Everywhere, there are differently-abled people, who may be handicapped, suffering from mental or physical ailments, or specially-abled, who lead their lives in difficult circumstances and struggle to survive in the world.
There are many people who care for the differently-abled and their problems. Besides individuals who offer their support in the form of donations, there are a number of NGOs who provide their help to the differently-abled, by helping them earn and spend their life as a normal person in society. Such NGOs are an essential organ of our society.
What Is An NGO And What Do They Do?
An NGO (Non-governmental Organization), as the name suggests, is a non-profit organization whose primary motive is to provide assistance to the differently-abled people in society. Most differently-abled people require some sort of medical care. It can be either physical or mental assistance, which helps them survive in a social environment. Donations provided by NGOs also helps those in need of therapy or special education.
As per the 2011 Census, around 2.20% of India’s population is specially-abled in different forms. This means that over 2 crore people in our country are living with some sort of physical or mental handicap, which makes it difficult for them to function within “normal” society.
This means that the number of people with any sort of disabilities in India is almost twice the entire population of Sweden!
Having such a giant population with special needs, it’s important to understand why they’re still a minority group, desperately in need of upliftment. The physical and social obstacles prevailing in society prevent differently-abled people from living up to their full potential.
Differently-abled people require special care which needs more funds and finances. This leaves most families in despair. In a country like India, the gap between rural and urban spaces also poses difficulties. A lot of NGOs and organizations are working hard to change this mindset and make the world a more accessible place for everyone. But the shortage of funds and personnel make it a difficult job to accomplish.
NGOs Working For Differently-abled People In India
NGOs have played an essential role in helping the needy and providing aid to the afflicted. They have worked towards uplifting the socio-economic status of millions in the country. Here are 7 NGOs in India who have been working to make this country a better place for the differently-abled.
1. Narayan Seva Sansthan
Narayan Seva Sansthan is a Non-profit Organization based in Udaipur, Rajasthan which has been providing its service for more than 35 years. It aims to help specially-abled children and adults to develop essential skills. This organization helps those belonging to the economically disadvantaged sections of society by providing free-of-cost surgeries to patients suffering from polio and other congenital disabilities.
The NGO provides differently-abled people with various free-of-cost services which include conduction of regular polio diagnostic and treatment for selection and corrective surgery camps, distribution of artificial limbs, crutches, calipers, sweaters, tricycles, wheelchairs, hearing aids, blind sticks, clothes, school uniforms, blankets, sewing machines, etc. among the poor and needy. It facilitates daily diagnosis of 300-400 patients and has successfully conducted 80 to 90 corrective surgeries of patients suffering from polio and similar disabilities.
Till date, the NGO has successfully conducted over 4 lakh free-of-cost polio corrective surgeries of several patients. It has recieved various awards such as the ‘Personal Category Award’ in 2003, ‘Padma Shri Award’ in 2008 and many more. It has been awarded the ‘Quality Mark Award’ for its remarkable achievement and excellence in the NGO sector.
Vision: Narayan Seva Sansthan has been striving to serve the underprivileged since 1985. The core mission of the organization is to help poor and disabled people achieve an equal status in society.
Official Website: narayanseva.org
2. Help Age India
Help Age India is an NGO based in New Delhi. It was established in 1978. The NGO has been working for the disadvantaged elderly people since nearly 4 decades. The focus over the years has moved from welfare to development. They provide elderly relief through various age-care interventions.
Help Age takes care of their needs such as pension, quality healthcare, action against elderly abuse and many more, at a national, state and societal level.
They conduct cataract surgeries for older people, look after their basic needs through its Support-a-Gran program, runs Elder Helplines across the country, provides relief & rehabilitation for elderly people post-disasters and provides active-ageing opportunities.
The organization runs one of the largest mobile healthcare programs through its Mobile Healthcare Units. These units operate across the country providing free healthcare services to the elderly. They also help them earn their livelihood and become self-dependent, through Elder-Self-Help Groups.
The NGO has received an award in the innovation category of Chairman’s Challenge Award, NGO Leadership & Excellence Award 2015, Social Impact Award, Best NGO Award and many others.
Vision: To work for the disadvantaged and needy older people and to improve their quality of life.
Official Website: www.helpageindia.org
3. Ritham Special School for the Mentally Challenged Children
This NGO was started in Rajapalayam, Tamilnadu, in 2004. It derived inspiration from a child named David. He was really good at memorizing subjects but couldn’t relate to the words he read. The founder looked at his positive ability and wanted to train him. In the process, he ended up opening the Ritham Special School, which today helps many such children.
The organization has been mainly focusing on the education of differently-abled children which seeks to motivate them towards studying and living a good life in society. The lack of access to special education and individual attention has led to over 60,000 differently-abled young students dropping out of school. Ritham School specially prepares syllabus based on individual assessment of their students and has a good teacher-student ratio, ensuring that all students receive proper individual attention by teachers.
In 2016, Ritham Charitable Trust was awarded the Transparency Award- Intermediate Level by the Guide Star India Accounts.
Vision: To develop confidence in the minds of all types of disabled children and motivate them to face daily life without the help of others.
4. Association for the Mentally Challenged
This NGO is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka and was established in 1960 as a center of excellence in the field of intellectual disability by providing knowledge based on services.
The NGO aims to improve the quality of their life. They want to build an atmosphere of harmony, learning and constructive participation for intellectually challenged children, adults, and parents alike. You can make a contribution to this NGO to help provide education and meals to underprivileged mentally-challenged patients.
The organization also aims to establish services for mentally challenged people of our society who come from poor families so that they can enjoy a better quality of life.
Association for the Mentally Challenged was awarded a citation for Very good performance by the Rehabilitation Council of India.
Vision: ” To educate, train and rehabilitate intellectually challenged individuals and support their families towards a better quality of life for all.”
Get more detailed information about the Association For The Mentally Challenged (AMC) on www.amcin.org .
5. Diya Foundation
Diya Foundation is a Vocational Training Center cum Sheltered Workshop based in Bangalore and was founded in 1999. It believes that the best way to enrich quality of life and bring dignity to differently-abled adults is by training them in vocational skills, building support systems and enhancing awareness in the community.
The mentally challenged are given hands-on training in skills that help them to get a job and become self-reliant. Recreational activities like birthday parties and training days help keep the trainees engaged. Your contribution to this NGO will help cover the cost of birthday celebrations of an underprivileged mentally challenged trainee.
Activities performed by Diya Foundation are to create livelihood opportunities, promotion of education, biodiversity conservation and respond to emergent issues and needs.
Vision: Integrated development in the under-served regions through people’s participation, building capacities and skills for optimal use of abundant resources.
You can read more about this organisation on www.diyafoundation-india.org .
6. Ashadeep Foundation
Ashadeep Foundation is a Non Profit Organisation working for the betterment of the community since the past 35 years. It is based in Ghaziabad, Uttar pradesh.
Ashadeep aims to initiate and strengthen interventions for persons with mental disorders and their families in the North Eastern states of India, in an attempt to achieve a life of better quality for them.
It has helped individuals suffering from mental illness and intellectual disability by providing therapy. 650 homeless mentally-ill persons have been housed and treated in rehabilitation homes, more than 1200 peoples have intervened upon issues related to mental health. Over 120 training and orientation programmes on mental health have been organized for school and college students, Anganwadi workers etc.
Vision: To help people realize their potential and human dignity, and create their own destiny.
Mission: To work among the underprivileged community, to inspire and motivate them to realize their potential, develop their own capacity and help them solve their own problems.
Get more information on https://www.adf.org.in .
7. Blind Welfare Council
This organization was established in Dahod, Gujrat. It has been providing its services for more than 20 years, working in the most backward parts of Dahod-Panchmahal Districts of Gujarat state. The people living in this area are poor, lack education and belong to the tribal community (Adivasis).
BWC Dahod works on developing the strengths and abilities of children with mental disabilities like mental retardation, speech and hearing impairment, etc. It runs a daycare center, residential school and vocational training center for children with mental disabilities. The students are also trained in activities of daily life, social behavior, and different kinds of sports and extracurricular activities.
They want to ensure that all differently-abled people of Dahod and Panchmahals districts have access to equal opportunities. They want to help them achieve a good quality of life and participate in a society which respects their rights and dignity.
The NGO has been awarded with International Excellence Award by the Association of Rehab Professional and Allied Services and Para sports Association Excellent Service for the differently-abled.
Mission: To strive and respond to the rights of disabled people through service delivery and advocacy efforts.
Vision: To ensure that all the disabled people of Dahod and Panchmahals and Mahisagar districts have access to equal opportunities, leading to improved quality of life and participation in society.
Get access of more details on www.bwcdahod.com .
The various NGOs listed above have been working for specially-abled people to help them earn their living, develop their creativity and skills and help them fit in society with ‘normal’ people. NGOs exist for a variety of purposes like the improvement of the state of the natural environment, ensuring human rights, improving the welfare of the disadvantaged, or representing a corporation program. Thus, they greatly contribute towards the country’s development.
Sometimes governments fail to solve many problems. International organizations such as the World Trade Organization are centered mainly around the interests of private enterprises. In such cases, NGOs are a great boon to society. They emphasize humanitarian issues, developmental aid and sustainable development. NGOs have also played a major role in promoting human-oriented development strategies at their own level, without governmental help and have emerged as a major force in driving the movement for corporate social responsibility. They are a powerful force for promoting good and clean governance. And most importantly, they can represent the voices of the marginalized.
