Uhuru

Uhuru’s curriculum design is geared towards enabling individuals with neurodiverse needs to acquire the tools needed to navigate the daily practicalities of life while also preparing to deal with some of the larger questions that life asks every child and adult.

Uhuru – Snehadhara's 26-Day Training Programme on Assisted Living: “What After Me?”

Introduction

The Uhuru programme is the bedrock of our Direct Beneficiary programme and is held at our lush Nelamangala Campus.

Here, learning is embodied for the neurodiverse individuals and their families through many experiences provided by a range of facilitators, ABT and API practitioners, external faculty, visiting artists, peers, interns and volunteers.

Along with meeting the learning outcomes, our facility works as a service delivery model that looks at the mental health and well-being of the not just the participants but that of their families and the caregivers, the communities in the neighbouring village and schools.

Why do we need Uhuru ?

“Uhuru” in Swahili, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and some similar languages, stands for “freedom”. As the name suggests, the Snehadhara Foundation’s vision for its children and adults with diverse needs is nothing short of uhuru.

Their special needs notwithstanding, we believe that the needs and preferences of those with neurodiverse needs should be at the centre of their learning trajectories, defining the services and support they wish to receive from their surrounding communities. These preferences and needs drive the system of services and supports that enable them to live the lives they truly wish to live.

Our focus is on creating a space where compassion is an integral part of daily living—with respect to the self and with others; resilience is built to deal with all that comes in the path; attention and observation skills are honed; emotions are acknowledged and negotiated; learning flows from connection with each other and an understanding of the larger interconnectedness of all where everything emerges naturally.

The neurodiverse individuals stay here without their parents, under the care of an extensive, expert team of caregivers. They gradually learn to do things more independently, all the while under the caring gaze of supervisors and practitioners.

Uhuru – Snehadhara’s 26-Day Training Programme on Assisted Living: “What After Me?”

At Snehadhara Foundation, we have always been pioneers in addressing the critical question of “What after me?” for children and adults with diverse needs. Families and caregivers often worry about how their loved ones will lead independent, fulfilling lives when they are no longer around to provide support.

According to the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), over 70% of families in India have no sustainable plan for the future of their children and adults with diverse needs once they can no longer care for them. This highlights the urgent need for programs that not only provide care but also equip individuals with the skills required for a life of dignity, community, and independence.

Since 2020, Snehadhara Foundation has been running a semi-residential program that introduces a unique blend of independence training, community living, and experiential learning. Through this program, we discovered that neurodiverse individuals flourish when given the right environment—one where they feel safe, are challenged to grow, and are supported to explore new skills.

These learnings have reinforced our commitment to designing long-term, sustainable residential programs that provide individuals with the tools they need to thrive independently. Even short stints away from primary caregivers helped participants adapt to new routines, take on responsibilities, and develop social relationships within a peer community.

See the Snehadhara Campus Here!

Program Design and Approach

Today, after over 13 years of working on various pilots, programs, and experiential learning initiatives, we are proud to announce our 4-week residential model specifically designed to prepare individuals for assisted living. This program is a culmination of our learnings and innovations—a unique opportunity for families and caregivers to witness their neurodiverse individuals grow in a supportive yet challenging environment.

Snehadhara’s signature approach integrates evidence-based arts practices, therapeutic engagement, and holistic development. This ensures that the experience is enriching, empowering, and transformative for every participant.

Our program redefines what assisted living can look like, transforming it from an institutional model into a dynamic, growth-oriented experience. We equip individuals with the life skills they need to live fulfilling lives, ensuring a continuum of care that carries forward long after the caregivers’ role shifts.

Some On-Campus Experiences

Why Snehadhara?

With over a decade of experience, Snehadhara Foundation has developed a diverse range of programs—from overnighters since 2012 to residential stays, community engagement, and tailored learning experiences. Our programs have impacted over 70,000 individuals with diverse needs, and we’ve trained more than 150 Arts Practices for Inclusion (API) practitioners who now work in various communities.

Our small student-to-adult ratio allows for personalized care, with a dedicated team providing 24/7 assistance in shifts. This nurturing environment helps participants develop life skills, social connections, and confidence in their ability to live semi-independently.

Families who have participated in our programs consistently provide positive feedback, emphasizing the transparency of our approach and the long-lasting impact on their loved ones.

4 Week Programme Overview

*These themes and focus areas will be adapted to the needs and goals of the individual and are subject to change.

Who Is This Program For?

Neurodiverse individuals (15+ years): Individuals across the country seeking to build skills for semi-independent living in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Young Adults Transitioning from Home: Those ready to take steps toward greater independence by learning life skills, managing routines, and engaging in community living.

Families & Caregivers: Families who are looking for a sustainable plan for their loved ones’ future, beyond their caregiving years.

Caregivers Seeking Support: Caregivers who wish to stay involved during the program can also benefit from specialized training, equipping them to provide more effective support as their loved one transitions into semi-independent living.

Individuals Seeking Social Engagement: Neurodiverse adults needing exposure to community settings and real-world social interactions.

Families Seeking a Proven Approach: Those looking for an approach backed by over a decade of learning through therapeutic arts practices, experiential methods, and community engagement, leading to an enriched quality of life for their loved ones.

Some Outdoor Experiences

Our Cohort Dates for 2025-26

April 14th to May 9th
May 26th to June 20th
July 7th to August 1st
August 18th to September 12th
September 22nd to October 17th
October 27th to November 21st
November 24th to December 19th
January 5th to January 30th
February 16th to March 13th

Interested in enrolling? Click Here

Uhuru Until 2024-2025

The Story of Uhuru

Snehadhara Foundation’s Uhuru programme at the centre of the first episode of Stories of Change, a radio programme by Azim Premji University. Broadcasted on radio and uploaded on the YouTube, this story is a celebration of the Uhuru programme that has continuously aimed to creative wholesome, inclusive and joyful learning experiences for all.

Intent of on-Campus Learning

Activities of Daily Living (ADL) are no longer merely sessions but a way of life on Campus, as our happy campers grow into a cohesive community and understand their restructured relationships from a family and social perspective.
Independence in terms of thought, deed and expression is our aspiration and goal, while the children will be facilitated to function at ease in all given circumstances.
Reassurance for parents as they find more time for self-care, secure in the knowledge that their children are experiencing greater autonomy and space for growth in a safe and monitored environment.
Me-myself time for the children will be spread across the day to not just include serenity in solitude but also to occupy oneself, meaningfully and productively. Our children will be invited to focus on developing hobbies and getting oneself involved in interactions and activities “at (their new) home,” based on individual interest.

Curriculum 2024-25

Snehadhara Foundation (SF) has developed the multi-arts based Uhuru Campus Programme curriculum based on its engagement with diverse demographics, conducting action research on learning, and collaborating with professionals from various fields. At its core, this curriculum embodies the belief that every child, regardless of their physical or mental abilities, deserves a meaningful lifelong learning journey within a supportive community environment. ‘Continuous learning’ is a central philosophy based on the idea that learning is a learner-led process in a safe and loving environment.

The group and one-on-one sessions on campus use Arts-based practices to reach the desired goals with children. The programme includes touching upon multiple topics under Sciences, Social Sciences, Literacy and Numeracy through the Home Sciences. The curriculum is the broad framework of what is covered. These topics are used as an anchor to build on the goals of Cognitive, Body, Language and Social Domains. Each of these topics are covered through different forms of arts including visual arts, music, movement, drama and play amongst others. The programme will be progressive in nature, delving into different areas and stages of learning, while setting appropriate goals for the child and the group to achieve based on their abilities at the beginning of the session. Each session will be modified based on the observations of the previous session and the needs of the group. Building a sense of social identity and belonging through community living, and building independence and self-reliance through activities of daily living are the key identifying features of the programme.

The curriculum leverages home science concepts to tailor a learning curriculum for this particular group and context. By incorporating home science concepts into their daily routines, the primary focus is to empower children with the skills and knowledge necessary to foster independence, heighten awareness about their surroundings, and provide meaningful real-life experiences. Focus areas include Daily Living Skills, Nutrition and Meal Preparation, Home Management, Family and Relations, Safety and Hygiene, amongst others.

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A glimpse of our sessions in Uhuru

Prakruti Upahara

These will be early morning sessions – right at the beginning of the day, in the beautiful new campus. The children will explore the surroundings using different senses. In these sessions, the children will make contact with the new campus, using different senses. This might include walking barefoot, exploring various sounds, textures and fragrances in the rich natural context.

Saaz

Saaz - Sounds and Instruments

The objectives of these sessions are to take the children into a world of sounds and music. In these sessions, they would be exposed to a variety of musical instruments and day to day objects which produce a variety of sounds. They will explore wind instruments like the harmonica and flute, string instruments like ukulele and bulbul tarang, percussion instruments like drums and cajon, and several other instruments like the keyboard, xylophone etc.

Thakadimitha

Embodying kinaesthetic awareness though movement, music and play is what these sessions will be about. They look at integrating some conventional, some structured, some experimental, some fun, some playful and some improvisational movements, allowing us to dig into the unknown. The child will be facilitated to discover something new within themselves in this fascinating physical space of expression. The Thakadimitha sessions will be full of experiments with rhythm, footwork and so on!

Kuthoohalam

Kuthoohalam - Sensory Integration

The campus offers a beautiful opportunity to be more curious about what our senses are picking up from the environment around us. In these sessions will be on working with three basic sensory experiences – visual, auditory and tactile. We will be looking at different areas under each of these senses. Movement, colour and light around us will be examined under visual; the effect of volume, pitch and rhythm will be explored under auditory; different textures, movement, wet vs dry surface exposure will be delved into, under tactile.

Language Aquisition

The group will be divided into two sub-groups for language acquisition. Level 1 will be about vocalization, basic vocabulary and Simple Sentences. Level 2 will be about descriptive speech and Story Construction.

Chikanee Mittee

At our pottery shed in the campus, we will get a chance to play and squeeze, pat and pound, poke and pinch clay. We will learn creatively to enhance our understanding of texture, shapes and forms by rolling, cutting and making multi-dimensional shapes. Whether we roll the clay to make a snake or thump it to make a cake, manipulating the clay will develop the fingers and hands muscles, improving hand and eye coordination along the way. The sessions will progress into the children working on the wheel in the second semester.

Culture and Arts

These sessions encompass the diversity and inclusion of the various art forms of India- styles of music, languages, dance forms, visual art, storytelling and so on. The dance element involves, learning different dance forms briefly, dressing up in dance costumes, watching videos and performances and likewise. The visual arts sessions will introduce the group to block printing, Bandhani, Kalamkari, rangoli making and so on.

Functional Academics

Academic concepts will be tailored to suit individual needs and facilitate comprehension, composition and application aspects of language, maths and science concepts. The goal will be to develop reasoning skills, creative thinking, abstract or spatial thinking, critical thinking and problem solving. Basic math concepts that are required in our daily living will be our area of focus. Understanding the concepts of time, money, proportions, measurement and numerical skill, comprehension and basic environmental concepts along with health and hygiene will be a part of the curriculum.

Mannu Honnu

Taking advantage of the vast open spaces and crisp sunlight available to us at the campus we plan to get our hands dirty with the soil and reap what we sow. The activities will involve establishing gardening rules, clearing up and preparing the soil, creating pathways and beds and create our kitchen garden with ample love, water and nutrients.

Tree Talk

These sessions will be about getting immersed in Nature by talking to trees and creatures in the environment, contributing to the growth of our natural surrounding and observing the secrets of nature silently and contemplatively. The goal will be to open spaces for the children to find themselves in Nature through observation and association with Nature.

Tree Talk

Tabula Rasa- Our Canvas

These sessions look at expression and application of creative skills and imagination using paints, crayons and colours. From using hands and feet as art applicators to getting introduced to different forms of painting like sponge painting, vegetable stamping, toothbrush spray painting and many more techniques, these sessions will be more than a splash of colour.

Sustainability

Firm believers in respecting Mother Nature and her produce, we have planned our Campus the activities relating to our children in a manner that focuses on sustainability. We are taking steps in augmenting our alternative energy resources. Most of our energy needs are harvested through solar panels. We are fairly conscious and judicious in the usage of water. The grey water is recycled for use in our garden and in our toilets. The rainwater harvesting system on Campus allows us to store up to 82,000 litres of water and help us during the summers.