme Director for Paramita, an organisation whose aim is to identify and encourage sporting talent in India.
Zarin Gupta became a WWTI Trustee in 1995, and has been instrumental in and a witness to its growth over the years. She is the Founder and Chairperson of Salaam Baalak Trust established in 1988. She was working in a government hospital as a social worker when, after the success of the ‘Salaam Bombay’ movie, she teamed up with the director, Mira Nair to start a shelter for street children.
Zarin has been an International and National President of the Centre for International Programme Fellowship India.
Krishnan Ramanujam became a WWTI Trustee in April 2018 after being a legal advisor to the WWTI Board for over a year. Not one to sit at home after retirement from the corporate world, he founded his own successful consultancy company in the field of management, finance, and law in 2009. By engaging his management and legal expertise, and a myriad of contacts in the corporate world, Krishnan is passionately committed to improving the lives of the Trust’s beneficiaries, with a focus on medical treatment and educational opportunities.
FOUNDER’S MESSAGE
Umang, meaning ‘a new hope’, was started with the conviction that all persons, even those with mental and associated physical disability, must be treated with consideration, dignity, and respect. We strongly believe that everyone deserves a loving, caring family and a place to call home.
Umang is that home for the differently-abled residents who live and work there and call each other family. We believe in the Umang model, a model that can be replicated all over the world, to give stability, confidence, and employment to its residents. Our journey towards sustainability has only just started but we are assured of our success by the long way we have come in a short length of time.
Please assist us empower our residents to fulfill their potential and help change the way the world sees disability from ‘dis-ability’ to ‘this-ability’.
Thank you.
Ms. Sulochana Kalro
Founder and Managing Trustee
Worldchildren Welfare Trust India
RESIDENT PROFILE
Aarti – 11 October 1992
Aarti lives in a world of her own, but at the same time she is very aware of everyone and everything around her. She is severely autistic, so she does not like changes to her routine or too many people around her. She moved to Umang in April 2011 and has been making good progress since we put her on a gluten-free and casein-free diet a year ago. She loves meal times, solving jigsaw puzzles, and going on outings to the beach or shopping mall.
Anu – 25 July 1996
Anu is an extremely hard working, affectionate and loving young lady. She puts in a lot of effort in agriculture and is proud of the work she does. She loves to watch her efforts reap rewards in the form of delicious and organic herbs and vegetables and it’s important to keep encouraging her. Anu loves colouring in her mandala book, reading the Thought for the Day at assembly, listening to music, and dancing. She shows off her dance moves to all the visitors at Umang!
Farukh – 27 June 1990
Farukh is a clever and inquisitive young man. He is always curious about how things work and the different uses of things, especially medicinal or herbal plants. He is very Umang-proud and he wants to study further to increase sales in the Umang Shop. He has been using a tablet donated by an adoptee to watch Youtube videos about plants and other things that interest him and is now teaching the other residents like Bittoo and Payal how to do the same.
Bittoo – 11 July 1990
Bittoo is one of our ‘original 8’ who moved to Umang on 28 March 2010. Since then, he has watched it grow and is very Umang-proud, often saying that there is no place like ‘humara Umang’. Bittoo is a gentle soul, a helpful and hardworking young man. He takes his guest management and cleaning duties very seriously and does a good job with both. He enjoys painting, playing badminton and cricket, and taking yoga in the morning.
Ekra – 6 July 1997
Ekra is one of a kind! She is clever and capable of doing anything she sets her mind to. She sometimes struggles with her dyskinetic cerebral palsy and needs to feel useful. In order to make her feel special, and encourage her talents, it was decided that Ekra should make a cake for all Umang birthday celebrations. She did home-science at high-school where she was taught to make jams, biscuits, cakes and so on. We think there could be a revenue stream in this, plus it will give Ekra her purpose in life.
Kishore – 4 March 1998
Kishore is a sweet, smiling young man. He’s always happy to see and meet people. He spends his morning clearing the garden of fallen leaves. In the afternoon he spends his time doing puzzles or lego. He is being taught to wheel his own wheelchair as his arms and hands are functional and it will give him some independence.
Mahesh – 31 January 1999
Mahesh has settled down very well at Umang since moving in May 2017. He loves being outdoors and in the company of the other Umang residents. He especially loves singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and will clap his hands joyfully singing it on any occasion. He picks up the lyrics of songs very quickly and repeats them. He is blind and severely autistic and has been put on the gluten and casein free diet along with Aarti.
Meera – 17 February 1994
Meera is hardworking and capable despite her blindness. She leads the national anthem every morning at assembly, assists with garden clean-up, and stringing beads in the VTC. She also peels garlic and dries the lunch dishes. She needs someone by her side and to be kept occupied at all times. She love animals, especially cows, and her face lights up in a huge smile every time she comes close to one.
Razia – 28 February 1982
Razia, our senior citizen and one of the ‘original 8’, always has a story to tell. She talks to everyone about her life at Umang, her favourite foods, and how she feels about certain situations and people. She works in the garden on leaf picking in the day and then in the VTC stringing beads in the afternoon. Razia loves going on outings and it’s always a pleasure to see her face light up when we tell her of an upcoming outing.
Payal – 15 July 1990
Payal is a multi-talented young woman. As an ‘original 8’, she assists our dedicated cook cum residential mentor, Savitri by cleaning and chopping vegetables. In the afternoons, she puts her creative talent to use in the VTC by stitching bags or making jewellery for sale. Payal is always laughing and joking around with staff and fellow residents who look up to her.
Pooja – 7 February 1989
Pooja always has a sweet smile on her face. She is a perfectionist who is very focused on her work and on all the little details. She likes to ensure our products are of a high standard. Pooja is interested in beauty and grooming. Therefore, we are now looking into ways she can train as a beautician and work in the local area. She is very excited to do this. We think it suits her perfectly.
Rushika – 24 August 1989
Rushika is very sensitive girl who doesn’t like it when people argue or someone is scolded. She has a strong sense of justice and is always on the side of the underdog. This is why she has such an affinity towards all animals- she wants to speak up for those who have no voice. She loves taking care of all the dogs, cats, bunnies, cows and chickens at Umang, especially her favourite furry resident, Goldie the Lab.
Sujit – 25 July 1988
Sujit is one of our most hard working and conscientious residents. He is very soft-spoken and considerate of other people. Every morning he lays the tables for breakfast and cleans the dining room afterwards. In the afternoon he makes paper bags out of newspaper or packages diyas for sale. He can be quite shy but he’s improving a lot and becoming more communicative with the residents and even visitors to Umang. He loves singing and wants to take classes to improve his natural abilities.
Usha- 8 November 1987
Usha is a very strong-willed young lady with a 100 megawatt smile. She has tremendous determination to be independent and live her life on her terms. As she is unable to go anywhere without her electric wheelchair, she paints diyas and makes beautiful jewellery in the VTC during the day. She also a real foodie! She loves chicken curry and pav bhaji as a special treat.
Vanita – 15 April 1995
Vanita is a sweet girl who is making great strides at Umang. She is on leaf pickup duty along with Razia and Kishore in the morning and then solves puzzles and plays with lego in the afternoon in the VTC. She’s very affectionate and often will sit next to you wanting to hold hand. She also loves dancing. She is making tremendous progress in speech therapy and we are all encouraged by her persistence and improvement.
Zubin – 4 December 1991
Zubin is extremely strong willed. He wants to do things himself and hates having things done for him. He makes beautiful colourings, beaded garlands (torans), and brooms in the VTC. He thoroughly enjoys himself when people visit and loves looking at photos on their phones asking questions about their family and birthdays. He endears himself to everyone who meets him. He is a character!