General Fund is created and maintained by our NGO to cover general expenses not specific to a project/cause/need. This helps cover expenses vital to the running of the organisation. Expenses such as administrative expenses, various overheads are paid from the General Fund. Most NGOs maintain a General Fund to help them meet the donation gap created when donors donate only to a specific project/cause/need or any unexpected expense which may arise during the course of running the organisation.

Hearing is critical for speech, language development, communication and learning. Hearing aids are simply an electronic sound amplifier. These are battery operated devices with small microphones and speakers that amplify sound signals. Based on the level of hearing loss, hearing can be adjusted to the frequencies. These devices can improve the listening capacity of the hearing impaired children. Although it can never restore hearing completely, it can make a difference to them by helping them listen, communicate and participate more actively in daily activities. Since more than 80% of our students are from economically backward families, they cannot afford to buy these equipments. Currently hearing aids are required for 75 pre and primary level students. A trained professional will assess the level of hearing loss and then recommend the device which suits the needs of each child. There are many types of hearing aids such as BTE (behind the ear), ITE ( in the ear), ITC (in the canal), CIC (completely in canal) etc. of these, BTE is preferred to body worn aids as they have some technical benefits. In the experience of the school the Model NCSP 13 – BTE is a preferred machine which costs Rs. 9,500 per piece.

Cost of hearing aid – Rs. 9,500

Total cost – Rs. 9,500

Hearing impaired children use sign language to express their feelings, get involved in conversation, and learn other subjects. The Sheila Kothavala Institute for the Deaf currently provides quality schooling for 148 hearing impaired girls and boys from Kindergarten to Std. X. We have around 75 children in pre and primary classes and 73 children in middle school. Sign language is the medium of education through which all other subjects are taught to them. Each child acquires his/her own sign language from an infant stage through their family, but this is limited to basic communication requirements and can be understood only by their family members.

At present, there is no provision for appointment of a sign language teacher in pre & primary school under the current approved state syllabus which is designed for the children. Since there are no dedicated teachers for sign language, the school is unable to teach this as a subject. Other teachers are teaching this sign language as part of their respective subjects. It poses a serious challenge for teachers to train them to acquire language especially during early schooling. This situation has raised the need for the school to appoint a sign language trainer especially for pre and primary school children. Your donations will help students from LKG to 4th grade learn sign language.

Salary of a sign language teacher – Rs.20,000 p.m. for 75 students
Cost per student – Rs. 266
Total Cost – Rs. 3,192 p.a. per student

The Sheila Kothavala Institute for the Deaf currently provides quality schooling for 148 hearing impaired girls and boys from Kindergarten to Std. X, We have around 75 children in pre and primary classes and 73 children in middle school. It is important for the school to develop suitable employable skills among its students to get jobs after their education. It is evident that hearing impaired people can easily acquire many computer skills as it is visual and have potential to get more computer-based jobs. Computer skills such as data entry and processing, web designing, DTP, animation etc. play a major role in helping hearing-impaired students to get employment after the completion of their education. Since it takes more time for hearing-impaired students to grasp and gain the skills, it requires long periods of training on a daily basis. At present the school has 14 computers, but no regular teacher to provide training. Two volunteers provide their service twice a week to teach basic computer skills to these students. Therefore a full-fledged computer trainer is required to help the students of 5th to 10th grade to acquire the necessary level of computer skills which can help them to get a job.

Salary for a computer trainer – Rs. 18,000 p.m. for 73 students
Cost per student – Rs. 246
Total cost – Rs 1,476 for 6 months per student

Corpus Fund is considered to be the capital of the organisation. The Fund is generated and kept by us for the sustenance and existence of the organisation. The Corpus Fund is of paramount importance to the organisation as it helps us during the times of distress. Only the interest/dividend earned from it is accumulated or utilized for general purposes. It is required for the smooth sustenance of the organisation. We are currently trying to build a Corpus Fund of 12 months’ of expenditure of the organisation thereby ensuring a smooth sustenance. It will help reduce financial vulnerability and thereby help us achieve our goals.