Shishur Sevay

We kept them smiling for Twenty Years.
Help us KEEP THEM SMILING for the next twenty. 

Who are the Girls?
6 profoundly disabled children were transferred to Shishur Sevay for "care and rehabilitation" by Order of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), WB. The paediatrician, believing we would be reassured, said, "Well, at least they won't live very long."
But they did live. And 20 years later, they are still smiling. Because keeping them healthy and smiling, and giving them a reason to want to wake up in the morning, was our goal.

How do we keep them smiling?

• We make smiling at them irresistible.
• We keep them clean, well-groomed, with ribbons and clips in their hair.
• We dress them the way we dress ourselves. So when people meet them, they don't grimace at the sight of them.
• We try to give them the food that they like.
• We show them at their best, not their worst. 
• They smile at us because we smile at them, and they come to expect that.
• Being smiled at makes them feel good, as it does for everyone.
• Whatever sense of self they have comes from feeling healthy, being smiled at, laughing with us, and hearing soft words of praise. Sometimes, even with a bit of scolding, they still feel loved. 

Our Vision:
A society where orphaned and abandoned children, those with abilities and disabilities, are not segregated, but are respected as necessary members of our communities.