Inauguration of Livelihood Resource Center - Samarthanam, CISCO & Wadhwani Foundation

Today, we marked another milestone in Samarthanam's journey of 17 years by inaugurating Livelihood Resource Centre (LRC). This project is in partnership with CISCO and Wadhwani Foundation (under its OND - Opportunity Network for Disabled initiative). This LRC is unique, since it's located at our HSR Layout premises, which is a barrier free universal design building with need specific architectural changes allowing safe mobility of PWDs, as mentioned in UNCRPD.

The invitation card

At Samarthanam, we realize that, apart from education and co-curricular activities, real empowerment will come through access to finance - the hard earned money by the weaker section of our society. To actualize economic inclusion via skill development, we have set up one stop training center in the form of LRC for a range of industry specific skills training.

 (L to R) : Jayanna -Director Disability Department, Kupendra Reddy -MLA Bommanahalli, Shyam Kaluve - Director, Shyam Suri - VP.

Mr. Shyam Kaluve, Director of CISCO Technology receiving a token of thanks.

During a minimum three months residential course with 25 students per batch, candidates will be trained in two essential modules, namely, computer technology and life skills. Following which, based on their aptitude they can choose from 7 industry specific modules like IT, BPO, Retail, Hospitality, Garment, Banking and Insurance or Entrepreneurship and Business Management training, respectively. Our placement officer will ensure that on completion of course, trained people get appropriately placed and enter mainstream job market to earn gainful employment with respect and dignity.

Mr. Kupendra Reddy, Member of Parliament, Rajyasabha, Ms. Latha Narasimhamurthy and other dignitaries during the training at LRC 

LRC model is a hallmark of how sustainable projects can be built after demonstrating efficacy and efficiency of a small innovation served as pilot pitch. And, how companies can build meaningful corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects and drive innovation through inclusion of otherwise neglected diaspora of PWDs. Being in Bangalore, the IT capital it looks all the more relevant and timely to upscale this model. Currently, we are running 10 LRC in five states namely, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Orissa and Karnataka with support of other donors. 

It's time for stakeholders to take note of such skill building projects, document learning, surmount challenges, and showcase positive outcomes and impact. With involvement of industry leaders for funding, technical inputs and morale support, we are confident to take inclusion of persons with disability at the next level - where they earn high wages, holds leadership positions, pay taxes and not become a liability restricted to meager pension from Govt. bodies.

Blog post author:

Shweta Chooramani

Manager - Corporate Fundraising

Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled

shweta.chooramani@samarthanam.org

Photographs courtesy:

Ramesh

Of love and more!

Samarthanam holds a very special place in my life. My outlook/ approach towards everything changed when I started visiting Samarthanam over weekends. It took me over 4 months to get an appointment with Vijaya Mam and start volunteering but looking back I know it was worth the wait. You know the adage - Patience bears sweet fruits. And Samarthanam is one of the sweetest things that could have ever happened to me. What moved me the most was the positive attitude of the children and the girls in JP Nagar hostel despite difficulties. To be honest I was going through a very difficult phase in my life and I started coming on weekends for selfish reasons - to keep myself occupied in a productive way. I did learn a lot from the children. I do not know if I can ever give back what I have received - I have received warmth & love when I needed it the most that has healed me. All I want to do is try and be useful to these wonderful people in whatever way possible.

Priyanka made me realise that I am a good teacher by being an extremely attentive student. I had no idea I could teach before I met her. Every time I bunked a class our roles reversed. She became the teacher and called me to check why I was absent. :) What a beautiful person we have in Priyanka! I feel blessed to know her. I do not know if I teach her or she does in her unique way. Nandini is so humble and down to earth - I was elated when she called me to inform me about her score in an exam in which I was a scribe for her. I had tears in my eyes when I received her SMS about her success as an actor in one of the movies. Salma's "Ma'am" makes me smile everytime I think of her. The entire bunch has managed to take my heart away.

The cricket match and Conversation in the Dark was an experience of a lifetime for me. The cricketers are talented, humble, naughty and fun loving - a total masti gang! I have some stories to tell people when they ask me about myself. :)

Last week we started the Story telling session by Storywallahs at HSR. Ameen was extremely delighted. We have decided to take up 2nd standard students and help them improve their vocabulary through stories. I hope we will be able to achieve this objective.

Some book recordings are in the pipeline. Shalini from Tech Vision and I have a plan to take this to the next level. We plan to have a list of books (stories and Classic English Literature) and a team of volunteers who can record this. We also plan to set up a process through which we can make the records easily accessible to the students. We will commence the project in September.

Geetha Ma'am, the principal of HSR wants to start a library in the school to help imbibe reading habits among the students. I thought the 1st step is to collect the books and the best way for this would be to put up a request on FB for books donation.

The above are the baby steps I have taken to make the ones happy who have unconditionally showered so much love upon me. Hopefully I will be able to do more and make some difference.

Sir! Thank you for giving us Samarthanam.

Media Sensitization - An approach to democratize disability empowerment!

The depiction of disability in the media plays a major role in forming public perception of disability. The Perceptions created by media informs the way people with disabilities are treated in society.The media have been cited as a key site for the reinforcement of mixed images and ideas in regard to people with disabilities.

Societal stigma and gullible values have profusely damaged the progress of the PwDs. Lack of awareness, accessibility; learning opportunities have denied indispensable right of decent livelihood making them vulnerable. Disability has not been accepted as a human diversity, instead, looked upon as a deficiency and defect. This terrible notion had to be changed.

Samarthananam has been a quintessential game-changer in not only the longstanding pathetic mindset but the socio-economic transformation of the persons with disabilities in the Sandbox. Recently, a large chunk found fruitful employment in Aditya Birla Minacs and other major organizations of the country through the Livelihood Resource Centre model. The model, popularly known as Livelihood Resource Centers (LRC) is a gateway to employment and one stop shop for all livelihood needs of the PwDs.

Figure 1: Mr. Bellad speaking about disability and Samarthanam's interventions

This July 23^rd, Samarthanam encouraged big media houses, both from print and electronic divisions to join it for a day’s sensitization programme on key issues and possible solutions pertaining to disability. Around 30 reporters spent their generous time to listen to Samarthanam’s plea and design on making the PwDs strong contributors in India’s growth story. The meeting hall in Hotel Mandar Regency (in Dharwad) was blown away by the thunderous applause to the successful candidates. Gangavva, a brave-heart, who not only defeated the insane mindset of a male dominated society but death itself, spoke and left every soul spellbound.

The C.E.O. of Samarthanam and the mind behind the LRC model, Mr. Rajendra K.R. presented the need to include the people with disabilities in India’s workforce. He also advocated media’s role in publicizing the myths, the abilities, and the opportunities available, all at a hand’s stretch. Veteran Politician and a firm patron of brand Samarthanam in Karnataka; Mr. Chandrakant Bellad venerated Samarthanam’s interventions as divine and sacred work.

Figure 2: Mr. Rajendra, with his presentation on Media's role in empowering the PWDs.

The speech and hearing impaired, the visually challenged, and the locomotor disabled stole the show away by their respective proficiencies. The news appeared in all the major local dailies and television channels giving thick coverage to Samarthanam objectives.

The LRC and Samarthanam as a whole are immensely obliged to the media, Hotel Mandar, and all the stakeholders.

As the LRC saying goes, “Employment is the only Empowerment”!

Kiel Moses Interning with Samarthanam...

I was lucky enough to volunteer with Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled from October 1^st through November 14^th, 2013 in a variety of capacities including teaching theater/martial arts/English to students, working on the Samarthanam expansion to the US, as well as the recorder for books for the blind/visually impaired. 

I started out at the primary school that Samarthanam trust operates for children with and without disabilities.  I taught the younger kids theater skills through the use of the various animals they knew.  I had them rolling on the ground sounding and acting like their favorite animals.  I taught the older students English and grammar skills.  This work at the primary school felt gratifying.  However, because I didn't speak their native language, the success that I had was limited.

As a result, I got linked up with the overseas coordinator at Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled who wanted me to help her with various aspects of expanding Samarthanam in the US.  I read over many parts of the website that had been created and came up with ideas that the new branch in the US could potentially pursue.  This felt very gratifying to be a part of.  This experience in assisting in the expansion of Samarthanam to the US felt great.

I also visited various parts of the trust (such as the call center/BPO) that gave me a deeper understanding of the trust and potential businesses that people with and without disabilities could be a part of.  These field trips proved fruitful for me to experience because it reiterated that people with disabilities can be successful in various sectors of the trust. 

I appreciated the interactions with the staff and other beneficiaries that I talked with during my internship.  I met members of the blind dance troupe as well as others who I felt a great connection to/with.  These various conversations left a powerful and positive imprint on me.  Every staff member and beneficiary that I interacted with treated me as if I were an essential part of the Samarthanam team/family.  This type of treatment felt great to me while I was interning at Samarthanam Trust. 

I also taught self defense/martial arts skills to older adults.  I had two regular students who attended my classes.  In a three week period I had them being able to punch, block, and kick.  I even taught a young man who was blind these same techniques with great success.  I felt really great about this being that the two adults had no prior experience in self defense or martial arts before meeting me.

Overall I had a great experience volunteering in Samarthanam and feel that I made a difference on many different levels on both a personal and professional level.  I will never forget this experience because of the life lessons and pragmatic skills that it taught me for my professional career that I will have.

Interns' Experience sharing Note...

Here is a small experience sharing note shared by our interns from ITM Business School, Bangalore. A group of 10 students interned with us for a period of 30 days. They were exposed to several activities in the organization guided by volunteer coordinator through out their stay at Samarthanam.

Few students have shared their experiences interning at Samarthanam. 

"Because of Samarthanam I have learnt how to tackle people and how to help the society.  I got to know now that how many problems are there in the society.  I like this Samarthanam trust very much."

-Sudipta  Roy

"Because of the Samarthanam I learn how the physically disabled students are taking education in the society. I love to work here.  I had a great experienced in the Samarthanam trust for disabled."

-Mohit Goel

"I had a fabulous experience in the Samarthanam I learn how social work helps the society in different  ways."

-Surav Chatterjee

"This was my great phase of my life that I have work for this Samarthanam trust for disabled and learn how social work plays an important role in society. I learn many things from this NGO."

-Sonika Sharma

"Here I learn many things like speaking in public and promoting activity which is held on this NGO I like to work here."

-Sagar K Gadbail

"I had very good experience working with Samarthanam trust and its people. I got to learn many things. This Samarthanam trust is doing a great work towards the underprivileged people of the society. I was truly honored to work with this group."

-Satish Kumar Balla

"I am very  lucky that I got a chance to work in a NGO named as Samarthanam. I feel very proud to say that they are doing exceptional job by bringing up the differently abled people in the society and helping them in fulfilling their needs.I joined them as a part of our project and I helped them a lot. I also raised funds for the upcoming event."

-Anuj  Misra

Samarthanam !! Ah!! This is a place where i learnt a lot, i came to know how blessed i am . We though having everything still creep about every other thing but these kids though having nothing are very happy and the way support each other is just amazing and speaking about the staffs, these people are just down to earth, the way they treat people and kids is again a lesson to every human on earth. Personally i learnt to be polite, patient and have started loving my life to the fullest.

Thank you Samarthanam !!!!

-Sudamsu

IIMB Collaboration for Vision 2020

"We aspire to see brand Samarthanam across India and work with persons with disabilities as one single community”. This is how G K Mahantesh, Managing Trustee, Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, describes his ‘go forward’ vision for the NGO.

Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled has been working since 1997 to empower disabled and underprivileged people through its different programs, including education for persons with disabilities and economically underprivileged, mid-day meal programs, BPO training for visually challenged, BPO centre, rural employment for persons with disabilities, residential home for distressed women, waste management, sports and culture etc. Samarthanam's vision is to build an inclusive society, free of discrimination against the disabled, where people with disabilities, especially the visually impaired, enjoy equal opportunities and an enhanced quality of life. As many as 18000 beneficiaries have received assistance till date in reaching their aspirations.

In May 2013 the NGO conducted a Vision 2020 workshop at Fireflies Ashram and came up with potential plans and action items to go pan India and reach 100 million persons with disabilities and the underprivileged. According to the 2001 National Census, about 75% of the persons with disabilities are in the rural areas. Samarthanam sees this as area to expand its operations and make a difference.

To turn its Vision 2020 into reality, Samarthanam is partnering with Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. Management students from EPGP (IIMB's one year full time Executive Post Graduate Program) are working with Samarthanam to formulate strategies to replicate Samarthanam's success in Karnataka across the country. The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) is an autonomous institute offering a wide range of Doctoral, Post-Graduate, and Executive Education programs. IIMB's focus on research and education in the area of management is enabled by faculty from amongst leading universities worldwide who are actively engaged in research, teaching, consulting and pedagogy development. Their Innovation Club’s vision is to learn the art and science of innovation and apply it to solve real life problems. To understand the nature of innovation, the club organizes discovery sessions, with presentations on topics such as design-thinking, ideation methods, latest innovation concepts etc. Members use the learning from these sessions to find solutions for socio-economic, civic and business problems.

Management students who are members of the Innovation club at IIMB organized an "Innovation Workshop" with Samarthanam team on Jul 27^th to brainstorm ideas for realizing Vision 2020. The workshop was a huge success resulting in 30+ unique ideas to fuel Samarthanam’s growth strategy. Mr. Rajendra KR, CEO, Samarthanam is excited about the partnership and was thrilled with the ideas - "There is a desperate need to ensure rights and entitlements of 60 million disabled people in India. Samarthanam is rightly positioned to achieve this task. We are excited to collaborate with IIMB’s Innovation Club towards realizing Vision 2020. The ideas presented are practical in nature and really out of the box. The workshop has resulted in ideas which we would incorporate in our expansion strategy."

Nitin Agarwal, an EPGP student who is also part of IIMB’s Innovation Club, said: “We are delighted to work on real life challenges to come up with long term strategy for Samarthanam’s expansion. We look forward to contribute our bit to the society.”

“Be Big, Think Big, Go Big and Serve for a Bigger Cause,” says Mr. Mahantesh as he gears up for Vision 2020.

Samarthanam Overseas Relations Desk

Samarthanam’s programs especially the sports and culture wing have received tremendous support from overseas philanthropists for some time now. Taking Samarthanam Overseas is currently one of the major focuses of the Overseas Relations Desk of Samarthanam.  During the reporting quarter several steps have been taken to strengthen the overseas operations and initiatives.

Samarthanam USA, Inc.

It was registered in Boston and determined in August 2012 as exempt from Federal Income Tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code where all contributions are deductible under section 170 of the code with the Employer Identification Number 45-2470938. During the quarter the following activities were undertaken.    

1. A dedicated website www.samarthanamusa.org was launched in August 2013. The website has provision for sharing information about the activities, happenings, stories from the field, views from friends, well wishers, volunteers and supporters and also options of donating online. Samarthanam invites you to visit the website and share your experience with us.
2. Samarthanam had the privilege and joy of receiving Mr. Subu Kota, Director, Samarthanam USA, Inc., Ms. Mangala Kumar, Ms. Nagamani, Ms. Savitha and Ms. Karthyayini – guests from the USA who visited various projects and facilities of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled in India. All the visitors have been long standing supporters of Samarthanam programs and activities. Mr. Subu Kota spent considerable amount of time discussing future strategies for expansion of programs and reach for Samarthanam. Ms. Mangala Kumar agreed to represent Samarthanam USA, Inc. in the Bay Area while the others have all assured their continued commitment to supporting the NGO’s activities in future as well.    
3. A team of eleven active members from USA and India came together for a conference call on 29^th September, 2013 and discussed future course of action and implementing the expansion plans of Samarthanam USA, Inc.
4. Samarthanam USA has been connected with GlobalGiving and Indiegogo – crowd funding platforms. Samarthanam USA has also been listed under DELL’s list of charities in Bangalore.

 Samarthanam UK:

Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled is in the process of registering its charity in the United Kingdom. A three member Steering Committee has been identified with Mr. Adam Pickering being the President (Chair), Mr. Geoffrey Smith being the Secretary and Mr. Hemanth accepting to be the Treasurer. The first draft of the Constitution has been prepared and the registration process would begin during October this year.

The Overseas Relations Desk of Samarthanam would like to acknowledge all the overseas individual donors to name a few Mr. Ravi Ika, Mr. Krishna Ika, Ms. Mangala Kumar, Mr. Michael Festa, and Mr. Naravulu Venkatesh; and institutional donors for their valuable donations towards the activities of Samarthanam; we truly appreciate their act of kindness and generosity.

"The Overseas Relations Desk of Samarthanam aspires to leave its footprints in other countries as well. We believe that this would be a great opportunity for our sports and culture teams to continue receiving exposure to global culture while contributing to the fundraising efforts of the organization towards long term sustainability of the programs."