Dear Friends,

Once again I take immense pleasure in welcoming you to our first bi annual news letter for the year 2010 – 11. We owe our success to your consistent support and thank you for the same. As usual we take the opportunity to share with you our work and experiences in South Asia and hope it will be useful for all. Through this issue we intend to emphasise the importance of Economic Empowerment of disabled people and our working experience towards achieving the same. Under best practice we share our experience of organising an exclusive job fair for disabled people. We bring you story from Pakistan where innovative mechanisms and technology are used to impart skill training. We share a new case study from Mangalore where skill training has brought positive change in the life of Malini. Our guest speaker shares the corporate experience of appointing disabled people.

The inspiring photo story of Babulal, continuing story of Esaruddin show how consistent support can bring about life changing experience in the lives of disabled people. As part of management inputs we share some tips on fund raising - the backbone for any NGO’s sustenance. We hope you find it useful.    

Year 2010 has great significance for our office as it marks completion of ten years of existence in the region. Established in the year 2000 we have covered a lot of ground in reaching out to disabled people. From 27 homes to 23 medium and large outreach programs and reaching out to more than 20,000 disabled people we have come a long way. By no means have we reached our destination yet. I am reminded of the last lines from Robert Frost’s famous poem Stopping by the Woods “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, Miles to go before I sleep, Miles to go before I sleep”.  We still have a long way to go!

We wish you happy reading and look forward for your inputs and valuable suggestions to build our magazine from good to great!

Warm regards,

Rajendra K R

Best Practice - Job Fair with a difference

Ramu beams as he looks on at the CCTV monitor responsibly. His job is to keep a watch on the security in ITC Royal Gardenia where he is employed in the CCTV monitoring room. He says “Now people respect me, as I am an earning member of my family." Ramu is a young adult with polio in his lower limbs with spasticity. Couple of months ago he was depressed and dejected till he underwent hospitality training organized by Livelihood Resource Centre, Bangalore.

On 10th October 2009 Livelihood Resource Center Bangalore along with Enable India and Action for People with Disabilities (APD) jointly hosted this Job Fair exclusively for disabled people. Job or career fairs are fairly common events organized to provide common platform for employers and job seekers to meet and match roles and abilities. This particular event was different because the employers were mainstream organizations offering very main stream jobs which are offered to any non disabled person. Only, these jobs were being offered to disabled people exclusively. This was the 2nd job fair of its kind organized by the three organisations in Bangalore.

Employment of persons with disabilities at MphasiS was not incidental but a very conscious decision driven by the senior leadership. The main driving factor was the belief that talent/competency exists in all populations. Being an equal opportunity employer that respects diversity, MphasiS believes that qualified individuals with disabilities not only add to our diverse workforce but also have a positive impact on our bottom line. 

23 year old Babulal has been walking on his hands all his life. As a child he suffered from Post polio residual paralysis due to which the lower half of his body was paralysed. His legs were badly bent so he had to use his hands to push his body on the floor. Babulal and his family had given up all hopes of any improvement in his mobility. They felt there was no hope for him and he cannot be treated. It was a big challenge for the staff of Arushi – Leonard Cheshire Disability Samawesh Project to convince him and his family members that a corrective surgery will help Babulal move better. After several counseling sessions they finally agreed for corrective surgery at Narayana Seva Samsthan (NSS) Udaipur.

Kilputhupattu is a small village in Tamil Nadu not far away from Chennai on the way to Pondicherry. Chennai Cheshire Service expanded its services to this village as part of the community outreach program. In 2007 the disabled people in this village were made aware of their rights and entitlements through an awareness programme which was organised by the staff of Cheshire Service to explain the concept of Self Help Group and objectives of the same to address the issues related disabled people locally on their own. Information regarding disability and rights was shared with all the participants. 15 disabled people out of 30 participants showed willingness to be part of a Group. Thus Annai Indira Disabled Sangam came into existence. Marimuthu is the president of the sangam and Jayasankar is the secretary.

Activities and Events - Leonard Cheshire Disability - South Asia Regional Office (SARO)

Given below is a summary of activities and events that have occurred during this period - 

Mainstreaming Disability Progamme: SARO supported Dark and Light and REK to organise a workshop on Mainstreaming Disability for their partners in southern India between the 20th and 22nd January 2010. SARO acted as local resource for the organisations to conduct organisational assessment and mapping exercise and to provide inputs on how to mainstream disability into the existing programmes of the organisations. The objective of the workshop was to equip the participants with appropriate knowledge, ideas and attitudes to initiate the mainstreaming process in their respective organisations in a systematic and planned manner. This workshop was organised at Manipal county in Bangalore and was attended by more than fifteen participants from different organisations across southern India.

Life keeps on changing with the passage of time. Sometimes dependency of disabled people can be brought down so much that there is hardly any difference left between the disabled and the non disabled. Cyber world has shown new horizons to disabled people. Broadband connections, handheld devices with accessible software, cell phones and computers have introduced new horizons to disabled people and today there is a completely new group of disabled people in Pakistan called the techno group. This group is very well versed with the software and developments in assistive technology.

To demonstrate interventions taken up by South Asia Regional Office and the impact of our work we are regularly tracking the case story of “Esar Uddin and his family”. This family has been recently identified as clients by a SARO supported programme.

LCD-SARO has partnered with Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), a disability organisation in Bangladesh, to implement a programme on Inclusive Education and Employment Rights of Persons with Disabilities. CDD has chosen local partners to support them in implementation of this programme; one among them is Gono Unnayan Sangstha (GUK), a community development organisation working in remote, backward and disaster prone areas of Gaibandha district.

“Fundraising is a science. But its rules are more like a rainbow than a formula. You need to paint with the most delicate shades of colours and moods. You will surely become a success if you paint with love and friendship” Ekaterina Ki

Fundraising is the life blood of any nonprofit organisation. But, where do you start? New fundraising techniques and methods come into existence every year, but the basic ones should be the backbone of your fundraising efforts. These are, literally, your "bread and butter."

Poverty and disability are very close cousins. They usually go hand in hand and co-exist with great solidarity. Both act as cause and effect interchangeably. Malini is a typical example of this vicious cycle. She was one and a half years old when she became a victim to polio. She was born in a poor family in a small village in Mangalore. Her father chronically ill and mother suffered from depression having had to take care of the entire family single handedly. Malini never received any treatment or therapy due to poverty. As a result her lower limbs were badly affected. She found it difficult to move around. So she discontinued her education after 3rd standard. 

“Dear all,

This is the saddest Email that we have ever had to draft......” this is how the message began that conveyed the unbelievable news of Venu's demise. There are quite a few things that are taken for granted in life. Things that we believe will never get over. Things that will always be there  like air, water, food, money etc. Venu was one such entity at SARO that we never believed will be exhausted. His untiring presence for all occasions and events without a worry about time, his dogged efforts to complete given task however tough or easy it might be, his wizardry with government machineries and special abilities to get anything and everything done by the government officials, his unwavering commitment to the disability field are some of the qualities that would remain unforgettable for a very long time! 

Venu is remembered by many as a mentor and a teacher, as a man with genuine warmth, love and concern for others, as a wonderful human being who used to care for others more than himself, as a great administrator... the list goes on. But there were two most striking features about him which are very unique in themselves. One was his puritan approach to vegetarianism. He would go without food for days and try and survive on mere fruits and raw vegetables to ensure he followed the chosen path in letter and spirit. Second characteristic is what makes him very unique. His ability to be helpful in all circumstances be it a simple job in the office or an international event; be it a government order for the project or a similar document for personal use; Venu never used to miss a cue. Even before someone would mention he would be there to help. This helpful nature of his endeared him to one and all. His life was helpful in establishing a number of project offices, systems, procedures etc. Even in his death Venu proved to be helpful. He donated his eyes so someone without vision could see the world with his eyes! Venu is called a “great man with human heart”. It is so true. He was fantastic and in so many ways, irreplaceable. We at SARO will miss him sorely.  

"As a Trustee of World Jewish Relief it is a privileged to be able to visit the office of our trusted partner in delivering the project to help those still affected by the Tsunami. Thank you for the warmth of the welcome."

- 19 - Feb - 2010 | Peter and Marion Reichwald, London

"Am touched! I would certainly like to work with the organisation at my personal capacity, and would pursue my organisation too to have a long term partnership with it. Wish all the very best!"

- 30 - Jun - 2010 | Sudhir R Sinha, Arcelor Mittal, India

Dear Reader,

Welcome to our first bi-annual newsletter and as always, I would like to thank you for your consistent support.

It is obvious, by way of how we are being encouraged to take a closer look at our publications in terms of their role to put forward our work with growing efficacy that you have been our greatest contributor so far. Your suggestions have been one of the strongest driving forces in the development of our communication and outreach materials.

Home Based Education - Facilitating inclusion of children with severe and profound disabilities into mainstream schools

Home based education (HBE) simply means providing educational support to children with severe and profound disabilities within their homes. LCD supported Cheshire programme in Coorg (CHIC) is working in remote areas of Coorg district (India) to ensure inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream schools. Till date, the programme has helped retain 273 disabled children in mainstream schools due to its interventions.

Need for Inclusive Transport - Access and Mobility issues faced by People with disabilities and the Elderly

Transport is defined as movement of people and goods from one place to another. Today, transport plays a major role in economic and social development of a community. Communities having no transport infrastructure are often isolated from the world and thus, tend to be poor.

To encourage self-help and advocacy among persons with disabilities, LCD supported programmes in South Asia are promoting self help groups (SHGs) of persons with disabilities and their family members. These SHGs act as a focal point for micro-advocacy on disability rights and experience sharing among members.

One of the SHGs in Kothapatnam village of Prakasam district undertook a unique initiative with support from LCD-SARO project in the area. 12 members from the group came together and started a Disability Resource Centre to provide services to persons with disabilities in nearby areas.

Tamir Cheshire Community Programme (TCCP) staff were identifying disabled people through a community survey in remote villages of Faisalabad district. On enquiry, community people referred them to Muhammad's house, a 12-year old boy with locomotor disability.

In the very first meeting, the staff found that Muhammad liked going to school, but had dropped out as his classmates teased him regularly. His parents also expressed that Muhammad found it difficult to walk to the school. They had almost given up on his education.

Based on this initial meeting, the staff decided that through basic therapy and school sensitisation, Muhammad's problems could be solved, and he could continue his education. They encouraged his parents to support Muhammad and requested them to visit the TCCP resource centre for physiotherapy.

In this six-month period (January to June), SARO team has been actively involved in providing capacity building and technical support to partner organisations as detailed below -

• SARO staff (Programme Manager, Advocacy & Campaigns Manager) visited Dhaka Cheshire Home in Bangladesh. They also provided technical inputs on programme development to 15 partners of Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), who are implementing the DFID funded inclusive education programme of LCD in Bangladesh.

I am Hasini Sadunika. Though I am five years old, I can't walk and talk like other children of my age. I live with my mother and grandmother who love me a lot. I have never seen my father as he left us soon after I was born. My mother stays at home and looks after me, while my grandmother manages our small shop (grocery store).

To demonstrate interventions taken up by LCD-South Asia Office and the impact of their work, we are regularly tracking the case story of “Esaruddin and his family”. This family has been identified by a SARO supported programme in Bangladesh.

LCD-SARO has partnered with Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), a disability organisation in Bangladesh, to implement a programme on Inclusive Education and Employment Rights of persons with disabilities. CDD has chosen local partners to support them in implementation of this programme; one among them is Gono Unnayan Kendra (GUK), a community development organisation working in remote, backward and disaster prone areas of Gaibandha district.

In this issue, we bring you a rating tool for assessing the performance of self help groups (SHGs). The tool is specifically designed for disability NGOs having self help groups of disabled persons and their family members. These SHGs are not only involved in savings/credit activities but are also actively involved in advocacy. The check list given below will help assess each SHG's performance in a simple, but effective manner. The assessment is generally done for groups which are more than a year old.

Our Vision, Mission and Values

Our vision
A society in which every disabled person can enjoy their rights and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential

Our mission
To enable disabled people to improve their quality of life and to campaign for the removal of the barriers which hinder them

Our values

Valuing the Individual - Taking the time to listen to each disabled person and to understand what matters to them

Working together - Finding our success in the achievement of each disabled person with whom we work

Honesty - Generating trust with each of our stakeholders by being clear about what we can and cannot do and by delivering on our promises

Creativity - Developing imaginative new products, moving into new fields and seeing new ways of working so that we can serve disabled people more effectively

Energy - Being ambitious in the goals we set and committing ourselves to their achievement
 

Dear Reader,

I would, before anything else, like to thank you for your inputs and suggestions which have greatly helped us build a wider readership base than before.

With the closing of the financial term, there is much clutter of paperwork at this time of the year. However, there is much to share as you will see in the following pages. Having started the year on spirited heels, we are making good progress, finding newer areas of work and opportunities to express our mission.

In this issue, we have highlighted the case of earthquake affected district of Manshera (North West Frontier Province, Pakistan) as 'best practice'. With over 313 beneficiaries across 20 villages, the Disability Resource Centre (DRC) - set up by Leonard Cheshire Disability in partnership with Community Appraisal and Motivation Program (CAMP) - is already the foremost disability-related organization in the region.

Originally for work,  I  have  visited  India  very regularly  during the last  twenty  years, and  gained  the strong impression that people with disabilities have a much harder time there than in Britain.   And this is not just a question of money.  Even in a booming city such as Bangalore in the south, a highly competitive society means that many people have a hard life, such as can hardly be imagined by us here.

All over the world, the role of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) in imparting education to disabled children cannot be undermined. In India, both the government and the NGOs work in close partnership to facilitate Inclusive Education. The NGOs are actively involved in creating awareness, mobilising resources, encouraging community participation and in-actual delivery of support and services to disabled children.

LEGAL COMPLIANCE

It is essential for Non Government Organisations (NGOs) to be transparent and accountable while dealing with funds received from the government and donor agencies. Here is a checklist of various legal formalities that NGOs (especially those based in India) should follow to achieve total transparency and accountability. 

Supporting People with Disabilities in the earthquake affected district of Mansehra, Pakistan (North West Frontier Province)

Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) is working to support children and persons with disabilities affected in the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005, in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. The earthquake left around 87,000 people dead, 2.8 million without shelter and over a million without any income. Many people were also disabled in the disaster.

“No one used to care for us, but today, we are financially independent and respected in the society”  says Shiv Prasad, a member of Jagriti SHG in Mograram village of Sehore district. This change began in April 2008, when staff from ARUSHI, a disability programme supported by Leonard Cheshire Disability, visited the village and conducted an awareness programme on disability rights. 15 disabled people attended the programme, where, the concept of a self help group (SHG) was introduced and the activities of an SHG were explained. Following the programme, six disabled people came forward to form a SHG.

In this quarter, SARO hosted an International Conference on Disability in the Commonwealth Asia. Details of this conference and some other key highlights are given below -

To demonstrate interventions taken up by LCD-South Asia Office and the impact of their work, we are regularly tracking the case story of “Esar Uddin and his family”. This family has been identified by a SARO supported programme in Bangladesh.

“Earlier, to cast my vote, people would carry me into the polling station and I would then request them to stamp the ballot paper on my behalf. Today, however, for the first time in many years, I could enter the polling station and cast a vote on my own”, says Amarasena Jayaweera, 63, a person affected with paralysis 13 years ago.

People with disabilities in developing countries often face acute barriers than those in developed ones. Within developing countries, people living in rural and remote areas are the ones who are the most affected. One such area is that of Skardu district, in Baltistan division of Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA) of Pakistan.

My name is Lata Salvi. I'm 22 years old. I have 3 sisters, two of whom are working, while the youngest is still in school. We live in a small house in one of the poorest areas of Mumbai. I have never been to school as I'm usually sick. (cerebral palsy, mental retardation and cancer). I stay at home the whole day and used to get bored.

The group leader, Prabhudas, says “Earlier no one cared for us, but today they respect us in the community. We have been successful in lobbying with government officials to issue job cards for people with disabilities under the government's 100 days work scheme. As a result, six of our members are currently employed under this scheme. In the future, we plan to promote another self help group of persons with disabilities in our village.”

Badri is now a role model for other people with disabilities. He says “I am going to guide youth with disabilities to be financially independent so they can live a decent life.”

People with disabilities have been totally neglected by the government in the relief operations. Some international development organisations have reached out to persons with disabilities as part of their relief operations, but, none of them were exclusively catering to this vulnerable group.

Many persons with disabilities were searching for their family members lost in the commotion following the floods.  On a day-to-day basis, they were struggling to access food, water and health services. The inaccessible toilets in the relief camps added to their woes. Some of them slept in the open air in damp conditions without blankets.

To demonstrate interventions taken up by LCD-South Asia Office and the impact of our work we are regularly tracking the case story of “Esar Uddin and his family”. This family has been recently identified as clients by a SARO supported programme.

LCD-SARO has partnered with Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), a disability organisation in Bangladesh, to implement a programme on Inclusive Education and Employment Rights of Persons with Disabilities. CDD has chosen local partners to support them in implementation of this programme; one among them is Gono Unnayan Sangstha (GUK), a community development organisation working in remote, backward and disaster prone areas of Gaibandha district.

All these tools and use of appropriate processes of PRA makes PRA a fun and an involving method of approaching a community in your programme. It is an effective tool to make your programme effective and useful to all stakeholders.