The Prerona Project, launched in February 2026 in Basirhat, North 24 Parganas, is addressing the needs of children with special needs in vulnerable rural and semi-urban communities, particularly in Hingalganj Block and Basirhat Block-I. Many of these areas lie along the Indo–Bangladesh border, where access to education, healthcare, assistive devices, and inclusive environments remains limited.
Children with special needs in this region are facing multiple barriers, including lack of services, low awareness, and social stigma, which are leading to exclusion and marginalisation. Through timely, community-based interventions, the project is creating pathways for these children to participate more actively in family, school, and community life.
Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre (KMWSC), which is working with highly vulnerable populations across 26 projects, is expanding its focus to include persons with disabilities. The Prerona Project is serving as a pilot initiative, helping the organisation build deeper understanding and strengthen its capacity for disability inclusion across programmes.
Key Focus Areas:
The project is building awareness and acceptance within communities by conducting regular sensitisation sessions with parents, peer groups, and local stakeholders. It is strengthening family and community engagement by equipping caregivers with practical skills and connecting them to local support systems.
At the same time, the project is enhancing children’s social interaction and emotional well-being by supporting families with approaches such as behavioural, play, and sensory integration therapies. Continuous documentation and learning are shaping a model that is scalable and adaptable, while capacity-building efforts are ensuring long-term sustainability by empowering local stakeholders.
Key Activities:
The project is providing counselling and psychosocial support to children and their families, helping them address emotional and behavioural challenges. It is organising workshops and awareness sessions to reduce stigma and promote inclusive attitudes within communities.
Family-centred capacity-building workshops are strengthening life skills, therapy-based approaches, and awareness of rights and entitlements. Regular medical camps are facilitating health check-ups, early identification, and referrals through collaboration with specialists.
Training programmes are building the capacities of teachers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, and community members to support inclusive education and early identification of disabilities. The project is also facilitating access to assistive devices and therapies such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy.
Community awareness campaigns, using IEC materials and local engagement methods, are promoting inclusion and dignity. At the same time, the project is strengthening linkages with government schemes – supporting families in accessing disability certificates, pensions, health services, and scholarships.
Internally, KMWSC is building its institutional capacity through staff training and by integrating learnings from Prerona into its wider programmes.
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