meet the special class

Manu, Adult
Manu has a long history with Project Why. He is currently a resident in our foster care program. He loves to sing and is an amazing host. Manu’s story is especially poignant, as he was abandoned by his family and left to beg on the street before we found him. He is an epileptic with both mental and physical disabilities. He is extremely happy to be off the streets and be able to call Project Why his home and live here with dignity. Today Manu is very ill. He has TB and multiple organ failure. We feat for his life.


Pooja, Age 12
Pooja loves to do puzzles and dance. She is hearing impaired and has been coming to Project Why for six years now. Before she came to our center she had never been to school, but now she has learnt sign language, been fitted with a hearing aid, and is learning stitching skills as a means to support herself, which is very important as her father is the sole breadwinner in her family of seven people.

Anurag, Age 14
Anurag has been coming to Project Why for four years now and has really benefited from his time with us. He is autistic, and when his mother first brought him to our program, he lacked basic communication skills and often lashed out violently when he could not express himself. His father ignored his difficulties and often tied him up to control him if he became aggressive as he is one of six siblings and his parents were concerned about the other children. Today, Anurag is friendly and happy and loves cooking

Champa, Age 20
Champa is always smiling. She loves to sing and dance and is extremely friendly. She is living in our foster care program, as she only has her elderly mother to look after her. Her mother cleans homes for a living, so she used to leave Champa, who is mentally retarded, by herself all day and she was abused because she was alone in the street. Her mother brought her to us six years ago, and at the time, she had almost no basic self care skills and had behavioral problems. Now she has learned to take care of herself and basic cooking skills.

Hritik, Age 9
Hritik is is autistic. When he first came to Project Why, he was very shy and did not like to talk to anyone. Now, he has learned to greet people and is learning to read and write. He loves to cook, color, and play musical and sorting games. His father works in a shop and his mother stays at home to look after him and his two siblings, so they are not financially able to provide any special care for him apart from bringing him to

Naneh, Age 10
Naneh and his sister Rucchi are both members of our Special Section. Nanek has had a lot of health problems and multiple operations relating to his bladder and kidneys, which have left him underdeveloped. He is also mentally retarded and cannot walk or talk without support. Nanek is one of four siblings, out of which three are disabled. His mother is a widow and sells food from a cart day and night to support the entire family.

Sahida, Age 16
Sahida lost her hearing at the age of three or four when she had meningitis. She has been with us for six years and has learnt sign language, reading, and writing. She is also studying to become a beautician at a beauty parlor. She is one of six siblings, and before she came to Project Why she was mostly kept at home. Now, she loves her classes, many different activities, and making new friends.

Saheeda passed away tragically on May 15th 2009

Shalini, Adult
Shalini is very affectionate and friendly. She has been coming to Project Why for 7 years. In her time here, she has learned proper behavior, self-care skills, some stitching, and cooking. She has Down syndrome and takes time to learn new skills. Her family is very stable and supportive of her, but did not know how to teach her until she came to us. Shalini enjoys most things, but especially loves singing and dancing.

Puja, Age 6
Puja has only been coming to the Special Section for about six months, but in this short time she has learnted to greet people politely, say some new words, and write the alphabet. She has Down syndrome and takes a long time to learn anything new. Her father works in a factory and she has two other siblings. Her younger sister also has also has Down syndrome. She is very happy to come to school and especially enjoys playing with the toy kitchen, musical games, and coloring.

Preety, Age 20
Preety loves going to the park, sorting, dusting, dancing, and musical games. She can write her own name and all the letters of the alphabet. She is currently learning to write more words, but she is mentally retarded and takes time to master new skills. She has seven members of her family and her father is the only person earning a salary. He works very far away and does not have a lot of time and money to spare, so Preety and her family are very happy that she has opportunities for different activities at Project Why.

Preeti, Age 13
Preeti is extremely bright and does an excellent job with her school work. She is past a 5th class level, and excels especially at Math. She had polio when she was very young and is still unable to walk or use her legs. She still manages to move around the classroom and has learned excellent stitching skills during her time at Project Why. She is now able to make an entire outfit from taking measurements to producing a final product. She will be able to use her skills to support herself eventually, as she is one of five children and her family has limited resources to provide for her.

Anjali, Age 16
Anjali is very verbal and is constantly interacting with her classmates. She is a mildly mentally retarded and one of her legs is deformed, making it difficult for her to walk. She did not get medical treatment for her leg when she was a baby and now it is too late to operate. However, she still manages to move around quite well. She likes painting and shopping or going to the market. She is learning to clean and cook so she can help around the house and hopefully eventually support herself as her mother is completely alone because her father left their family.

Munna, Age 10
Munna’s younger brother, Vicky, lives in our foster care section. They have three other siblings at home and very few resources to go around. Munna needs a lot of support as he is mentally retarded with a very short attention span. He has a lot of difficulty learning new skills and struggles to finish tasks. However, he is an excellent talker and loves to dance! He also has a wonderful sense of humor and is a lot of fun

Umesh, Age 14
Umesh comes from a big family: he has five brothers and sisters, but his mother is a widow and struggles to find steady work. Umesh has cerebral palsy so he can speak, walk, and move around, but slowly and with difficulty. He is a slow learner and forgets things very quickly if he misses any class. He loves coming to school as he is very naughty and loves interaction, especially through group activities and playing outside.

Harsh, Age 16
Harsch is a new addition to our special section and has really learned a lot in the few months he has been with us. When he started coming to our group, he did not like working with others ad needed individual support for all activities. Now, he is learning to work in a group and be more independent. He has difficultly walking and is developmentally delayed. He is one of four children so his sister helps him a lot at home, but his family is hoping he will become more self sufficient during his time with us.

Ruchhi, Age 13
Rucchi is Naneh’s older sister. Their mother is a widow and sells food from a cart day and night to support her family of four children (three of whom are disabled). Rucchi has a neurological disorder which affects her mind and also gives her tremors. She is learning cooking and stitching skills, but slowly and with difficulty. She likes group activities, dancing, and going to the park. She knows how to write her name and the letters of the alphabet already and is working on beginning reading skills.

Geetu, Age 17
Geetu is lucky to have a very supportive family. She is a slow learner with developmental problems, and her family tries to do everything they can to help her. She has three brothers and sisters and her father works in a store. She is able to stitch a little bit and is learning to do more. She loves learning to stitch, doing group activities, playing musical games, and going out for shopping, cooking, or a trip to the park.

Rinky, Age 16
Rinky is a very loyal friend. She is always communicating with all the students and staff and is extremely popular! She is hearing impaired and has been fitted with a hearing aid. She also sees a speech therapist and has special classes to learn sign language. She can read and write and has completed a beautician’s course and is already working in a beauty parlour. She also mastered stitching through taking classes with us. Rinky lost her hearing due to illness as a baby, and her family of three brothers and sisters has always been supportive of her. Her father is a tailor and her mother work as well. She loves to paint and draw.

Ankur, Age 13
Ankur is a very happy child. He is always smiling and uses his expressive face to communicate with others as he has developmental problems and never learned to speak. He also has difficulty learning, although he can write his letters and count. He loves company and his favourite activities are group games and playing with the kitchen. He also enjoys going shopping in the market. His family is very supportive of him although they do not have many resources to help him as he is one of five children and his father works in a dairy shop.

Honey, Age 16
Honey is true to his name: very sweet, but he has difficulty learning and a variety of developmental problems. He needs a lot of special attention as his attention span is extremely short. He is learning to read and write, but has not been with us for very long so can currently only write his name. He is very verbal and love music, dancing and going out, especially to the park or the market. He has one older brother and his father is a watch repairman