Today is the ‘International Day of People with Disabilities’, a chance to celebrate people with disabilities and seek to create a more aware, inclusive and compassionate world. According to a WHO World Report on Disability, 15 percent of the world’s population (that's more than 1 billion people) are living with a disability. It is estimated that in India only around 2% of the disabled children have access to education. Many of these people, especially those living in poverty, are treated as the lowest of the low, rejected, ostracised and often punished for having a disability. At Project help India, we are doing all we can, not just to change the lives of some precious children who have a disability, but to challenge and change the mindsets of the community at large. Through our teachers and social workers we provide advocacy and support for kids and young people with disabilities and chronic health conditions. We also support their parents and siblings too.
Our story is very much a case of small steps, big purpose.
We are angered when we hear that a child cannot attend the local school because they “have a disability.” Our goal is to change mindsets, so that these children have the right for a fair and equal access to education.Some children with disabilities are locked in their house, and never go outside because their parents are embarrassed. They resent their children, ashamed of what the neighbours are thinking. We believe that through education we can, and we will change wrong mindsets and discriminatory attitudes and behaviours. When Project help India first started working in the Kotdwara slums 10 years ago, we were confronted by the horrific situation of seeing disabled children being literally tortured and physically harmed during religious festivals. These abominable practices have thankfully ended due to Amit and Daisy's persistent hard work in the slum community. But we have way more to do. Our Disability Centre, situated in a Kotdwara slum is now a few years old. Our mission is to locate ‘hidden’ children with physical and cognitive disabilities, to counsel their parents, explain the benefits of an education, to support them in allowing them out of the house, and to come to school. We speak words of value, purpose and importance into the lives of the children and parents, ...and they are listening!
Presently, we have 14 children who attend our Disability Centre every day. We are so grateful for these remarkable little people and thankful for the progress they are making, especially as they learn to speak, read and write. Daily, they receive a healthy meal, they sing songs, say poems, play and dance. These kids love school, it has become their place of refuge and safety. Most do not want to go home at the end of the day. Our Project Officer writes;"
Earlier these children’s lives were a curse. Their parents did not allow them to go out of their homes. They had no friends and due to this they felt ignored and rejected. The people who live in the locality think that these children are a curse to the family. But now after seeing this great change in their lives, they came to know that even these children can laugh, love and study. When they see them smiling, playing, singing, their good manners even those people get astonished. “How can this happen, they ask?” I wish that our vision should be for all children with a disability. They are children of God and they deserve the best of love and care. We need more centres like this across India where the need is so great."
Meet Adnan
When we first met Adnan, he was a beggar and he did not talk. He was incredibly violent and he would throw anything he got when someone tried to talk to him. Adnan is now 11 years old. He belongs to a big and very poor Muslim family. His father, Mr Atikur Rehman is a fruit seller and his mother is a housewife. Adnan has 5 siblings. His family lives in a cramped rented room, situated in the dirty slum area of Jhoola Basti in Kotdwara.
Adnan was a fit boy by birth. When he was five, he met with an accident and fell from the terrace of his home. Adnan suffered a head injury and became mentally disabled. His parents had no money to pay for medical help or rehabilitation. He was not able to speak properly and he was not physically able to do any school work. He could not read or write. Due to all this he became a very stubborn boy and he would run away to the market and beg. His mother says that he would return from the markets with wounds, caused by people hitting him. People would hurt him because they believed that his disability was a curse or a punishment for sins committed by his ancestors.
When we heard about Adnan, we approached his parents and asked if we could help. We believed nothing but the best for this young boy. After 6 months his family started to notice a significant difference. Adnan now can write, he recites poems, he dances, he sings, he makes us laugh (he is very funny) and he is making good progress. His sister says that now Adnan is recovering from the trauma of his injury. He is disciplined now, and he greets everyone as a happy kid. She says that Project Help has given him the conditions to ensure that her brother has dignity and confidence for his active participation in the community. Adnan is a delight and a joy and we love him. Our team is working hard so that he might have every chance for a bright and successful future.
We need your help to educate and care for Adnan, his classmates and many more potential students. Please do not underestimate the difference that your donation can make.
A donation of $30 a month will pay for Adnan's education and $100 will fully cover his teacher’s monthly salary. Please become a regular supporter so that Project Help India can grow and expand and help other vulnerable and at risk children like Adnan. You can make your tax deductible donation by clicking the DONATE button on this page.