About Us

History

The Anchorage was started in 1988 by a group of five parents and a special educator. Children of all the founder- members were in Sadhana School, a well-established special school in South Mumbai. At the age of 18 they were expected to graduate from the school to make way for other children. Concern for what would happen next and a fear of their children’s regression drove the parents to look for options. They wanted to “do their best” for the child/adult and so with the help of a special educator, the idea to set up an institute was born. The main purpose was to provide vocational training and arrange for appropriate job work. Over the years the institute has grown to become a holistic life space.

Originally housed in a garage, The Anchorage grew with time, moving first to a 200sq.ft.room in a member’s home and then in 2001, thanks to a large donation from the Government of Japan, individual parent contributions and other generous donors, The Anchorage moved to an office premise in a reputed corporate building at E. Moses Road.

The Anchorage recently purchased an additional premise at Nirman Kendra, Dr E. Moses Road, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai (same as our primary location), fulfilling our long-term expansion plan to offer holistic services to many more adults with special needs. With this development, we were able to move our secondary unit (originally based in Colaba) to Mahalaxmi — thereby allowing us to reduce operating expenses and achieve synergies of scale in a single location.

With the new premise we plan to continue to offer our existing services to many more members while also adding new services like a unique programme for ageing adult members, a therapy unit (art, dance & yoga therapy), a counselling unit and a parent support group. With these objectives in mind, we have renovated the new premise which is fully functional from June 2022.

Today The Anchorage can provide holistic services to 32 differently-abled members.

Aims

The aims have evolved over the years with increased numbers, improved facilities and available manpower, staff and volunteers. They are now as follows:

1. Dignity and self-esteem through work

2. Holistic care

3. Community-building – parents, siblings and volunteers

4. To reach out to as many differently abled adults as possible directly or indirectly

Defining features

1. Zero discrimination- economic, social or ability-based

2. Primary focus on well-being and holistic care e.g. physical, mental, social, psychological etc

3. Stress on communication and relationships based on mutual respect and affection between caregivers and members

4. Work organization mainly through training & job work contracts

5. Additional training and stimulation in the form of life skills education, math, yoga and recreational activities such as music, dance and games

6. Encouraging exposure to society at large through participation in exhibitions and outings

7. Multi-disciplinary staff working as a team and learning from continuous observation and experience of what works and what does not. Ongoing review practices

8. Intensive involvement of parents and dedicated volunteers

9. Commitment to networking, cross-learning and sharing

Organization Structure

The Anchorage is a Parents’ Co-operative registered under the Charitable Trust and Societies Act. It has 80G certification under the Income Tax Act and FCRA permission for soliciting donations from abroad and providing tax exemptions. We are registered under CSR under the companies act 2013.

The persons responsible for running The Anchorage are:

Board of Trustees: This is the Governing Board and comprises of founder parents and professionals. The Board meets at least twice a year and is responsible for finance, planning and progress review.

Core Group Committee: The committee is a group of seven to nine parents/siblings. They meet with the Director once in a quarter, provide overall guidance and help with the institute and finance management.

The Director: The Director together with the staff is responsible for planning and implementation of all daily activities at the institute.

Staff: Apart from the Director, the staff is appointed in the ratio of 1:4 members. Minimum qualifications are a graduate degree in the field of education (special or general), social work, psychology. In addition, there are three helpers for cleaning, work delivery and teacher-assistance. Accounts are managed through the services of an accountant in liaison with the Auditor.

Volunteers: The Anchorage has thrived on volunteer spirit and dedication. Volunteers come from different backgrounds, bringing their skills and commitment to enrich The Anchorage programme. Volunteers have a fixed-time involvement: typically half a day a week, on a fixed day, similar to what is mandatory for parents/siblings of members.

There are two categories of volunteers:
1. Parent Vounteers – It is mandatory for parents to volunteer for half day in a week. They help with Jobwork supervision and quality control.
2. General Volunteers- Volunteers help with Jobwork Supervision and Quality Control.