Sudhir Choudhrie Supports 'I CAN' and Its Endeavours

For a child growing up with speech disabilities, the experience can be downright painful. Young children have a knack for being brutally honest about their dislike for one another, and the playground can hold the same level of fear and dread for a child who stutters as a battlefield holds for a soldier at war. It is not a loose comparison either- studies have shown that bullied children show similar signs of PTSD as returning war veterans.

The figures are shocking to say the least- A recent UNICEF report said that in 2013, some estimates allude that 93 million children – or 1 in 20 of those aged 14 or younger – fight disabilities, either major or minor. The WHO states that over 5% (360 million people) of the world’s population currently stands affected, 32 million among those being children, and this number keeps growing year after year.

The fight against speech impediment in children is on, and government initiatives, NGOs and many CSR campaigns are on the frontlines. Backing such initiatives and giving rise to some of its own is ‘I CAN’, a UK based charity for the betterment of speech impaired children funded by Mr. Sudhir Choudhrie and other renowned philanthropist associates.

Established in 1888, ‘I CAN’ is one of the few charities in the world that has been active long enough to witness both world wars and much of contemporary history, and their efforts are not bound by international borders either. ‘I CAN’ is active in the Indian subcontinent as well.

The efforts of this charity has been the driving force behind the evolution of numerous teaching techniques relating to the special needs of the children, speech guidance and therapy services in the UK that educates adults as well as trainers. In addition, I CAN also runs two schools dedicated to caring for children with speech disabilities- the Dawn House School in Mansfield and the Meath School in Surrey.

Through the years, ‘I CAN’ has helped develop newer and more advanced methods of dealing with speech impairment in children and also actively supports research in this field. Moreover, the patronage of eminent philanthropists in the UK means a lot to the people working for ‘I CAN’ and hopes that the partnership will extend its reach even further.