Ira is a 40-year-old woman. She has a high support need. Capacity development programme for high support needs persons helped her in settling down and exploring her full potential.

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 The day I came to know about Muskaan 
When Ira joined Muskaan she was placed at the Flower Unit. Initially, we started with the individual training model for her. After 10-15 days of placement, one day she refused to go to her workstation. We were surprised. We waited and observed her acutely. After some time, she went to the workstation where other students were working. She took a chair and sat with them. To our surprise, she quietly took a tray of flowers and started plucking the petals. We understood what she wanted and we let her express herself. She wanted to be part of the group and wo

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 My role with Muskaan : 

It’s been months since her collaboration with Muskaan. Now she has started taking initiatives in getting her work for the day. When flowers are delivered to her unit in the morning, she gets up and sits near the pile of flowers, takes flower in her tray and starts working. One day she came into the office and proudly boasted her work. It was a mammoth task for her as she is extremely apprehensive about entering any new place other than her own unit. We were thrilled to witness her progress. Now she enjoys her work in the flower unit as the work gives her a sense of achievement. It even fulfils her sensory needs through touching and plucking flowers.

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 Best thing about Muskaan : 

The Flower unit of Muskaan is an impeccable outcome of the sustainable recycled model. The used and leftover flowers from temples are collected and delivered at 4 Muskaan. Students of this unit pluck the petals, dry them in a solar dryer and send them to another NGO (Society for Child Development, Delhi) which has a system of using dried flowers to make organic Holi colours.