Vishwa Jeevan Seva Sangha: Community Based Rehabilitation for Disabled Students

1. Vishwa Jeevan Seva Sangha:Community Based Rehabilitation for Disabled Students Orissa Project Follow UpJuly 11, 2011 Project Steward: Athena Mak, Asha SF

2. Basic Info • VJSS established in 1984 • VJSS Goals: are to help the poor to help themselves by utilizing available skills, resources and enabling them to own the process of development with special focus on SCs, STs, OBCs and all other weaker sections of Orissa • Engaged in both education and non-education (e.g., health) related activities • Educational Operations: Runs 18 centers • 9 Creche Centers • 4 National Child Labour Project Schools • 3 Residential Primary Schools for Scheduled Caste / Tribe Children • 1 Vocational training and capacity building for disabled students • Requesting funds to expand from center-based activity to community-based project with goal of mainstreaming disabled youth in Khurda district of Orissa • 1 Tailoring training for rural women

3. Community-Based Rehabilitation Project • Vocational training center  Community-Based Rehabilitation Project Approach • More holistic, including medical, social, educational and vocational measures • Overcome stigma of disability and create awareness about the potential of disabled youth • Education of prevention of disability through medical checkups, etc. • Program to include: street dramas, debate, seminars, cultural functions Sensitization of Community and Prevention Family-Based Student Rehabilitation • 30 beneficiaries, identified through Village Panchaya Office • Services include: • Aids and appliances for selected beneficiaries to support learning of family trade • Workshops for the parents, family members, peer group • Information about available resources and aid • Family counseling to tailor program for youth and family

4. Project Clarifications • About 225 disabled youth in each block can benefit from CBR (there are 10 blocks in the district) • One event per month • Prevent disabilities through education on health issues (e.g., healthy pregnancy, malnutrition, polio); regular checkup of pregnant mothers Sensitization of Community and Prevention Family-Based Student Rehabilitation • Working with 30 youth only because of manageable scale • Youth will be 15-35 years old • Field officers will spend 90% of time with students • 6 students / teacher, so each teacher works with one student per day

5. Site Visit Report • Conducted by LalatenduSatapathy • Visited: • Training center • Drug rehabilitation Center • Old age home • The office premises of VJSS is located very nearby to the bus station of Khurda which is the district headquarter. Earlier it comes under Puri district but now khurda is a district and the said town is the headquarter for the district only 20kms far from Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The place is well connected by a national highway no-5 and khurda road railway junction (South eastern headquarter of Railway). The socioeconomic condition of the locality is very good and the literacy rate of the city is around 89%. All major facilities such as judiciary, university, colleges, schools and district magistrate office are available. The law and order situation is very calm. •  In VJSS office I met with Mr. BaidyanathBaral, the secretary for the foundation and few staffs of the office. As it was a summer vacation running in the state the presence is poor as Mr. Baral described. After a 20mins discussion with Mr. Baral, I met with 15-20 physically handicapped people and tried to know how they are doing in VJSS and what facilities VJSS provides. After spending 30mins followed up with discussion I came to know they are not based out at khurda and their study center is 60kms far at Chilka block. The place is known as Balugaon, which is on the way to Chennai bound trains. Fortunately and surprisingly the place is my hometown and some of them recognized me as I have completed till my bachelor degree from the same place. VJSS has a training center for physical handicapped people at Balugaon and they were taken to Khurda office for the inspection purpose. After spending an emotional  span with them I was speechless because I found a ray of light in their eyes. They thought someone will come and help them to live a better life with dignity. They are ready to fight attitude against the brutality of God.

6. Site Visit Report • Then I went to another center ran by VJSS which is a drugs rehabilitation center. Young youths addicted with charas, brown sugar, alcohol and other sedatives are admitted there and trying to give up the habit. The best part is, I have seen few guys who have completed MBA and other degrees but they were addicted in their student career. When I spoke to the staffs of center I came to know the people who were cured are working voluntarily for this organization. VJSS is also working for spreading awareness against HIV-AIDS spreading due to contaminated syringes. Here I have realized how the people are fighting against the bad habit they got for their pleasure. • Now the touchy time which is very heart breaking. Now I am inside the old age home, 4 rooms, two rooms for male and two for female. 3-4 beds of 6ft long without any gap between the beds. The age of people might be between 60-75. No one thought for such an ending of their life. This is neither a prison, nor any hospital. it’s their old age home!!

7. Site Visit Report • What is the community like?  What is the need in the community for a project like this? • See city description. They will be spending the money at the same area where the training center is located. They will provide the help to the physical handicapped people at the interior part of Khurda, near by the famous chilka lake. • What is their reputation in the community they're serving? • The organization is involved in many social activities and most projects are funded by different ministry of Orissa and central govt. Among all NGO’s serving in different belt of Orissa VJSS is well known among. • Are there other NGOs in the region doing similar things or serving the same community? • Not Sure at this moment but as per my knowledge many NGOs work for such noble cause in my locality. Still there are lots of such activities are required. I know one of the major organization “Neheru Seva Sangh” which has around 700 orphan children. It’s a residential school  spread on 3-4 acres of land with deaf & dumb children. It’s an organization working in Balugaon since 1970.

8. Site Visit Report • How well thought out is the program?  How prepared do they actually seem in terms of identifying youth, teachers, etc.?  Are they able to effectively articulate and explain the program to the visitors, and exactly how it will work? • No Doubt, the project is well planned. But I think physical handicapped small children should be taken for such dispensation. They can learn and benefited from such program. Gathering the youth of 20 to 30 yrs won’t help much for the literacy program. They should be from below poverty line families defined by Govt and have not enough source of income. But providing amenities at their home won’t solve. Better if there will be a residential school where they can stay and study in the course curriculum with affiliation from Govt of Orissa. I am not agreed of selecting such youth for the program. • How are they recruiting students?  Do they already have pretty good ties with the community, and a good sense of what is needed? • Their office is located somewhere else and the community they are helping is far from the place. So not sure how they are well involved with the community. • Final Suggestion: • VJSS can be taken into consideration for funding. But at the same time someone/organization needs to scrutiny how the fund spent. As per the project report I have seen the yearly funding they asked for is around 12lakhs INR. The same should be done with some trust located at the community who can monitor how the fund is helpful for such activity. Also I request for a residential school for the children which will help them a lot.

9. Site Visit Report

10. Site Visit Report

11. Budget

12. Sample Curriculum • Academic education of the student :- Tutoring • Rectification in life skill and improving toilet hygiene of the disabled youth • Improvement of relationship with other family members :- Observation and counseling the other family members for their behavior change • Improving the good manners, etiquette, behavior, conduct, clothing/dress sense • Overcoming social isolation:- Build up rapport with the neighboring people and facilitating chatting with them along with the disabled youth. • Moral education:- Motivating by telling stories and by counseling. • Awareness on current affairs:-By watching TV News together or by reading News Paper, discussing on various current issues, • Health Care :-Regular health checkup, organizing medical support or special therapy if needed and conducting yoga or physical exercise by the specialists to overcome  physical or mental obstacles. • Entertainment and recreation:- The teacher will ensure this component also for the beneficiary by a participatory method. Listing music or watching TV together, Outing some where from time to time for exposure. • IGA training:- Facilitating participation in the family trade by the student. • Providing scope of occupational diversification (The student may not always stick to his family trade):– By judging the IQ and inherent aptitude as per the ability and interest of the student– By organizing innovative tests from time to time and organizing his future occupation on that line. • Developing individual income generating unit for the disabled student  :- Organizing logistics and infrastructural arrangement by negotiation with senior family members, community leaders etc. Arranging relevant expenditure for economic rehabilitation along with training of the selected disabled persons from project (provision has been kept @Rs1,80,000/- for 30 head or @Rs 6000/- per head in the project budget)

13. Evaluation Whether the daily living skills of the beneficiaries have been improved after getting this training. Whether the beneficiaries have entered into the process of education and have become interested to gain knowledge. Whether the family members and community people are making no discrimination between the disabled youth and a normal youth.   Whether the family members of our beneficiaries don’t consider him a burden of the family or don’t feel embarrassed with the disabled person. Whether the disabled youth has got proper training to take part in the family business or has started his own income generating activity.  Whether the disabled person has developed his potentialities to earn and contribute in the family expenses. Whether the social life of our beneficiaries have become comfortable. Whether the human rights of our beneficiaries have been protected. Whether the human resource in the beneficiaries have properly developed to take part in the process of social development. Whether the overall quality of life of the disabled youth has been improved by this project in comparison to their previous quality of life.

14. Appendix