Mary Verghese Trust
A Space to Live, Learn, Create and Grow
Mary Verghese Trust (MVT), located at Bagayam, Vellore, is more than a residential home or a vocational training centre. It is a place where persons with disabilities can discover their abilities, develop new skills, explore livelihood opportunities and build confidence for life beyond rehabilitation. Supported by the wider rehabilitation services of CMC Vellore, MVT brings together residential support, vocational learning, sports, recreation and community participation. Its purpose extends beyond helping people learn a skill. It is about creating opportunities for people to become more independent, pursue their interests and take an active part in society.
A Home That Encourages Independence
For people residing at MVT, everyday life offers opportunities to learn, practise new skills and take greater responsibility for themselves. Living alongside others with similar experiences encourages companionship, mutual support and the sharing of practical knowledge.
The residential environment also allows people to observe different ways of living independently and to imagine new possibilities for their own futures. For some, MVT becomes a stepping stone towards returning to their communities with greater confidence and a clearer plan for life ahead.
The campus also welcomes people undergoing rehabilitation who wish to explore vocational options or understand what independent living can look like. In this way, MVT serves as a space for exposure and learning, reaching beyond those who reside or train there.
Vocational Training and Emerging Livelihood Opportunities
Vocational development remains an important part of MVT’s work. Alongside tailoring and sewing-machine maintenance and repair, the Trust continues to explore opportunities that allow people to develop practical skills suited to their abilities and interests.
These include:
-
Baking Unit: introducing opportunities to explore baking and food-based skills.
-
Ability Café: creating scope for learning through food service and related activities.
-
Bounce Project: offering creative product-making activities such as heat pressing, magnets and badges.
-
Creative product development: activities such as making greeting cards, tote bags, pillow covers and masks, which encourage creativity and introduce possibilities for producing items for sale.
These initiatives help make vocational learning more varied and responsive to changing interests and opportunities. They also open up possibilities beyond traditional trades, allowing participants to explore different forms of work and discover where their strengths may lie.
From Learning a Skill to Using It
Training at MVT combines practical skill development with living skills and personality development. Individual abilities and progress guide the learning process, while opportunities for assessment and feedback help participants identify areas for improvement.
The aim is to help people carry their skills beyond the training environment. Follow-up guidance, family involvement and support in planning future livelihood options can help participants continue practising their vocation in their home communities.
Sports: Building Confidence and Possibility
MVT is also a place where sporting interests can grow into meaningful opportunities. Regular wheelchair basketball practice and other para-sports activities provide participants with space to develop their skills, work as a team and prepare for competitions.
For some, sports becomes much more than recreation. It can build confidence, encourage discipline and create a sense of achievement. Continued training and participation have helped athletes progress to state and national competitions, demonstrating what becomes possible when talent is supported with practice and opportunity.
Sport also changes how people see themselves and how others see them—not simply as recipients of care, but as athletes, teammates and individuals with goals to pursue.
A Space for Shared Learning
MVT’s contribution is not confined to its residents or vocational trainees. People undergoing rehabilitation can visit the campus to learn about available training, observe the independent lifestyles of others and explore possible pathways for their own futures.
Former trainees and alumni also contribute through experience-sharing, practical guidance and feedback. Their involvement helps current learners understand the realities of using their skills and adapting to life after rehabilitation.
This exchange creates a continuing cycle of learning: people who once came seeking guidance can return with experience to share, helping others take their next steps. MVT becomes a place where people learn from one another and where growth is a shared experience.
Rehab Mela and Mini Melas
The annual Rehab Mela is a major gathering within the wider rehabilitation community. Held at the MVT campus, it brings together people with spinal cord injuries and acquired brain injuries, caregivers and the rehabilitation team.
The Mela combines medical reviews and health education with sports, cultural programmes, creative activities and opportunities to reconnect with friends. It gives participants a chance to share experiences, celebrate talents and renew relationships that continue well beyond their hospital stay.
Regional Mini Melas extend this spirit into local communities. With the involvement of rehabilitation alumni and local networks, these gatherings provide opportunities to reconnect, exchange experiences and strengthen peer support closer to home.
Together, the Melas help sustain relationships and remind participants that rehabilitation does not end at discharge. Support and connection can continue through different stages of life.
Celebrations and Special Programmes
Special programmes at MVT create opportunities for residents and trainees to come together beyond their regular routines. Celebrations such as Christmas include shared messages, songs, gifts and fellowship, bringing a sense of occasion and belonging to residential life.
Alongside these gatherings, sports events, creative activities and other rehabilitation programmes offer opportunities for participation, enjoyment and personal expression. Such occasions may seem simple, but they help build relationships, create positive memories and make the campus a more welcoming and inclusive place.
Growing Together, Moving Forward
Mary Verghese Trust brings together a range of opportunities under one roof: residential support, vocational training, emerging livelihood initiatives, sports, nutrition, shared learning and community gatherings. Its value lies not only in what people learn while they are at MVT, but also in what they are able to carry forward—the confidence to try something new, the skills to explore a livelihood, the encouragement to pursue sport, and the experience of belonging to a community. MVT is not a space meant only for those who live or train there. It is a place where people at different stages of rehabilitation can visit, learn, contribute and grow.