KOCHI: For 14-year-old Pachu (Aldrin) and eight-year-old Achu (Edwin), this year’s Onam is special. The boys, sons of a fisherman, who suffer from muscular dystrophy, now have a house with facilities addressing their disabilities, thanks to the efforts of a government recognized non-governmental organization (NGO) and good Samaritans. Their house at Kannamaly was destroyed during the cyclone Tauktae in May.
When Tauktae moved along the coast, the seawall collapsed and the backside of their house, including the kitchen and bathrooms, were destroyed. When volunteers and officials came to shift the family to a safe place, they realized that the children needed special attention and could not be kept in a rescue camp.
The difficulty in managing their children made the parents Joseph Siju and Soniya introvert and reluctant to mingle with neighbours.
“Though we had asked them to move to a relative’s place, it was not a comfortable decision for the parents as well as the boys who need full support to get things done,” said Mary Anitha, chairperson of the NGO centre for empowerment and enrichment (CEFEE), which works for disabled people.
“We went to clean the house but there was no way the children could stay there in that condition. Our NGO had decided to help rebuild the damaged portions as well as repair the house. While doing it, we incorporated changes in the bathrooms and made it disabled-friendly. The situation was so bad that they had no interactions with the neighbours and they had no livelihood too,” she said.
Anitha had decided to use all the award money she had received from the state government and other organizations for her services during the pandemic.
She had received an award for voluntarily opting to go on a month-long quarantine, away from her own family, to take care of a small infant, Unni, whose parents had tested positive and were admitted to GMC Kalamassery. No relatives were ready to look after the boy and Anitha volunteered after the district administration and child welfare committee sent out an SOS seeking support from good Samaritans.
With support from their chief patron M G Rajamanickam IAS and his close friends, CEFEE made the house colourful and happy for the kids.
Anitha said that they used the housewarming function as an event to connect the family with their neighbours. All the guests who came were given Onam kits and children were given toys of their choice.
“As Soniya bakes well, we helped her to connect with some professional bakers,” she added.
“Though I am a fisherman, I had to stop going in boats as my wife cannot manage the kids alone. I used to go for small masonry works, but that too stopped due to Covid. We were depressed by the entire turn of events and suddenly God sent someone to help us,” said Siju.
