Gerizim Means Mountain of blessings which is mentioned in Deu. 27:12. As said in Isaiah 58.10-12 - “And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noon day. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun–scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well–watered garden, like a spring whose water never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age old foundation; You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings”. Gerizim Rehabilitation Trust was started its service and ministry from 28th August 1990 with 7 Board of Trustees. Gerizim School for the Handicapped started in the year May, 1990 with three children, one girl and two boys. The girl “Ja”was found eating food from the dustbin on the road side of Bangalore city at the age of two years. She was full of scabies and wounds on the head. She was taken in our home and with the help of a paediatrician and medication, this girl was completely cured. She was a deserted by her alcoholic father who married three women. They died due to his alcoholism, torture and poverty in the family. This girl’s mother committed suicide due to her father’s alcoholism, torture and poverty. The other two boys were deserted by his father and the mother committed suicide due to poverty and unable to take care of her 2 boys “Jo” and “Ste”. Thus these two boys were left on the road. At the time of her death at the Bowering Government Hospital she narrated her story and the deserted two boys roaming on the village to the doctor and died in the hospital. This doctor referred the two boys to Gerizim. Today the girl completed 10th standard and got married and settled well in family life with two children. The two boys completed 10th standard. One boy completed 4 year Bible College and secured Diploma in Theology. Now he is working as pastor in a church in Goa. Other boy completed Diploma in Automobile Engineering and worked 5 years in Maruthi Suzuki and Hyundai Company. Now he is doing his own car business and settled in the community. Thus this programme was started in our own house on the side room. Later one women”Jayamma”and 3 children joined in our home. One Pastor saw them on the road deserted by the husband. Then later another women (Kalyaniamma) with 2 boys joined. This women was called cursed women in the family and her husband died and she was living with the joint family with much agony and torture. Today three children of this women are well settled in life in the community. One girl is working as a nurse in a very reputed hospital and her 2nd daughter completed Commercial Practice and working as a Clerk in an office. The third child who is a boy completed 10th standard and now working in a company and all of them settled peacefully in the community and bringing more than Rs.20000 per month in the family. The other women with 2 children completed theological course and employed as pastors and living peacefully in the community. Thus gradually 40 children of orphan and semi orphan mentally retarded, normal children of destitutes and orphan children joined. Each child and destitute women joined in our home have similar different very sad stories in their lives and they build their career joyfully and peacefully learn more to equip themselves to work and serve handicapped children as wardens, special education teachers, house mother, house father, helpers, cooks, drivers and watchman. We have now 20 deserted and destitute women under our care. In the year 29th September 1993 with 30 children Deepika Day Care Center was started in Siddapura slum. Gradually more than 80 poor children in the slum and families were supported through this programme. Deserted women in the slum were given training in various self employment skill like tailoring, computer basic, Coffee and Tea shop, fruits and vegetable selling, starting bakery, selling eggs etc,. In the year February 1995 Siddapura Gerizim Health Center was started with a part time Doctor and a full time nurse to provide basic community health service for the 50,000 slum people. We kept our house first floor fully for this mentally retarded children to conduct special classes and the normal children attended the regular school outside. Thus only with the support of our family members and local friends and well wishers we continued the programme in our own house till 23rd August 1995. In the year 1994 Japan Government of Telecommunication Department graciously donated one time grant of Rs.30,00,000/- to construct building for the mentally handicapped children’s home and school with ground floor plus 2 floors. The Japanese Government people told us we love India and Indian people so much. As a token of our love we have given this building for the Rehabilitation of Handicapped Children. We will not give any more support. It is the duty of Indian people and the people living in the community are to understand their responsibilities to support these children. Indian people should support Indian poor children. We suffered after IInd World War and we built together our people and our country Japan. Thus your Indian people should sacrifice, suffer and build your children and your community with love and oneness of spirit. More and more mentally retarded children are coming for admission and we pray God to help us to raise more foster parents, well wishers and friends to support these poor and destitute children. On 24th August 1995 we opened this new Gerizim building at 24th ‘D’ Cross, Ejipura, Bangalore – 560047 with 80 children (60 mentally retarded children and 20 normal children). Gradually more orphan and semi orphan normal children and handicapped children joined through Child Welfare Center of Karnataka State Government. In the year 1995, May Gerizim Home and School for the Mentally Retarded Children was registered under Social Welfare Department. In the year 1996 one Mr.Ramachandra Reddy helped us to secure 2 acres of land in the name of Gerizim Rehabilitation Trust at Doddakannelli Village, Sarjapura Road. In the year 22nd February 2000 with the support of local friends and well wishers we have put up a small building and shifted all the normal orphan, semi orphan and destituted children to Doddakannelli Village in Bangalore – 560035. Thus all the normal children started attending Carmalaram Primary and High School and other children attended Government Primary and High School in Doddakannelli Village. This is because, those children who have local foster parent insisted to educate them in English School in Carmalaram and we were forced to send the children who do not have local foster parents to local Government Primary and High School. We also developed a very nice fruit garden and flower garden with varieties of fruit trees for children in this place. In the year June 2007 we shifted 30 adult mentally retarded boys and girls to Doddakannelli where now we have a hostel separately for boys with a compound of fruit trees and flower garden. In the year June 2007 we shifted 30 adult mentally retarded boys and girls to Doddakannelli where now we have a hostel separately for boys with a compound of fruit trees and flower garden. Similarly a separate hostel for girls with a large farming and agriculture land with fruit gardens and flower garden. The adult mentally retarded boys are integrated with the normal boys in the normal hostel and the adult mentally retarded girls are integrated with the normal girls compound at Doddakannelli. Both mentally handicapped adult boys and girls attend the Vocational Training School in the Boys Hostel first floor building together and stay separately in their respective hostels. Now there are 40 adult mentally retarded boys and girls undergoing vigorous Vocational and Skill Training in farming and agriculture, tailoring, house keeping, cooking, various craft work like floor mat making, Sweaters, scarf, key chain, chalk piece making, paper cover making, table-mat, telephone mat etc., They also learn Computer Basic Training. In the normal hostel we have 50 boys and 50 girls. Thus the total number of 100 normal children are undergoing regular school outside. 7 boys and girls are studying in the higher secondary school and also in professional course like Diploma engineering and commercial practice. 2 girls and 2 boys completed their high school and professional courses and employed as nurse, clerk, pastor in the church and automobile engineer and settle in the community decently and earning more than 6,000 to 10,000 Rupees per month. In the year 14th October 2007 we completed our Community service hall and chapel in Doddakannelli Village. Now 3 qualified community workers cum pastors are serving the local community and ministering the church. On 22nd September 2008 we started the Gerizim College of Truth to train Christian leaders to serve the community and bring peace, love and harmony among the local community. Now there are 6 students are undergoing this training. Kindly pray God to raise sponsors to support them as well as the other 50% of our handicapped children who do not have any support. Devanahalli community service and work among people and children in the 8 villages started in the year 2006 with a help of one full time community worker cum pastor and his family. Please pray God to provide a community hall and a chapel and quarters for the family of community worker for the people to meet and join together to discuss various family and community problems and pray together to build the local community and educate them in the villages through our community service Programmes. Similarly Dharmapuri community service and work among the community and children in 3 villages started in the year 2007 with a full time one community worker to serve the local people and children. With the support of local people we could secure 4 acres of land in this place to start community service and rehabilitation programme among the mentally retarded children. Kindly pray God to provide a school building for the rehabilitation and special education of mentally retarded children in this place and also pray that God to provide a Community hall and a chapel and quarters for community worker cum pastor. Later in the year September 2008 one more worker joined and doing community services among people and children in Rangapuram and its surrounding Villages. Now in the same Dharmapuri District another one more community worker is serving the people in Dharmapuri town and the neighboring 3 villages. Kindly pray God to raise many prayerful people to support these services among community and children. The present need is to build a Community Center with a hall and a chapel and also a small quarters for the community workers cum pastors. Now we have in Ejipura 60 mentally retarded children and 40 adult mentally retarded boys and girls in Doddakannelli Vocational Training Center. Thus we have 100 mentally retarded children and adults undergoing residential skill training. We have now totally 37 staff members to look after the children in the school and home. We have now 12 special classes with 12 special education teachers, 1 principal, 1 Vocational Instructor, 1 physiotherapist, 1 part time speech therapist and 5 day helpers and 5 cooks ( 3 cooks in Ejipura and 2 cooks in Doddakannelli) for the special school. In the Home there is a warden for boys and lady warden for girls, and 7 helpers, 1 watchman and 1 driver. We are following a curriculum and syllabus for special school. Once in 6 months we evaluate the child’s progress. Every child has an individual programme as well as group Programmes for each class, maintained by each class teacher. Once a month individual programme of each child and the group plan for the class is carefully studied and evaluated by the teacher and the principal. Every week Saturday, there is a staff meeting with special education teachers, physiotherapist, speech therapist, social worker, warden, helpers to discuss the various activities of the child in the school and hostel. Special difficulties of children, success and failures during the week and month in the children’s various activities in the school, in the hostel, evening games, therapeutic activities, parents, siblings and in the community were discussed and further planning and changes in the activities and skill training are introduced. Accordingly individual programme planning of the child and group activities of the individual class is changed and new methods and teaching aids and therapeutic activities are carried for the betterment of the child’s total development. Once in 3 months there is a regular parent-teacher and child meeting. If necessary parents are given special training and orientation to understand their children’s abilities, difficulties and to train them at home through various activities. Children’s achievement: One of our mentally handicapped girl Kavitha participated in the National Special Olympics at New Delhi and secured the 1st place in 200 meters race and 2nd place in 100 meters and in the International Special Olympics at Shankai China she secured 2nd place in 100 meters Relay and in 100 meters race she came 7th place and in Short put 5th place. The girl Roopa is now selected in the National Special Olympics at Delhi to participate in the International Special Olympics at USA in 2009 in Floor Hockey. All our mentally retarded children and adults secure usually many prizes in different sports, games and other competitions like drawing, painting, dancing in the state level competitions. The boys Benjamin, Manigandan, Javid, Mohoboob and Vijay completed their Vocational Training and settled in jobs in the community successfully.