The Liliane Foundation contributes to a world that is open for everyone, and in which children and youngsters with disabilities who live in poverty can develop and use their talents. Together with local organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, they make children stronger and their environment more accessible and DISA is one of the Partners to accomplish their goals through support of Jan Vikas Samti, Varanasi. We is involved in the rehabilitation of 79 Differently Able children by adopting them for integrated development for which Stichting Lilliane Foundation has extended support through Jan Vikas Samiti, Varanasi. We follow the principles and practices of Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) model. The children adopted are given medical, educational, social and emotional support to cope with their disabilities and integrate themselves in the mainstream of the society. 14 children are in St. Francis School for Hearing impaired, Takurganj, Lucknow, 4 Children in Nav Jyoti School for Visually Impaired, Mohanlalganj, Lucknow and Jeevan Dhara, Kasia. Together with Liliane Foundation we also try to contribute to a world that is open for everyone, and in which children and youngsters with disabilities who live in poverty can develop and use their talents.
CBR Program
CBR may be defined, according to three United Nation Agencies, ILO, UNESCO, and the WHO, as a "strategy within community development for the rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities, and social integration of all people with disabilities. CBR is implemented through the combined efforts of disabled people themselves, their families and communities, and the appropriate health, education, vocational and social services" (WHO, 1994) It differs from Independent Living in that, according to Lysack (1994), the entire community is the target of CBR programs;. the CBR model is one of community development or partnership; IL ideology places control squarely with disabled consumers.
DISA has initiated a new program with the support of CBR Forum, Bangalore in the month of April 2016 for the empowerment and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Shajanwa Block, Gorakhpur, U.P. through the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Program. The overall impact of the program will be that the people in the community especially those with disability are considered as equal members of the community and have space and opportunities to realize their potentialities. For the CBR program DISA has recruited five CBR workers including coordinator and they have been given special training on CBR, PWD Act, types & identification of disability and prevention etc…Under this program we are covering 35 village 17 Gram Panchayaths and identified 440 CwDs/PwDs during our survey. We will be focusing on the five CBR component i.e Health, Education, Livelihood, Social and Empowerment through the formation of VDPOs and BDPOS (Village level and Block level Disable persons organization).
Case Study
CBR Programme was introduced in the Sahajanwa Tehsil of Gorakhpur. The initial survey had shown that the number of disabled people around the locality was more than the given data obtained from the Government. Ajeeth (13) son of Mr. Krishn Mohan and Mrs. Meera was included in the beneficiaries list of the CBR programme and since 2016. He is a mentally retarded child lives with his parents. He has two younger brothers- Amit and Sangam. Amit studies in class 3rd. His father works in a private mill at Sahjanwa..
During the interactions of the facilitators with the parents of Ajeet, it was told to them that the child did not behave normal after his Birth. After 15 days his parents had taken him for a medical checkup to a child specialist in Gorakhpur. But they didn’t get any satisfying response from the doctor. Continuously for six years his parents had been giving the same outdated medicines for Ajeet but it was of no avail and did not show improvement. So his parents lost hope in the medicine and stopped the medicine.
The financial constrains had made the father of this child to leave the fate to the hands of destiny. Since he also has to support his family with the meager income that he gets by helping in the nearby rice mill, he found it all the more difficult to attend to the medical needs. Regular interventions by the facilitators and coordinators have made lots of difference in this child’s life. The attitude of his father and mother has changed and now all the family members are always at the beck and call of this child. At present he gets regular medication and even though he is not able to walk because of the physical inability caused by the disease his mother takes care of him well. The parents are grateful to the interventions made by the CBR staff and DISA in the life of their child who otherwise would have been living a total neglected inhuman life.