When Dr Shantuben Patel, a pediatrician left her service in London and settled in Kutch, Gujarat in late 70’s During her practice, she noticed that there were more than normal handicapped children in Kutch district, for which social and cultural background was partly responsible.

Child Welfare School started with two hearing impaired children, and one of the mothers volunteered to be a teacher. In 2009, the number of children increased to around 200, who are looked after by a team of nine trained teachers and six trainee teachers. 

An educational and therapeutic camp for handicapped children was organized in 1994 and again in 1995, initiated by Prof. Madhuri Kulkarni and her team from Sion hospital, Mumbai.

 In 1994, 110 handicapped children attended this camp, and the number rose to 450 in 1995. This was the time it was realized that these children had no school experience whatsoever.

Responding to this need, DHANVANTRI School was set-up in September 1996, to provide education and training to hearing impaired, intellectually impaired, and children with Cerebral Palsy. 

CWT’s roots lie in the commitment of a multidisciplinary group of professionals specializing in diagnosis, treatment, preventive techniques and training of children with special needs.

More than one-third of the students of Child Welfare School are provided sponsorship through various donors, as they belong to lower socio-economic groups, and cannot afford to pay school fees and medical charges. The school provides transportation facility to 110 out of the total 140 children, with two buses doing two rounds each. This has had a positive impact for the children as it is the only means of commuting for students between home and school. Since the children have special needs and require supervision while travelling, public transportation is not a Founder Trustee: – Late Dr. Shantuben V Patel reasonable option of commuting. Moreover, parents cannot afford to pick and drop their children on a daily basis due to their economic condition. Parents feel safe and secure for their children as there are teachers too, who commute by the school bus and take care of the children.

A 2 year old boy afflicted with Cerebral Palsy joined Child welfare school.  At the time of admission, all his developmental milestones were delayed. He had both motor and sensory impairments. He was not able to sit or even stand without support at the time of admission. Based on the evaluation, he was admitted to the Early Intervention Unit of the center where he was being given regular intensive Developmental therapy along with sensory and communication training. At the age of 4 years he started walking with slight support and still he needs support for waking due to his severe muscle spasm