26-year old Botta Surya Prakash is lucky to marry malla Bhavani, a normal person on 12-02-2005. Surya Prakash who is receiving training from Lebenshilfe for the past 19 years is presently attending the sewing section to learn the technique of stitching dresses etc., as part of his vocational activity. Being an arranged marriage he has not faced any problems with regards to his wedding proposal. Bhavani wants to continue her services as a nurse in private nursing home. But the family of Surya Prakash asked Bhavani not to attend her job and restricted her to stay at home only. Surya Prakash says he wants to continue, coming to Lebenshilfe to learn sewing and tailoring work to earn some money to take care of his wife. That is his hope. His wife Bhavani says she has married Surya Prakash, though a mentally retarded out of her willingness. She said, 'Surya Prakash sounds an innocent person and does not know many things as other normal persons in the society. However I married him with a hope that I can train him to obtain considerable change suitable to lead a normal married life.' That is her confidence.

Sarah (Saraswathi Devi) introducing Surya Prakash and his newly wedded wife Bhavani during the press meet.

Picture shows Bhavani expressing her experiences in front of the press during the ACROSS THE PRESS OPEN CROSS TALK SESSION organized at Lebenshilfe. Year 2006 left some unhappiness to Botta Surya Prakash as his son was died at 9th month after birth. Sarah's effort was greatly appreciated as a great humanitarian activity.

Sai Lakshmi, her baby, Saraswathi Devi (Sarah) and Vijaykumar, M.R.

S. Sai Lakshmi a mentally handicapped turned into a mentally challenged after receiving useful, meaningful and purposeful training from Lebenshilfe for over 20 Years and made her fit to get married and to lead a normal life. She left Lebenshilfe successfully and entered into the society with the same human dignity. Now she turned into a proud mother also. Besides taking care of her baby, Sai Lakshmi is also holding a sense of responsibility in assisting her husband in the provisional shop and her in-laws in the kitchen as well as in other household activities. Her brother S. Vijaya Kumar, also a mentally retarded, is still attending Lebenshilfe to receive training to become a useful person. Picture shows Sai Lakshmi newly born Son, her brother S.Vijaya Kumar together with T. Saraswathi Devi, (Sarah) Founder and Project Co-ordinator of Lebenshilfe organization who is the real spirit behind this achievement.

Outcome: Vocational

Lebenshilfe's dreams are getting translated into reality.

1. For the first time in the history of Lebenshilfe, an income-generated activity , 'Xerox copying' was started at Regional passport office, Visakhapatnam with the permission of Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. The untiring efforts Mrs. Abhilasha Joshi, passport officer, who could convince the concerned ministry to start this project, 6 mentally handicapped were brought into the mainstream of life converting them into earning members. As the retarded engaged for this task are people with total concentration with no distractions and doing the job with all their sincerity and honesty, they are encouraged by the public greatly. Seeing the services being rendered by the mentally retarded, making copies for a reasonable price with no profits, even the profit-minded money-making business people who are charging double the price per each copy, started appreciating the mentally handicapped people as their innocence touched their humanitarian hearts. Lebenshilfe's income-generated activity is now turned into talk of the town.

Who Says What? : 22 April 2003 Andhra Bhoomi A largely circulated regional news paper of Andhra Pradesh

Society should welcome Mentally Retarded with love and affection, said Mr. B. Prasada Rao, IPS, police commissioner, Visakhapatnam. He has inaugurated the Xerox copying center on Tuesday in the premises of Sahaayak Counter at Regional Passport office to provide economic strength to the mentally handicapped of Lebenshilfe. While speaking on the occasion after inaugurating the project he said that it requires a sense of dedication and patience are required to train the mentally handicapped as normal human beings. Normally mentally retarded are considered as useless people in the society and Lebenshilfe has proved that they can also be trained as useful people, said in all appreciation to Lebenshilfe. Public should utilize the services of military people retired and mentally handicapped serving them in Sahaayak Counters in obtaining quick passports. He appealed the public to utilize the services of retired military soldiers and mentally retarded serving them through Sahaayak Counter without getting cheated in the private agencies hands. Mrs. Abhilasha Joshi, Regional Passport Officer, said that mentally retarded must be recognized as members of the society. To begin with, she said she has obtained necessary permission for this purpose from ministry of external affairs to start this center. For guiding and assisting the applicants coming passports, a shayak center was started with 4 retired military people, and these people will assist them, she added. Saraswathi Devi, Executive Director of Lebenshilfe said, what she started 23 years ago as a YAGNA, started resulting now by way of 6 mentally handicapped working independently for Xerox copying activity. Someday this society will recognize and respect the mentally handicapped, hopefully she said. I.L.N. Prasad, treasurer, A.Suguna, Principal, N.Sudharani supervisor participated.

2. A.Bangaru Ramu, aged 41 years is placed in a printing press. The bookbinding skills acquired at Lebenshilfe besides social, academic and other skills, money and time management for over 20 years of training, he is now working for a remuneration of rupees 600/- per month and assisting the mother financially to make living. Though slow and doesn't work using his intellect, he is able to follow the instructions of the shop owner to complete his job.

3. Y. Durga Rao, aged 20 years is placed in a carpentry workshop and working for a daily wage of rupees 20/- per day. As his father is a carpenter by profession, his observational skills helped him to imitate his father's job and paid the same interest in Lebenshilfe to work in the carpentry section. He simultaneously improved in carpentry work as well as getting adjusted with people around him. He was trained to count numbers and comparative value of money. With this training, Durga Rao is working as a carpenter using his semi- learnt skills.

4. N.Suryanarayana, aged 20 years is another person, trained to work in a Cycle Shop at a remuneration of rupees 6oo/- per month. His job is to be in the shop and supply the sold items to the customer. The social skills learnt at Lebenshilfe helped him a lot for his placement in the cycle shop.

5. S.Rambabu, aged 18 years, started working in a small Tea-stall exists by the side of the road and assisting his father doing the same job in the same shop. After receiving considerable training at Lebenshilfe for 16 years, Rambabu is now successfully placed in the tea-stall and paying interest in the given job i.e. washing the tumblers, cups and saucers, etc. which doesn't require any intellectual skills. He receives a remuneration of rupees 10/- per day.

6. P.Syam Kishore, aged 20 years is a person with severe behavior disorders. Lacking emotional control led him to become often aggressive, beating his mother, threatening his father, pelting stones at people trying to advise him etc. He was trained at Lebenshilfe through theatre which helped him a lot for emotional balance. He is now sent to another town by his father where he is placed in a motor mechanic shed. He receives a remuneration of rupees 500/- per month.

7. Gopal Das Sharma who received training at Lebenshilfe is now placed in his uncles iron shop

8. M.Saibabu was trained in the carpentry section and now he is going to carpentry work together with his father as an assistant. This boy receives a remuneration of Rs. 20/- per day.

Is the marriage a real solution? What it results? Success or Failure?

Nobody likes to marry a mentally retarded person. If at all such an incident takes place, sure it carries a financial motto behind, only for money- making to meet the boy's or his family's needs financially.( out of experiences of Lebenshilfe) Without assessing the ability for married life management , some parents took initiative and arranged marriages to their age-attained retarded children. All their concern is to keep their daughter in some hands for safe living even after their death.

1. J. Meher Kumari was married to a normal person, working in a cloth -shop. It resulted delivering a baby also.(normal). As her house as well as married-life management skills are very limited, she was not paid the expected attention from her husband. Prior to the marriage there was an agreement between the boy and the parents of the girl that the boy should live at the girls house if some financial assistance is provided to settle his own sister's marriage. This proposal was honored for a short period and then the boy refused to live with this girl and left the house. Meher Kumari is back to Lebenshilfe for further training and living with her parents as usual. Poor old parents are burdened to take care of the child also. Outcome: Failure

2. R.N.V.N. Murty was married to a physically handicapped girl. Her intellectual abilities are quite normal. She comes from a very poor family and each day meal is a greater problem to her parents. Murthy's father's proposal for wedlock solved the girl's problem for food and the boy's problem for sex-related needs. Murty is as usual attending Lebenshilfe to receive training in the vocational units. Outcome: Success.

3. S. Jagadamba was married to a normal person and delivered a normal baby. (Female) This arranged marriage was performed basing on the financial benefits to the boy's family. Boy is working as an auto driver. The asked money was gifted to him by the time of marriage and the girl was kept only at parent's house as part of agreement to marry this M.R. girl. Boy stopped coming to his wife as per the agreement. When requested to visit the girl, he started an amount of rupees one thousand for every visit. The asked money was given for one or two times as his visit was limited for 5 minutes only. As it brought a major financial burden to her parents, they stopped further requesting the boy to visit their house. Jagadamba is now happy attending Lebenshilfe as usual for receiving training. Outcome: Failure

4. S. Sailakshmi was married to her paternal cousin. She is assisting her husband in his business (provision shop) utilizing the academic skills she obtained during her training period at Lebenshilfe. The training she received in the areas of Sociability helped her to deal with the customers that come to the shop. She is happy with her husband at her in-laws house. Out come: Success.

5. M. Revathi, a trainee of Lebenshilfe is getting wedded to her cousin this year.

Socially-appreciated Activities 'We are also part of the society': Services to Rural and Tribal areas: Awareness Creation

1. A team of 25 Staff members of Lebenshilfe together with 7 well trained mentally handicapped people traveled to 6 revenue districts of Andhra Pradesh, presenting a humorous street play ‘Soodi Mandu, under the stewardship of Saraswathi Devi Tallapragada, to educate the masses against 6 child-killing or child-crippling dangerous diseases POLIO, TUBECULOSIS, PERTUSIS,DIPTHERIA, TETANUS AND MEASLES. It is a mass education, emphasizing on the importance of preventive measures, against disability. Utilizing the limited talents of the retarded they are being taken into the society to bring them into the mainstream of life through theatre. Beneficiaries: over two lakhs of population.

2. The humanitarian activity taken up by the mentally handicapped and their families together with the professionals, collecting used clothes, utensils, candles, match-boxes, bread etc. to help the cyclone victims of the neighboring state ‘ORISSA' caught the attention of everybody in the city. Mentally retarded went round in the streets with begging bowls and bags in hand, creating a sensation among the crowds which indeed touched every human heart in the city. .

3. A 3-hour cultural show with classical, semi classical and folk dance items, organized by the mentally handicapped of Lebenshilfe at Hampi Open Air Theatre, in Shivaji Park, ( public park belongs to Municipal Corporation) in aid of Gujarat Earth Quake Victims, moved the hearts of one and all in the city. A spontaneous donation of rupees 12, 250/- collected from the audience was handed over by the retarded to District Collector for onward transfer to Chief Minister's fund. This activity proved that retarded are also part of the society and they are prepared to share the happiness as well as grief with the fellow human beings.

The periodical Traffic Activities being taken up by retarded children to educate the public, using their limited skills by painting the head-lights of the vehicles, carrying placards showing traffic rules, participating in the traffic rallies during the traffic week celebrations at Visakhapatnam city, shows their concern and commitment for the cause of the society.

• Surya Prakash leading a wedded life
• Stepping Successfully into the society
• Placement After Successful Training
• Sex-related issues - Parental initiatives
• Mentally Handicapped as Society Supporters