Project HEAL

Higher Education and Learning (HEAL) started as an inclusive education program which aimed to broaden the horizons of learning through practical interactions. NNSC’s first independent children who crossed the age of 18 was a new experience for us as well as for the children. Having grown in a climate of friends and peers in the home, the children found it difficult to integrate into society as independent adults. Thus, we initiated HEAL in 2021 in a new dormitory building with four 18+ NNSC children, with the vision of making them ready for the world outside the safe space of NNSC.

This new dormitory became a bridge for three years, where they learnt practicality, skills, and tools for functioning independently in society. The learning was highly valuable to us as well. Working with the children to help them find their footing, we understood that independence is not a destination they arrive at, but it is a capacity that has to be practiced, stumbled through, and slowly owned. We learned that the transition out of the home needed structure, patience, and the understanding that readiness and timelines cannot be rushed. HEAL taught us that leaving is its own kind of beginning, and that our responsibility to the children does not end at 18. It simply changes shape. That understanding now lives at the heart of how we run Further Support today.