Society for Child Development
Society for Child Development is a fine example of a dynamic and holistic approach towards disability. The umbrella for programmes is Society for Child Development but there are at least three parts to the whole, each contributing in a unique way to the society's goals to
- Learn and Earn
- Change attitudes and change lives
- Equal opportunities for people with disabilities.
Prabhat is an education programme and was the beginning of the work. Now the programme has:
- A special school
- A mobile special school, visiting low income neighbourhoods
- An independent living programme
- A parent network.
In 2001 as the children completed special schooling, there was a wish and a need to provide them with a safe place to work and earn and so developed the next programme -
Trash to Cash
To quote their own website, this was to involve -
- "A training facility with a manufacturing endpoint that utilized the strengths of this group:
- Ability to learn and carry out simple repetitive tasks
- Regular attendance (their parents were keen they left the house to enable them – the parents – to carry out their own economic activities)
- Deep conditioning in obedience and Eager to please
- products that utilized basic manufacturing processes that were endemic to the region
- raw material that was low-cost, widely available and easy to procure
- a product line that had a unique quality
- master trainers who were easily available.
Finally the third tier is:-
Avacayam
Which is a "Go Natural Initiative" where people with disabilities earn a living by making products from waste.
MESH works alongside Society for Child Development placing orders for assorted products for international customers and using their weaving services to sample new ranges of hand woven cotton kitchen products.
Click here to see some statistics about the production unit in SC
SCD makes Funky Christmas decorations from waste wood.
Practical jute bags,
Yoga mats from rewoven waste fabric and so much more....
