palnaTM
PalnaTM, is DCCW’s home for abandoned, homeless and
destitute children. Established in 1978, and located in Qudsia Bagh, Old
Delhi, it is a haven of peace, security and stability for the children who
come here. Every effort is made at PalnaTM to move away from an institutional
environment to a homely one, to create an atmosphere of caring and calm and
to bring a smile onto the face of each child.
The emphasis in PalnaTM is on total care. PalnaTM’s
multi-specialty medical pr
ogramme, non-formal educational sessions and
recreational facilities and activities, address all aspects of children’s
development, good health and overall well-being. At PalnaTM, children often
arrive in a precarious state of health – low birth weight babies,
hypothermic babies, babies with trauma and congenital defects. A Medical
Crisis Unit equipped with an incubator, ventilator, a phototherapy unit,
oximetre, nebulizers and open care facilities, handles emergencies among
infants and newborns. Round-the-clock doctors, nurses and care givers, an
emergency care medical unit, and access to hospitals close by ensure that
our children are given the best possible medical care. Dentists, eye
specialists and E.N.T. specialists are available on call.
PalnaTM has a physiotherapist, a special educator, a nursery
teacher and a speech therapist to supervise the growth and development of
the children. In addition, a child guidance counselor regularly assesses the
children and monitors their progress. Training programmes are conducted at
regular intervals for our PalnaTM attendants on subjects such as hygiene,
handling of infants, and appropriate stimulation for children. Together the
caregivers and specialists ensure a staff-child
ratio of 1:4.
There are separate dormitories in PalnaTM with bath and toilet facilities, for older girls, older boys, toddlers, infants up to 6 months and infants from 6 to 9 months. In addition, there is a separate wing with two dormitories for mentally challenged children. Meals are served in a dining room for the older children. A balanced and varied menu caters to the children’s tastes as well as their nutritional requirements.
There are
classrooms for older children and toddlers and
a
therapy / stimulation room for the mentally challenged children. PalnaTM has a
large playground equipped with swings and slides and cycles. Separate
playgrounds for toddlers and older children equipped with age-appropriate
toys, games and play equipment ensure that our children have plenty of
recreation and exercise. Outings, picnics and parties provide exciting
breaks from their daily routine.
A palna or cradle is placed outside the gates of
the compound to allow parents to give up their child without having to
identify themselves. This is how we receive most of our children. Children
also come to PalnaTM through the police and through hospitals and clinics.
Occasionally, families may come to the home to relinquish their child.
Today, on an average, PalnaTM looks after 70 children daily ranging in age from newborns to 8-year-olds. Notwithstanding the high standards of care at PalnaTM, we at DCCW believe that a child does not belong in an institution, but in a family. The first effort is to trace the family and restore the child to its birth parents. When it is established that the child is abandoned or has not been claimed by its family, all efforts are made to place it in adoption. (Adoption is not an option for mentally challenged children who will remain institutionalized.)
DCCW is licensed to do both, in-country and inter-country adoptions. The Adoption Programme at PalnaTM began in 1978 and over the last three decades we have placed over 2700 children in loving families, selected after rigorous screening and evaluation procedures.