About Desilva Trust
OUR STORY
Mr. M. Shanmugam is a well known and respected person in the Kotagiri area. His third child Desilva was born with intellectual disabilities. Despite not having too many resources, Mr. Shanmugam spent 15 years seeking out various treatment options for his son, but Desilva passed away at the age of fifteen.
Having seen how difficult it was to care for and manage the day-to-day functioning of his son, Mr. Shanmugam decided to visit other people in the community who had children like Desilva and see if he could help them. Living in a community consisting largely of farmers and daily labourers with no options for child care, parents with mentally challenged children were forced to leave these children at home, sometimes having to tie them up for safety. This moved him very deeply. What especially struck him was the vulnerability of girls with disabilities, who faced even greater risks due to a lack of protection and resources.
He decided then to dedicate his life to supporting children like Desilva and helping families find hope, dignity, and care. He started the Desilva Handicap Trust in a small room in his own residence. The plan was to transport the children (after getting a loan to buy a vehicle for this) to and from their homes and provide them food, clothing, education, physiotherapy, speech therapy and training for self employment, all free of cost.
The DESILVA HANDICAP TRUST has grown significantly in terms of activities, even if not in terms of budget. Over the past year, we have undertaken numerous initiatives, all of which are well documented in this report.
The Trust, supported by donations from the Government, also supplies walking sticks, wheelchairs and equipment for the blind and provides financial help for students training for a B.Ed in special education (MR) and also maintains a sports club.
The Trust is sincerely grateful to all our donors for their passionate support in advancing the mission of the Desilva Handicap Trust — to build self-reliant, educated, and empowered communities. We look forward to your continued support as we remain committed to driving meaningful social transformation.
Managing Trustee
Mr. M. Shanmugam
Present Status of Organization
DESILVA SPECIAL SCHOOL FOR INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY is a secular, non-profit social service organization operated by a registered trust. The organization is governed by a four-member Executive Board under the overall supervision of the Chief Executive Officer, with direct leadership provided by Mr. M. Shanmugam, the Managing Trustee.
All administrative and charitable activities — including free services — are carried out based on collective decisions made during Board meetings, involving the Managing Trustee, Trustees, and Board Members.
The DESILVA TRUST & DESILVA SPECIAL SCHOOL FOR INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, NILGIRIS DISTRICT operates in dedicated facilities, including a therapy unit and classrooms designed for 25 students with intellectual disabilities. A team of special education teachers works tirelessly, day and night, to ensure the welfare and development of the children.
We function from our own premises in Sakatha in Aravenu, Nilgiris District, the land donated by a generous donor from the USA, and a 2 classroom building constructed with the help of Coonoor Round Table #117 and the Coonoor Ladies Circle #74 and the office and hostel building by Coal India Ltd. Coal India Ltd also donated our 31 seater school bus and our donor from the USA donated our 7 seater van. From this year onward, the school continues to strengthen its commitment to serving the intellectually disabled community with enhanced care and educational support.