ACTIVITIES
The main activities performed by the AVT (Ashirvad Viklang Trust) consist of centre-based endeavours and community based rehabilitation (CBR). All services are provided completely free of charge to those in need.
Centre-based Activities
Centre-based activities are carried out at the following three locations:
Over 250 children currently attend the one of the three day care and resource centres on a regular basis, receiving guidance and training to children with multiple disabilities. A key success is that to date, 226 children have been integrated, partially or fully, into mainstream schools.
The main objectives are to help the children overcome their disabilities and assist their parents to cope with their children’s upbringing. At present, a group of more than 25 staff members undertake the activities for children with all disabilities. These include visual and hearing impairments, autism, cerebral palsy, mental illnesses and multiple disabilities, amongst others. The centres also regularly arrange for visits from professionals such as physiotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists and Eye, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists. A physiotherapy unit, located at the Sayla site, provides the only treatment of its kind in the district (see below).
- Ashirvad Aspiration Day Care Centre (Sayla)
- Kshamata Kendra (Limdi)
- Upasana Kendra (Surendranagar)
Over 250 children currently attend the one of the three day care and resource centres on a regular basis, receiving guidance and training to children with multiple disabilities. A key success is that to date, 226 children have been integrated, partially or fully, into mainstream schools.
The main objectives are to help the children overcome their disabilities and assist their parents to cope with their children’s upbringing. At present, a group of more than 25 staff members undertake the activities for children with all disabilities. These include visual and hearing impairments, autism, cerebral palsy, mental illnesses and multiple disabilities, amongst others. The centres also regularly arrange for visits from professionals such as physiotherapists, psychiatrists, psychologists and Eye, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists. A physiotherapy unit, located at the Sayla site, provides the only treatment of its kind in the district (see below).
CBR (Community Based Rehabilitation)
|
There are many disabled people that are unable to travel or attend a day care centre. This can be due to numerous reasons, such as severe and multiple disabilities, homes in remote areas, family obligations and severe poverty. For these children and adults, services of training and rehabilitation are provided by a dedicated team of Ashirvad staff at their doorsteps.
|
|
|
Physiotherapy Centre
|
Qualified physiotherapists (who themselves are blind) visit the disabled children at the centre three days a week. After a formal assessment, parents are then briefed about their child’s disabilities and resultant problems they could potentially face. Counselling is provided and they are advised on how to best look after their children. In addition to this they also provide treatment to both children and adults who have had accidents or after surgery. Last year, 1118 individuals used this service.
|
Vocational Training
|
Training in crafts and vocations is provided to deaf, blind or otherwise disabled adults to empower them and aid economic self-sufficiency. They are given workshops in trades such as tailoring, bead work, beauty care, henna art (mehndi), cooking,
knitting, jute work, mobile phone repairing, repair of diesel engines and scooters. Traders are often donated market carts and crafts men and women their sewing machines to help them get started in business. 116 people were trained and 52 beneficaries receives such vocational kits last year. |
|
Self Help Groups
|
17 Self Help Groups have been set up with a total of 252 members. The groups encourage self-sufficiency and women empowerment. The groups gather regularly and participate in collective saving schemes, provide financial support to one another, spread awareness of disability, help integrate disabled women into the community and take part in crafts and small entreprenurial pursuits to strengthen their family livelihoods.
|
|
DeafBlind Work
|
The Deaf-Blind CBR project assists persons of all ages and provides home-based care. Importance is primarily given to medical requirements, followed by social and economic needs. The services are provided on a personal basis (i.e. each case is treated individually) by a team of seventeen field workers. The main aim is to help the disabled person make use of local resources and training is based upon a vocation (e.g. farmer, shop keeper). Age, environment and non-monetary requirements are taken into account as well as activities of daily living. |
Distribution Camps
The AVT distributes medication, certification and psychiatric treatment to over one thousand people annually. Furthermore, mobility camps have been conducted throughout Gujarat and as far afield as Kenya by the Ashirvad Trust. Where a need is identified, the population in the local vicinity to the camp are screened and a functional assessment is made in the home environment of individuals requiring mobility assistance. Equipment such as wheelchairs, tricycles, callipers, artificial limbs, CT chairs, crutches, hearing aids and educational kits are subsequently distributed. More than 18,000 people have benefitted from this service, and the total cost of this equipment to date is approximately Rs. 60 lakhs. The AVT also regularly arranges camps and meetings in order to increase public awareness – these occur at least once or twice a month across the district.
Mental Illness Project
Until recently, mental illness in the region would mostly go undiagnosed and untreated. In response, a new service has been introduced by the AVT - ‘The Mental Illness Project’ to help diagnose, treat and raise awareness about mental health. It has so far identified over 500 cases of mental illness, from surveys carried out in the Sayla and Limbdi districts alone. During four screening camps, 324 cases were registered, out of which 263 were provided medicine and 160 given certificates. At present a psychiatrist visits the Surendranagar and Limbdi Civil Hospitals each month to help diagnose mental illnesses, with over 70 people having taken advantage of this service. As it was previously not available, we initiated this service with a public awareness campaign; holding rallies and camps, distributing CDs and posters and painting wall murals to spread the message. This has resulted in 55 people having been rehabilitated.
Professional Training
|
The Ashirvad Trust is a recognised agency for conducting training for disability field workers and is a human resource training centre. People from Indian disability-related institutions regularly attend training days and field visits held by Ashirvad. Nurses and paramedics in training are sent from colleges in Rajkot and Surendranagar to observe Ashirvad staff and to learn how to communicate with, and manage those, with mental and physical disability.
|
|
Other Activities
To build awareness of disability issues, the Ashirvad Trust conducts workshops and presentations through a social awareness programme, to inform and connect with society. Midwives, panchyat officers (community leaders), police, judges and magistrates are trained to ensure early recognition and fair treatment of those with disabilities.
Cultural activities are conducted during major festivals such as Navratri and Diwali. Children are encouraged to participate in drawing competitions, ‘abilympics’, braille competitions and dance programs etc.
The AVT has good relations with the government and has helped more than two thousand people obtain transport passes, disability certificates, grants and concessions.
Faculties and staff at the AVT are also involved with some other services offered by the Shree Raj Saubhag Satsang Mandal. Eye and ear check-ups in primary schools are performed by the AVT staff, and follow-up physiotherapy sessions of polio operations take place in the physiotherapy unit operated by the AVT.
Cultural activities are conducted during major festivals such as Navratri and Diwali. Children are encouraged to participate in drawing competitions, ‘abilympics’, braille competitions and dance programs etc.
The AVT has good relations with the government and has helped more than two thousand people obtain transport passes, disability certificates, grants and concessions.
Faculties and staff at the AVT are also involved with some other services offered by the Shree Raj Saubhag Satsang Mandal. Eye and ear check-ups in primary schools are performed by the AVT staff, and follow-up physiotherapy sessions of polio operations take place in the physiotherapy unit operated by the AVT.