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”!