Basic Need Support Service for People With Disabilities in Kholsi
Condition of People with Disabilities in Kholsi:
When you visit Kholsi village first time, many of the people you see there are deaf/hearing impaired wandering some even begging in the narrow and muddy street of the village some of them even with naked body and most of them with dirty/old (second handed) broken clothes on their body. They cannot communicate with you rather than staring at you and extend their hands to you for anything to get. These people with complete innocent faces, no hope/expectation of life and no perspective, no future, will take away your breath and arouses emotions within you and compels you to think about the 21st century's human civilization. You will be more shocked when you know that some deaf people in kholsi don't have their personal identity. It means they don't have their own name rather they are known through their parents or family and are called locally with deaf (Lato or Lati).
This is actually an experiential situation what I (Chhitup Lama) and my co-member Lokraj Shahi and Kirstin Giese from Germany observed when we visited the village in 4th of August 2012. This forced us to question to the conventional social and developmental system. What a social infrastructure/system are we building for? What an equal opportunity and inclusive and participatory development are we talking about? What the social organizations/projects, donors, government are working and spending on? The condition of Kholsi village and the people with hearing impairment there is an example of not being responsible especially of society, state, and all stake holders. None of the services has been provided to the people with disabilities in Kholsi. Nothing has been done so far to assist the disability and to improve the living quality of these people though the village has been known as the village of deaf people since past few decades. 100% people with disabilities in Kholsi are illiterate. Most of people with hearing impairment are completely deaf and few of them are partially impaired and some even lack proper mobility skills.
According to the need assessment survey and experience we gained from our official field visit in the village by directly observing the condition of the people with disabilities and meeting with the community members and even with some of the people with hearing impairment themselves, we together with The ISIS Foundation Simikot organized this program, "Basic Need Support Service" which served these people as short-term intervention services to address the most necessary needs.
The Target Group:
The direct beneficiaries of this program were about 65 people with different disabilities in general and 40 people with severe disability in particular in Kholsi village that includes 31 people with hearing impairment 7 with physical impairment 1 with visual impairment and 1 with mental disorder. In this way the family and community members are the indirect target group of these projects. The programs, "Basic Need Support Service" was principally designed for the people with hearing impairment however all of people with disabilities were benefited from the project as well.
As people with disabilities in Kholsi lack their basic needs such as nutritious food, proper clothing, some even lack appropriate accommodation, emotional need like proper family affection/guidance, love, care etc., this program has been able to fulfill these needs to a greater extend.
The entire program was led by the Founder/Executive Director of Head Nepal, Mr. Chhitup Lama and coordinated by Mr. Narabahadur Shahi, from the village itself, and supported by Head Nepal Staffs, ISIS representative and some volunteers. It was for 3 days and we conducted different sessions and activities in each of day. The program was started on 7th and ended on 9th of November 2012.
First day:
The program was conducted in the ground of Kanti Lower Secondary School Kholsi. Over 65 people with different disabilities and there parents attended the first day program. The teachers and students of the school also participated in the session. This day the main focus remained on awareness raising session among the people with disabilities including the family and community members. All about disability issues such as type of disabilities, likely cause/reasons of disability, disability rights, provision, possible services/facilities, and support that they can receive from government and other organizations etc. During the day, the also team had opportunity to mingle with the disabled people and their family members to understand more about their over all condition especially about their disability and family background. After introducing the team one by one, Mr. Chhitup Lama explain the purpose and objectives of the program. Later on there was a session on counseling the family members, raising awareness among all the participants in regards to disability issues to create a disabled friendly community/environment. Mr. Lama also informed the people with disabilities and their parents/guardian about different support services available for people with disabilities from different sectors and the provisions made for them. After a short tea break, 40 people with serious/severe disability were verified and selected with the help of local people for distributing hygienic materials and clothes.
Second day:
This day in the beginning the team distributed the sanitary materials to 40 people with disabilities. After this there was a session on basic health and sanitation. The instructor of Head Nepal Mr. Lokraj Shahi facilitated the session and Mis. Chhomu Lama, the volunteer performed practically how to use the materials such as soaps, Toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, Knail cutter, towel etc. At the end of the session, each of the participant (people with disabilities) had an opportunity to perform some of the activities practically. Such as everyone went to the public tap near by and learned how to brush and how to use soap and wash themselves. This day, most of the people with disabilities seemed exciting! and they happily performed the activities assigned.
Third day:
In the morning of the third day, after breakfast the team visited 5 most severe people with disabilities in their home who cannot come to the program site due to their disability. In the same time the materials were distributed to those 5 people and dressed them with a new set of clothe. After lunch, there was a general session on daily living skills such as washing clothe, cleaning room/home, folding clothe etc. Later the team provided 35 people with disabilities a set of new cloth and asked them to change the dress. After this, a monitoring committee with coordination of Mr. Bala Shahi with 7 members had been formed and the main responsibility of the committee is to observe and monitor if the materials and clothes distributed to the people with disabilities are used properly or not and to make sure that right persons use the right things at right time. This day people with disabilities were extremely happy than ever in their life.
In this way the 3 days Basic Needs Support Service program had been over by achieving its main objective to motivate and encourage the disabled people in Kholsi to make them responsible for themselves, their life and even in family and community. Beside this, the project also helped to:
- Meet/addresses their basic needs.
- enhance their personal skills and daily living skills to be more independence.
- support them to perform house-hold management and personal care.
- make easier for them to engage in everyday routines, settings, activities and relationships.
- develop their inter-personal relationship even with family and community members.
- Reduce their challenging behavior to other.
- create a sense of belonging and mutual relationship to the service providers.