Sanchar AROD

Our vision is an inclusive society with equal rights, opportunities, and respect for all, irrespective of their abilities.

Our mission is to work with people with disabilities and their families to improve their social and economic condition and to raise their voices for their rights to be included in the mainstream society as equal members.

Our strategy is to work through the community-based rehabilitation model and aims toward sustainable disability-inclusive development that covers health and rehabilitation, education, livelihood, empowerment, and social security. We work in the villages and semi-urban areas to empower children/persons with disabilities, their families, and communities to enjoy their rights.

Location: We are working in the following districts through home-based interventions and group-
based work:

•  South 24 Parganas: five blocks, namely, Bishnupur I, Bishnupur II, Falta, Thakurpukur, Maheshtala, Budge Budge II.
• Howrah: Panchla, Amta I, Amta II, Udaynarayanpur, Jagatballabhpur.
•  Kolkata: Ward 125, Ward 126, Ward 143.

We are working in 17 states of India, with other community development organizations, for their capacity building on disability inclusion and community-based rehabilitation.

Rationale: In isolated rural locations, there is no disability rehabilitation service. The situation has deteriorated since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, most children, particularly those with impairments, had learning gaps and dropped out of school following the pandemic. In the post-pandemic environment, educational interventions are critical, particularly for the rural poor and marginalized groups such as people with disabilities. We believe that closing educational gaps and supporting individuals to overcome the difficult experiences of the epidemic are long-term processes that can only be achieved via continuous interactions with the community.

Approach: Sanchar works with families of disabled children through direct home-based intervention programs as well as group intervention programs/community centers. Aside from that, ongoing sensitization and community awareness programs/training are being conducted with various community stakeholders such as parents and family members of children with disabilities, their friends’ classmates, panchayats, BDO, community leaders, health workers, Anganwadi workers, and schoolteachers. The goal is to promote inclusion in mainstream society, with a particular emphasis on education. We also work with and organize regular meetings/field trips for rehabilitation
psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and auditory therapists, neurodevelopmental physiotherapists, and experts in foundational literacy, numeracy, and early intervention.

Challenges over the past year: Following the pandemic, some families experienced significant economic losses. Disability and poverty are vicious cycles that have a negative impact on each child’s development. Working on disability inclusion is difficult due to a lack of understanding and deeply ingrained myths and misconceptions. Many parents, particularly mothers, are so overwhelmed with responsibilities that they have few opportunities to believe in their ability to support their child’s education. It is a great task to improve their confidence and encourage them to be actively involved in their children's general development.

Learnings over the past year: We have realized that including community stakeholders in all meetings/community activities is critical. Working and connecting with the community is vital for the child’s entire development. Regular and rigorous involvement with children with impairments, their families, and communities can result in excellent outcomes.

Plan for the next one to three years: We will continue working with the 120 youngsters with whom we began working in the last year. We conducted educational and therapeutic assessments for 30 children with CWDs at Enayetnagar GP, Joychandipur GP, and Chandi GP. We will begin regular home-based intervention with these children in April 2023.