Palna, (which means “cradle” as well as “nurture”) is our home for abandoned, homeless and destitute children. It is possibly our most well-known programme. 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.
A palna is placed just outside the gates to allow a child to be placed in it by anyone, without the need of identifying themselves. This is how we receive most of our children. Children also come to Palna through the police and through hospitals and clinics. Occasionally, families may come to the home to relinquish their child. As soon as a child is placed in the cradle, a siren is immediately activated, and a nurse comes to take the child in.
Today, on an average, Palna looks after 85-95 children on a daily basis, ranging in age from new-borns to 8 year olds. As soon as a child comes to Palna, he or she is taken to our in-house medical crisis unit for a thorough medical check-up and is treated by our doctors as required. Efforts are initiated to trace the family of the child. Only after it is established that the child is abandoned, all efforts are made to place the child in adoption. Over the last three decades, we have placed over 3,300 children in loving families, selected after rigorous screening and evaluation procedures.
Infants often arrive in a precarious state of health – low birth weight, hypothermic, babies with trauma and congenital defects or mentally challenged. Survival is the immediate challenge for a newborn. We have a team of dedicated round-the-clock doctors, nurses and care-givers, and our medical crisis unit has all the necessary equipment to handle emergencies among infants and new-borns. Mortality in Palna today is negligible.
Palna has a team of qualified therapists, counsellors, caregivers and teachers who oversee the growth and development of each child. We are proud that our efforts have resulted in the children no longer having delayed milestones due to institutionalisation.
We have a playground equipped with swings, slides and cycles for the older children, and pre-school classes are held for them. Festivals and birthdays are celebrated, and the children go on outings. The USP of Palna is that it has the atmosphere of a home. Along with medical care, proper nutrition, and education, the children are loved and there is much fun and laughter. Palna children are happy children!
A book The World of PALNA: A Refuge of Love and Hope" by Radhika Ramnath, published in collaboration with Roli Books, follows the fascinating life journeys of several of our children. It is available at online bookstores across the world as well as at our office. All proceeds from its sale come directly to Palna.
Case Study : POOJA – Our Miracle Baby
Pooja (name changed) was an absolute new-born who arrived at Palna through the cradle at our gate on a cold winter morning . As soon as the siren rang in the premises announcing the presence of a child in the cradle, a nurse went out to bring the newcomer in. To her horror, she found that there was a plastic shopping bag in the cradle, on opening which she saw a tiny, new-born baby girl inside - with the afterbirth still attached. It was a shocking sight.
The infant was immediately taken to our Medical Crisis Unit (MCU) inside Palna, and the doctor attended to her immediately. It was not obvious if the afterbirth had blocked her respiration while she was inside the bag.
She remained in the MCU for over a month – on oxygen for 10 days and under intensive care, before she was gradually weaned off oxygen. After that she started doing well under continued medical attention, proper nutrition and care/ Over the next few months she grew into a normal, active - and absolutely gorgeous - little one, showing no apparent signs of her initial trauma.
She is our miracle baby!
We are delighted to share that little Pooja has since been placed in adoption and is the source of much joy for her parents and extended family!