SCAD work with VITOL for the future of the differently-abled

The Indian charity ‘The Association of People with Disabilities’ claims 17 million people with disabilities in India do not receive support such as mobility aids. SCAD is working with VOTOL to help support young people with physical and mental disabilities. So far in the last six months we have been very busy with this mission and managed to organise

• 5 Orthopaedic and assessment camps attended by a total of 310children with physical and/or learning difficulties a total of 490 children with physical and/or learning difficulties received treatment.
• 56 parents received training and support in caring for their children with learning and physical difficulties
• 114 Government ID cards were successfully applied for in order that the children concerned will be eligible for state benefits for their condition
• 58 “at risk” pregnant mothers received training aimed at reducing the risk of birth defects and 15 of these mothers had follow up training once their babies were born
• 10 older young people received Income Generating Programme loans and support to start their own business.
• 5 older young people received vocational training in either tailoring, bicycle repair or petty shop work
• 55 school teachers received training on how to best support and inspire differently abled children in their classes and to encourage inclusive education
• CBR Training was given to 98 members of the Women’s Self Help Groups
• 3 Special Self Help Groups have been formed
• 12 children have been provided with aids and appliances

Case study

Chinnakarppagam, is 18 years old and she is from Vilathikulam. She has Cerbral Palsy and mental disabilities. Because of serious difficulties with coordination she never learnt to walk properly and has always crawled.

ChinnaKarppagam has been receiving CBR treatment and support from SCAD since 2009. SCAD arranged a Government ID card and monthly Stipend for her. She has been given progressive daily exercises to strengthen her legs and improve coordination and balance.

Field workers encouraged Chinnakarppagam to walk every day with the help of a support in the home and motivated her to help her mother with cleaning and general housework.

She has now learnt to support her mother in the home and is no longer considered a burden. After regular strengthening exercises and regular treatment she has been able to walk inside and outside since December 2011. Her mother is extremely happy. To help us to help another child like Chinnakarppagam please donate here.

A Life Free from Hunger

Last week Save the Children released a report entitled ‘A Life Free From Hunger’ and in it they declare that 48% of children in India are stunted in their growth due to malnutrition. Although this is an aggregated number and doesn’t account for regional differences in such a large and diverse country – with over 28 different states – it also reveals the dire condition many people in India are still living in. India is now the World’s 10th largest economy and has an obligation to look after the most vulnerable and destitute people.

Malnutrition is not only a problem for growth it also severely prevents individuals and families from being able to work. The report says

“The economic losses due to undernutrition are also pervasive – experimental evidence suggests that tackling malnutrition in early life can lead to as much as a 46% increase in earnings as an adult. Productivity loss due to foregone waged employment was estimated to be US$2.3 billion a year in India”

Save the Children – A life Free from Hunger Feb 2012

At SCAD we work tirelessly to make sure that the communities in the Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu do not suffer from severe malnutrition and therefore stress on their earning capacity. Global food prices are increasing, UNFAO says that a basket of food is nearly 37% higher now than it was in June 2010 and this is an added pressure to poor, remote rural communities.

What are SCAD doing?

SCAD are

- helping over 2,500 women to plant kitchen gardens and grow nutritious food for themselves saving up to RS 2,000 per month

- planting between 80,000 – 100,000 indigenous trees per year – many with nutritional qualities

- teaching children about growing food in their schools and training in nutritional supplements

- ensuring mothers and babies get the nutrients that they need to support healthy growth

To see more about the amazing work our women’s self help groups are doing with kitchen gardens please watch this video

Murray and Janet visit SCAD

Murray & Janet Frankland, founders of Salt of the Earth, visit the ‘model village’ Sevalkulam, in the Ottapidaram block to view the new fish culture initiative at the village ooranie (rainwater harvest tank). SCAD have been working with this village for around 20 years and have successfully established: Women’s Self Help Groups, supplementary education, energy management, sports youth groups, vetinary camps, income generating initiatives, health education, micro insurance, nutritional demonstrations, tree plantation, organic kitchen gardens, bio-char trial plots – as a result village life has changed dramatically for these 120 families.

The fish culture initiative alone brings in a significant annual income that is managed by the Village Water Committee (a voluntary group of dedicated village members). This income provides 1% interest loans for families for income generating purposes as well as ensuring the sustainability of the project through ooranie maintenance. The fish are also extremely important in supplementing the village diet. Tree saplings have been planted around the ooranie which will provide vital shade and will reduce water evaporation rates. With these successful trials SCAD aims to roll out the fish culture initiative in 25 more villages with access to ooranies in 2012.

Testimonials from the SOTE 2012 tour

Salt of the Earth have just returned from another ‘Incredible India’ trip this January. A wonderful time was had by all and here are some testimonials to wet your appetite for 2013. Get in touch if you are interested in joining in!

“It was an outstanding trip, very well organised and led. The individual SCAD projects were very good , and the caring and sensitive approach to disability just what one would hope for. What impressed me most though, was the wide scope of SCAD and the ambition to uplift the whole region, with many hundreds of women’s groups and now, some 250 women elected onto local councils. This is rural development with real oomph, and makes our little contributions go an incredibly long way. The holiday section was wonderful, the houseboat trip was pure bliss “

Jonathan Seagrave

“Really, what can I say!! It was a truly amazing trip, I can’t call it a “holiday”, it was analmost overwhelming experience! The organization and planning was very thorough, with very little left to chance, and one must always be prepared to cope with the vagaries of India and “life”!! The itinerary was very good and very interesting and I felt I had really “been to India”! Thursday I think of as my “Michael Pallin” day, meeting our maharaja … and then the train … all good stuff. There was always a feeling of being cared for, and no need to feel anxious as help would always be at hand. Our experience with the children and around the villages is almost beyond words.”

Caroline

Tirunelveli District Sports Day for Mentally Challenged Children

The Tirunelveli District Level Sports Day for mentally disabled children conducted by the District Sports Authority of Tirunelveli was held this year on the 19th November, 2011, at the Anna Stadium, Palayamkottai. 243 Mentally challenged children from 17 special schools in the District participated in the sports day with great enthusiasm. Five children per school were permitted to participate in the sports events and three boys and two girls representing SCAD Anbu Illam, Chereanmahadevi, were taken to the Anna Stadium, to participate in different events

SCAD has encouraged and motivated the mentally challenged by giving them the needed coaching in sports activities, due to which they were able to win three prizes. Esakkimuthu, aged 11, took part in the Cricket ball throw and won the 1st prize. Pandi, aged 13, took part in the jump competition, in the 13 to 17 category, and won the 2nd prize. Jefferson, aged 15, took part in shot put and won the 2nd prize.

Mr. Nainar Nagendran, was the Chief Guest, and distributed the prizes and certificates. He said, “ Only when sports days are held exclusively for mentally challenged children can the benefits and assistance reach them 100%. I have helped several sections of people, but I’d very much like to involve my time and resource to such mentally challenged children.”

The children enjoyed the day very much. The Sports’ Coordinator, Mr. Mallikaraj, who had trained the students of Anbu Illam by giving them practice twice a week, and guiding them properly, said, “We were able to identify and tap the potentiality of our students when they competed with the students of the other schools in the District. This was very good exposure for the students and the students enjoyed themselves.”