September 16, 2017
The first advisory committee meeting for MI (Mentally Ill) Home, Madurai was held at MI Home, Aruldosspuram, Madurai, on September 16, 2017. The meeting organized by M. S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation (MSCT&RF), as the initiative is one of its flagship programs of the trust. The meeting sought to strengthen the quality of the life of homeless persons with mental disability (who are often found wandering in the streets) by contributing and providing local resources through the efforts of the advisory committee members. The eight-member committee who participated in the meeting included a psychiatrist, senior advocate, bank officer, NGO consultant, journalist, teachers, Lions Club Secretary, senior Resource and Development consultant, Industrialist and philanthropist. MSCTRF, the Madurai based mental health services provider, runs homes for homeless persons with mental illness in Ramnad, Madurai and Dindigul, supported by the Government of Tamilnadu since 2010. Here the quality of services giving them through local community participation and their resource mobilization, As part of the first advisory committee meeting, participants sought to explore strategic approaches to enhance the quality of services offered by the homes through maximizing local community participation and resource mobilization. Dr. C. Ramasubramanian, Founder, MSCT & RF, introduced the Advisory Board members and their contributions to the trust. K.S.P. Janardhan Babu, Director Programs, MSCT&RF, provided an overview of the activities of the trust. Mr. Ramakrishnan Senior Legal Advisor, gave his expert opinion on several pressing legal issues faced by people with disabilities and promised to spend at least four hours a month to discuss various legal issues with Dr. CRS or with the staff of the trust. Mr. Surendran, Manager IOB, Annanagar, Madurai, provided several interesting fund raising strategies such as conducting cricket or film star events. He also promised to help the trust avail financial assistance for people with mental disabilities and their families through IOB sources. Dr. CRS requested him to promote SHGs of people with mental disabilities through 0 percent interest by providing the loans so that the quality of life can be improved through such economic support. Mr. Sundaraj, from the Department of Resource and & Development of Meenakshi Mission Hospital, Madurai, gave several useful tips to raise funds from diverse sources in the community such as pharmaceutical companies (to request tem to provide medicine for the cause of people with mental disabilities free of charge), businesses, schools and colleges and also online resource mobilization. Edwin Raj Kumar, Faculty, CSI Nursing College, shared his past experiences in different fund raising methods and offered to provide space within the college premises for a stall that would house the products created by people with mental disabilities as part of the occupational therapy unit of the trust. S. Santiago, NGO Consultant, explained about the German approaches in fund raising at individual, institutional and foundation levels. Mr. Thirumalai, Senior Reporter, Manvasanai, appreciated the activities of the trust and cited the example of the one rupee contribution from the SHGs in Dhan Foundation as an example to emulate. He urged the trust to motivate students in schools and colleges to form students’ clubs that could mobilize resources for the cause of people with mental disabilities. Mr.Suresh Viswar, Secretary, Lions Club of Madurai Central, lauded the activities of the trust and said that he was honored to be invited to be part of the advisory committee. M. Ramu
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