Unit of Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust
The Full Story
About Us
Inspired by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, S. Manjubhashini and K. Kamaraj established the Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust (BMKT) in March 1949 as a social welfare organisation dedicated to the cause of infants and young children who are destitute, orphaned, or in difficult circumstances.
In the early 1980s, Bala Mandir initiated a research project to enhance the holistic development of children, specifically studying the impact of personalised attention on institutionalised children. The positive results of this study paved the way for the establishment of the Bala Mandir Research Foundation (BMRF) in 1983.
As of April 2017, the Bala Mandir Research Foundation officially dissolved, and its activities merged with the Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust. The unit was renamed the Bala Mandir Research and Resource Centre (BMRRC) in 2025 to reflect its growing focus.
Today, BMRRC primarily works to extend Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) and positive parenting programmes to children and communities in need through training, awareness initiatives, community-based projects, and research, with the aim of empowering local communities to create positive and sustainable change.
Vision
A future where every child – especially the most disadvantaged – has an equitable chance in life
Mission
To break down barriers of inequality by empowering vulnerable families and communities with the knowledge, skills and resources to support children’s optimal growth and development
Objectives
To give every child an equal start and chance in life by ensuring that:
Every child thrives and reaches their full potential
Every child grows up in a safe and loving environment
Every child learns
Every child is included
Our Work
From its origins in scientific and medical research, BMRRC has expanded into social studies and a wide array of activities focused on parenting and holistic child development, emphasising the psycho-social development and well-being of the child.
We advocate for equal rights in child development:
“Children have the right to informed parents, and parents have the right to information about child development.”
Our initiatives encompass four primary areas: training, networking, community-based outreach programmes and projects, and research.
Objectives And Activities
Objective 1: Providing Early Intervention Services for the Habilitation of the Child with Intellectual Disability through
- Early detection through direct communication and referrals
- Early identification using the Upanayan assessment tool
- Implementation of the Early Intervention program Upanayan
- Providing support systems through the projects–Annapoorna, Sankarshana, Samyam, Sambhavam and Sanmargam
- Establishing a Montessori unit at the Centre to create a pre-school environment prior to education in mainstreaming
Objective 2: Rehabilitation of Parents and their Empowerment through
- Training programs
- Planning and conducting events
- Conducting Early Childhood Special Education Diploma course
Objective 3: Creating Awareness on the Importance of Prevention, Early Detection / Early Intervention through
- Dissemination of knowledge
- Effective media communication
- MNC website
Objective 4: Organize Outreach programs through
- Government schemes and in programs conducted for special schools
Objective 5: Create professionals in special education through
- Offering professional courses accredited by the Rehabilitation Council of India
- In-house refresher/orientation courses to staff/parents
Objective 6: Moving forward
- Preparing children with early intervention experiences, training them in developing skills towards their employability in their adult years, on an experimental basis