Samvaad Foundation activities

The Samvaad Foundation is the charitable arm of Samvaad Institute.  Established  in 2011

The objective of establishing a foundation was to provide free/discounted therapy services for families from mid and low socio economic strata of society. Since there is no government funding or insurance cover for children and adults with communication deficits, often times such long term therapy programs with lack of funding leads families to discontinue therapy.

Samvaad foundation funds the treatment for children from lower socio economic strata and supports children who require financial assistance for cochlear implants.

Samuel,  age 3 years – arranged for free surgery. Surgery done in 2007 and child presently goes to regular school.
Richard, age  4 years- we raised Rs. 1 lakh, surgery done in 2012, and child presently attends special school
Omar, age 4 years, we raised Rs. 4 lakhs surgery done in 2012, and child presently goes to a special school

Preetam – raised Rs. 4  lakhs, surgery done in 2013 and child presently attends a special school

Shoaib– raised 1 lakh, surgery done in 2017 , presently is in a special school

Raghavi – raised 4.5 lakhs, surgery done in 2018 presently goes to a regular school.

Manish, age 4 years – raised 1 lakh  for hospital charges in 2019 and referred for free surgery through a donor

Pranita, age 5 years – raised 1 lakh for hospital charges in 2019  and referred for free surgery through a donor

Programs under Samvaad foundation

1. Hearing screening for all infants born in two government hospitals  (3 times a week, screening 300 babies per month)
2. Community based screening program in 5 PHC .
3. Two special schools for children with special needs – age group – 2 to 12 years
4. Pre-school for children with hearing impairment – age group –  3 to 6 years
5. FREE assessment for all patients referred by government hospitals
6. Free speech Therapy center for stroke patients with Aphasia age range – 22 years to 60 years. We have provided free speech therapy from 6 months to 2 years depending on the patient’s requirement.

 Infant screening programs at various government hospitals

With the aim to work towards early identification of hearing impairment, we have taken up the initiative of screening new born babies at the Siddaiah hospital, Bangalore, and also Yelahanka government hospital. Approximately 300 babies are screened every month. In case the babies fail the test we follow up with them at regular intervals to confirm the hearing status through detailed audiology evaluation. Children with hearing impairment are referred for hearing aid fitting and speech therapy at the institute. All our services are provided free of cost.

Community based program for identification of speech and language disorders

Samvaad, we have adopted five primary health centres where we screen all children from birth to 5 years for speech and language disorders. Our team then visits the families and refers them for a detailed assessment and therapy which is provided free of cost.

Pre school for children with hearing impairment

Children with hearing impairment   require intensive therapy after they receive a cochlear implant or a hearing aid. Since we cater to children who are past the age of 3 years, these children require intensive training. We have a special school which provides 3 hours of therapy daily where mothers have to accompany their children.

Special school for children with special needs

Once children are identified in the community screening program, they are referred to the diagnostic department of the institute for a detailed assessment.  Children who are not able to be integrated into a regular school needed a special school. Hence, in 2016 we started two special schools. The children get both individual and group sessions and are also involved in extracurricular activities. We are grateful to the corporator of sanjay nagar and ganga nagar for providing space for the school.

Free Speech therapy for stroke patients

Recovery from aphasia is a long process. The therapy is aimed at rewiring the intact areas of the brain and stimulating them to work together. Hence its recommended that the patient receives at least 3 hours weekly and get practice at home too.

To ensure that people with aphasia get the best chance to recover their ability to communicate,  the trustees  decided  to offer free one hour therapy at the institute on a daily basis.

Samvaad Institute inaugurated the free service on December 03, 2011.