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The MINDS Foundation - Eliminating Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness in India

Created on 07/6/2011 by raghuappasani

The MINDS Foundation aims to eradicate stigma surrounding mental illness through educational, medical, financial, and moral support. Mental illness should be globally recognized as a biological disease, rather than a personal weakness. We want people with mental illness and their loved ones to seek help rather than hide. We emphasize education about mental health care in rural communities and provide access to resources for patients and families.

About You

Organization: The MINDS Foundation Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Raghu

Last Name

Appasani

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

The MINDS Foundation

Organization Website

Organization Phone

7812668211

Organization Address

231 Pine Hill Circle, Waltham

Organization Country

United States, MA, Middlesex County

Country where this project is creating social impact

India, GJ

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

The MINDS Foundation - Eliminating Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness in India

What change do you want to bring to the world?

The MINDS Foundation aims to eradicate stigma surrounding mental illness through educational, medical, financial, and moral support. Mental illness should be globally recognized as a biological disease, rather than a personal weakness. We want people with mental illness and their loved ones to seek help rather than hide. We emphasize education about mental health care in rural communities and provide access to resources for patients and families. We establish collaborative partnerships with local community-orientated institutions and provide educational and diagnostic support as part of a grassroots effort to improve the lives of the mentally ill in regions of need.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Our current project prioritizes community education about mental illness in India so that it will be properly recognized as a medical condition. Many, especially in rural areas, believe that mental illness is a reflection of an immoral soul, demonic possession, or a punishment to a shamed family. The illness is often hidden or denied. In severe cases, the mentally ill are disowned and cast out onto the streets, beaten and abused, shackled, and even killed. These outcomes, stemming from ignorance, fear, and prejudice, are unacceptable. Accordingly, the first phase of our project (which has already been implemented) aims to educate communities and encourage acceptance of mental illness as a foundation for future work. MINDS volunteer ambassadors recently returned from Gujarat, India. Along with our volunteer staff of mental health professionals based out of the Sumandeep Vidyapeeth University in Vadodara, Gujarat and one social worker employed by MINDS, these ambassadors educated the local rural citizens about symptoms, causes, treatments, and prognosis of mental illness. Our social worker and local volunteers will continue to organize educational seminars and administer surveys in additional areas throughout the year to reach our target of thirty villages. The centerpiece of our seminars is an informational video filmed in partnership with the university and local actors. The video exposes the community to various mental illnesses and how to detect them and where to access the proper resources needed for treatment. The choice of educational medium derives from the centrality of audio-visual entertainment to Indian culture (India produces more films per year than Hollywood). We augment our video with visual aid booklets and by posting artwork depicting mental illness around the village. Disseminating our materials in such a way circumvents issues with low literacy rates and achieves maximum educational impact.

The next two phases build on our educational foundation and focus on identifying disorders (consultation) and offering proper treatment. India, a nation of 1.08 billion people, has only 3,500 psychiatrists, almost all practicing in major cities. In the second phase starting December 2011, volunteers will work with local social workers and medical students/professionals to host free screening camps twice a month in all thirty villages. Patients showing indications of a mental illness will be referred to a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist volunteering at a local health center. With this we enter the third phase of our program, treatment. We will provide free transportation to our local community clinic for ongoing treatment by our mental health professionals. Our psychiatrist will visit the clinic twice a month and our psychologist will visit the clinic twice a week for individual counseling sessions. Personalized treatment regimens will be subsidized for patients in the early stages of psychosis, when research shows they are most susceptible.

The fourth and final phase will sustain the changes made and foster growth within the community, continuing the cycle of awareness, consultation, treatment, and reintegration. With our approach, patients who have successfully been treated through our program become essential the program’s future. They will aid in our awareness campaigns and help host open discussions and workshops within their own communities. These citizens will act as an inspiration and provide help for future patients who are in need of medical and moral support.

To help us achieve this goal, we are currently working with Indian and American psychiatrists to develop an entirely novel psychosocial rehab program. Imposing Western-style therapies on a foreign culture is a highly ineffective method of treatment; mental illness is extremely culture-dependent so we will customize a reintegration plan that embraces Indian culture. We started phase one in July 2011, and it is currently approaching its target of 30 villages. Phase two begins December 2011 and will last for one year, with screening camps in every village once every two months. Phase three will start in February 2012 and will run concurrently with phase four. Thus, the MINDS program will facilitate beneficial changes at multiple levels: the individual, the family, and the community, ultimately providing the society with a self-sustaining program to treat mental illness.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

At MINDS, we believe that treating mental illness must start with a strong foundation of community education. The stigma associated with mental illness in India is particularly debilitating. Rural communities in particular must understand that mental illness is a medical issue, not the result of immorality or demonic possession, before it can be effectively diagnosed and treated. With ongoing local education, we hope to maximize the effectiveness of screening camps and treatment.

In addition, we aim to collaborate with local institutions to avoid infrastructural and administrative costs by integrating a mental health component into rural primary health care clinics. All social workers and psychiatrists will be hired from the area in order to establish trust between MINDS and the target community. We are determined to minimize any costs not directly benefitting the population. Unlike, other existing NGOs we do not spend funding on trying to influence legislation that never visibly 'trickles' down to affect the lives of the rural population that we are addressing.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

General and Economic Information

Over 1.08 billion people reside in India, of which 32% are under the age of 15 and 8% are above the age of 60. Literacy rates are varying among sexes, with 68.4% of men and 45.4 % of women literate. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line of US $ 1.25 a day. There is a surplus of labor in agriculture, which in part contributes to the current lack of mental health facilities, as farmers are a large vote bank and use their votes to resist reallocation of land for higher-income industrial projects. In one estimate, over 85 per cent of rural households are landless, sub-marginal, marginal or small farmers; however, farm incomes have reportedly collapsed and public investment in agriculture has shrunk. While services and industry have grown at double digit figures, agriculture growth rate has dropped from 4.8% to 2%. About 60% of the population depends on agriculture whereas the contribution of agriculture to the GDP is about 18%. The percentage of India's GDP that is spent for charitable purposes is only 0.6 where the percentage is 2.2 in the United States.

Norms and Values

Indian culture is centered around respect for family and higher-ranked individuals. The younger generations usually are not allowed to question elders or assert their own points of view; if they do, their voices are subdued and discouraged. The caste system is still in place, though as around 20 million more individuals join the middle-class each year, the numbers of “untouchables” continue to shrink. In rural areas of India, there is still presence of a hierarchical household in which there is a high prevalence of domestic violence. This can amount to dreadful outcomes, when for instance a victim of domestic violence come to seek what in her view is guidance within the framework of counseling, but instead receives a cultural orientation on how the role of the Indian woman is to compromise and how with time the violence against the victim may reduce. For example in Punjab, one slap a day for a woman is almost a matter of culture in some parts. So where and how do we start sensitizing people of violence against women being a crime - in all forms, mental, physical and emotional? The International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) suggests that 80 per cent men from Punjab think violence is justified if a wife is "disrespectful" and 60 per cent justify it if a wife "does not follow instructions". Such social customs and attitudes, which still consider women inferior, abet domestic violence. Scenarios where a woman comes to seek help in and receives counseling where she is brutally informed that "everything will be fine in due time" and that she must not leave her husband or abuser can result in very violent affairs.

The NHRC has emphasized the need of opening more than one women police thanas (stations) in a district of different states to deal with crime against women, but what is being done about the "cultural beliefs" in our legal system? In the meantime, every six hours, a young, married woman is burnt alive, beaten to death or forced to commit suicide, and one in five continues to face domestic violence from the age of 15. This, when violence against women has been already been recognised as a human rights violation. Victims of violence, physical, sexual and even psychological, many women are today a statistic in the National Family Health Survey. There is also a wrongful socio-cultural perception of the 'doctors of the mad', 'pagalo ke doctor', has to diminish, if our society is inclined to do justice to people in need of mental health care.

Mental Health Information

Throughout developing countries there is neglect towards the issue of mental health. Facilities are overcrowded, underfunded, and located few and far between. A major problem in developing countries is the existence of stigma towards mental illness and neurological disorders. Many patients are misunderstood as weak or dangerous. They are more likely to be the victims of violence rather than the perpetrators; it is an issue of human rights. This stigma leads to isolation, loss of social support, and psychological distress.
While there are as many as two crore (20 million) Indians suffering from mental illnesses, the country has only 3,500 psychiatrists and 1,500 psychiatric nurses to treat them. According to the Head of the Department of Psychiatry at New Delhi's G B Pant Hospital R C Jiloha, an estimated 1-2% of India's 100-crore plus population suffers from major mental disorders and about 5% of the population from minor depressive disorders. Most of the psychiatrists are based in cities or private hospitals. But it's the government hospitals that face an acute shortage, although they are the ones which treat the poor. In the United States there are 45,615 psychiatrists.

In India, the overall prevalence of mental illness is 5.8% and is composed of: organic psychosis (0.04%), alcohol/drug dependence (0.69%), schizophrenia (0.27%), affective disorders such as depression, manic-depressive, etc. (1.23%), neurotic disorders such as anxiety, OCD, etc. (2.07%), mental retardation (0.69%), and epilepsy (0.44%). Dementia and Alzheimer’s are reported to affect 0.8%-3.4% and 0.6%-1.5%, respectively. The incidence of post-partum depression has been reported as a shocking 11% of mothers in the 6-10 weeks post-delivery. The national suicide rate is 9.2 per 100,000 per year and has been found to correlate with the presence of a personal or family history of mental disorder). Almost 6.9% of children have been found to possess a disability and 2.7% exhibit mental disability.

In Gujarat, Mental health outpatient clinics treat approximately 37 users per 100,000 general populations. Of all users treated in mental health outpatient facilities, 34% are female and 15% are children or adolescents. The users treated in outpatient facilities are primarily diagnosed with schizophrenia (52%) and mood (affective) disorders (14%). There are 4.81 patients per 100,000 general populations in the mental hospitals. The patients admitted to mental hospitals belong primarily to the following two diagnostic groups, schizophrenia (61%) and mood (affective) disorders (26%).

Out of 600 districts in India, only 22 have Mental Health Facilities. According to the National Human Rights Commission, there are two types of mental health institutions. The first are 'dumping grounds' for families to abandon their mentally ill member, for either economic reasons or a lack of understanding and awareness of mental illness. The living conditions in many of these settings are deplorable and violate an individual's right to be treated humanely and live a life of dignity. Despite all advances in treatment, the mentally ill in these hospitals are forced to live a life of incarceration. The second are those that provide basic living amenities. Their role is predominantly custodial and they provide adequate food and shelter. Medical treatment is used to keep patients manageable and very little effort is made to preserve or enhance their daily living skills. These hospitals are violating the rights of the mentally ill persons to appropriate treatment and rehabilitation and a right to community and family life.

In the past two years, only around 600 personal were trained to be primary care professionals for mental health for the population of 1.08 billion individuals. To be considered a professional in mental health, one does not need a doctorate degree. Neither a mental health nor a substance abuse policy exists and the National Mental Health Program is present in only 24 districts. Mental Health Financing is sparse, with only 2.05% of the total health budget spent on mental health.

Psychiatric Beds and Professionals
Total psychiatric beds per 10,000 population 0.25
Psychiatric beds in mental hospitals per 10,000 population 0.2
Psychiatric beds in general hospitals per 10,000 population 0.05
Psychiatric beds in other settings per 10,000 population 0.01
Number of psychiatrists per 100,000 population 0.2
Number of neurosurgeons per 100,000 population 0.06
Number of psychiatric nurses per 100,000 population 0.05
Number of neurologists per 100,000 population 0.05
Number of psychologists per 100,000 population 0.03
Number of social workers per 100,000 population 0.03

One third of mental health beds are in a single state, Maharashtra, and several states lack mental hospitals entirely. Of the existing mental hospitals, 25% had shortages in both drug and treatment modalities, and 66% reported shortages of staff. Psychologists do not have the ability to prescribe medicine and there is no system of licensing clinical psychologists.

Availability of drugs is also problematic. At the level of primary health care, none of the 12 routinely available drugs (country: carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin sodium, sodium valproate, amitriptyline, chlorpromazine, diazepam, fluphenazine, haloperidol, lithium, carbidopa, levodopa) are routinely distributed.

Engagement

Volunteers that are involved with MINDS have a connection to India and/or mental health and hence are not only passionate about the cause, but also are well-versed in projects within the sector. Our plan has been tested and works, but we need funding to further expand and affect the rural population that is being left in the darkness. Due to our collaboration with a local institution that has a community-orientated mission, we not only develop trust with the targeted communities quickly, but we develop collaboration with village leaders and authoritative representatives in order to run our program successfully and effectively. All of our volunteers will work with local social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists who originate from the targeted region.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dABm88sYrHw]

The looks of sadness, depression, and blatant signs of abuse on their faces; these are the first features I noticed on patients suffering from a mental illness in rural India. As a student at Wesleyan University, I have learned that sitting around and observing a problem will not bring the solution, but instead we must take action upon it. One of my idols, Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”—a quote that I have stood by ever since I acted as Gandhi in a sixth grade school play.

Throughout my life, I have traveled to India many times with my family and noticed the lack of mental health care or for that matter knowledge of mental health. For many years, it was a very passive issue for me and I stayed on my own track with my own issues. However, when my cousin was diagnosed with epilepsy and schizophrenia, it took his mother, a nurse, over a year to find and provide the proper treatment and moral support. However, my cousin is lucky. Most people in India who suffer from mental illness never receive the care that they need. The problem is twofold. There is a lack of resources and a lack of knowledge. My cousin’s illness brought my attention to a serious issue that I have spent most of my life working towards addressing. With six years of research in the field of neuroscience and the continued pursuit of an MD/PhD in neurosurgery and psychiatry, I am ready to take on this challenge and provide Indian citizens with the care they need. To achieve my goals, I created the MINDS Foundation.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

We have launched our pilot program in July 2011, by implementing phase I (education/awareness). MINDS ambassadors are currently at our site working with newly hired local social workers and our collaborators at Sumandeep Vidyapeeth University in Vadodara, Gujarat. We will be providing those who show signs of a mental illness with a visual aid booklet and inviting them to our screening camps. To date, over 600 citizens have attended our screenings and have been educated with a budget <$300. At this point, we will be able to quantify the effectiveness of our handouts and invitations by comparing the number of patients invited to the number of patients who attend the screening camp and by decline of taboo in the community. We have also developed a questionnaire to be administered pre- and post-awareness stage (phase I). The questionnaire consists of a 36 item “Mental Health Awareness Assessment” that surveys an individual’s knowledge regarding different disorders, as well as both personal and societal perceptions of the diseases. In addition to the baseline and post-awareness surveys, we will re-survey at 1-2 month periods to mark any time-dependent shifts in biases or beliefs. If we see an increase of people from the community that attend our screening sessions we will be assured that our campaigns are effective.

During phase II, we will be providing a preliminary screening and referring patients to the rural clinic at Gola Gamadi, Vadodara. At this point, we will be able to quantify the effectiveness of our screening camps by comparing the number of patients referred to the number of patients who successfully attend their appointment. We will analyze statistics from the clinic at Gola Gamadi to determine the overall increase or decrease of patients. We will also be able to determine if it is financial stress that is specifically preventing patients from receiving treatment (relapse prevention).

We are aiming to reduce the time spent from onset of illness to first consultation; and if we can achieve this we will know that our program is successful. Also, we can look at identifying early patients that require hospitalization and immediately refer them to the main hospital and once they are better, they can follow-up at our rural clinic located closer to their community.

Our statistics will be based on our intervention; whether we can pick up patients who need psychiatric care - who were not as on date utilizing proper psychiatric facility - so the OPD attendance of our center at Gola Gamdi will show these results. Also we can have finer impact measurements like issues of mental health in elderly women - awareness issues, after awareness and screening what percentage comes for care. The doors are open for many clinical and epidemiological research studies.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact

In six months, we will have educated (75,000 people) and consulted (5,000 people) in 30 targeted villages in the region of Vadodara, Gujarat. We will then be able to begin providing treatment.

Task 1

We will run Phase I by hosting video screenings and distributing visual aid booklets to raise knowledge and awareness about mental health. To date, each screening has been attracting ~100 people.

Task 2

Host consultation camps in the 30 villages in order to begin providing diagnoses and medical treatment for patients recognized during awareness campaigns.

Task 3

Build a sustainable system of awareness education run through clinics and workshops in villages. Begin treatment of 5% of the impacted population (100% of the mentally ill).

Identify your 12-month impact milestone

We will have treated 5,000 patients and begun to help them reintegrate to continue educating their communities. We will also begin to incorporate new rehabilitation programs such as art/music/sports.

Task 1

Train treated patients to run awareness and education campaigns in their own communities, enabling them to perform the same task for which we currently employ social workers.

Task 2

Develop strong partnerships with medical schools, public health schools and professionals in the US and India to increase the number of volunteers participating in our program.

Task 3

Implement novel psychosocial rehab programs to design a program of facilitated reintegration that embraces the nuances of Indian culture.

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

Over the next three years, our project will become more and more widespread. By year three, we will be not only well-established in Gujarat but also throughout other rural areas in India, specifically in areas of Andhra Pradesh. As each cycle of Phase I-Phase IV is completed, the amount of individuals raising awareness and spreading word about our program will exponentially increase. Therefore, we will have a constantly replenishing source of new recruits joining the program and furthering the program. We also plan to spread to rural regions of South America, specifically, Columbia.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

1. A dependence on funding. As a not-for-profit organization, The MINDS Foundation is highly dependent on donations and grants. The sustainability of our programs depends on our revenue via special events and donors. Although, our program costs are quite low, the more funding we receive, the more patients we can provide medical care for.

2. The team. The organization has a very strong board of directors; however the staff consists highly of students. Due to this, their academic careers will of course always come first. If we are able to secure enough funding for some of these students create a career in the nonprofit world by first working for us that would be ideal. Other volunteers for the organization are full-time in other careers and hence are not able to dedicate all of their time for The MINDS Foundation. However, the Board is constant and dedicated to the sustainability and overall success of the organization.

3. Governmental interference. Our organization is working abroad in developing countries and hence may be faced with issues dealing with local government and village politics. To deal with this situation, we will partner with the local community to integrate our programs with their involvement. We also hire social workers and staff from within the targeted region to aid in our program in order to create a comfortable environment for patients and the community being addressed.

4. Sustainability. We will not begin implementing programs until we are certain that we have the required funds to keep the program sustainable for at least one year. Mental illness is a delicate issue and we cannot dissolve the program halfway through due to inadequate funds. At all times, the organization will have a dedicated grant writing team and fundraising/donor relations team.

Tell us about your partnerships

A strength of our program and what makes us unique is our collaborative attitude. Instead of using raised funds to build infrastructure or pay for administrative services, we will directly use funds for patient care and education. We partner with other community-orientated institutions and organizations at our field site in order to pool together our resources to best address the issue in the rural population. An overarching goal of The MINDS Foundation is to integrate mental health care into primary care, hence we partner with institutions that already run rural primary health care clinics. We plan to integrate a mental health care component into these clinics by hiring a social worker, psychiatrists, and clinical psychologists.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$10,001‐50,000

Explain your selections

Friends and family who share a similar interest in spreading mental health awareness and eradicating stigma have been making small donations to the foundation. Larger sources of funding come from individuals such as physicians or business workers who are touched by the purpose of the project or have a personal, emotional connection to the issue. We also receive funding for special events from local businesses and venues. We hope to begin receiving funding from foundations.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

We plan to strengthen our project by creating a well-developed volunteer program. With this program, our MINDS Fellows (volunteers) will receive pre-training in mental health care, Indian culture, and how to work with patients prior to working in the field. We are already well into completing the development of this program, working side-by-side with our Medical Advisory Board.

We are also working with our Medical Advisory Board to develop our program into an opportunity for US medical students to participate in as an elective. By integrating both of these avenues for students to get involved we hope to reach a wider network and receive support from academia.
Over the next three years, we also hope to receive funding from foundations and other grant-giving organizations. We are also in the works to develop partnerships with pharmaceutical companies that may be able to aid in providing medication to our patients at a minimal cost.

We are also planning to document our work in the field through a series of films which we hope will bring awareness towards the issue of mental health care, specifically in rural areas of the developing world. These films will follow patients as they go through our four-phase grassroots program. They will also follow our volunteers as they enter the field and make a positive social impact.

Challenges

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Which barriers to health and well-being does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of access to targeted health information and education

SECONDARY

Lack of physical access to care/lack of facilities

TERTIARY

Limited diagnosis/detection of diseases

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Our innovation tackles the primary barrier by providing the villages with the education they are lacking through video screenings, visual aid booklets, and educational workshops. We tackle the secondary and tertiary barriers by holding regular mental health camps where mentally ill people can access treatment and other services such as: social workers, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists. We will also be providing transportation to the local rural health clinic for patients. This system allows mentally ill people to easily get their treatment, often only minutes from their home. They no longer have to pay for expensive transport and they don’t have to spend a whole day travelling just to visit the psychiatrist.

How are you growing the impact of your organization or initiative?
Please select up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Grown geographic reach: Multi-country

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

As mentioned, our phases are designed to be self-propagating so that each successfully informed or treated individual can inform others of the program. The program will be complete by first starting with Phase I, education, and then move on to consultation and treatment of patients. After accomplishing our program in the thirty villages in the district of Vadodara, we will begin the program at another rural site within India. Eventually, we will aim for global impact, though this process will require much more funding and time. We are also working with our Medical Advisory Board to develop our program into an opportunity for US medical students to participate in as an elective. We hope to create a program in which US students can be exposed to rural psychiatric care.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Technology providers, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Several members of for-profit companies have joined our board to offer their expertise; for example, our treasurer has worked in investment banking and is well familiarized with dealing with budgets and financial language. Our collaboration with the Sumandeep Vidyapeeth University has allowed us to create a purely grassroots program in which all funding goes directly towards patient care. The collaboration also allows our volunteers to work side-by-side with local psychiatrists, staff, social workers, and students at the targeted site. In the states, our collaboration with universities has allowed us to recruit a diverse pool of volunteers, each with a different perspective but all with a unified passion for progressing the MINDS project.

redACTIVOS- Strengthening the network with production and trading of raw materials

Created on 06/28/2011 by Silvana8

The project redACTIVOS, aims to promote social and economic empowerment of workers with disabilities through the creation of a network of marketing and distribution of products and services developed by them. The profitability of redACTIVOS will be reinvested to grow the network and a percentage will finance free social projects that La Usina Civil Association, develops at the national level to fulfill its mission, while respecting the nonprofit spirit.

About You

Organization: La Usina Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Silvana

Last Name

Rufail

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

La Usina

Organization Website

Organization Country

Argentina

Country where this project is creating social impact

Argentina

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

redACTIVOS- Strengthening the network with production and trading of raw materials

What change do you want to bring to the world?

The project redACTIVOS, aims to promote social and economic empowerment of workers with disabilities through the creation of a network of marketing and distribution of products and services developed by them. The profitability of redACTIVOS will be reinvested to grow the network and a percentage will finance free social projects that La Usina Civil Association, develops at the national level to fulfill its mission, while respecting the nonprofit spirit.

What are the primary activities of your project?

redACTIVOS is a social enterprise that sells and distributes products and services developed by disabled workers. The network manages three areas: Training and technical assistance, commercial operation, and collective purchasing of raw materials. The network services offered to the Protected Production Workshops (PPWs) members are free. PPWs are defined as government or private entities belonging to legally constituted associations recognized as a public good, whose purpose is the production of goods and / or services, whose plant is formed by workers with physical and / or mental disabilities, prepared and trained for the job,
We help workers to become visible from their ability, autonomy and social value for the real economy. More than 300 workers with intellectual disabilities, housed in 12 PPWs are already part of the network and have other enterprises comprises of disabled workers have asked to enter the network. Products made by the 12 workshops who are members of the network now, have highly competitive levels of quality. These are: eco bags, polythene bags, cardboard and leather, available in different versions of layout and design. They also perform re-handling and assembly services.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

The project is innovative because:
1. It allows workers with disabilities to generate revenue rather than relying on a nest egg of $ 400. (Money given by the provincial or national government to a person with disabilities working in a protected workshop)
2. redACTIVOS, through their training, stimulates new skills, dedication and innovation in business processes for the protected workshop methodology
3. Protected workshops are no longer "therapeutic spaces" to become "productive units".
4. Protected workshops, to increase their level of production, are able to incorporate new people with disabilities to productive employment system, improving their living conditions.
5. The traditional relationship of "customer-supplier" becomes "Customer - Socially Responsible Supplier " for all redACTIVOS customers.
6. The surplus generated by redACTIVOS is fully invested in awareness campaigns developed by La USINA.
7. A service such as redACTIVOS is unique, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world targeting this population.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

The project seeks to empower the group of people with disabilities in Argentina. 2.2 million people with disabilities live in the country which impact on 8.8 million inhabitants, including the immediate family environment. In 1 in 5 homes in Argentina live a disabled person, who in 43.9% of cases plays the role of chief or head of household. Of these, 38.4% are not covered by health insurance and / or private or mutual health plan. Specifically regarding the integration into the real economy, the official unemployment rate of people with disabilities reach 45% (and 90% in unofficial figures).
With redACTIVOS, more than 430 workers with intellectual disabilities are already part of the real economy.
redACTIVOS develops its work in thirteen protected workshops which are located in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, one of the regions with the highest poverty indicators in the country. According to the latest index published by the INDEC in the 1st half of year 2010 (Institute of Statistics and Census) in the Greater Buenos Aires 6.2% of households are below the poverty line.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Beginning in 2006, La Usina decided to invest resources in the management of social economy enterprises in order to increase the visibility of people with disabilities and their role in the communities while tackling the organization’s economic / financial vulnerability. The steering team, La Usina bets on the development of genuine sources of financing, in line with its mission. The driver force behind redACTIVOS team consisted of two founders of La Usina, who were joined later, by a student of business administration degree and 3 intern volunteers from Grupo Aportes de Gestion (a Management support NGO), of which one is today the President of the new organization. The School of Business at Universidad Austral, worked during the initial stage, through the department of social work field of IAE. The trading was launched on February 25, 2008, when it obtained its legal status -independent from La Usina and tax registrations required to operate commercially.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

The Indicators Used to Measure the Social Impact of the Project describes below:
Qualitative Indicators
1. Reduction of Poverty and exclusion of disabled people.
2. Social and Economic Empowerment of Workers in the workshops.
3. Positioning in the market economy.
4. Customer satisfaction by providing quality services and products.
5. Reduction of the idle capacity of the workshops
6. Increasing the number of hours assigned to each worker to perform each task.
7. Diversification of the number of tasks performed by each worker with a disability.
Quantitative Indicators:
1. Employment opportunities for People with Disabilities and the Organizations that gather them.
2. Evolution of Income Received by Each worker
1.3. Number of shops that adhere to the Network
4. Number of consumers involved.
2.5. Partnerships with other organizations
3.6. Customer base increase
The results achieved over the 3 years of operations are:
1. 13 PPWs operating in the network. Two workshops are in the process of incorporation.
2. 420 employed Workers with Disabilities in redACTIVOS
3. 33 companies working with the protected workshops. Change in the relationship from: Customer - Supplier to the Customer - Socially Responsible Supplier.
4. Increase of 25% Average Monthly Income of Workers with Disabilities.
4.5. More than 100 people with Disabilities working in sustainably managed workshops
6. 3 Universities contacts

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

1,001-10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

In 2011 we are focused on selling services and products made by workers with disabilities in the PPWs.
The long-term has 4 dimensions:
- Enter New Markets
- Introduce new products and services
- Increase the number of disabled workers in protected production workshops.
- Incorporate other people with other disabilities (motor, sensory, visceral) to the enterprises network
For operational reasons and to facilitate the launch of the Network, initially we decided to target the public of the Federal Capital and Greater Buenos Aires. But the medium and long term goal is to position ourselves in all regions of Argentina.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

One barrier is the lack of funding to implement the requirements described herein, which dilates the time to achieve the results redACTIVOS seeks.
Another barrier is the mistrust of people towards the quality of products made by disabled workers in the PPWs. This challenge is the great opportunity of the project, by overcoming this barrier we would be generating the attitudinal change that we seek.

Tell us about your partnerships

In addition to the network members have the support of Ashoka - AFRAS - Franchise od Solidarian Association FETAP - Federation of Protected Workshops of the Province of Buenos Aires, Grupo Aportes de Gestión for the Third Sector and SolidariaPyme network.
Articulated work with the Office for Persons with Disabilities Policies of the City of Moron.
We have the support of a company's corporate volunteer YPF to implement product costing system in the network members PPWs.
On the other hand, the ITBA - Instituto Tecnológico Buenos Aires, began training and mentoring for the improvement of production processes in the workshops of the network.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$250,001‐500,000

Explain your selections

RedACTIVOS is financed through responsible purchasing that perform different actors of society in Argentina, such as foundations and corporations.
To date redACTIVOS has not received technical or financial support from the national, provincial or municipal governments

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

In the year 2011 we are working with the production capacity of 13 PPWs located in Buenos Aires Province composed by mostly people with mental disabilities , involving about 420 workers and 40 people.
During 2012 and 2013 we will add approximately 40 PPWs to the network that are already developing products for Packaging, these workshops represent 20% of a total of 502 protected workshops. This will impact on the lives of some 3,300 people with disabilities added to their family circle transforming the lives of some 13,000 people
Our is long term goal is to reach the majority of people with disabilities working in protected employment, more than 10,000 today. To this end, beginning in 2014 we will incorporate the total portfolio of products and services currently produced by PPWs.
Finally we seek to incorporate redACTIVOS to all businesses of people with disabilities in the country to impact as much as possible on the universe of 2.2 million people who we want to transform into visible and active citizens.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of efficiency

SECONDARY

Restricted access to new markets

TERTIARY

Lack of visibility and investment

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

By incorporating Occupational Therapy, whose expertise may relocate workers according to the skills identified, managed to optimize production processes to improve efficiency
Through mass production we intend for redACTIVOS to become more competitive in price, coming to market with certified scale and quality to compete in the market. For this we will develop a marketing plan according to the production capacities workshops have.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

SECONDARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

TERTIARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

Through the integration of the occupational therapist we will perform an individual assessment of current capabilities, skills, levels of personal autonomy and potential workers that make up the workshop to incorporate new tasks to People with disabilities according to their skills. With the addition of new tasks, workers can improve their skills.
With the work of redACTIVOS, the PPWs stopped being considered a therapeutic space, and were transformed into real-Production units

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

The companies have contributed through their Corporate Social Responsibility programs to disclose the ability of people with disabilities focusing on their skills with a focus on professional work, quality and entrepreneurship, which achieves that workers with disabilities are visible.
The universities have collaborated in conducting profitability and efficiency reports, useful for improving the production processes of the PPWs. And the same students in the universities come and get to know a different reality of their daily lives.

Café Fedar. Un café especial para gente especial. Un proyecto de vida digna para las personas en situación de discapacidad.

Created on 06/17/2011 by fedar

La población con discapacidad cognitiva (PCD cognitiva) de las áreas rurales de nuestro país ha sido invisibilizada por los diferentes actores sociales. Ellos y ellas carecen de opciones en defensa de sus derechos, desconocen sus potencialidades, no desarrollan sus habilidades y no construyen proyectos de vida dignos. Café FEDAR es la utilización de la tierra en un proyecto que camina paralelo a la cadena productiva construyendo autonomía, felicidad y libertad.

About You

Organization: Fundación para la Estimulación en el Desarrollo y las Artes “FEDAR” Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

ricardo

Last Name

cobo diaz

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Fundación para la Estimulación en el Desarrollo y las Artes “FEDAR”

Organization Website

Organization Country

Colombia, CAU

Country where this project is creating social impact

Colombia, CAU

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

Café Fedar. Un café especial para gente especial. Un proyecto de vida digna para las personas en situación de discapacidad.

What change do you want to bring to the world?

La población con discapacidad cognitiva (PCD cognitiva) de las áreas rurales de nuestro país ha sido invisibilizada por los diferentes actores sociales. Ellos y ellas carecen de opciones en defensa de sus derechos, desconocen sus potencialidades, no desarrollan sus habilidades y no construyen proyectos de vida dignos. Café FEDAR es la utilización de la tierra en un proyecto que camina paralelo a la cadena productiva construyendo autonomía, felicidad y libertad. Café FEDAR es un producto competitivo en el mercado nacional, socialmente comprometido con esta población, que genera 25 empleos directos para PCD y es una opción terapéutica en sí mismo.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Nuestro proyecto nace de la necesidad de mirar al Ser más allá de un diagnóstico que impone rótulos y lo margina, produciendo exclusión y abandono. Reconocemos en cada individuo sus potencialidades, lo convocamos a que las descubra y las desarrolle en la búsqueda de un proyecto de vida. Planteamos un ejercicio de habilitación y rehabilitación, donde la palabra, el movimiento, la risa, el afecto, el asombro, la imaginación, la creatividad, sean nuestras compañeras permanentes en el encuentro con el día a día. Contamos con la tierra como cómplice y ella generosamente, como el mejor libro, permite que crezcamos como seres humanos felices, autónomos y libres. Construir propuestas en defensa de la población en condición de discapacidad de las áreas rurales de nuestro país, que sean respetuosas con su entorno, con su cultura, con sus intereses y necesidades, con sus sueños, es pensar en la tierra como terapia, como crecimiento espiritual e intelectual, como generación de ingresos. Café FEDAR es el resultado de juntar lo mejor de cada ser humano, para que la tierra nos ofrezca los mejores frutos y usted tenga el placer de sentir y saborear el aroma y el bouquet en una sola taza de café. Café Fedar.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

La habilitación/rehabilitación de las PCD ha sido diseñada desde los escritorios, priorizando las áreas urbanas y las grandes ciudades. Los gobiernos hacen esfuerzos como la inclusión educativa y la atención clínica, pero estos siguen pensándose para realizarse en consultorios o en salones de clase estáticos. Las opciones laborales de la PCD se miran desde su inclusión en grandes almacenes y/o con incentivos tributarios para las empresas. Sin embargo los índices de vulnerabilidad siguen siendo alarmantes: el desempleo sobrepasa el 70%, la escolaridad no sube del 30% y esta situación empeora cuando hablamos de PCD de áreas rurales.
Este proyecto genera trabajo en el campo, como empresa socialmente sostenible y económicamente rentable, respetando la condición de las PCD, su cultura, su entorno. La meta es la conquista de la dignidad, la felicidad y la libertad. Posiblemente es la única industria campesina en Latinoamérica que en toda la cadena productiva del café, involucra a la PCD cognitiva, participando en el mercado con un producto gourmet, de altísima calidad. Café FEDAR representa el empleo para 25 PCD cognitiva y es además un ejercicio para el cambio de imaginario de la sociedad frente a esta población, construyendo un mundo profundamente respetuoso de la diferencia.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Nuestro Fundación convoca a PCD cognitiva - niños, niñas, jóvenes y adultos - de bajos recursos económicos, excluidos del sistema educativo, y condenados a vivir al frente del televisor cuando están en la ciudad o a corretear una gallina cuando viven en las áreas rurales. Sus familias viven de alquilar su capacidad de trabajo o del rebusque diario. Las opciones de una vida digna para ellos y ellas son mínimas. Las políticas del gobierno no están en concordancia con sus intereses y necesidades. La Convención es un faro que guía un barco atado a un muelle escondido. Es necesario entonces soltar las amarras de ese barco, hacerlo visible y atreverse a encontrar la ruta de la dignidad y el respeto. El departamento del Cauca, según censo del DANE, presenta el mayor índice de PCD del país, pero también uno de los más altos índices de vulnerabilidad de los derechos fundamentales: el 70% no trabaja y solo el 3% tiene un contrato laboral. Cambiar este panorama es nuestro compromiso y lo hacemos juntando lo público con lo privado, las ONG con la academia y la empresa privada.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Nací en el seno de una familia arropado por la unión y la complicidad. El menor de mis hermanos nace con Síndrome de Down. Hoy tiene 46 años y es absolutamente feliz; por aquellas épocas la oferta de atención para él se reducía a organizaciones conformadas por una mezcla entre sala cuna y cuartel militar. Crecí jugando con mi hermano. Cuando llegó la hora de la universidad estudié Educación Especial. Me radiqué luego en Popayán, donde un grupo de amigos y amigas empezamos a preguntarnos por el tema.
Asumimos que bajo ese esquema de habilitación era imposible formar a una persona para descubrir sus potencialidades y asumir su papel protagónico en la sociedad, entonces fue necesario fundar FEDAR, una organización que acepta la complicidad de las artes, el afecto y la tierra para construir nuevos caminos, permitiendo que cada ser se acerque al conocimiento a su ritmo, disfrutando plenamente, encontrando sus potencialidades y venciendo sus limitaciones. Así, ellos y ellas pueden soñar proyectos de vida y atreverse a cristalizarlos.
Creemos que no es posible enfrentar el día sin una sonrisa, encontrar amigos si no estamos dispuestos para el abrazo, apropiarnos del conocimiento si no tenemos la capacidad para el asombro.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

La conquista de la autonomía, la libertad y la felicidad de 25 PCD cognitiva, trabajando en el proyecto café FEDAR, sustentan el éxito del mismo. No es la generación de ingresos, es el ser humano lo que nos hace orgullosos. Pero, si no es suficiente, debemos decir que estamos entre los 10 proyectos más exitosos financiados por Acción Social en el año 2009. Nuestro plan de negocios ganó el premio Ventures 2008. Nuestra granja fue certificada por Rainforest 2010. Las pruebas de taza y granulometría hablan de la calidad de un producto que compite en el mercado nacional, con los mejores cafés gourmet de Colombia. Ser líderes de una red de organizaciones a nivel nacional que trabaja en defensa de la PCD nos permite mostrar nuestro camino y ser un referente a nivel nacional. Tener nuestro producto en los almacenes de cadena da muestra de la seriedad de la propuesta. Estar en uno de los mejores clubes sociales del país, compartiendo la conversa, haciendo presencia en la taza de café que se sirve en las mesas, es clara muestra de la calidad de nuestro producto. Estar en este momento escribiendo estas líneas es porque estamos convencidos que somos exitosos.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

Fewer than 100

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

Fewer than 100

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

Nuestra ruta habla de consolidarnos en el mercado nacional. El propósito último es el cambio de imaginario de la sociedad sobre las PCD y sobre los procesos de atención y formación; es el cambio en la segregación del campesinado y el cambio de las políticas de empleo. Por eso queremos ganar nuevos mercados, exportar a Europa y USA, llegando a tiendas de mercados justos. Estamos haciendo alianzas con organizaciones nacionales e internacionales, aprendiendo a caminar en caminos desconocidos de quienes poseen los saberes y nos comparten sus historias y dejando una bitácora para compartir con otras organizaciones que quieran atreverse.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

La agricultura tiene gran cantidad de factores de riesgo que pueden llevarte a la quiebra. En nuestro caso identificamos varios:
- El clima: un verano prolongado afecta el cultivo, la producción y el cumplimiento de los contratos establecidos.
- Las plagas.
- El precio internacional del café.
- El comportamiento de los países productores a nivel mundial.
- El conflicto armado que afecta nuestra región.
Para algunos de ellos tenemos estrategias planteadas:
- Contar con un stock, almacenado de manera adecuada, nos permite sortear dificultades con baja producción, garantizando la entrega de pedidos en un margen de 6 meses.
- Extremar las medidas fitosanitarias para prevenir enfermedades del cultivo.
- Cultivar la variedad Castillo nos da un café resistente a enfermedades características de la región como la roya.
- Trabajar con y para la comunidad, involucrando al campesinado en nuestros programas, permitiendo que ellos y ellas encuentren alternativas de vida digna, mejorando sus ingresos, es garantía para sostener la paz y la convivencia armoniosa.
- Más de diez años trabajando con comunidades vulnerables nos permiten movernos con tranquilidad en la región, no es garantía, pero hoy es nuestra mejor protección.
Para otros tenemos ideas por emprender:
- Tener un respaldo económico que soporte la caída de los precios internacionales como garantía para sostenerse en el mercado.
Podríamos enumerar otras barreras de menor escala, pero de igual cuidado, como son:
- Perder la calidad del café por defectos de las maquinas.
- Perder el cliente por falta de atención en las góndolas de los supermercados.
- Descuidar el producto por atender otros proyectos de la Fundación.
Para cubrir este grupo de barreras, se independizará el proyecto a través del nombramiento de un gerente exclusivo para el mismo que esté atento a cada paso de la cadena productiva.

Tell us about your partnerships

Es innegable que los proyectos sociales se mueven sobre las alianzas, no solo para sostenerse y crecer en el tiempo, también para replicarse y hacer un gran impacto sobre la sociedad. En este sentido tenemos alianzas con personas que se convocan desde organizaciones como ASHOKA, quienes nos enseñan nuevos caminos, dándonos pautas y regalándonos su sabiduría para crecer, no solo en la fuerza del negocio, también en el compartir experiencias con otros actores. Alianzas con organizaciones pares en Italia, que juntan sus ideas para hacer realidad la llegada de café FEDAR a sus tiendas. Alianzas con redes que unen esfuerzos de organizaciones privadas y oficiales como la Red Pensar Desde la Diferencia y la Fundación Saldarriaga Concha, quienes nos acompañan en procesos de comercialización y fortalecimiento de la fundación para asumir el reto empresarial. Alianzas con amigos y amigas que creen posible un mundo más justo y fraternalmente humano, ellos y ellas abren los caminos y se convierten en promotores de apertura de mercados. Alianzas con el sector gubernamental como el Ministerio de la Protección Social, Acción Social y el Ministerio de la Cultura, con quienes construimos país y nos enfrentamos a la conversa que permite la posibilidad de compartir el camino recorrido con organizaciones pares, produciendo el nacimiento de nuevos imaginarios que contribuyen a la defensa de los derechos de las PCD. Alianzas con las mismas personas con discapacidad y sus familias, quienes nos hacen oír sus pensamientos, comparten sus sueños y juntos disfrutamos de días llenos de magia. No es posible concebir este proyecto sin las alianzas, ellas son las que posibilitan ese impacto que muchas veces por temor a inflar las cifras, nos quedamos con los datos que contamos a nuestro alrededor.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$1,000‐$10,000

Explain your selections

Cuando nos enfrentamos a marcar cada ítem anterior lo mirábamos sobre los posibles clientes que se convocan alrededor de nuestra propuesta. Para nosotros y entendiendo que cada libra de café cumple varios objetivos, ningún cliente es tan pequeño como para no dedicarle nuestro mejor tiempo, ni ningún cliente es tan grande que nos robe toda la atención.
Podríamos decir que hay unos clientes que nos permiten la estabilidad económica y otros que hacen posible el alcanzar los logros de cambio de imaginarios, y otros que participan de ambos propósitos.
Vender café FEDAR en un almacén de cadena genera ingresos, vender café a una fundación par, genera una apertura para replicar nuestro idea de alcanzar niveles de autonomía, libertad y felicidad, aunque también genera recursos.
Estamos en una etapa en la que buscamos afanosamente la sostenibilidad del café a partir de la venta del producto. No quisiéramos financiar este proyecto con donaciones o auxilios gubernamentales, esto nos alejaría de la conquista de la auto-sostenibilidad. Todo recurso que ingresa debe ser generado desde el mismo proyecto. Desde este análisis podríamos decir que estamos en una etapa donde la relación “con el cliente” es una relación basada en ofrecer un producto de calidad.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

Necesitamos posicionar la marca Café FEDAR. Para alcanzar esto tenemos que diseñar una estrategia de marketing que nos permita llegar al mercado nacional con la certeza de que los consumidores, al llegar a los almacenes de cadena, busquen Café FEDAR. Hoy solo estamos en Carrefour y solo en el sur del país. Es necesario conquistar otras superficies.
Necesitamos encontrar los caminos que nos permitan exportar nuestro café y ubicarlo en las tiendas que promueven el comercio justo. Tenemos contacto con Italia y Alemania, queremos llegar a los Estados Unidos.
Necesitamos montar un laboratorio de café, que nos posibilite hacer nuestros análisis y revisión permanente de la calidad. Esto genera independencia y conquista autonomía empresarial.
Queremos tener nuestra propia tostadora, en el momento la maquila del nuestro producto se realiza en una empresa tostadora de café de nuestra ciudad. La tostadora a nuestra medida nos da la certeza del control en todos los pasos de la cadena, incluyendo el momento de la tostión y molienda. Vamos a aumentar la venta de café FEDAR. Pasaremos de 8.640 libras el primer año a 23.040 el segundo año y llegaremos el tercer año a 37.440 teniendo en cuenta que el primer año es 2011.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Restrictive cultural norms

SECONDARY

Lack of visibility and investment

TERTIARY

Lack of access to information and networks

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

La producción de café FEDAR y su comercialización demuestran de manera práctica y concreta una alternativa de inclusión laboral, visibilizando en el cotidiano a una PCD que es capaz de ser útil y autónoma. La sociedad ve como estas personas laboran como cualquier otra, trabajando mano a mano con campesinos, con profesionales agrícolas, aportando a su sustento y él de sus familias, lo cual cuestiona, sin más argumentos, las barreras que se han edificado. El demostrar con cifras y con hechos el éxito empresarial de café FEDAR, abrirá puertas para que organismos nacionales e internacionales promuevan inversiones en proyectos similares.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

SECONDARY

Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs

TERTIARY

Leveraged technology

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

El incrementar el cambio de imaginarios es permanente en FEDAR y en sus emprendimientos. Lo hacemos involucrando un ejercicio empresarial en el campo con PCD y con campesinos (parceleros de la región) y generamos encuentros para compartir de saberes.
Está pendiente una Sistematización de esta experiencia; hemos hecho publicaciones, pero no contamos con un documento que desentrañe las claves del proceso, los aprendizajes y los errores por mejorar y que, además, lo haga con participación activa de las PCD involucradas. Este conocimiento serviría para abrir puertas a nuevas formas de mirar los procesos de formación para la PCD en Latinoamérica.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

NGOs/Nonprofits, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Hay dos sentimientos que mueven este negocio:
El primero nos convoca a la rentabilidad económica: los actores mencionados como FSC, ASHOKA , Acción Social, Cámara de Comercio del Cauca, Ventures, Federación de Cafeteros Unicauca, nos han formado como empresarios exitosos, nos han abierto puertas facilitando la llegada de nuestro producto a los clientes.
El segundo nos convoca al cambio de imaginario: ahí, aparecen aliados como la Red Pensar Desde la Diferencia, el Ministerio de la Protección Social, El Ministerio de Cultura, en general las organizaciones de gobierno, pero en particular, la sociedad civil organizada en busca de un país distinto.

Empowering Families with Autism: Transforming Disability into Opportunity

Created on 06/15/2011 by Kat Houghton

To empower mothers of children with autism to become leaders in their communities and bring positive educational, emotional and economic change.

About You

Organization: Action For Autism Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Merry

Last Name

Barua

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Action For Autism

Organization Website

Organization Country

India

Country where this project is creating social impact

India, DL

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

Innovation

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Entry Form title

Empowering Families with Autism: Transforming Disability into Opportunity

What change do you want to bring to the world?

To empower mothers of children with autism to become leaders in their communities and bring positive educational, emotional and economic change.

Most children with autism throughout the world are marginalized and under-served. The mothers caring for these children face enormous barriers to employment and general well-being due to social stigma, excessive child-care burdens and stress. In most areas there are few services available for these children and mothers are often left to care for their child in isolation. We intend to leverage web-based technologies to bring high-quality autism treatment training and business coaching to mothers of children with autism to help these women run organizations and training to support other families affected by autism in their local communities.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Action For Autism (AFA) has spent 20 years developing an autism treatment parent training program by adapting methods from the West to be relevant to families in India. To date, 420 mother-child pairs have participated in the Parent Child Training Program (PCTP), including families from Nepal, Bangladesh, Singapore, Kenya and the Maldives. Each year we train about 50 new families in Delhi.

The mothers of children with autism or similar developmental disabilities face all the economic barriers faced by women in India in addition to social stigmatization, excessive child-care burdens and the daily stress of not knowing how to best help their own child. Action For Autism then began to not only train parents to know how to best teach their own child but also to provide support for those mothers to empower them to return home and be able to provide the same training to local families. To date, 14 parents have created viable training programs in their local communities and are currently providing support to between 400 and 500 new families.

Now that we have developed a successful autism treatment protocol, a parent training curriculum and a support program to help mothers disseminate their training to local families we realize the need to scale-up our service delivery model to be able to handle the demand for help from families throughout India and the rest of Asia.

In order for mothers to return to their communities and successfully run a business delivering training to other parents they require a lot of support. The traditional model has been for AFA staff to support each mother individually which has limited the number of satellite programs now running in India. To expand our ability to support mothers our next step is to leverage interactive 2.0 web technologies to facilitate support to the satellite sites and exponentially increase our reach.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

The importance of including parents as therapists is firmly rooted in the research literature, yet the majority of programs in the West still tend to be therapist-implemented. AFA’s parent training model is in-line with research showing that training parents as primary therapists leads to positive child and parent outcomes.

Women completing the AFA training feel more self-confident, hopeful about their child’s future, empowered and experience less daily stress. For women in India self-confidence and empowerment is a crucial first step to being able to take charge of their own economic situation. The next step is being part of a supportive community who can guide the women in turning their training and experience of raising a child with autism into an opportunity for economic development.

The website we propose will not only provide an online version of the training curriculum (e.g. multi-media and interactive learning tools) but also provide a secure social network and online collaboration space to support the mothers who have attended the program as they return home to start local parent training programs.

Currently, there are no other systematic parent training program for autism in South Asia, other that those been run by our previous attendees. There is currently nowhere in South Asia parents can go for support that not only helps them help their child but also turns their situation into an economic advantage.

For most parents on the planet having a child with autism (or any other disability) is an economic disadvantage – we intend to change that.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for more than 5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Of the 412 mothers who have taken the PCTP so far most are Indian from at least 8 different states across the country and some were Indians resident in Singapore, China, Canada, Norway and the UK. Mothers native to Nepal, Kenya and Pakistan have also attended the program.

Many of these mothers have given up their professions in order to care for their child with autism. In a country where only 33% of women are active in the labour force this is not optimal but they often have nowhere to take their child during the day. Many of the children who attend the PCTP have never attended school because the parents are unable to find a suitable placement.

The majority of children have been between the ages of 3 and 7, and a smaller proportion between 7 and 11 years old. We take children with any type of autism spectrum diagnosis and have included children with co-morbid diagnoses such as Fragile X, Tuberous Sclerosis and Rett’s Syndrome.

The majority of these families are middle-class. AFA does subsidize the tuition costs for the PCTP for parents who are unable to afford to pay. However, the cost of living in Delhi for 3 months greatly restricts the number of families who are able to take advantage of this. If they can not pay the Rs10,000 tuition cost it is unlikely they will be able to travel to and stay in Delhi for this period of time.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Merry Barua began her journey with autism in the early 1980s when it became apparent that her young son was not developing typically. Her experience of trying to get a accurate diagnosis and then searching for an appropriate educational program led her to take matters into her own hands. After travelling to the US, Merry created her own successful educational program for her son and soon began to offer this advice to other parents.

At the close of the 1990s there were barely a handful of professionals available to guide families of children with autism in India. After AFA led a nationwide awareness campaign for pediatricians, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of families seeking help and not enough people available to provide support.

It was obvious then, as it is even now, that in this country of over 1 billion people, there would not be enough professionals even in the next 50 years. On the other hand we knew that parents understood their children the best. If we could train parents to become effective teachers for their child, they could not only help their own child learn, but also become examples and resource persons for other parents in their community.

In thinking about how to address this need in an effective manner Merry devised the program where she could address several families together in a manner that was both enabling and empowering. Merry started the Parent Child Training Program (PCTP) in 2000 as an experiment with four mothers, slowly increasing the number of children with autism and their mothers in each session.

Social Impact

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Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

Individuals with autism whose parents complete the training have access to dramatically increased quality of education. Parents, through an increased understanding of autism and learning to use effective strategies, have consistently been able to help their children improve, often dramatically, in multiple skill areas. The PCTP offers parents the opportunity to interact extensively with a variety of children with autism, equipping them to help their individual children as change over time and to help other families.

At the family level, our training program empowers parents to play a pivotal role in their child’s learning process and make daily interactions more meaningful, motivating, productive, and enjoyable for both the parent and the child. This has a cascading effect of the level of wellbeing in the entire household. Further, the parent can share their knowledge with other family members, creating acceptance and understanding of autism. This results in lower stress levels and shared responsibilities which translates into better harmony and equilibrium within the entire family.

At the community level our program is gradually tackling the stigma that exists around disability in India. Parents trained at AFA often take a leadership role in creating awareness, sensitizing and enriching the community, helping people become more tolerant and accepting of human diversity.

14 parents to date, having undergone the training, have set up services for individuals with autism, thereby catering to the needs of many more individuals and families with autism. Including parents trained by AFA and those trained by those parents we estimate to have impacted over 900 families to date. For example, the SOCH Educational Society in Jalandhar, Punjab, founded by 3 of our graduates in 2008, now runs a 3-month training in addition to a school class for autistic children and currently supports about 60 families. Autism Care Nepal, after completing the AFA training, now offers a variety of therapies to 150 families in Kathmandu and beyond.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

1,001-10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

The next steps are to 1) shorten the amount of time required in Delhi for the initial training, 2) increase the proportion of parents who return home to successfully train other parents and 3) support the establishment of similar systems in other South Asian countries.

We see the creation of the web-based training and support system as critical to achieving these goals quickly. Current internet usage rates in India are estimated at around 6%. Projections forecast a 10 – 20% increase in India’s internet usage by 2013. We plan to leverage this trend and anticipate the creation of a bi-directional feedback loop through the implementation of the online system whereby research and practice are mutually evolving as we shrink the current gap.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

The major barrier to the long-term financial sustainability of this project is parents providing the PCTP to other parents for free. This often happens because parents genuinely want to help other families so if that family says they can’t afford to pay then frequently they are accepted into the program anyway. While short-term this makes the program more accessible to families the long-term consequence is obviously an unsustainable situation unable to expand that eventually becomes a burden on the original parent.

To overcome this challenge we plan to remove the responsibility of charging new parents from the Parent Trainers and create a centralized system operating on a sliding scale administered through the online platform. As part of their business coaching package parents who have received the AFA training in Delhi will be provided with the ability to use the website to recruit and manage new clients. They will invite new families to create a member profile in the site from where they will gain access to training materials to augment the hands-on training they receive from the Parent Trainer and be able to securely communicate with the trainer and network with other local families.

Before being able to access the curriculum new clients they will be required to pay a standard amount, directly proportional to their reported household income. Those who cannot afford to pay will apply online for a full or partial scholarship which will be processed by AFA staff. The scholarship fund will be centralized and contributed to by 1) a proportion of payments from other families, 2) foundations and NGOs and 3) local fundraising efforts supported by our national partners.

This way the Parent Trainers will be fairly compensated for their work, low incomes families can still access the training and AFA will recoup our costs of administering the sliding-scale fee system.

Tell us about your partnerships

AFA has partnerships with various organizations abroad and in India to enable us to keep our staff up to date in the rapidly evolving field of autism treatment. Nationally we work in collaboration with the Autism Society of West Bengal (Kolkata), Umeed (Mumbai), Soch (Jullunder), and Catch (Bhubaneswar). With these organization we share information, successful strategies and any difficulties that may be arising with all members of partner organizations, both on formal and informal platforms. These partnerships greatly enhance our work are wonderful learning experiences and help us reach more people around this vast country.

Internationally we are involved with Autism Action of Chicago (US) who provides our staff with training on advanced and specialized teaching and communication methods. Every year AFA staff go to Heart Spring Kansas (US) for advanced training which is then incorporated into the parent training curriculum.

Additionally AFA works in partnership with NGOs and private donors to allow us to offer the PCTP to as many parents as possible.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$10,001‐50,000

Explain your selections

The PCTP is sustained by 1) tuition fees from parents 2) volunteer time from the program administrators and trainers 3) donated materials from charity organizations (including Charity Aids Foundation, American Women’s Association and Sahara Means Support) and 4) private donors.

Each family pays Rs10,000 for the three month training course. Those that are unable to pay are eligible to receive subsidized tuition so they are able to attend. This is usually covered by private donations.

The cost of staffing the PCTP would be about USD$14,500 pa. To enable us to maintain the level of support we do most of our staff volunteer a significant amount of their time for free to train families.

Any training materials and running costs not covered by donors are covered by the tuition fees from parents.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

Once the sliding-scales fee system (described above) is in place we envision that Parent Trainers will have the financial stability to be able to train more local professionals to provide home-tutoring, child-care and even center-based therapies in the local community. Revenue from these ventures will support the satellite centers and some proportion will be fed back to the central scholarship fund allowing more parents to receive training. We currently have satellite center running in Ahmdebad, Baroda, Pune, Sangrur, Delhi – Udaan, Bangalore and Kathmandu serving between 3 and 150 families each. We plan to build on this success to greatly expand our impact.

Strong satellite centers will strengthen local economies by 1) providing employment and training to local people (e.g. as center-based or in-home child therapists, skilled autism-friendly child care workers and support staff) and 2) providing an appropriate day-time program for children with autism so mothers can seek other employment outside the house. Additionally a strong, local base in currently underserved communities will enhance our ability to create partnership with local business and NGOs to support localized fundraising efforts to feed the parent training scholarship fund.

This model can also be used to establish our parent training system in other South Asian countries. We plan to seek partnerships in other countries to create a national scholarship fund that will allow low-income families to benefit from the training and possibly become training providers themselves.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of access to information and networks

SECONDARY

Lack of skills/training

TERTIARY

Restrictive cultural norms

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Most parents in India have no access to training or professionals specializing in autism. Without adequate school placements children require constant supervision restricting mothers' opportunities for further education and employment. The AFA PCTP model turns this situation into an advantage. After receiving training mothers not only know how to best educate and care for their own child but are also in a position to provide training to other parents, educators and child-care providers. This in turn creates more local resources for other families.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Multi-country

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Leveraged technology

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

The AFA interactive website will expand the reach of our training program geographically and increase the amount of support we can provide each satellite center. They will use the website to support training their own clients through access to multi-media training, participate in online discussions, webinars and problem solving activities, receive customized feedback and track their own child’s development.

Then we will develop the online training to reduce the amount of time needed at the New Delhi site and provide business coaching to newly trained parents. This will increase the number of mothers we can train each year and provide mothers a tool kit for creating a sustainable system to pass on their experience to other families.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Throughout the history of our organization, we have actively sought collaborations with other organizations within India and abroad.

We are beginning a collaboration with ilumivu (www.ilumivu.com) a US based software company that builds web-based platforms for clinicians and researchers working with autism. They will work with us to build the AFA interactive website, design the online training course and adapt their interactive tools to be relevant to Indian families.

All this will happen in collaboration with Dr. Daley who has conducted research on autism in India since 1995, and has published multiple scholarly articles on the topic in academic journals.

Our NGO partners will continue to support us in subsidizing the training for those who are unable to pay the full tuition.

Entrepreneurship & Economic Empowerment to people with disability due to mental illness

Created on 06/15/2011 by Ishita Sanyal

Creating a world where people with disability have economic empowerment.
To aware & empower human being against any kind of abuse & neglect that people have to face in the society if they are different.
A world where everyone enjoy human rights & stay with dignity & self respect.

About You

Organization: Turning Point Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Ishita

Last Name

Sanyal

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Turning Point

Organization Website

Organization Country

India

Country where this project is creating social impact

India

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

Entrepreneurship & Economic Empowerment to people with disability due to mental illness

What change do you want to bring to the world?

Creating a world where people with disability have economic empowerment.
To aware & empower human being against any kind of abuse & neglect that people have to face in the society if they are different.
A world where everyone enjoy human rights & stay with dignity & self respect.
People suffering from mental illness have been ignored, abused, neglected & are considered a burden to the society and they have not been able to enjoy any human rights. Many spend their days in inhuman conditions. Economic empowerment increases their confidence & helps them to recover. Transforming these disabled people in to a performing member of the society enjoying economic empowerment is possible if we can transform them in to entrepreneurs so that they can earn their livelihood & live with self respect.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Transforming a non productive member suffering from chronic mental illness in to a productive money earning member of the society
Providing vocational training according to the aptitude & need of the people suffering from illness
Increasing their self confidence level
Making them learn coping strategies
Transforming them in to a responsible person
Instilling a ray of hope in their life by making them economically independent
Awaring family members about the symptoms of the sufferer so that they do not fail to understand them
Creating a criticism free environment for growth & development
Trainings which nurture their creativity & thus reduces the restlessness of the people
Making them aware of their Human Rights
Wiping away the stigma prevalent in the society
Nurturing their art, creativity, drama, Music & other potentialities.
Fighting to get disability card & other facilities which people with other disabilities are getting
Social Inclusion.
Increasing their self confidence & reducing their difficulties so that they can do a job.
Bringing back smiles in their face
Creating a bridge between them & their parents.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

The challenge today is the marginalization of mentally challenged individuals. A change is needed for the betterment of these people with the available resources. Research shows that their most important need is earning a livelihood. Our ten years effort failed to provide disability card or job reservation for people with mental illness.
Even after rehabilitation & training we fail to provide employment for all. This creates frustration & depression in their mind & they suffer from relapse if kept unoccupied. So we need to innovate a process to generate livelihood for all. We train them in making costume jewellery .We are selling their products & making each of them an entrepreneur & trying to build a network with major retailers as well as planning to sell these products through e-marketing.
This initiative is innovative as we are transforming a non-productive member of the society to a productive performing member & also making them entrepreneurs so that they do not have to work under any stressful condition rather choose their own timings & settings & do the work at ease. This would not only generate their income but also help them to be independent, self reliant & promote social inclusion of mentally ill people in the society.
Jewellery making is increasing their concentration, making them find pleasure working with colourful beads & enabling them to utilise their own creativity & artistic pursuit in developing new designs. This in the long run diverts their attention from their symptoms & helping them to grow & develop & thus helps them in long lasting recovery

What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Economic Conditions-These are people whose parents have retired years back & so there is no source of income for them.. Poor or middle income group are our regular beneficiaries,
Political structures-Now there has been a change in political structure but till date no visible change in mental health scenario has been observed.
Norms and values-Families try to support people suffering from mental illness unless the economic condition forces the family to desert the affected family members. People suffering from mental illness are never ever respected, their Human Rights are violated & generally no employers are willing to recruit them as their employees. They neither get a disability card nor get any job reservation for them. Society in general has no confidence on them & they are neglected, rejected in the society.
Demographic trends- West Bengal is the nation’s fourth most populous states of India. As the population is increasing the number of people suffering from mental illness would be more in West Bengal
History-West Bengal has a glorifying history with rich cultural heritage. But there has been a general decline in the progress of Bengal. Ignorance about mental health prevails which leads not only to violation of Human Rights of the sufferer but also casts a dark shadow on the growth & development of people suffering from mental illness leading to huge wastage of creative human resources of people suffering from mental illness. This also affects the economic condition of Bengal
Experience with engagement efforts-Getting a space for running the organization is always a real headache as people do not want to give a house on rent for this purpose.
But in these thirteen years we have developed a good rapport with the community. The local Libraries provide their halls complementarily whenever required. Local clubs provide us the space for conducting sports.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Ishita Sanyal's life completely changed when she learnt that her own family member was suffering from the most dreaded mental illness, schizophrenia. As a psychologist, she felt helpless to improve the quality of life for the affected individual or the parents. Neither medication nor counselling can provide what is most needed in these cases - rehabilitation, learning life skills, social interaction, and communication & also economic freedom The restlessness, the search for complete recovery, the drive to get proper treatment facilities were not very easy one at that time. Many of the people suffering from Schizophrenia are highly intelligent person but none of the vocational training centers used to provide training accord

None of the centers she looked into offered real, practical answers. She decided to do it herself, founding the Turning Point center and designing its entire program. Where other centers offered bookbinding or pickle making as occupational therapy, she launched a computer training program for patients, the first of its kind in Calcutta.

Her programs have garnered international praise, usually accompanied by astonishment that she has done all this without funding. She is recognized as a pioneer in making patients more responsible.

Under her leadership the first parent group was formed in Calcutta, a precursor to the present trend toward family acceptance and contribution as an alternative to institutionalization.

Social Impact

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Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

We measure the success of the project on the basis of following metrics-
Concentration-Improvement in concentration of the affected individual ( suppose if a person suffering from illness can concentrate at a stretch for 15 minutes has been increased to 25 minutes it is a measurable improvement)
Daily Functional level-Improvement in daily Functional level (Like if a person was totally dependant on family members for his daily activities is changed to be independent & do some of the daily activities himself like going to market, doing calculations, taking part in household chores, going to bank etc.)
Restlessness- People suffering from mental illness are very restless. But after this training if he can do the work for hours together we can conclude that his restlessness is decreasing & quality of life is increasing
Communication & interaction- People suffering from mental illness withdraws from the society. But through this training they are interacting with others, sharing, helping each other & learning to interact with all group members & develop a bond of love in between them. These changes show success of this project.
Adjustment-In our training we let them learn how to be with others & get satisfaction from it. Increase in adjustment definitely shows success of our project.
Relationship with family members-Often after the onset of illness the relationship with family members becomes worse. Through this project the relationships in between family members & affected individual improves as we aware family members of the symptoms & guide them to support their affected family member in their endeavour.
Economic empowerment- In a country like India, earning some livelihood is needed. This reduces the feeling of burden & increases their self esteem. We measure success from our achievements of organising livelihood option to people suffering from mental illness.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

Fewer than 100

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

101- 1,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

Now we are trying to establish a relationship with leading retailers (Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons) and are going to hold an exhibition there. We are also creating a relationship with Fountain House, New York through which we would export our products there. In next three years we would be able to develop a sustaining relationship with some of the above mentioned groups & help millions of people suffering from mental illness to become entrepreneurs. The advantage of this project is that making costume jewellery is simple to learn & after training the beneficiaries can make the products in their own homes too helping them nurture their creativity & artistic pursuit. Focussing on this livelihood would help them to increase their concentration level, motivation & act as a therapy for them.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

As we do not know the export policies & entrepreneurship rules & regulations we might face problems in the very beginning. Marketing the products can also be another problem. Generating products according to the demand of retailers can also be a problem initially. Marketing the brand & making general people aware of the brand would also be a challenging task. Getting funds to make the jewelleries can also be a trouble. Getting a sound knowledge & guidance is required to make this project a success. Networking with various organisations & psychiatrist is needed so that we can get a number of people with mental illness know about our project & include us in our work. We are trying to get training in entrepreneurship development so that we can guide all these people suffering from mental illness to become budding entrepreneurs.
We would try to undertake an entrepreneurship training to master the art of running a social entrepreneurship which would create an impact in the near future.
We have to concentrate on marketing strategies, acquire salesmanship capabilities & take care of the quality of the products & deliver them at the right time.

Tell us about your partnerships

We have started developing relationship with Fountain House, an NGO at New York dealing with people suffering from mental illness. Their sole focus too is also generating income & jobs for the sufferers. Some of their beneficiaries would sell our products at New York. They would found out the local markets, do the marketing & selling of the product on our behalf where they too would earn their livelihood through this project. So in this project not only mentally ill people of India would be benefitted but sufferers throughout the world can be involved as partners to us.Fountain house have branches all over the world. So if we become successful in creating a relationship with Fountain house, New York we would probably be able to initiate relationships with other branches as well as Fountain House, New York is the mother organisation

At present we are also working to create relationship with retailers like Pantaloon, Spencer’s & shoppers stop. We would have an exhibition at Shoppers top from June 23rd.till July 9th., 2011

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$10,001‐50,000

Explain your selections

Till now friends & family members of affected individuals are supporting it. We are planning to register them in MSME, India so that all of them become eligible to get funds to start their business. We have started generating entrepreneurs

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

We are planning to train as many beneficiaries as possible in the coming year. We would try to train sufferers from rural backgrounds too. These beneficiaries would then start producing the products. Some of them would also be involved in doing official works. So a group of sufferers would run the business under our supervision & guidance. Our sole responsibilities would be
To provide training in making jewelleries to people suffering from mental illness even in rural areas
Designing beautiful jewelleries
Selecting designs produced by beneficiaries
Marketing
Supervise the official work & do it on their behalf

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Underemployment

SECONDARY

Need for regulatory/policy support

TERTIARY

Restrictive cultural norms

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Global

SECONDARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

TERTIARY

Other (please specify below)

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

Other: Providing training in both urban & rural areas to people with mental illness & transforming them in to a productive member of the society again

1. Collaboration with Fountain House, New York
2. Establishing relationship with Shoppers stop, pantaloons,Spencers

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Shoppers Stop has agreed to do an exhibition of our products in all their Kolkata stores from 23rd June -9th July.
Fountain House has already started finding out retailers for us at New York

Building the Capacity of Indigenous Women with Disabilities in India: Promoting the Rights to Health and Employment

Created on 06/14/2011 by shantamemorial

In the field of disability the link with poverty has been emphasized repeatedly as a major obstacle to equality and justice. This project contributes to the fight against poverty of women with disabilities (WWDs) in indigenous areas. It is estimated that more than 82% WWD live below the poverty line. They are among the poorest, most stigmatized and likely to face violence, with little access to health care or livelihood. These problems most likely affect all Indigenous Women with Disabilities (IWWD) in India.

About You

Organization: Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

reena

Last Name

mohanty

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre

Organization Website

Organization Country

India

Country where this project is creating social impact

India

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

Building the Capacity of Indigenous Women with Disabilities in India: Promoting the Rights to Health and Employment

What change do you want to bring to the world?

In the field of disability the link with poverty has been emphasized repeatedly as a major obstacle to equality and justice. This project contributes to the fight against poverty of women with disabilities (WWDs) in indigenous areas. It is estimated that more than 82% WWD live below the poverty line. They are among the poorest, most stigmatized and likely to face violence, with little access to health care or livelihood. These problems most likely affect all Indigenous Women with Disabilities (IWWD) in India. By gaining economic independence IWWDs can create change build self-confidence, become more independent and develop crucial life skills. We envisage a world where IWWD can access equality, justice and overcome poverty…a world where they can live a quality life with dignity.

What are the primary activities of your project?

This project, proposes to improve the quality of life, inclusion and livelihoods of IWWD by:
1. Advocacy and leadership training for self-help groups (SHG): This component of the project will provide valuable information on disability, disability rights and leadership skills to the 400 WWD in four Districts of two States each year. In addition, 100 local government employees and community members who assist the SHGs, known as Anganwadi workers, will be invited to the training. In addition to leadership skills, the training will also focus on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ratified by India and entitlements as per law.
2. Individual needs assessments and skills training: 160 women will receive individual counseling to determine their interests and skills and be provided four months of training in skill of their choice.
3. Access to the micro-credit funding and project implementation: SMRC will assist the 160 IWWD in joining existing SHGs and obtaining loans under the Government micro-credit program, a three month process. SMRC will meet with bankers to assist them in the loan process. Once the loans are received, the next phase of the project, approximately six months, involves SMRC assisting the women in implementing their projects based on the skills learned.
4. Promotion of good health: SMRC will provide a forum for WWDs to share health-related information.
Using Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s capabilities framework, the project can demonstrate that, if barriers are removed, women with disabilities can be productive members of society.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

The programme is innovative as it focuses on indigenous people’s who are globally excluded from policies and programmes in the disability sector. This has been a major concern in the disability movement in recent years.
This project provides a multi-faceted approach. Livelihood is linked to leadership building, awareness on rights and entitlements, provides health information and methods of social protection. It is new as it takes into account marketing and banking skill transfer. Training material development which can be used by the tribal community will be prepared and used. It is also innovative as it aims to use a government programme SGSY 3% quota for WWDs.
IWWD are made aware that given the skills they can improve their own living conditions. They are provided knowledge so there is possibility and capability to voice their needs and take advantage of their legal rights to mobilize existing resources. The administrative system and the local authorities gain experience with, and are trained to support, a bottom-up planning process, that is, to listen to IWWD who are expressing their needs. The programme encourages the IWWD to participate in the planning and implementation of activities, granting them respect and a role that they had not had before. Activities are chosen, planned, monitored and evaluated by the women themselves, with an explicit vision to ensure that the development benefits all, including the most vulnerable among the disbaled those with intellectual disbaility with a group of WWD.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

PWDs are globally the poorest among populations. WWDs and especially those from indigenous areas are the poorest of the poor. They face a wide range of discrimination and exclusion, as shown by a UNDP and Government of India research carried out by SMRC in 2007. They are among the poorest, most stigmatized and most likely to face violence, with little access to health care.
The project will also involve social and political structures in local communities, including the Government of India, SGSY workers, Pancahayti Raj members, and local banks, as the outcomes will depend on community acceptance. In addition, the project will be in collaboration with Anganwadi workers, government employees who oversees program implementation in the villages, thus contributing to the sustainability of the project.
The project is based on the principles of equality and justice. As it is proposed to be in tribal areas it will ensure that their customary laws, social and political practices, traditional management practices and natural resources are safeguarded. That customs and traditions are not violated and cultural identity protected. Our experiences have shown that while working with indigenous populations on livelihood issues women play an important role in environment protection. The project will ensure that this standard is maintained.
SMRC has worked in indigenous areas since 1989 and had an outreach office for a project on health of WWD. It has also carried out research on IWWDs.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Ashok the founder of SMRC was disabled due to an accident which left him completely paralyzed at the age of 24. Despite the disability he worked with PWDs across the globe to raise their status. He ensured that all programmes of SMRC would mainstream women. Under his guidance SMRC as one of the members of the global disability movement negotiated the UNRCPD and participated in discussions on Art 6 on gender equality. His campaign on Disaster and Disability is also recognized worldwide. He believed in the concept of equality and justice and therefore worked in the most difficult terrains where indigenous peoples lived. He set up an outreach programme for IWWD to manage their reproductive health problems a major issue amongst tribal areas. He saw to it that young girls (adolescents) were also included. He felt that women had agency and could reach great heights. The work on WWD in collaboration with Rehabilitation International, the oldest disability organization in the world started in 2007 and stretches across West Bengal, Orissa, Chhatisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Ashok though he initiated the project died while it was running, but he left an indelible mark on it. Since then this work has been carried forward by the organization’s co-founder Prof Asha Hans presently Executive Vice President and former Director School of Women’s Studies University. She wrote India’s first book -Gender, Identity and disability and also Tribal Women a Gendered Utopia. She worked with Ashok on the programme since it started and is carrying out phase two of the programme.

Social Impact

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Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

1. Greater awareness of rights and skills training for women with disabilities
 Leadership and advocacy trainings led to greater knowledge of disability rights, among WWD, local government workers and SHG members and greater inclusion in the community.
 The project fostered qualitative results such as an increase in confidence among the women in the program and a decrease in a feeling of isolation and despair.

2. Entrepreneurship
 Creation of new SHGs such as coir production, henna artistry & embroidery where WWD could showcase their skills.
4. Increased livelihood opportunities and economic self-sufficiency of women with disabilities
 Some women who underwent computer training have found good jobs in telecom departments.

3. Creating visibility and greater attention to the rights of women with disabilities/mainstreaming
 SMRC’s head spoke at the World Bank by raising awareness about the project and on the issues of disability, development and economic livelihoods.
 Made a presentation at the 21st RI World Congress in Quebec and shared expertise on the issue good practices from this project
 SMRC participated in the Global Summit of Women with Disabilities (Quebec) and helped lay the foundation of an International Network of Women with Disabilities.
 RI and SMRC were invited to Qatar, in April 2009. gave a presentation on the project and its achievements.
The project used quantitative and qualitative measurable indicators. One staff was appointed full time to monitor, collect and analyze information.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

101- 1,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

The UNCRPD Preamble and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons Article 22 gave recognition to the extra marginalization of indigenous PWDs. Yet, so far internationally, minimal attention has been paid to increasing their representation locally, regionally and globally. Over the next three years the project will take some of its core ideas but shift to cover a new customer base i.e. IWWD which were not covered under the earlier project. The project will be restricted to two States Orissa and Andhra Pradesh and take into account the low literacy levels and different skill building needs based on local resources. The project will also transfer health knowledge including different health problems facing the women, for instance sickle cell anaemia.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Potential challenges
 Need for support for women with disabilities from family members and field staff
 Political interference from community groups
 Breakdown in communication connectivity in rural areas
 Natural disasters and conflict (including flooding and riots), which resulted in limited or no transportation between the project sites
 High illiteracy so the sections on rights and advocacy will take longer for them to understand
 Women with developmental disabilities also may have difficulty comprehending the training, so modifications may have to be made.
 Language barriers. As many areas we work in will be tribal with their own language and culture the staff may have little knowledge on both. It would mean appointing some staff who will act as interlocutors
 Some women were may be too poor to pay the revolving fund needed to join SHG group entrepreneurships in which case some funds would have to be raised to assist them.
 Low population density would make it difficult to form groups in contiguous areas.

SMRC will make every effort to address these possible obstacles to implementation of the project, if and when they do arise. SMRC will also reach out to community structures for their participation and support for this project, which may also address these potential challenges

Tell us about your partnerships

RI: Founded in 1922 with 700 members in nearly 100 countries worldwide is an NGO based in New York. It promotes initiatives to protect the rights of PWDs and other crucial services. It advocates for policies and legislation, such as the UNCRPD. RI’s thematic commissions especially on Employment, Social and Health and Function Commission have been actively promoting work opportunities, inclusion and improved quality of life for PWDS. RI World Congresses and regional conferences brought together thousands of disability advocates, policy makers, professionals, and civic leaders to learn and discuss how disability issues should be addressed within larger social, political, and economic spheres. RI has well-established partnerships with the United Nations and agencies, such as UNICEF and the WHO, as well as international and regional organizations, universities and research institutions and experts on disability issues worldwide.
Govt of India: The project capitalizes on an existing program called Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY). The SGSY aims to help those below the poverty line by encouraging them to form small self-help groups (SHGs) of about 10 people and apply to banks for credit and government subsidies. 3% membership is meant for PWDs. They can be included in general SHGs or set up inclusive ones. Members of the group set up entrepreneurship by drawing credit from Banks and support from government structures.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$100,000‐250,000

Explain your selections

SMRC received core funding for phase one from the Govt of Austria and phase 2 from UNDESA. Both these were technically supported by Rehabilitation International. SMRC integrates all its running programmes so that one feeds into another and draw strength from it. The present WWD project in phase 1 SMRC took advantage of Govt of India’s programme SGSY by linking SHG groups to Banks for credit. The Lions Club an NGO has helped with livelihood activities of SHGs and individual entrepreneurs within this project.
In phase 2 the project has been supported by RI and UNDESA. Many of the women were trained on UNCRPD and set up a national network with assistance from Tides Foundation (Disability Rights Fund). SMRC took advantage of its collaboration with the Government of Orissa (Regional Government) to assist women access to self employment. Some women with severe disabilities (Spinal, head) who joined the programme also received rehabilitation services from the Dorabji Tata Trust.
Government of India, Aus Aid and British Aid assisted centres set up by SMRC for Community Based Rehabilitation send women to join the new programme. Handicap International a partner in the Disaster and Disability programme which SMRC has also referred women in need of livelihood.
The programme is based on 2 research studies done with assistance from 1: UNDP – Status of Women with Disability in India and 2. World Bank Disability Data, Cost-Effectiveness of Medical Rehabilitation Interventions and the Impact on Poverty Reduction.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

SMRC has the expertise on carrying out livelihood programmes. It also has data collected through the UNDP report in WWWD. It has run an outreach centre for women’s reproductive health (WWD) in a tribal area - Nabarangpur. It understands the issues related to women with disabilities in tribal areas. It can strengthen the project in many ways some innovative and some through creating change:
1. Changing the teaching material to suit indigenous people it will work with. This will be done with assistance from the Government’s Scheduled Tribe research programme.
2. It will employ local people to assist in providing an overall effectiveness for a project to work in indigenous areas. This includes protection of cultural identities, environment etc.
3. Women of the women’s health training material will need to be re-prepared to suit the needs of this group. This will be done with assistance from Rehabilitation International’s Commissions.
4. Take advantage of Government of India incentives for both women and tribal areas
5. Adopting a participatory approach
6. Work with the SMRC national network of WWD to provide and strengthen relationship with governments

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of access to information and networks

SECONDARY

Lack of skills/training

TERTIARY

Lack of visibility and investment

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

SMRC will provide i. knowledge on marketing ii. Bring the producers and buyers on a platform and help negotiate. Major among these will the Govt of Orissa’s programme ORMAS which provides an outlet for rural marketing and Govt of India’s progarmme Tribes India which purchases tribal goods. The project will provide skills to the women in products of their choice ranging from sal leaf products to weaving.
Most tribal areas are excluded from the mainstream have low literacy levels, low capital, low skills, little savings and little knowledge of markets. The project will overcome all these issues by upscaling their production skills, providing knowledge on marketing and banking. Provide initial bank linkage and get them to know the techniques of running businesses.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

Current: research has been conducted on proposed project area. Activities available are:training WWD and providing leadership, legal and entitlement knowledge and building skills in hi-tech production. Health information on sexual and reproductive health. Trained faculty, and material on UNCRPD, Laws and Entitlements for WWD, Health and Marketing available
Planned:Identifying IWWD in the four Districts of Kalahandi, Koraput; Mehboobnagar and Garwhal. Preparing Guidelines with help of community for workers; Identifying workers who will act as interlocutors; Material on specific issues of health of INWWD will be required; Knowledge on Laws and Entitlements of Indigenous people specifically women will be gathered so they can be made use of ; Gathering choices of INWWD on skills required.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

NGOs/Nonprofits, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

The project is linked to government (National and Regional) programmes on micro-credit and has taken advantage of them. Other government linkages include marketing of goods through mela’s (trade fairs) meant for self help groups.

In all the four states the programmes are run with the help of NGOs/DPOs. One state level NGO/DPO conducts and unregistered Mahila Mandals’ (Women’s Groups) in the villages monitor the work .
The research on which the project is based has been carried out by Utkal University (Orissa), Kalyani University (West Bengal) and Ghasi Ram University (Chhatisgarh). They also assist when required in devising training programmes. The study on women with disabilities was also directed by a senior Government of Orissa Officer with gender expertise.

MAHELERECEN-Socio Economic Rehabilitation(SER) for leprosy Disabled

Created on 06/14/2011 by Mahelerecen

Our Socio Economic Rehabilitation (SER) programme is one of the job opportunity giving with out others dependent. This is independent programme which gives social economic development for individual, family and also community. once the person gets self employment opportunity it gives independent development and family development etc. so is our leprosy deformed patients they won’t get job in the government side (or) private sector etc. nobody going to support for this deserving disabled patients.

About You

Organization: Madurai Health and Leprosy Relief Centre (MAHELERECEN) Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Dr.S.Maria xavier

Last Name

turtius

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Madurai Health and Leprosy Relief Centre (MAHELERECEN)

Organization Website

Organization Country

India, TN

Country where this project is creating social impact

India, TN

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

MAHELERECEN-Socio Economic Rehabilitation(SER) for leprosy Disabled

What change do you want to bring to the world?

Our Socio Economic Rehabilitation (SER) programme is one of the job opportunity giving with out others dependent. This is independent programme which gives social economic development for individual, family and also community. once the person gets self employment opportunity it gives independent development and family development etc. so is our leprosy deformed patients they won’t get job in the government side (or) private sector etc. nobody going to support for this deserving disabled patients. In India most of the leprosy deformed patients are doing begging we are preventing to do begging throw the job opportunity (SER) programme.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).
3) The primary activity is survey, education , treatment (SET) for the project of project area. We give health education and also leprosy awareness, skin care, malnutrition to all the school going children and industrial population and also to the public. This health education is provide awareness recording personal health, hygiene and environmental health
Case detection it gives primary leprosy cases for early treatment . It give prevention of deformity(POD). So we have been doing case detection activities. When we are doing examination of healthy population at the time we will get various skin complaints, malnutrition patches, fungus infection and leprosy cases.

Treatment :
We give treatment for leprosy is (i).Multi Drug Therapy (MDT) (ii). Physiotherapy . for active cases we give MDT treatment to get cure. Physiotherapy treatment is necessary for those who are having deformity complaints. We are giving physiotherapy treatment for flexion deformity cases
(a) Excises (b). Oil massage (c). Wax both treatment (d). Electric mauls stimulation

Rehabilitation (SER) we started our activities of rehabilitation in the year of 1999. we gave micro financial support for 10% when we started. Without interest they have to repay that loan monthly basis like that the loan Dept amount will be neutralized . Through activity patient family will get economic development and also upgrading the family income .

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

Mahelerecen give financial support to the patent to open petti shop, to purchase cows, to purchase bullock cart, for doing jasmine flower business, to purchase milky animals like sheep and goats, ever silver vessel business etc. from Rs 5000 to 10000 we have given to this sufferers.

Innovation of our work is. In India other financial supporters/ business people doing getting money for interest and get profit form the interest money. But we did not expect interest money from the patent

What stage is your project in?

Operating for more than 5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).
we are encouraged with the community of leprosy sufferers. They are not fully literate. They do not aware of the dangerous diseases and general health knowledge. Among this communities no body is carry out this people and lead this people. So this people is having without good Sheppard.

This people are living in rural population. They are very poor in economic status monthly income source is very low . they are going for daily wages and Agricultural coolies. Their monthly income is less than $ 50 . some patients living in huts with out electricity. So from external cooperation is needed for their improvement. We are doing leprosy treatment and health education in their fields of where they locate. But for the disabled persons we are not able to give full support for them.
Our patients having broad mind people. They receive our services . they respect our staff members and our charity services . we supported micro financial support for their self employment activities. Through this activities they slowly upgrading economical status and self improvement.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Dr. S. Maria Xavier Turtius is the Executive Secretary of this Society. He has rich experience and the Required qualifications in the field of leprosy. He is trained in Technical qualification:
1). Leprosy Inspector,
2). Non-Medical Supervisor and
3) Health Educator. He is having 40 years of experience and he is also one of the Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP). He has been trained and experienced to detect the Leprosy cases and to give treatment. He has thorough knowledge of deformity corrections and also experienced in Socio-Economic Rehabilitation programme for disabled (deformity) leprosy cases.

In the field of Administration he can control the Staff and conduct the leprosy Clinic. He has served in various NGO of Social service Organization such as the
1. Sacred Heart Leprosy Hospital, Kumbakonam, Tamilnadu,
2. M.T.Memorial Leprosy Centre,Tatamangalam, Palakkadu, Kerala State, and
3. NILES project, Cunoor, Nilgiri, Tamilnadu. and he is also Founder of the “MADURAI HEALTH AND LEPROSY RELIEF CENTRE”.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

Through our early case detection and treatment activity of the disease is arrested and we are declaring as Relics From Treatment (RFT) and then surveillance after that we are declaring Relics From Control(RFC) and then we declared cured. Now we have declared cases are greater than 200 RFC cured cases. Like wise our project is going positively and successfully.

When we are giving healthy talk and awareness programme they (students, employees and people) understand the subject and they are voluntarily coming for their healthy complaints. Through our health knowledge they understand their healthy complaints and they will go (hospitals) for their treatment. In each year we will cover more than 20000 audience in our programme.

In our Socio Economic Rehabilitation (SER) programme till now 42 patients where benefited. Due to rehabilitation activity the beneficiaries are getting profit from their work for example One women patient purchases one cow in the year of 2000 now it is multiplied 6 animals. Another person first stated business of One vessel cart now he has 2 vessel cart. Another person first do purchases 2 sheep now it multiply more than 60 animals.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

More than 10,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

After 3 years we will do uncovered population for our project area. Now we are covering 200 thousand population remaining 300 thousand population will cover the coming next 3 years. Now we are doing Health education through slide shows and lash cards etc. the coming next 3 years we will change to Audio visual methods and conduct competitions.
Now we are doing our charitable activities with the support of small contribution from Belgium and local supporters donations.

In future we ready to joint our activities with corporate companies. In future we will arrange small small sub centers mobile clinic in rural areas for general and also leprosy sufferers.

We will extend our service for coming 3 years poultry form, Dairy form and also to form Rehabilitation centers for disabled

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Our Mahelerecen center is having inadequate fund so it is hindering. Suppose we get adequate fund for project means we will overcome our programme. Due to lack of money we are unable to post the adequate staff and infrastructure like 4 wheeler facility. To meet our expenditure for the project we are not having financial supporters.
Up to 2003 we received grant from GLRA Germany after that we didn’t get fund from Germany. We expect volunteers in and around India in 2007 two volunteers came from Netherlands and they cooperate with us. Like this if we got volunteers from abroad means it will be encouraged us to improve our activities.

Tell us about your partnerships

Mahelerecen are getting cooperation from the educational institutions like schools, colleges and training institutes in Madurai.
The Leprosy Mission Hospital (TLM) is one of the partner for deformity correction. So we are sending our disabled persons to TLM Manamadurai for their deformity corrections. Physiotherapy and surgical Doctor will do reconstructive surgery for the deformed patients.

e bay is one of the Business partner for us . they will help to get online donation through ebay networks.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$1,000‐$10,000

Explain your selections

Our Main donor is Wanakkam –Belgium ($ 2400/year). In 1998 we have sent appeal letter to Wanakkam Belgium through our MMSSS NGO. They also came here and visited our work and from that year onwards they are supporting financial assistance.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

In future we ready to joint our activities with corporate companies.
And also we expose our activities through webs, blog, social networks and etc. we will going to focus our activities to the some funding agencies and ask for funding.
We are expect any charitable foundations/organizations to start their work in India, we ready to give our hands.
Now We are discuss to plan to form a plant of “cultivation of Spirulina” and market it through fundraising.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Underemployment

SECONDARY

Lack of visibility and investment

TERTIARY

Lack of access to information and networks

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Mahelerecen gave micro financial support for 10 persons when we started. Without interest they have to repay that loan monthly basis like that the loan Dept amount will be neutralized . Through activity patient family will get economic development and also upgrading the family income.

lack of grant to form the underemployment . our charitable activities is not visible so we need more visibility.finally we need to form an network with other new partners like business,service, technological etc.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

At present we are doing our activity in and around the city of Madurai and coming year we will extend our area near districts.
Now our activities slowly extending in the area of Dindigul District , Theni District and Virdhu nager District

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

We are having collaboration with ebay fundraising(Technology Providers). They are publishing our website in their webpages free of cost. So some donors will help through ebay donation.

ARMAANS- An employment Initiative for the differently(dis) abled.

Created on 06/14/2011 by amandeepsingh

Differently abled people are often denied right to even basic jobs on account of their disabilities although they hold the qualification for it. ARMAANS will help in the employment of such sections of the society. These people would thus deliver their best to the job, which will lead to quality services for the customers, better returns for employers and job satisfaction for the employees.

About You

Organization: The Armaan Foundation Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Aman Deep

Last Name

Singh

Twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/AmandeepSinghA

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

The Armaan Foundation

Organization Website

Organization Country

India, GJ

Country where this project is creating social impact

India

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

ARMAANS- An employment Initiative for the differently(dis) abled.

What change do you want to bring to the world?

Differently abled people are often denied right to even basic jobs on account of their disabilities although they hold the qualification for it. ARMAANS will help in the employment of such sections of the society. These people would thus deliver their best to the job, which will lead to quality services for the customers, better returns for employers and job satisfaction for the employees.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Our project ARMAAN is a social enterprise aimed at empowering the differently(dis)-abled and promoting self employment. The project involves opening up franchises related to the travel, telecom and telecommunications industry, the responsibility of which will be entitled to only those with disabilities(vision impaired, hearing impaired, speech impaired and physically challenged), thus creating employment opportunities for them. The different services that would be provided include railways reservation, air ticket booking, hotel booking, mobile and DTH recharge, bus ticket bookin, Movie Tickets, Bill & Utility payments, Internet Payments, Calling cards Payments, Cash Cards and many more. We aim at providing you a complete one stop solution for your travel, tourism and telecommunications problem in a way that it also provides employment to those sections of the society which need it . This enables in mutual benefit of all the sections, the employees, employers and customers.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

Our initiative focuses on that sector of the society, which is often neglected . It also aims at creating an equal platform for entrepreneurs with disabilities who are in the initial or development phase of their business and need help regarding the same. It has already touched the lives of many differently abled by providing them support, inspiration, advice and networking to help turn their dreams of owning and running a successful business into reality.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

We focus on providing employment mainly to hearing impaired, vision impaired, speech impaired and the physically challenged people. The aim is to provide livelihood to the disabled people between the age group of 18-30.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

People being discriminated on basis of physical disabilities is high. There have been numerous cases where such people have been denied employment. One such case was when a friend of Mr. Aman Deep Singh(founder of Armaan) , Sourabh, was fired from his job owing to a disability. Aman was deeply moved by this and helped Sourabh get another job as a freelancer. He then thought if he could do it for one, he could do the same for many. This realization triggered him to give birth to ARMAAN

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

Putting up the training module for the project and doing the prototype successfully has been a great measure.
Moreover, having some big companies cmng on board willing to join hands to lend their services also acted as a source of measuring the success and credibility of Armaans.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

1,001-10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

In the years to come, we shall have more skilled people on board working with us to make the project more comprehensive one. We shall continue to collaborate with more and more partner organisation so that we can provide better services to the customers. We also aim at increasing the number of disabled people who would be benefited by this project. We aim at improving the our networking and create a mean for the disabled to be more self sustained and employed

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

There is have shortage of quality team member which can hinder the success of this project. We have students from various management colleges helping us in the implementation of ARMAANS, but we still lack skilled and experienced entrepreneurs to guide us. To overcome this we plan to have some mentors and advisories over board who can help us make this project more concrete.

Tell us about your partnerships

We are starting up a diploma course in business entrepreneurship with The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI), which at aims at equipping the disabled with the basics of entrepreneurship in a subsidised
and customized way.
We are also associated with Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship, IIM Ahmedabad who are mentoring the project.
Nurture talent academy has been training us in entrepreneurship development.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$1,000‐$10,000

Explain your selections

Businesses and Foundations have helped us to provide the services of Armaan, like railways reservation, air ticket booking, hotel booking, mobile and DTH recharge, bus ticket booking, Movie Tickets, Bill & Utility payments, Internet Payments, Calling cards Payments, Cash Cards and many more. NGOs have helped in the implementation part of it.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

As mentioned earlier, we plan to have skilled people overboard who can facilitate the implementation of the project. We also plan to increase the diversity of the services provided by adding more of them. We aim at increasing the target area and also the budget of the project, making it ore comprehensive and large scale

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of skills/training

SECONDARY

Lack of visibility and investment

TERTIARY

Lack of access to information and networks

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

This model offers employment for the differently abled people, and at the same time, it involves least amount of investment. The products that we offer are customised into various catergories with the nature of disability. For example, people with vision impairment are more into selling telecom services, which invlved one to one interaction.
Whilst people with speech impairment are more into internet based selling.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

As of now , we are compiling our first batch of 100 entrepreneurs through job fairs and more such ventures, after which we intend to have a second stage of making their ventures sustainable for the period of three months.
Then , thereafter, similar thing will be followed every three months.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Having partners on board, have contributed significantly in the project.
The universities that we collaborate with, give us access to manpower and knowledge sharing.
On the other hand, having NGOs on board have allowed us to access to their database of people, infrastructure, training programs etc.

Socioeconomic Inclusion for Landmine Survivors in Colombia

Created on 06/13/2011 by cccm

The project seeks reduce the poverty and exclusion of landmine and UXO victims displaced in Bogota by building on the success of a socio-economic inclusion project implemented in Bogota in 2010-2011 by the CCCM. Specifically, it will strengthen victim Self-Employment Projects already underway through monitoring, and the provision of additional training or resources to support or expand the current SEP. In addition, workshops will be held in beneficiaries´ communities in order to develop awareness of victims’ rights and needs and create favorable market conditions at the community level.

About You

Organization: Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas/Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Alvaro

Last Name

Jimenez

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas/Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines

Organization Website

Organization Country

Colombia, CAM

Country where this project is creating social impact

Colombia, CAM

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

No

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Innovation

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Socioeconomic Inclusion for Landmine Survivors in Colombia

What change do you want to bring to the world?

The project seeks reduce the poverty and exclusion of landmine and UXO victims displaced in Bogota by building on the success of a socio-economic inclusion project implemented in Bogota in 2010-2011 by the CCCM. Specifically, it will strengthen victim Self-Employment Projects already underway through monitoring, and the provision of additional training or resources to support or expand the current SEP. In addition, workshops will be held in beneficiaries´ communities in order to develop awareness of victims’ rights and needs and create favorable market conditions at the community level. Finally, the project results will be disseminated to municipal governments as a model of how victims can be integrated into the community and contribute to its development.

What are the primary activities of your project?

This project will strengthen victim Self-Employment Projects (SEP) already underway through 1) monitoring and the provision of additional training or resources to support or expand the current SEP 2) providing community workshops which create favorable market conditions and 3) disseminating the results of the project. The project seeks to promote the socio-economic inclusion of persons with a disability caused by victim-activated explosives through a strategy which first strengthens the beneficiary as a person, second enhances their capacity to contribute to the development of the community to which they belong while creating favorable attitudes and social space for this project to be implemented.
The original socioeconomic integration project implemented in Bogota in 2010-22 supported the beneficiaries in developing and implementing a self-employment project. This process began with an assessment of the suitability of the beneficiary for receiving start-up capital and the economically viable possibilities for productive projects in the community. A productive project suiting the context and the selected survivor´s capabilities and preferences was developed and a vocational training program designed to meet the needs of each survivor and his/her family was implemented. Finally, seed capital was provided to beneficiaries who were assessed to meet the grant criteria. Beneficiaries were then accompanied and monitored in the implementation of their self-employment project.

Activity 1: To strengthen the SEPs developed during the Bogota project monitoring visits will be conducted. In consultation with the beneficiaries, additional training or resources may be provided where needed in order to support successful projects.

Activity 2: In addition, workshops will be held in beneficiaries´ communities in order to develop awareness of victims’ rights and needs and create favorable market conditions at the community level. Finally, the project results will be disseminated to municipal governments as a model of how victims can be integrated into the community and contribute to its development.

Activity 3: The results of the project will be diffused to municipal governments as an example of how landmine and UXO victims can be integrated into the community both socially and economically and make a valuable contribution to community development.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

Landmine and UXO victims are vulnerable in a uniquely multi-faceted way; they are frequently disabled, they are the victims of violence, they are economically disenfranchised and they are often displaced. The initiative addresses a broad spectrum of vulnerabilities which converge around this particular group of individuals. Our results are unique in that they produce value-added community development in the process of supporting victims. Victims contribute to socio-economic community development and serve as positive examples for others.

In terms of the project´s approach, research on socio-economic integration and disability has identified two types of employment barriers: ´internal’ barriers, such as lack of business skills or formal education and ‘external’ barriers, such as inadequate financial product design or attitudinal barriers. This implies a strategy which empowers people with disabilities while also working with stakeholders to address external barriers. Frequently, external barriers are only addressed in terms of accessing capital. However, in order for the self-employment project to succeed, SEPs also need access to markets, which entails social integration at the community level. This project is innovative in that it addresses a significant external barrier to employment for landmine victims by creating more favorable market conditions by raising awareness about disability rights and the needs of landmine survivors.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

The project will directly benefit a vulnerable population of individuals displaced and/or affected by landmines and UXO who live in Bogota. The majority of the target population belongs to socio-economic levels 0, 1 and 2, have a low level of formal education, difficulties accessing basic services and face barriers to mobility. Based on the activities planned, the beneficiaries would be 47 direct and indirect victims of explosive artifacts who participated in and received support from the socio-economic inclusion project developed by the Secretariat of Economic Development of the Capital District during the years 2010-2011.

Landmine victims have repeatedly affirmed that a main priority is earning a living and taking care of their families. The concern is unsurprising given the strong correlation between disability and poverty; globally about 82 percent of people with a disability live below the poverty line. Poverty causes disability since the poor lack resources to access nutrition and health services. Poverty is a consequence of disability as these individuals lack access to education, health services and income-generating activities, factors which create vulnerability and exclusion. (http://www.handicap-international.org/uploads/media/goodpractices-GB-2co...)

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

The Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines (Campaña Colombiana Contra Minas, CCCM) was founded in May 1997 as a voluntary, independent, civilian initiative seeking the implementation of the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty in Colombia. In 2000, the CCCM became a non-governmental organization (NGO) and since then, it has made strategic alliances with different organizations at local, national and international levels.The CCCM began their activities in Bogotá in 1997 with the objective of pressuring Colombia´s government to ratify the Ottawa Convention. In 2000 the CCCM expanded its work through the regions that were affected by landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs). Nowadays the CCCM has an operational network of coordinators working in 22 of the 31 departments affected by landmines and UXOs.

The CCCM believes in facing up to the challenge of banning landmines and works under the spirit of the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and promotes their destruction. Since 1998 the CCCM has been a member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), a global network of organizations that has been working to ban landmines since 1991 and that won the Nobel Peace prize in 1997.

Social Impact

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Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

In 2009, an external evaluation of the 50 projects was conducted with the aim of measuring the impact of the projects on the beneficiaries and identifying lessons learned to apply to the new productive projects to be implemented.
The evaluation affirmed the validity of our holistic and comprehensive approach; the projects which involved families were more sustainable and much more successful in terms of generating income and improving the quality of life for survivors and their families. It also revealed impressive socio-economic results: 78% of the participants in the projects evaluated stated that the project improved their living conditions; 72% stated their quality of life was improved because they had healed, at least partially in terms of their capacities and their higher self-esteem caused by feeling like a useful member of the community. In addition, the study concluded that 78% of the beneficiaries were involved in community activities in the last two years.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

Fewer than 100

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

101- 1,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

Contingent on funding, we are seeking to strengthen socio-economic integration programs, such as the one conducted in Bogota, by expanding them to meet the needs of an increasing number of landmine and UXO victims. This expansion strategy includes victims who are excellent candidates for the program but there is insufficient funding available to provide them with the start-up capital they need. In addition, there are victims which are isolated in remote areas which have been excluded from the project due to prohibitive transportation costs. Finally there are victims who require more psycho-social and physical rehabilitation or more skills development in order to build the capacities necessary to implement a successful SEP.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Barriers which might hinder the success of the project include the possibility that the participants are not willing to participate in the project or that they no longer reside in Bogota. The CCCM has ten years of experience working on the ground in Colombia with victims and always approaches interactions with victims in a participatory manner that respects their human rights. In the past when eligible beneficiaries do not wish to participate in the program those resources are allocated to another individual who meets the criteria. If the individual have moved, the Secretariat of Economic Development is notified so that they can monitor the situation.

Tell us about your partnerships

The Colombian Campaign to Ban Landmines works with local, national and international governments as Colombia´s national representative in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines for the last ten years. The CCCM also participates in victim-assistance committees across the country, comprised of all the major actors working in this field. It has a long history of productive working relationships with all of the major national and international NGOs working on victim-assistance in Colombia.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$100,000‐250,000

Explain your selections

In 2010-2011 a project of socio-economic inclusion for the victims of AP mines, UXO and other ERW supported by the City of Bogota. This project developed three types of intervention: education, human rights and entrepreneurship. The project supported 120 people, including survivors and their families, who received training, participated in leadership and entrepreneurship activities. At the end of the project, 47 people received the support of private companies and individuals to implement their productive projects or start their new labor.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Underemployment

SECONDARY

Lack of skills/training

TERTIARY

Lack of efficiency

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

By raising support for the beneficiary at the community level it creates favorable market conditions within which to implement socio-economic integration and an increased probability of sustainability. The program provides skills and specific vocational training to beneficiaries within a program that has been designed to suit their context, capabilities and preferences, and with their participation, increasing their commitment to the project. Finally the program addresses a lack of efficiency by taking a holistic approach that ensures beneficiaries selected to receive grants have the sufficient family and community support, and have the entrepreneurial and vocational skills necessary to make the project successful.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

Contingent on funding, the specific project which we are seeking to strengthen, conducted in Bogota, we hope to expand the program in terms of meeting the needs of an increased number of landmine and UXO victims. The need includes victims who are excellent candidates for the program but there is insufficient funding available to provide them with the start-up capital they need. In addition, there are victims which are isolated in remote areas which have been excluded from the project due to prohibitive transportation costs.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Government, Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

We collaborate with government to increase efficiency and coordination by informing both governments and victims of the government national and international legal obligations to victims in terms of provision of health services, financial aid, and legal rights. CCCM employees are members of the major victim-assistance committees, which permits us to collaborate with other NGOs supporting victims to meet their needs in a more comprehensive and coordinated way. We cooperate with technology providers, to increase information sharing among victim-assistance actors on victims´ locations, treatment history, contact information and other relevant data.

Fostering Entrepreneurship Amongst People with Disabilities in Pakistan

Created on 06/13/2011 by jeremy.higgs

We seek to create opportunities for people with disabilities to earn an income with dignity and equal opportunities as their peers.

NOWPDP will increase the access of people with disabilities to opportunities for employment. This will be done through:
- establish partnerships to provide relevant vocational and business training for people with disabilities
- incubate small businesses founded by people with disabilities

In turn, they will create employment opportunities for people with and without disabilities.

About You

Organization: Network of Organizations Working for People with Disabilities, Pakistan (NOWPDP) Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Jeremy

Last Name

Higgs

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Network of Organizations Working for People with Disabilities, Pakistan (NOWPDP)

Organization Website

Organization Country

Pakistan, S

Country where this project is creating social impact

Pakistan, S

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

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Innovation

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Entry Form title

Fostering Entrepreneurship Amongst People with Disabilities in Pakistan

What change do you want to bring to the world?

We seek to create opportunities for people with disabilities to earn an income with dignity and equal opportunities as their peers.

NOWPDP will increase the access of people with disabilities to opportunities for employment. This will be done through:
- establish partnerships to provide relevant vocational and business training for people with disabilities
- incubate small businesses founded by people with disabilities

In turn, they will create employment opportunities for people with and without disabilities.

What are the primary activities of your project?

NOWPDP will implement the following activities to achieve the aim:
- Engage families of people with disabilities through support groups, in order to ensure their support.
- Establish an entrepreneurship and vocational training programme for people with disabilities
- Provide seed capital to establish small businesses
- Create networks and support to selected graduates of the vocational training programme

The result of these activities would be a group of skilled people with disabilities running small businesses that serve a market need. This would result in:
- Greater appreciation by families of the ability of a person with a disability to contribute to their family earnings
- Greater awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities, through interaction in a business environment
- Businesses serving market need
- Financial independence for people with disabilities
- Increased employment of people with disabilities in these businesses

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

Two factors are important to consider:
- Despite the existence of a 2% quota, the employment of people with disabilities in Pakistan is difficult. A lack of skills, education and available jobs has resulted in the vast majority of people with disabilities remaining unemployed. NOWPDP has been running its job placement programme since January 2009, through which over 150 people with disabilities have been placed in jobs.
- In Pakistan, many special education schools and non-profit organisations run vocational training programmes aimed at providing skills to people with disabilities. Typically, students do not proceed on to employment or businesses, due to the structure of the training programmes, and a lack of employers looking for such skills.

Building on this, NOWPDP is innovating by developing not only marketable skills amongst students enrolling in the training institute, but working with students to incubate small businesses. The result will be skilled people with disabilities who are running businesses and employing other people with disabilities and able-bodied candidates.

What stage is your project in?

Idea phase

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

People with disabilities make up an estimated 15% of the world's population (according the WHO report published on 9th June 2011) - a number expected to increase as the population ages. In Pakistan, where 63% of the population is under 25 (UNDP), the presence of high unemployment and high levels of disability creates a situation where people with disabilities lack access to education, employment, and hence enter a downwards spiral into poverty.

Through NOWPDP's job placement programme, we interact with vocational training centres and special education schools across Karachi to place their graduates in jobs. Graduates, based on their educational qualifications, have different expectations for their job placements, yet aspire to work in jobs giving them dignity and an income for their family. Building on these links, NOWPDP will partner with schools and training institutes to provide an additional level of targeted training to their graduates, preparing them for running a business.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

This project emerged over time as a result of our interactions with schools, employers and people with disabilities - we had noticed the difficult in providing employment opportunities for people with disabilities with lesser education or vocational training, and knew there was some way to empower them to provide for their own livelihoods.

In placing over 150 people with disabilities into different organisations and struggling to find organisations willing to hire, we have discovered that while we can find employment opportunities for this community, a method that can scale much further is the creation of employment opportunities through small business.

An initial idea has grown into a series of planning sessions and market research activities involving the full NOWPDP team (8 staff) and volunteers, drawing on their diverse experience across the country.

Social Impact

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Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

NOWPDP utilised the Logical Framework Approach to project planning, and has defined the following measures of success at different levels

Goal: PWDs able to make financial contribution to families
- PWDs report an increase in appreciation as a contributor to family finances
- Families have an increased appreciation of the PWDs' ability to contribute financially
- Change in % of family income contributed by PWD

Purpose: PWDs are able to generate income through self-employment
- PWDs have measurable increase in earned income 6 months after the completion of training
- Number of businesses profitable after the completion of training
- % of businesses profitable after the completion of training

Results:
Families actively support PWDs in pursuing business and employment opportunities
- Number of trainees that drop out of the programme
- % of trainees that drop out of the programme

PWDs have the skills to operate a business
- % of trainees meeting criteria for capital
- Average of results in business skills courses

PWDs have the vocational skills to address market needs
- Number of units produced per trainee
- Quality level of units produced per trainee
- % of units produced sold
- Number of units produced sold

How many people have been impacted by your project?

Fewer than 100

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

101- 1,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

After the initial setup, NOWPDP plans the following in the coming three years:
- Initially: training of batches of 20 every 6 months, with 5 businesses being established from each group.
- Expansion of the programme to accommodate more trainees
- Expansion into more diverse vocations/trades, based on the market need

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Lack of family support for sons/daughters participating in the programme. Overcome through:
- family support groups providing updates to the community on the progress of the participants
- stipend to the participants while in the training programme, to ease the financial burden on families

Quality of produce from participants does not meet market expectations. Overcome through:
- Sourcing graduates from established institutions, already familiar with vocations/trades, and used to working.
- Partner with existing vocational training institutes to provide robust and effective curricula to participants, ensuring the quality of teaching and produce

Failure of incubated businesses. Overcome through:
- Establishing networks and stakeholders along the value chain, sensitised to disability and working with the incubated businesses
- Continued monitoring and support in the initial stages of the business formation
- Rigorous training of participants in business and vocational skills

Tell us about your partnerships

As a network, partnerships are crucial to the success of any project of NOWPDP. Partnerships will be established with the following stakeholders:
- Communities/Families of people with disabilities: through support groups, the families of people with disabilities will be engaged for their support of the project
- Value chain stakeholders: material suppliers, distributors and retailers will be engaged to provide a network of supportive stakeholders that aid in the success of the incubated businesses
- Special education schools/vocational training institutes: institutes (both government- and privately-owned) will be engaged to provide a pathway for their graduates towards employment and independence through the training and entrepreneurship programme

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

Less than $1,000

Explain your selections

No funding currently.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

From the initial phase, the project will secure the following sources of funding to allow for organic growth and expansion, gradually increasing its impact:
- Sale of produce from the vocational training sessions
- Profit-sharing with incubated businesses

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Underemployment

SECONDARY

Lack of skills/training

TERTIARY

Lack of visibility and investment

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

This project addresses the lack of employment opportunities and relevant skills amongst people with disabilities in the following manner:
- gain skills relevant to the market
- gain business training, a support network and capital to establish their own businesses

The result of this will be increased skills and employment of people with disabilities. Indirectly, these incubated businesses will hire other people (with and without disabilities), creating more job opportunities.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

SECONDARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

TERTIARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

The initial pilot will complement existing services provided by NOWPDP to the disability community. Beyond this, the project will be scaled across the country through partnerships and the spread of BCPs.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Government, NGOs/Nonprofits.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Partnerships are a key to the success of this project, by avoiding the replication of efforts. Institutes run by both non-profits and the government will be leveraged for their graduates, who will enter the training and incubation programme. Without the basic skills and education provided by these institutes, the project would not be able to achieve its aims.

The serious disabled people with low education on E-commerce.

Created on 06/13/2011 by canyou co

Taking advantage of the brand new work mode brought by internet and e-commerce to realized full employment for the group, low-educated and bedridden disabled persons, who are the most difficult to be employed for the first time.

About You

Organization: Shenzhen Zheng Weining Charity Foundation Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Jingwen

Last Name

Liu

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Shenzhen Zheng Weining Charity Foundation

Organization Website

Organization Country

China, 18

Country where this project is creating social impact

China

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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The serious disabled people with low education on E-commerce.

What change do you want to bring to the world?

Taking advantage of the brand new work mode brought by internet and e-commerce to realized full employment for the group, low-educated and bedridden disabled persons, who are the most difficult to be employed for the first time.

What are the primary activities of your project?

providing the low-educated and bedridden disabled persons with business practice training in real-life situations, forming professional agent teams of disabled persons, helping traditional manufacturers sell their products directly through internet, including providing network selling companies with customer services and product sales agency services.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

Due to work boredom and low salary, the indispensable positions of agent and customer service in the field of e-commerce are unable to attract the able-bodied. So a serious gap between supply and demand exists in the positions. The low-educated and bedridden disabled persons not only are competent at the jobs, but also their demand for social exchanges is satisfied.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Currently, there are 83 million disabled persons in mainland China, of which nearly 60 million are with secondary or low education. For quite a long time, they are unable to share the fruit of social development. E-commerce industry is developing rapidly in mainland China, providing many young people with work opportunities. The industry is very suitable for low-educated and bed-ridden disabled persons.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Liu Jingwen was a journalist and became a volunteer to help the disabled. The bedridden disabled persons are very lonely and the only way to drive off loneliness for them is online chat. He thought that if chat is a kind of job, the job must be suitable for them. Later, Jiu Jingwen met Zhang Weijiang, an e-commerce expert. They found that sales agency and customer service of e-commerce, which are mainly based on online communications with customers, are particularly suitable jobs for the bedridden disabled persons.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

(1) Having obtained the support of e-commerce experts (2 persons)
(2) Support of online operators of Taobao and others
(3) Government support for the cause of the disabled (free rent)
(4) Support of high-quality suppliers
(5) Support of disabled employees, one of the hallmarks of the success of the project is: balance between income and expenditure, and the realization of employment of a large number of disabled persons (over 50).

How many people have been impacted by your project?

Fewer than 100

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

1,001-10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

Forming the sales agent team of 1000 disabled persons, over 2000 enterprises in sales agency cooperation, more than RMB 20 million of monthly sales, and entering the fields of offline sales and sales agent training.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

The factor hindering success should be the difficulty of team building. Because of the disjointment of some extent between the disabled and the society, and the gaps in state of mind, emotion control and work ability, the building of a matching team culture takes time to explore and practice. Method to overcome the factor: borrowing the years of experience in team management of the disabled from Zheng Weining Charity Foundation and exploring a suitable team culture for low-educated and bedridden disabled persons.

Tell us about your partnerships

Network platform operators, such as Taobao.com, currently provide sales guidance and advertising etc. Production companies, such as Jiqiang Company, provide us with cost-effective products and government organizations provide us with operating venues.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$10,001‐50,000

Explain your selections

Shenzhen Zheng Weining Charity Fundation provides the initial capital and the advertising to the project; Shenzhen government provides the free working place; and the experts in E-commerce provide the free training program.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

1. Team culture building is the most important, creating a happy atmosphere of work and life;
2. Giving full play to the support of operating platforms for charity to become bigger and stronger;
3. Taking advantage of the support of various social groups, especially the support of enterprises for charity, to sift better-quality products.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Restricted access to new markets

SECONDARY

Lack of visibility and investment

TERTIARY

Lack of access to information and networks

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Integrating the resources of business and charity and exploring a suitable team culture for low-educated and bedridden disabled persons.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

1. Establishing sales agency team and building the brand of online sales agent shop.
2. Participating in industry exhibitions, expanding the horizons of disabled employees and actively contact with industry counterparts;
3. Building a online charity mall on Taobao

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Shenzhen Municipal Government provides 2-year support of venues for incubating, Professor Yang Tuan at Chinese Academy of Social Science is very concerned about the participation of the disabled in e-commerce, Profitable enterprises of Alibaba and Taobao provide support for online shop and Shenzhen organizations of social workers and volunteers provide services to the disabled.

为重度身障者提供更多的公益岗位和网络就业机会

Created on 06/12/2011 by SPINACHINA

通过发展公益岗位和网络就业机会，拓展新兴的社会和网络就业方式，使更多的重度身障者能够提升创业和就业技能，保持和加强商业竞争力，改善目前中国最弱势群体的生存状态，
通过重度身障者自身的努力，鼓励和促进更多的残障人士树立生活的信心和积极的生活态度，加强相互之间的交流与互助，共同面对和解决困难。
通过拓展和培养重度身障者的优势能力，社会更好的认知和接纳他们，提高这一弱势群体的社会地位和生群体能力。

About You

Organization: 脊椎中国 Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Hongwei

Last Name

Sun

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

脊椎中国

Organization Website

Organization Country

China, 21

Country where this project is creating social impact

China, 21

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

No

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

为重度身障者提供更多的公益岗位和网络就业机会

What change do you want to bring to the world?

通过发展公益岗位和网络就业机会，拓展新兴的社会和网络就业方式，使更多的重度身障者能够提升创业和就业技能，保持和加强商业竞争力，改善目前中国最弱势群体的生存状态，
通过重度身障者自身的努力，鼓励和促进更多的残障人士树立生活的信心和积极的生活态度，加强相互之间的交流与互助，共同面对和解决困难。
通过拓展和培养重度身障者的优势能力，社会更好的认知和接纳他们，提高这一弱势群体的社会地位和生群体能力。

What are the primary activities of your project?

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).
1 残障大学生公益倡导与工作推荐，
内容：与大学的学生会合作，吸引更多的在校大学生，特别是残障大学生在学校期间参与残障人公益岗位和网络就业方面的志愿服务，通过这种方式来为重残者寻找技能培训资源，同时丰富残障大学生在校园期间的生活，并更多的参与公益活动。
同时与中国国内为残障人士提供职位的大公司和外资公司合作，结合残障大学生的个人情况，提前找到能力差距和技能不足的部分，为残障大学生找到努力方向，促进残障大学生找到最适合的工作岗位。

2 重度身障者青年领袖培养
内容：从重度身障者中找到具有公益理念的成员，根据每个人的自身特点，进行组织，策划，沟通，协作等能力方面的培养，并在实际公益项目中培养实际操作能力，为其他重度身障者提供帮助和支持。
同时与其他愿意为重度身障者提供公益岗位的NGO联系，为他们提供更多的公益岗位就业机会。

3 重度身障者心理，能力，就业技能培训平台
内容：这一平台架构在网络基础之上，能够让更多的人更方便参与，培训人员和被培训人员都来自重度身障者，通过定期的交流，培训，职业交流等节目，首先是更多的相互交流和了解，扩大生活和朋友圈，改善心态并互相激励，其次为他们提供更多可选择性的能力培训，网络生存技能培训以及公益理念传导。

4 重度残障者网络就业公益产品平台，
内容：对重度身体障者的个人网店提供各方面的支持，但是这种支持更多的会注重与商业运作模式的结合，从为社会提供优质的产品和服务为出发点，从技术，产品，营销方法，服务意识，诚信构筑，运输流通等制约重度身障者网店的关键因素提供支持和解决方案，让更多的重度身障者自营的网店能够在激烈的市场竞争中脱颖而出。
同时与一些商业公司和企业建立了密切的联系与交流，为重度身障者的网店提供优质品牌产品方面的直供支持，增强产品的竞争力和利润空间，部分公司承诺对于公益平台所销售产品，再按销售收入的比例进行再次小额捐赠，支持平台的发展。
每个个人网店同时提供两到三个重度身障者兼职营销岗位，部分商品销售实现后将从收入中同时以网店经营者和商品购买者的名义进行小额捐赠，用于兼职营销岗位和支持岗位的收入。整个过程将提供商品供应的商业组织，经营网店的重度身障者，购买产品的消费者，兼职营销的重度身障者，以公益和商业的双重角度关联到一起。

5 褥疮基金
内容：重度身障者是患褥疮的高风险人群，许多人本身就已经有重度的褥疮，对工作和生活都造成了极大的影响，甚至对生命造成威胁，为了对重度身障者提供必须的医疗救助，改善他们的身体状况，避免网络工作对他们带来的损害，我们在残疾人福利基金会发起并设立了褥疮专项救助基金，立足于预防，并兼顾紧急救助，从身体方面保证重度残障人群可以正常工作，并养成良好的生活和工作习惯，降低褥疮给他们带来的伤害和风险。

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

1 完整性，
整个项目涉及到医疗救助，能力培养，心理干预，公益岗位提供，就业平台支持等多个角度，从改变心态，增强自身的素质和优化知识结构，社会和商业扶持等多个环节。
2 循环性
褥疮基金，提供工作身体保障；残障大学生公益倡导与工作推荐，储备更多公益资源；重度身障者青年领袖培养，培养出具有带动和领袖作用的人才；重度身障者心理，能力，就业技能培训平台，为提高竞争力打下基础；重度残障者网络就业公益产品平台，通过商业的支持，社会多方面的参与，达到对重度身障者的实质性支持。

3 自组织和自推动性
从整个社会循环角度，增强残障人自我推动和自我参与的程度，领军式人物的培养和公益岗位的开发，能够更好的了解和接近这一人群的真正需求，在创造更多公益就业岗位的同时，更有效的促进其他就业领域的拓展。
5 商业结合性
更多的从满足市场需求和结合重度身障者自身情况入手，发掘网络工作的热点，给重度残疾人创业提供极具市场竞争力的产品，从提高市场竞争力角度对重度身障者进行支持。

6 社会各个层面的参与度广
在整个项目中，涉及到大学校园，公益组织，政府机构，普通民众，商业机构，也是商业和公益的紧密结合，重度身障者，市场购买者，产品提供者，都以自己特有的方式参与其中。

What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).
通过发展公益岗位和网络就业机会，拓展新兴的社会和网络就业方式，使更多的重度身障者能够提升创业和就业技能，保持和加强商业竞争力，改善目前中国最弱势群体的生存状态，

通过重度身障者自身的努力，鼓励和促进更多的残障人士树立生活的信心和积极的生活态度，加强相互之间的交流与互助，共同面对和解决困难。

通过更多的拓展和培养重度身障者的优势能力，社会更好的认知和接纳他们，提高这一弱势群体的社会地位和生群体能力。

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

中国有六千多万残疾人，重度的残障者的基数大。他们需要社会的关心与帮助，社会应该向他们伸出人道与博爱之手，社会对他们的态度也是社会文明程度的重要标志。由于历史原因和客观条件的影响,重度残疾人的生活水平明显低于全社会平均水平,重度残疾人一直是最困难、最无奈、最值得同情、最需要关爱的特殊群体。部分重度残疾人没有工作，生活圈子小，生活上得不到保障，这些社会弱势群体行动不便，生活艰辛，非常需要得到必要的保护和救助，同时也成了家庭的重大负担。重度 残疾人问题的解决已成为日益突出、必须高度重视的基本民生问题和重要的社会问题,也成为增强我们开展这项工作的紧迫感和责任感内在动力。

无法外出工作的重度身障者担负起更多预防，医疗救助，成人生存改善的任务，在这个过程中，他们增强了自身的组织，交流，策划等方方面面的能力，服务于更多的儿童，家庭和成人，更具意义的是，引导和改变着更多成人患者的心态，潜移默化中弘扬了善和公益的力量，促进社会力量和资源的投入，自我救赎是标，社会公益是本，良性自我循环所带来的社会意义，以及现在和未来能够节省的社会成本是无法衡量的。

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).
以我们目前已经组建的一个团队来计算，他们全部由重度身障者组成，他们以网络为平台，结合自己的亲身经历，收集医疗资料和信息，开发网络生存方式，倡导社会公益理念，从身边的小事做起，在锻炼和提升自己能力的同时，帮助贫困家庭的孩子及早接受治疗，给无所适从的新生儿家庭提供信息，汇聚重度身障者自身力量来自我推动。
虽然目前只有10人的规模，他们每星期做三次节目，每次时间120分钟，内容涉及能力建设，工作机会，医疗保健，以每天晚上比较保守的200个残障者参与计算，每年我们将有28800人次的心理疏导，能力培训，和工作交流。
脊椎中国支持重度身障者的公益产品平台已经在运作，以目前我们支持的十几家家重度残障人的公益网店计算，以每家店保守的每天600次点击，可以全年获得2190000次访问，每个重度身障者的个人网店又可以提供三个网络营销岗位给其他重度残障人，每次销售的实现可以从购买者和产品提供商那里获得一定的公益捐赠，在获得一定积累后，又可以支持更多的重度身障者开始自己的网络工作，提供更多的岗位和机会。
以我们目前支持的残疾大学生的工作就业来说，目前我们可以每年为他们提供近100个进入大公司和著名国际公司的就业机会，同时他们每个人又可以为重度身障者提供近200个小时的志愿服务。

How many people have been impacted by your project?

1,001- 10,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

预计在未来的三年内，项目范围将逐步扩大，进入救助平台的重度身障者将逐步增多，而同时我们也将更多的开辟渠道与途径，提供更多的公益岗位和创新的就业方式，
1 在全国各个主要城市设立支持机构，推广项目经验，扩展项目支持人群。
2 稳定的商业结合模式，形成更大规模的商品供应链，以及功能更强大的支持中心。
3 更多的企业和机构愿意接纳并为重度身障者提供工作岗位和机会。
4 为更多的重度身障者进入其他领域打下基础。

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters)

1 找到更多长效和结合点的工作形式，创造就业岗位

目前网络就业开发和公益岗位创造还处于一个很初级的阶段，需要我们更进一步去探索和寻找更多好的方式，好的帮扶手段，能够更大范围和更有效的解决重度身障者的工作问题。
解决这个问题，需要我们有更好的创新性的思维，更好的市场热点把握，另外我们将更多的从重度身障者群体自身的意见和建议中，汲取更多的灵感，汇集更多人的智慧来更多的探寻方式方法。

2 各个关键环节的衔接
重度残障者的项目很复杂，要解决的关键环节有很多，而一个关键环节的缺失或失效都将使之前的努力大大折扣，保障各个环节都能够相互配合，互相推进，将是我们首要考虑的问题。
我们会从各个环节工作人员的配合，整个工作更为标准化的流程设计等方面来解决这样一个问题。

3 项目稳定运行资金的保障
目前整个项目以一个最低的水平在保障运行着，所有的工作人员没有任何的报酬或收入，所得到的少许资金支持也全部用于项目的执行和重度身障者紧急情况下的医疗援助，没有任何一笔管理费用或办公费用的支出，必要的支出还是靠个人出资来维系，这并不是一个好的循环方式，这种状态的长期存在将威胁甚至终止整个项目的生命。
我们目前在积极与各方进行沟通和交流，期待着稳定的资金来源，使得我们的项目能够更稳定，更长期有效的开展，这次参加changermaker，也给了我们一个展示我们项目的机会，期待着能够获得来自你们的大力支持。

Tell us about your partnerships

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters)
目前和成都市残疾人福利基金会，NPI，英国儿童救助会，中国青少年发展基金会，北京一加一，国际脊柱裂联盟，青少年发展空间，成都残疾人就业培训中心保持着密切的联系与项目合作意向。

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$10,001‐50,000

Explain your selections

在项目运作的前期，主要是个人出资来进行网络平台的建设，维护，帮扶人群的聚集，以及项目的对外宣传和拓展，之后参加非政府组织的一些公开的评选项目，获得了一部分的项目运作资金，并开展了一系列的项目活动，另外我们和儿慈会等基金会合作，通过网络募集的方式，汇聚了一些救助资金，目前已经在成都市残疾人福利基金会下设立了一个褥疮基金，同时我们与年年新等商业企业达成合作，他们在支持网络创业的同时，会根据销售额再进行一定百分比的捐赠，来进一步用于重度身障者的网络就业。

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

进一步加大与各个组织的合作，获取更多的资源和渠道，保证稳定的项目资金来源，将项目更好的整合，

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Need for regulatory/policy support

SECONDARY

Lack of skills/training

TERTIARY

Lack of efficiency

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

1 通过更多的影响社会的理念，通过各种渠道促进公共政策的倾斜，保障重度身障者的劳动和工作权益。
2 加强重度身障者自身的能力建设，更多的寻找社会资源，保障他们的需求。
3 通过良性循环的方式，使得成本的投入更具有积累性，并且达到相互促进的目标。

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

SECONDARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

TERTIARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

建设和拓展由残障大学生，高科技人员组成的志愿者队伍。
对外拓展，获取更多的支持，保障重度残障青年领袖计划的实施，
开展褥疮专项基金的募集活动。
建立网络培训标准体系和流程，
培养更多合格的重度身障者项目执行者。
为项目顺利运行募集稳定资金来源。

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

1 政府 在成都市残疾人福利基金会下设立了一个救助重度身障者的专项基金。
2 与残联等政府机构沟通，期望能够在政府购买等方面获得支持。
3 与成都市残疾人就业培训中心合作，在重度身障者的能力培训和就业信息方面进行合作。
4 与比利时Rsscan足底压力系统研究机构合作，为患者提供生物力学测量方面的技术支持，
5 与年年新，金佰利公司，爱思康等企业合作，直接提更具竞争力和利润空间的产品，保障公益产品平台的运行。
6 与四川地区的高效学生会合作，保障残障大学生志愿者项目的执行。

v-shesh: Creating positive employment opportunities for jobseekers with disabilities

Created on 06/12/2011 by v-shesh

We seek a world where people with disabilities (PwD) can reach their full potential in work and in life by finding meaningful employment.

Many of India's 70 million PwD are socially isolated and economically marginalized. Most working-age PwD are dependent on their families; those few who have jobs are often underemployed at low wages.

About You

Organization: v-shesh Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

P.

Last Name

Rajasekharan

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

v-shesh

Organization Website

Organization Country

India, TN

Country where this project is creating social impact

India

Is your organization a

For‐profit

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

v-shesh: Creating positive employment opportunities for jobseekers with disabilities

What change do you want to bring to the world?

We seek a world where people with disabilities (PwD) can reach their full potential in work and in life by finding meaningful employment.

Many of India's 70 million PwD are socially isolated and economically marginalized. Most working-age PwD are dependent on their families; those few who have jobs are often underemployed at low wages.

v-shesh is a for-profit business that increases employment and quality of life for PwD in India by offering affordable vocational education, job placement and counseling services for jobseekers and corporations, and a suite of programs that reduce disability prejudice and help families, colleagues, and communities engage with PwD as equals. Over the next three years, we plan to impact at least ten thousand PwD who can create the world we envision.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Our project’s primary activities mitigate the labor market failure that restricts employment opportunities for PwD in India.

On the market’s supply side, many PwD lack marketable skills, have low self-esteem, and have accepted mediocrity in their work lives. v-shesh addresses this supply gap by recruiting, screening, and counseling disabled jobseekers to gauge their interests and aptitude. v-shesh then conducts the Employability Quotient Improvement Program (EQUIP), a short-tenure, industry-endorsed training that equips students with market-demanded skills, empowering them to compete as equals with the non-disabled.

On the demand side, many employers do not hire qualified PwD because they fail to recognize the value PwD could add to their organizations. v-shesh addresses this demand gap by offering workshops that help employers recognize the potential value of PwD hires. v-shesh then helps companies hire PwD by (1) customizing v-shesh’s EQUIP training to match individual employer needs; (2) matching PwD with jobs that fit their interests and qualifications; (3) suggesting minor workplace accommodations for PwD; (4) organizing workplace activities that create disability-friendly work environments; and (5) providing continuous post-placement support.

v-shesh’s project improves life for PwD beyond the workplace through counseling sessions for families of PwD students and candidates; sign language trainings for the local community; regular v-shesh alumni meetings; movie-screenings (pending); presentations by guest speakers on disability issues; and sporting events.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

Most initiatives in the field of disability are charity-based. Such interventions, however well-meaning, further reinforce societal prejudices about disability and the disabled. v-shesh treats PwD as customers, not beneficiaries. By charging our disabled students an affordable fee, we encourage them to demand a high-quality service, and we give them the dignity of being treated as valued customers. We also integrate PwD into our broader vocational training program (we have graduated over 1,000 students in total over the past twelve months) so disabled clients do not feel stigmatized as “the other.”

v-shesh’s for-profit, market-based initiative is innovative in the disability field because its impact and potential to scale are not dependent on grants or subsidies. Sustainability is ensured by charging students $100, a fraction of tuition at most vocational training programs, with 50% payable only after placement. Employers pay v-shesh market-rate commercial fees for candidate referral and placement. At these rates, each v-shesh center can operate profitably with 40 trainees per center per month.

v-shesh’s initiative is also innovative because of its holistic approach: it extends beyond vocational training and employment services to improve the personal, family, and community lives of our customers through the aforementioned project activities involving alumni, family members, and community members. Through this holistic approach, v-shesh aims to create a society that fully includes and values people with disabilities.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

At about 7% of India’s population, PwD constitute a significant minority, but they continue to remain in the outer periphery of public policy and social action. Many social and physical barriers create a deep sense of exclusion, dependency, and low self-esteem amongst PwD. The situation is worst in rural areas where there is negligible awareness about disability and almost non-existent education infrastructure. The situation is only slightly better in cities.

More than 95% of working-age PwD are sub-optimally employed, producing and earning less than what they are capable of because society is unable to see the person behind the disability and the skill behind the impairment. Despite the 3% reservation for PwD in the public sector, only 0.54% of public sector employees are PwD. Even in the private sector, there has been more talk than action, with PwD constituting just 0.29% of all employees.

Though we work with candidates across disabilities, our engagement with the deaf is the foundation of our work. There are almost ten million deaf in India with education penetration of only ~5% and employment penetration of 1%. India has only eight colleges for the deaf, which produce less than 300 graduates every year. Many deaf stop schooling after high school and many others drop-out before high school (no credible statistics on the education status of the deaf are available). Society is not very tolerant of deaf culture: very few parents or peers of the deaf know sign language, which further isolates the deaf.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

P. Rajasekharan (“Raja”) and Shashaank Awasthi met in business school seventeen years ago; Ramanathan joined them to co-found v-shesh in April 2009. The founders spoke about the growing divide between urban and rural youth, and sought to build a social enterprise to bridge the divide caused by the “ovarian lottery.”

The organization’s name and motto (“Opportunity to Ambition”) were chosen to represent how it identifies with the community: v-shesh reaches out to the ‘shesh,’ which means un-served or underserved women and youth. v-shesh was incorporated as a for-profit company to build a sustainable and scalable business model. The company started by placing low-income, first-time jobseekers in microfinance institutions and gradually progressed to its current engagement with the disabled.

Raja became fully convinced that the disabled can compete in the workplace when he learned that Karuna, a counterpart in a partner organisation whom he had interacted with for three months but had never met face-to-face, was blind. She worked remotely using a machine adapted for the vision-impaired, and was very competent in her work. This experience motivated Raja to focus on the disabled.

Social Impact

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Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

1. Number of jobseekers connected to employment: Approximately 1,000 since v-shesh’s inception and over 100 PwD since Sept 2010

2. First deaf training centre inaugurated in Chennai, Tamilnadu on Dec 2010 has achieved:
•250 deaf candidates counselled;
•70 deaf candidates trained;
•45 deaf placed in jobs with another 20+ in various stages of interviews;
•Rs. 7500 (approximately $170) per month average increase in income of candidates compared to employment prior to v-shesh;
•14 corporate clients signed on as employer-partners through v-shesh outreach;
•v-shesh training accredited by clients across sectors IT/ITES/ Retail / Hospitality / BPO
•15 individuals trained in sign language through v-shesh training;
•Over 400 individuals engaged in workplace sensitization workshops.

3. Talent attracted: v-shesh has a team of dedicated and experienced professionals including one deaf trainer. The team has solid experience working with disadvantaged communities.

4. Media Coverage: Economic Times (daily newspaper, largest by circulation); Popular Tamil magazine; Co-founder interviewed live by India’s largest television network

5. Financial Sustainability: The disability training centre in Chennai is profitable. Apart from a cash infusion by the founders, v-shesh has attracted capital from one of the world’s most respected impact investors, Gray Ghost Ventures.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

1,001- 10,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

1. Open 5 new v-shesh training centers nationwide by 2012, with 10 more in 2013

2. Diversification:
-Expand current trainings, focused primarily on deaf, to other disabilities: we are developing curriculum and expertise now.
-Develop self-employment options for disabled women, who are less likely to pursue corporate jobs. The “business-in-a-box” model, which allows women to become door-to-door beauticians or manicurists, is planned for launch by September 2011.
-Develop an alternative certification program by the end of 2012 for PwD who could not access the education required for formal sector jobs.

3. Make v-shesh an employer of choice for PwD, with a target of at least 25% disabled staff at each training center—we currently have 1 deaf trainer and 2 deaf counsellors.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Supply-side barriers:

1. University certification: Many PwD cannot access jobs requiring a degree because they were unable to complete school. We plan to develop a short-term certification to help PwD access job opportunities and demonstrate that their skills are on par with graduates.

2. Family and cultural norms: Given the stigma attached to disability, a program marketed to PwD may face backlash from customers’ families and peer groups. We address this through extensive family outreach and sensitisation.

Demand-side barriers:

1. Employers’ openness to working with PwD: Our pilot was launched in South India where PwD have many opportunities. As we scale across India, we expect to face challenges from employers, which we plan to mitigate via extensive references from existing employers, internship programs that allow employers to vet potential hires, etc. We also plan to handle work in-house to provide income opportunities and on-the-job experience to our students.

2. Quality control in training module replication: Our successful pilot was run at our home office in Chennai. To ensure quality across locations, we are developing detailed process templates and “train the trainer” programs.

3. Unavailability of interpreters/scribes for candidates with vision and hearing impairments: We plan to run weekend sign-language trainings for people interested in becoming paid interpreters/scribes. We also have an in-house team and volunteers capable of working with the disabled.

Tell us about your partnerships

Partnerships are required to restore a life of dignity for PwD in India. Our partnerships include

1. Vocational Rehabilitation Centres – 17 government-run institutes that capture complete information on PwD in their state. We are working closely with these centres to recruit students.

2. NGO Partnerships – We have relationships with over 25 NGOs in 6 states to assist us with student recruitment and counselling.

3. Education Institutes – We organize regular counselling sessions at colleges for PwD and register interested candidates for training. We are working to establish partnerships with organisations such as Gallaudet University (Washington) so our work can benefit from their years of experience.

4. Individuals – Many veterans in the field of disability mentor us – we are in constant touch with them to seek support in building our program. In addition, a strong team of volunteers from all walks of life assists us.

5. Corporations –We have signed contracts with 14 companies for placement of our candidates. Seven more MOUs are pending. All of these companies are working pan-India and will be our partners as we expand nationally.

6. Investor partnership – First Light Ventures is a seed fund focused on social enterprise that invested Rs. 50 lakhs ($100,000 USD) in v-shesh a year ago to enact a pilot and develop a business model. First Light is managing relationships with v-shesh in the social venture community to help us attract the resources we need to scale.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$100,000‐250,000

Explain your selections

To make our business model sustainable, we require both students and employers to pay a fee for our services:

1. For businesses, the pricing is based on the market rate. Businesses pay v-shesh a “success fee” based on each successful placement, typically one month’s salary of the incumbent. In addition, they pay v-shesh for other services such as sensitisation workshops, sign language training, and interpretation support.

2. For students, prices vary based on ability to pay, but are typically 50% of monthly salary. The fees for EQUIP at Chennai for IT sector jobs is Rs. 5000 (USD 110). The fee is payable in two instalments – the first instalment of 50% is payable before joining the training, and the second instalment of 50% is payable immediately when an employment offer is made (a one-month deferral is allowed on the second instalment in deserving cases).

Other sources of financial support include

3. Investors: v-shesh received Rs. 50 Lakhs (USD $100,000) from First Light Ventures to fund its first eighteen months of operations.

4. Families/others: v-shesh offers supplemental services (e.g. sign language classes) to families, peers in companies, and other interested parties at an affordable price of Rs. 1500 (USD 32).

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

Although our pilot is profitable, the following project components must be strengthened to replicate it nationally for greater impact:

1. Alternative Certification - Despite initial progress, many employers are still unwilling to hire PwD who are not graduates (the majority of the population). We want to develop a trusted alternative certification to expand opportunities for PwD.

2. Hiring trainers with disabilities - We aim to create a work environment at v-shesh that will cause promising v-shesh graduates to consider joining v-shesh as trainers for other disabled students.

3. Quality of content - Our curriculum for the deaf uses best practices from the world’s leading deaf experts and companies that have hired our candidates. The curriculum would be further improved by collaboration with organisations such as Gallaudet University. We aim to develop similarly high-quality content for other disabilities.

4. New geographies - With the success of our pilot in Chennai, we plan to expand our project to other locations using a hub and spoke model whereby the centre would evolve in a metro (with better prospects and infrastructure facilities) and then seed smaller centres (mostly opened in partnership with other organisations) in satellite towns and rural areas.

5. Strengthening v-shesh’s brand for better corporate buy-in: Companies have found our story of hope and change very persuasive and we have had a 75% success rate in getting hiring commitments. We now want to promote v-shesh as a brand of quality trainees to enable easy client acquisition nationwide.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of access to information and networks

SECONDARY

Restrictive cultural norms

TERTIARY

Lack of skills/training

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Traditionally, society has pitied PwD, reducing them to passive objects of charity. v-shesh’s unique for-profit business model compels corporations, families and peers of PwD, and PwD themselves to recognize their true potential.

Our trainers deliver industry-endorsed training that equips PwD with skills they need to compete as equals with the non-disabled.

Our team engages with corporations to help them appreciate the business value of hiring PwD, and guides them through the process of placement and beyond to help them overcome their initial inhibitions.

Our team also counsels PwD and their families, encouraging them to break through years of isolation and join v-shesh training to gain better career prospects.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

TERTIARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

1. We are raising capital to reach new metros (hubs) and smaller towns (spokes). At each center, we will build a solid foundation working with the deaf and then expand to other disabilities. We will pilot self-entrepreneurship opportunities for those who may be unable to access corporate jobs.

2. v-shesh is steadily gaining recognition for successfully placing PwD. Until now we have influenced corporations through sensitization workshops where we share case studies and best practices. As we scale, we plan to use more social and local print media to share our successes and future plans.

3. v-shesh offers many revenue-producing activities beyond employability trainings, including movie clubs, alumni meets, and sign language courses. We plan to strengthen and add to these offerings.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Government, Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Government: Government-run Vocational Rehabilitation Centers have been a steady source of candidates.

Technology providers: Cisco Systems has provided short-term assignments to our candidates post-training, giving them work experience and income until they are placed. We have also engaged with technology providers to streamline our database and digitize our curriculum.

NGOs/non-profits: We have partnered with Enable India and DeafWay, veterans in the field of disability, to develop our training.

For-profit companies: We have 14 active partner companies that have agreed to hire our graduates.

Academia/universities (recruitment): Universities, most notably St. Louis College and Presidency College, have been our strongest source of referrals.

The disabled people get employed strongly relying on High-Tech

Created on 06/12/2011 by canyou co

We aim at promoting the disabled people to be transcendent power of social development in new economic times by relying on working in front of computer.

About You

Organization: CANYOU group Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Chao

Last Name

Zhang

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

CANYOU group

Organization Website

Organization Country

China, 18

Country where this project is creating social impact

China, XX

Is your organization a

For‐profit

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

The disabled people get employed strongly relying on High-Tech

What change do you want to bring to the world?

We aim at promoting the disabled people to be transcendent power of social development in new economic times by relying on working in front of computer.

What are the primary activities of your project?

We provide different adaptive trainings and posts including the high-tech areas such as software , Animation industry, E-commerce,and also the low-end jobs like Data entry and Call Center etc for the disabled people with different degrees, backgrounds and the level of disability. It will achieve sustainable development by the mode of social enterprise——self-management for the disabled people.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

This project which relies on the information technology to shield the defect of the disabled people is driven by the sustainable high value-added commercial profits which get from the high-tech to realize concentrated employment and professional management system for the handicappeds under the support of professional social service in large scale.
This is a completed organic system for the diabled people's survival of the revolution.It makes the self-management of disabled people and the benign interaction between the social resources come true.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for more than 5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

There are numerous disabilities including 83 million disabled people and 12 thousand disabled students graduated from different colleges continually per year in China which brought a tremendous pressure on employment. But the unbalanced development of social barrier-free environment and barrier-free concept in different areas are affecting the quality of living for related group directly.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Zheng Weining, the founder of “CanYou”group who got congenital severe hemophilia.Ten years ago, he called for 5 disabled people to set an internet study group at home with his meager savings. Fortunately one of them—Liu Yong, received the Web design award in Prague, Chench. This surprise made Mr. Zheng insighted the superiority of the disabled people when they were working in front of computer.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

This project promotes concentrated employment of disabled on a large scale by working in front of computer to handle with high-tech for them, and our group has won sustainable development by the mode of social enterprise without any donations or funds from government. And up to now we have developed from five people to thousands and expanded all over China with 26 branches.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

More than 10,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

1.To promote employment stage for higher knowledgeable disabled people, like software;2.Expand employment scale for low-end disabled people , like e-commerce.We’ll progressively expand this mode to whole of China.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Seeking for intergrative barrier-free environment of accommodation, repast and work to fully meet the development needs.
The cooperation degree with government to realize the requirements.

Tell us about your partnerships

Regional government (mainly provide office space) ; commercial organizations like IBM,HuaWei (provide business)

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$50,001‐100,000

Explain your selections

As a Hanicapped social enterprise which has developed for a decade,CanYou model is to obtain the barrier-free environment provided by the regional government.At the same time,the local disabled should get sustainable profits from our customers with the great operation on the market under the support of CanYou headquarters based on the industrial environment.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

To strengthen business upgrade of existing project and professional social service; meanwhile,to promote standardized duplicate in different regions

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Underemployment

SECONDARY

Restricted access to new markets

TERTIARY

Other (Specify Below)

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

To avoid physical disabilities under the circumstance of working in front of computer screen in order to realize the development of social enterprise on a large scale,to achieve high quality of products and services,to solve industrial bottleneck and to win commercial identity

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Global

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Leveraged technology

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

We are dealing with the expansion into representative districts in countrywide like Xinjiang, Peking and Shanghai.We are also exploring new lines of business like E-comerce, Data entry and Call center

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Government, Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

The government provides the vacancies for free, technology providers provide advanced technique, profit-making enterprises provide sustainable business, NGOs provide philanthropical investment.Academia supply us with model standardized.

Sunshine Carwash Centers: Empowerment of People with Disabilities Through Employment

Created on 06/8/2011 by Marie-Claude Pelchat

Employment is a basic right of people with disabilities, ensuring their social participation, economic independence and personal empowerment. Unfortunately, employment levels remain low. A Council of Labor Affairs survey (2009) showed that of 614,053 people with disabilities of working age, only 26.5% were employed, 67.9% were not in the labor force. Impairments and illness sometimes limit work ability, but often, exclusion from the work force is due to a lack of skills, as well as prejudices on the part of employers.

About You

Organization: Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Marie-Claude

Last Name

Pelchat

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation

Organization Website

Organization Country

Taiwan, TC

Country where this project is creating social impact

Taiwan, TC

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

Innovation

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Entry Form title

Sunshine Carwash Centers: Empowerment of People with Disabilities Through Employment

What change do you want to bring to the world?

Employment is a basic right of people with disabilities, ensuring their social participation, economic independence and personal empowerment. Unfortunately, employment levels remain low. A Council of Labor Affairs survey (2009) showed that of 614,053 people with disabilities of working age, only 26.5% were employed, 67.9% were not in the labor force. Impairments and illness sometimes limit work ability, but often, exclusion from the work force is due to a lack of skills, as well as prejudices on the part of employers. By operating carwash centers employing people with disabilities, Sunshine Foundation provides training to improve work skills that will lead to employment in the open job market, but also “showcases” the work ability of people with disabilities to challenge prejudices.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Sunshine operates 4 carwash centers located in busy commercial sectors of the greater Taipei City area, offering customers a car care “total solution,” including manual and automated carwash, as well as car care services (wax and polish). Employees with disabilities (representing 9 types of disabilities ranging from mild, to moderate and severe) learn under the supervision of vocational counselors the hard skills of car wash/care techniques and operations, but also the soft skills (work ethics, attitudes and values) that will allow them to thrive in regular employment and live independently. Carwash Centers employ 85 people, of which 72 are people with disabilities.

Because the carwash centers operate as regular work environments and actually compete with regular carwash businesses, they serve as a stepping stone for employees to (re)integrate the open labor market by learning new work skills, building self-confidence and enhancing work motivation. For some, the carwash centers lead to certification necessary for a career in the car care business, promotion to managerial position, or even entrepreneurship.

Sunshine Carwash Centers aim to change the public’s perception towards people with disabilities. Daily contact between customers and employees helps the public look beyond disability and see the potential of employees as autonomous, industrious people who play a constructive role in society. Sunshine Carwash Centers are an employment and training environment for the social inclusion of the disabled, but also a social education platform for the general public.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

- Integration: Sunshine deliberately avoided segregated employment such as closed-type manufacturing prevalent in many countries, choosing instead a service-oriented business to maximize contact between customers and people with disabilities.
- Standardization: With job accommodation, standard training and operation procedures, people with various types or levels of disabilities can work together, in jobs suited to their abilities.
- Competitive business: Because carwash technical requirements are low, NPOs often employ low-skilled disabled employees in mobile work crews or mom and pop-type carwash. However, small scale means smaller sales, less customer interaction and limited learning opportunities. Sunshine carwash centers scaled up to offer a professional car care “total solution,” building a professional brand that not only attracts customers, but also suppliers of innovative products. Because of size, quality and added value of services (professional car care as opposed to only car wash), the centers can stay ahead of competition, and employees can develop a wider range of skills, making them better adapted to market needs.
- Equality of wage: Unlike other sheltered workshops, wages and benefits (insurance, bonus, pension) of full-time employees meet or exceed minimum wage requirements.
- Employee competitiveness: Advanced training programs update skills (ex: car care specialist certification) for enhanced competitiveness. A system also cultivates employees to managerial positions.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for more than 5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Sunshine Carwash Centers target people with disabilities, whose employment needs and abilities vary greatly from one individual to another, depending on the type of disability. Their education and work skills are often inadequate to adapt to the changing job market reality. A 2009 survey shows that people with disabilities work mostly in the manufacturing (25%) and wholesale (14.5%) sectors in non-technical, labor-intensive jobs (25%). Although these jobs require lower skills, they are the most precarious, offering limited promotion opportunities and lower salaries. While the average monthly salary in Taiwan is NT$44,000, people with disabilities only earn on average NT$23,000, and 38% earn less than the monthly minimum wage of NT$17,280. Low skills, low paying jobs also provide little or no benefits such as pension. This is particularly critical because as people with disabilities age, their functioning and quality of life deteriorate faster, meaning that their productive years are shorter than regular workers, and they require more care and support in their old age. Underemployment is another problem. Qualified people with disabilities who are willing to work are denied the opportunity due to worries about the troubles of workplace accommodation, or due to prejudice regarding work abilities.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

There is no single founder. Sunshine Carwash Center is the result of efforts by clients, staff and trustees of Sunshine Foundation, as well as government and corporate partners. Sunshine Foundation provides physical, psychological and rehabilitation services to burn survivors since 1981. In the early 1990s, without universal health insurance, and with limited government welfare and employment support, many burn survivors unable to find work after rehabilitation faced financial difficulties. The idea of a carwash to provide a stable work environment for people with disabilities to learn skills and earn an income was proposed by burn survivors with experience in this business. There were no precedents, nor was there any legal framework to support such project. In fact, the idea of people with disabilities able and willing to work challenged the traditional view that they are helpless and need to be cared for. Sunshine convinced Taipei City government to support the project by leasing land, and secured financial and technical support for the venture from the corporate sector. The Sunshine Carwash Center finally opened in 1992 in a busy commercial section of Taipei City, the first enterprise in Taiwan specifically set up to promote employment for people with disabilities and help them achieve their goals of economic and personal empowerment.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

Since 1992, carwash centers have employed on average 70 people with disabilities every year. On average between 2003 and 2010, 88 people benefited from employment services, 32 people benefited from job placement, 34 people from short-term vocational training and 15 people have been referred to jobs on the open labor market.

The carwash center is the first wage-earning job for many employees. Through work, they not only become self-sufficient, but their sense of self-worth and confidence is increased. Daily activity and contact with people improves physical and psychological functions. Employees with disabilities help one another, building a peer support network that broadens their social circle. Relationship between parent and child also benefits. Parents gain a different perspective of their child’s potential and abilities, they become confident in their child’s future. The public’s perception of disability is also changed. Each transaction is an opportunity to demonstrate to customers the work abilities of people with disabilities and bring visibility to this issue.

The Foundation sets annual goals to measure performance of the carwash centers. Key performance indicators measure the number of employees with disabilities employed and employee wage. Performance indicators measure the number of employees promoted, number of employees to have taken part in professional skills development project, and number of employees to have been successfully referred to the open labor market.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

101- 1,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

Since 2010, Sunshine opened 3 new carwash center branches. Apart from reaching out to more customers, these new branches will be part of the system to cultivate managerial talent inside the carwash business and create opportunities for promotion. As employees acquire skills and become involved in the broader operations of the carwash center (ex: customer relation, marketing), it is hoped that they can start to take on more managerial responsibilities. Another important future development will be to build a greater sense of ownership and responsibility of employees by developing more projects that emphasize employee participation in the overall operations of the centers, and that will positively link the outcome of their work performance with the development of the carwash centers.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

One barrier comes from new government policies for employment services targeting people with disabilities. Organizations operating registered employment services and receiving government resources are now required by the Council of Labor Affairs to have at least 50% of their staff composed of employees unable to work in a competitive employment setting (usually people with severe handicap). This new policy requires long term or permanent placement of employees, as opposed to transitional employment. Furthermore, Taipei City government, which leases the land on which is built the main carwash center, now requires that contributions to the city’s Disability Employment Fund be calculated based on revenue from operations instead of profits. These policies not only affect future expansion by raising costs and lowering revenues, but also by going against the operation model of Sunshine based on encouraging reintegration in the open labor market.

Another barrier is the difficulty of cultivating able managers for future expansion. The aim is for carwash centers to be managed by people with disabilities, but this is a process that requires time and is also dependent upon individuals’ interest and motivation.

Tell us about your partnerships

Taipei City government: Since 1992, Taipei City government has been leasing the land for the main carwash center (Heping branch).

Council of Labor Affairs: Sunshine partners with the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training of the Council of Labor Affairs to organize car care specialist training. The Council also provides funding for salaries of vocational counselors working with employees with disabilities.

Pegatron Corp.: Pegatron Corp. is a leading DMS (Design and Manufacturing Service) company specialized in electronics. The company worked with Sunshine to secure a location close to their headquarters in Taipei, and in 2010 sponsored the construction and purchase of equipment for the new Guandu Branch of the Sunshine Carwash Center.

Car care product suppliers: Sunshine Carwash Centers partner with various car care product suppliers, who provide training to employees or partner in marketing activities.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$500,001‐1 million

Explain your selections

Individuals support the development of Sunshine Carwash Centers through donations made to Sunshine Foundation. A portion of the Foundation’s income from donations is used towards vocational service development for employees with disability.

Customers support the Sunshine Carwash Centers by purchasing services and products.

Local NGOs working with people with disabilities support the Sunshine Carwash Centers by referring their service beneficiaries to become employees.

Businesses support the Sunshine Carwash Centers by organizing corporate volunteering activities, by providing technical support and sharing expertise, as well as by investing in the expansion of the carwash centers.

The regional government (Taipei City) support the Sunshine Carwash Centers by leasing land in Taipei City for the main carwash center (Heping branch).

The national government, through the Council of Labor Affairs, supports the Sunshine Carwash Centers by partnering to organize professional/vocational training, as well as providing partial subsidies for the salaries vocational counselors.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

1. Link corporate resources for common benefit: As companies explore new ways to demonstrate corporate social responsibility, Sunshine Carwash Centers will seek further corporate support for the expansion of carwash branches, notably through funding, but also through the contribution of business know-how like planning, market analysis and marketing.

2. Expand market coverage to increase visibility and customer loyalty: Carwash centers are highly localized businesses, and customers tend to choose a carwash close to their home or their workplace. With its 3 new branches, Sunshine is experimenting with different models: small neighborhood branch, larger corporate-sponsored branch in industrial/IT park, etc. By opening branches in the greater Taipei area, Sunshine will increase visibility of the carwash business. Also, by creating a membership program, Sunshine aims to strengthen customer loyalty.

3. Allow people with disabilities to become their own boss: After having opened new branches and by cultivating the skills of employees with disabilities to become managers, it is hoped that in a few years time, the branches operated directly by Sunshine can be progressively devolved to the managers as franchises, allowing them to become their on boss.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of skills/training

SECONDARY

Other (Specify Below)

TERTIARY

Other (Specify Below)

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Sunshine Carwash Centers address:
- The lack of skills and training of people with disabilities by creating a work environment that cultivates hard/soft skills necessary for employment, as well as by providing specific professional training to enhance competitiveness in the open labor market.

- Low wage employment problem of people with disabilities by offering equal pay and benefits, but also by building the skills of employees with disabilities so that they have the competencies to seek higher paying jobs in the open labor market.

- Negative attitudes and lower expectation of the public towards people with disabilities by showcasing on a daily basis the potential and abilities of employees with disabilities.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

1. Sunshine plans to open more carwash branches in the greater Taipei area over the next two years to expand its market coverage and create more employment opportunities.

2. “Sunshine Creatives” project develops branded products (ex: bags, stationary) for the Foundation and its enterprises, as well as customized gift service to corporate partners. Apart from marketing the Sunshine brand, the project offers short-term work for burn survivors undergoing rehabilitation.

3. Because the carwash business is concentrated in Taipei and some of Sunshine’s service beneficiaries lack physical strength to return to regular full-time employment, Sunshine is developing a self-employment model for beneficiaries to work from home.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Government, Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Sunshine collaborates with:
Local NGOs working with people with disabilities, by providing work and training opportunities to their service beneficiaries. Sunshine has also carried out training and knowledge transfer to help NGOs wanting to set up their own carwash business.

Businesses who support the Sunshine Carwash Centers by organizing corporate volunteering activities, by providing technical support and sharing expertise, as well as by investing in the expansion of the carwash centers.

The regional government (Taipei City) by contributing to the Disability Employment Fund for the development of employment opportunities.

The national government, through the Council of Labor Affairs, by partnering to organize professional/vocational training.

Implementar un Taller de Carpintería y Costura para financiar atención de niños de escasos recursos con necesidades especiales

Created on 06/7/2011 by fuhese

Lograr que los niños con necesidades educativas especiales de países del tercer mundo como Ecuador; no se priven de una atención de calidad e innovadora por falta de recursos. Para esto enseñamos a sus padres a prevenir y tratar las alteraciones que presentan los mismos dentro de su propio hogar, así como a generar recursos que permita la atención terapeútica adecuada.

About You

Organization: Fundación Herta Seebass Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Patricia María

Last Name

Ordóñez Legarda

Twitter

Facebook Profile

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Fundación Herta Seebass

Organization Website

Organization Country

Ecuador

Country where this project is creating social impact

Ecuador

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

Implementar un Taller de Carpintería y Costura para financiar atención de niños de escasos recursos con necesidades especiales

What change do you want to bring to the world?

Lograr que los niños con necesidades educativas especiales de países del tercer mundo como Ecuador; no se priven de una atención de calidad e innovadora por falta de recursos. Para esto enseñamos a sus padres a prevenir y tratar las alteraciones que presentan los mismos dentro de su propio hogar, así como a generar recursos que permita la atención terapeútica adecuada.

What are the primary activities of your project?

1. Firma de convenios con los padre de familia de los niños beneficiarios, a través de los cuales se compromoten a aportar con sus conocimientos de carpintería, costura y con sus herramientas básicas.

2. Equipamiento del taller con las máquinas adecuadas

3. Fortalecer las relaciones con nuestros actuales y potenciales clientes para ampliar nuestro nicho de mercado

4. Atención terapéutica a los niños beneficiarios; los mismos que reciben 4 terapias mensuales en las áreas que indique el diagnóstico del equipo multidisciplinario que evalúa a los niños . Las terapias pueden ser: sicológicas, pedagógicas, lenguaje, física, hipoterapia, musicoterapia y arte-terapia.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

Esta iniciativa es innovadora porque:

* Nuestros productos (material didáctico en madera y tela) tendrán como valor agregado que su diseño y fabricación está basado en los Fundamentos de la Pedagogía Curativa, la misma que aplica FUHESE desde sus inicios.

* Este emprendimiento da un enfoque integral que nos permite: mejorar el desarrollo de los niños,capacitar a los padres,fomentar fuentes de trabajo , sensibilizar y educar a la comunidad y establecer alianzas con varios actores de la sociedad.

Existen muchas instituciones en Guayaquil que dan atención terapéutica a niños de escasos recursos, pero la mayor parte de ellas se basan únicamente en la pedagogía tradicional y no tienen un proceso integrado como el que planteamos.

También existen empresas privadas con fines de lucro que ofertan productos en la misma línea:

Kinderzariato: Su negocio es importar, diseñar, fabricar y vender .

Baúl de Pinocho: franquicia colombiana de Didácticos Pinocho S.A. Importan y en ocasiones ensamblan los productos.

A jugar: importadores y vendedores . Su principal proveedor es Kiddy`s House, tienda peruana con sede en Lima .

Ventajas competitivas:

* Ninguno de los almacenes ofrece como valor agregado charlas sobre los beneficios , utilidad y pedagogía aplicada en los productos.

* Ninguno oferta productos en madera, para exteriores similares a los nuestros.

What stage is your project in?

Idea phase

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

La población corresponde a barrios periféricos de Guayaquil, como son: Flor del Bastión, Cooperativa Francisco Jácome, Mapasingue, Guasmo, Suburbio, Orquídeas, Vergeles, entre otras.

Guayaquil se encuentra ubicada en la Región Litoral de Ecuador, con una temperatura promedio de 28º C y con temporadas de lluvias que ocasionan inundaciones especialmente en éstos barrios. Su población es de 2’366.902 habitantes; de los cuáles 835.486 pertenecen a la Parroquia donde se encuentran estos barrios. En éstos sectores las familias son de muy bajos recursos económicos, la mayoría se dedican al trabajo informal como carpinteros, albañiles, costureras ó al servicio doméstico.

Las condiciones de vida son precarias, no todos los barrios cuentan con servicio de agua potable y alcantarillado y las calles no están asfaltadas.

Existen escuelas fiscales en mal estado y los maestros no están capacitados para prevenir, identificar y tratar las diversas alteraciones que presentan los niños .

Actualmente ejecutamos un proyecto de desarrollo comunitario en algunos de estos sectores, capacitando a los padres sobre las alteraciones de los niños; es así como hemos identificado la apertura de la población; cuyo compromiso será facilitar las instalaciones para el funcionamiento de locales de atención comunitaria.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Nuestra Fundadora ,Hannelore Seebass (Alemana), terapista de lenguaje y musicoterapeuta. En los años 1973 - 1977 trabajó como voluntaria en instituciones benéficas de Guayaquil, con niños sordos y ciegos.
En este quehacer, se dio cuenta que no existía en Guayaquil, un lugar donde se atendiera a los niños en diferentes áreas, y que al mismo tiempo los padres de familia recibieran orientación sobre la adecuada estimulación de un niño, para lograr un desarrollo saludable.
También detectó la falta de intervención precoz en casos como parálisis cerebral, Sindrome de Down, Autismo entre otros; la cual es de suma importancia en estos casos.
Es así como nace FUHESE y después de 15 años de trabajo, inspirados en las necesidades crecientes de estos niños decidimos iniciar este emprendimiento para que de sostenibilidad a nuestro proyecto a largo plazo.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

En el área terapeútica, medimos nuestros logros en base a la evolución de los niños atendidos, durante un período de tiempo de 1 año mínimo, mediante diferentes métodos por ejm: Percepción Visual de FROSTIG, Análisis de Lectura y Escritura,WISSC IV, WIPPSI, entre otros.

En lo que respecta a nuestro emprendimiento productivo, está en fase de idea, pero nos soportamos en un estudio mercado aplicado a una muestra de 100 personas que representan a nuestros potenciales clientes (instituciones educativas, ONG´s y padres de familia), cuyos resultados fueron:

47% usa productos elaborados en madera y tela
45% decide su compra por la utilidad pedagógica
57% compra material didáctico 1 vez al año y 17% dos veces por año
80% prefiere comprar en una institución con fin social.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

101- 1,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

1era Etapa: mercado objetivo instituciones educativas privadas y padres de familia de clase media típica a clase alta.

2da Etapa: instituciones fiscales y municipales a través de proyectos dirigidos directamente a los organismos que las regulan, como son el Ministerio de Educación y el Municipio de Guayaquil.

3era Etapa: el crecimiento del negocio nos permite replicar el proyecto en otros sectores desfavorecidos de la ciudad y/o provincia.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

La proyección a largo plazo de este emprendimiento está basado en los siguientes aspectos.

1. Proyección económica del negocio: basado en un criterio muy conservador, hemos realizado una proyección económica a 5 años que nos permitirá después de cubrir todos los costos mensuales del negocio, solventar el costo de los honorarios del personal terapeútico para atender a 50 niños una vez por semana en sesiones de 30 minutos, 75 padres de familia y 20 maestros de los niños beneficiarios.

Esta proyección económica se basa en un mercado que no se limita sólo a Guayaquil, sino que se aperturará a instituciones educativas y padres de familia de otras provincias del país.

Adicionalmente a partir del segundo año hemos planificado ofertar servcio de arreglos de carpinterñia a domicilio y confección de uniformes para colegios y empresas y arreglo de ropa; todo esto realizado por los padres de los niños beneficiarios, lo que nos permite genera ingresos extras a un 20% de los mismos.

Los padres que no puedan formar parte del proyecto como mano de obra directa, tendrán asignadas tareas encaminadas a abaratar los costos del negocio, dependiendo de sus habilidades.

Nuestros productos y servicios serán vendidos de las siguientes formas:
* Venta directa a las instituciones educativas u otras organizaciones públicas y/o privadas.
* Venta a través de nuestra página web : www.kinderzentrumguayaquil.org
* Venta al detal a padres de familia en nuestro centro .
*Entrega a consignación de nuestros materiales didácticos en almacenes relacionados.

2. Contribución económica de los padres: a partir del 2do año los padres que son mano de obra directa dentro del proyecto, aportaran el 5% de los ingresos que le genere este emprendimiento como aporte a la atención de sus hijos.
Aquellos que dentro de un mes no participen en ninguna actividad dentro del negocio aportarán con un valor de $ 0,25 por terapia.

3. Nuestras alianzas van encaminadas a los siguientes aspectos:
* Empresa Privada del sector maderero y textil; su contribución sería donación de maquinaria en buen estado ó que necesite poca reparación para abaratar costos y tener más capacidad de producción y mantenimiento de las ya existentes.
* Organismos internacionales: para financiamiento de activos que nos permitan abaratar costos de arriendo del local para el taller y de movilización.

4. El crecimiento de este emprendimiento, está basado en la creación de nuevas líneas de productos y servicios acorde a las necesidades del mercado y utilizando las habilidades de los padres de familia para generar fuentes de ingreso.

5. Las barreras que podrían dificultar el exito del negocio, son las regulaciones en las leyes laborales y de seguridad social, que si bien es cierto concordamos en que deben ser aplicadas; sin embargo los contínuos cambios pueden ser desfavorables financieramente para cualquier negocio.
Para disminuir esta posibilidad se creará una cuenta de provisión con los aportes de los padres de familia indicados en el numeral 2; que nos sirva para enfrentar un eventual incremento en este tipo de gastos que no se encuentre presupuestado por ser una medida económica estipulada de un momento a otro.
Otra barrera puede ser que no exista fidelidad de parte de los padres de familia y que fabriquen los mismos productos para venderlos de manera independiente. Para esto existira inicialmente un acuerdo de confidencialidad sobre los diseños, del cual dependerá la atención de sus hijos.

Tell us about your partnerships

Nuestras alianzas actuales dentro del país son:

Para la operación actual de FUHESE

Municipio de Guayaquil; mantenemos un convenio desde el año 2004 hasta la fecha que nos permite becar a 20 niños de escasos recursos para que reciban tratamiento terapéutico mensual en diversas áreas.

Transoceánica: Empresa privada dedicada al servicio de transporte marítimo y aéreo; actualmente beca 7 niños de escasos recursos para su atención terapeútica

Grupo Berlín: Empresas Privadas que manejan actividades industriales, comerciales y de servicios, actualmente beca 7 niños de escasos recursos para su atención terapéutica.

Para el desarrollo de este emprendimiento:

Colegio Alemán Humboldt de Guayaquil: institución educativa que beca a niños de escasos recursos en su sección vespertina y con la cual mantenemos relaciones desde la fundación de nuestra organización y que nos ha permitido identificar una nueva población de niños con alteraciones que no son prevenidas ni atendidas.

Nuestras alianzas en el exterior son:

Kindermissionswerk, institución alemana, que nos financió de junio 2008 a mayo 2009 un proyecto para atender a 50 niños con necesidades especiales, capacitar a sus padres y equipar nuestro centro de capacitación abierto al público, a través del cual impartimos cursos y seminarios para maestros y padres de familia que nos genera ingresos para solventar la atención de los niños . Actualmente ejecutamos desde noviembre del 2010 hasta octubre del 2011 un segundo proyecto que es la continuación del primero y que nos ha permitido iniciar trabajo de desarrollo comunitario, trabajando con los padres, familiares, maestros y la comunidad directamente en las zonas donde ellos viven; capacitándolos sobre la forma de prevenir y ayudar a mejorar las diferentes alteraciones que presentan los niños.

La Rose Verein: institución Suiza que apadrina 10 niños de escasos recursos que necesitan recibir un tratamiento intensivo. A través de esta ayuda hemos podido incrementar el número de terapias semanales de los mismos.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$50,001‐100,000

Explain your selections

Individuos: padres de familia de los niños atendidos que son la mano de obra para la ejecución del proyecto.

Empresas: del sector maderero y textil que son nuestros proveedores.

Gobierno Regional: Municipio de Guayaquil que es nuestro medio para ingresar como proveedor de instituciones públicas

Clientes: instituciones educativas, ONG´s que trabajan con niños, padres de familia, sector público (área educativa )

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

Se fortalecerá por las alianzas que se establecerán con el séctor público
para aperturar nuestro mercado; el mismo que está mejorando las políticas a favor de la discapacidad.

Por las posibilidades de ampliar mejorar nuestros productos y ampliar los servicios a través de las diferentes habilidades que tienen los padres.

Por las continúas regulaciones a las importaciones , lo cual disminuyen el flujo de ingreso de materiales didácticos del exterior.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Restricted access to new markets

SECONDARY

Lack of skills/training

TERTIARY

Lack of efficiency

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

1. Acceso restringido a nuevos mercados: en Ecuador no exiten posibilidades de desarrollo laboral equitativas, especialmente para los artesanos. No tienen facilidades para acceder a créditos que permitan el desarrollo de sus habilidades.
A través de este emprendimiento daremos la oportunidad a estos artesanos de desarrollar y mejorar sus habilidades y llegar con sus productos a instituciones privadas y públicas y brindar atención terapeútica a sus hijos.

2.Falta de habilidades y capacitación: los artesanos de escasos recursos no tienen acceso a capacitarse y mejorar de ésta manera la calidad de sus productos para competir en el mercado.
Este proyecto los capacitará un año en acabado y control de calidad en el área de carpintería y costura.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs

SECONDARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

TERTIARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

1. Desde hace 2 años, trabajamos en desarrollo comunitario, replicando el proyecto directamente
en las comunidades donde viven los beneficiarios
2. Trabajamos actualmente con terapias no tradicionales como es la Hipoterapia y estamos trabajando para
iniciar el área de arteterapia y musicoterapia
3. Tenemos previsto realizar alianzas con otras organizaciones para replicar el modelo en otras provincias.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Sí , porque hemos dado a conocer el trabajo de la institución y de nuestra pedagogía (Pedagogía Curativa), la cual
no se conoce al 100% en nuestro medio

重度残障者网店扶持计

Created on 06/5/2011 by SPINACHINA

让重度残障者在本计划的支持下，获得更好的生活状态改善，

About You

Organization: 脊椎中国 Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Hongwei

Last Name

Sun

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

脊椎中国

Organization Website

Organization Country

China, 21

Country where this project is creating social impact

China, 21

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

重度残障者网店扶持计

What change do you want to bring to the world?

让重度残障者在本计划的支持下，获得更好的生活状态改善，

What are the primary activities of your project?

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).
通过一个产品中心的支持，来解决一些重度残障者面临的困难，适合的能够保障利润率的产品，解决搬运等仓储环节，解决资金的缺乏，解决营销的问题。

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

在中国，有很多组织曾经或正在做着相同的事情，但是对残障者网店的推动和帮助都有限，如果一个计划无法帮助最终实现真实的销售和持续的推动，那么对于残障者自身，不仅仅是不能实现项目的本来目的，反而对其今后的创业之路会有负面的影响，本计划的关键点在于综合了许多网店支持计划的经验和教训，在关键环节整合各种资源，来保障整个计划的开展和成功。并且在整个计划之中，将调动社会，商业，公益，项目对象自身的多方面力量来综合保障整个项目的成功。

What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

很多重度残障者拥有自己的网店，但是在实际了解过程中，首先是他们的规模都非常小，而且由于自身能力的因素，对于很多对一般人不是问题的环节，对于他们都成为非常致命的关键环节，比如库存问题，商品的选择，简单的运输，营销手段等等，使得他们在网络竞争中，并不能如很多人所想的那样，是处在一个起跑线上的，相反，他们实际上是出于一定的劣势，因此如何帮助他们在网络创业过程中，如何能够让他们通过这样一种很适合他们的方式，来实现生存状态的改善，就成为一个课题。

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters).

How many people have been impacted by your project?

Fewer than 100

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

将致力于一个功能强大的帮扶中心的建立，能够提供产品支持，技术支持，营销支持，形成一个公益品牌，来支持更多的重度残障者通过网络来改变他们的生存状态。

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters)

Tell us about your partnerships

Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters)
商业合作伙伴有金佰利集团，和年年新品牌

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$10,001‐50,000

Explain your selections

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of efficiency

SECONDARY

Underemployment

TERTIARY

Lack of visibility and investment

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs

TERTIARY

Leveraged technology

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

A Fair Chance to Employment

Created on 06/1/2011 by Sightsavers

People with disabilities are amongst some of the world’s most marginalised, women with disabilities are disproportionately affected on account of both their gender and their impairment. Disability is rarely included in action plans for poverty reduction; evident from the glaring omission of disability in the Millennium Development Goals. Unemployment among people with disabilities is as high as 80% in some countries, with disability being a cause and consequence of poverty.

About You

Organization: Sightsavers Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Caroline

Last Name

Casey

Twitter

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

Sightsavers

Organization Website

Organization Country

United Kingdom, WSX

Country where this project is creating social impact

Ghana, GA

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

A Fair Chance to Employment

What change do you want to bring to the world?

People with disabilities are amongst some of the world’s most marginalised, women with disabilities are disproportionately affected on account of both their gender and their impairment. Disability is rarely included in action plans for poverty reduction; evident from the glaring omission of disability in the Millennium Development Goals. Unemployment among people with disabilities is as high as 80% in some countries, with disability being a cause and consequence of poverty.

Sightsavers is working with partners to ensure that people with disabilities get back into employment so that they can live economically stable lives. We have pioneered a unique approach to tackle this problem in Ghana by forming an employment fair programme with one of the world’s leading international banks.

What are the primary activities of your project?

The project will create equitable access to diversified employment opportunities for people with disabilities across Ghana. We will provide training in ICT, including lessons in assistive technology for the blind and visually impaired; hold a careers fair where individuals can meet potential employers; advocate within companies and at a governmental level for policies to support people with disabilities.

Primary activities include:
•Launch a consortium of global businesses, international and disabled people’s organisations.
•Enrol people with disabilities in training schemes at Sightsavers supported Computer Learning Centres. Since 2010, we have supported the training of 104 people, who are either blind or visually impaired, in the latest screen reader technology. Places for blind people are financed from the revenue gained from fee-paying customers who use the centre for their own needs.
•Advocate with the Government of Ghana to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities.
•Instigate a media campaign: radio and TV slots prior to the careers fair; produce posters and leaflets to attract higher private sector participation.
•Organise annual careers fair in Accra with 40 multinationals and 100 people with disabilities attending.
•Create an ‘alumni’ group of people with disabilities to act as role models for their disabled peers as well as to influence employers.

Beneficiaries will be graduates with post-secondary qualifications seeking first time employment, as well as those already in employment seeking to advance their careers – an opportunity not generally afforded to peple with disabilities.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

First careers fair for people with disabilities.
Sightsavers piloted an employment fair in 2010 for people with disabilities in partnership with Standard Chartered bank. No such employment fair specifically targeting disabled people had taken place in the country ever before. By utilising private sector networks, Sightsavers is seeking to change misconceptions about the capability of people with disabilities and maximise their employment opportunities.

Mainstreaming of disability
Collaboration with the private sector ensures that employment opportunities are offered to people with disabilities which are outside the traditional sectors available in emerging economies like Ghana. Many current training schemes are in saturated job markets, such as trading or agriculture. These sectors remain appropriate in rural locations, but increased globalisation and urbanisation mean there should be equal opportunities for people with disabilities to access the full range of employment opportunities opening up. Sightsavers is supporting companies and other employers across Ghana in their efforts to address their diversity and social inclusion policies.

Pioneering Assistive Technology Computer Learning Centres
These centres were the first of their kind set up in Ghana to assist people who are blind or visually impaired. Equipped with affordable and appropriate assistive technologies, for the first time blind and visually impaired people could access the internet and thus reduce social exclusion and gain access to empowering information.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Sightsavers has been active in Ghana since the 1950s. Our work includes integrating children who are blind or visually impaired into mainstream schools, training eye care professionals, helping people regain their confidence and livelihoods after losing their sight, as well as preventing and treating eye problems in the neediest areas of the country.

Ghana has a population of approximately 24 million people, with almost 4 million located within the capital of Accra. The World Health Organisation estimates the disability rate of Ghana to be 10%, with around one third of these having a visual impairment. There are many prevailing preconceptions about disability, and typically employers simply do not realise they can offer jobs to people who have impairments.

Like many developing countries, Ghana has a young population: 41.3 % of the population are children, so there is a high dependency ratio. Ghana currently has one of the highest school enrolment rates in West Africa, with 83% of its children in school. Therefore, there is no reason why people with disabilities cannot finish educational studies and enter the work force.

Although rural poverty has decreased over the past ten years, urban deprivation has grown, presenting new challenges which this project aims to address. In the 2011 Budget, the Government intends to set the country’s economy on the path to accelerated growth, with the theme: “Stimulating growth for development and job creation”. This is in keeping with Sightsavers objectives of creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

The founder of Sightsavers, Sir John Wilson, was an advocate for public health and was best known for working to prevent avoidable blindness in developing countries in Africa and South East Asia. Blind himself, after a chemistry accident at school in Scarborough, Sir John founded several organisations such as the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind (now known as Sightsavers).

Sir John was an inspiration to all those who knew him. He died aged 80 and was revered for instigating the saving of sight of some 50 million people in developing countries. He was regarded as the prime mover in the greatest initiative ever mounted to eliminate all avoidable blindness across the world - a now continuing and sustainable development he considered as providing no more than a basic human right.

Sir John’s capacity in dignifying the status of people who are blind, most particularly in the underdeveloped countries, played a huge part in his purpose. For instance, it was a brilliant, headlining event when, in 1969, he instigated the ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro by a team of blind young Africans in a milieu where blind people were often condemned to a life of begging, or worse, and who were rarely regarded as trainable for gainful employment, let alone capable of participating in a feat of the highest endurance. His strength of character and unending ambition to experience the world without stigma immensely supports the ideals of this programme and Sightsavers work across the world.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

In 2010 Sightsavers launched a pilot careers fair in Accra to address the issue of economic discrimination against people with disabilities. The objectives of the fair were twofold: assist people with disabilities in seeking employment, raise awareness amongst employers on disability issues in order to change their perceptions and recruitment practices. Support was provided through training, careers guidance, interviews, and Curriculum Vitae workshops.

The careers fair was attended by 68 persons with disabilities many of whom had received ICT training at our computer centres. These individuals were given the opportunity to showcase their skills and be interviewed by some of the 27 companies present, including Vodaphone and Barclays Bank. The event was an eye opener for all participants; many commented how the event had changed their mindset. Farida Bedwei, an IT Manager and careers fair attendee summed up the event: ‘All we need is a chance to work and prove our abilities’. The event set a precedent for future fairs with companies committing to address opportunities within their workforce.

1) Direct impact (quantitative data on people employed or offered employment, number of partners involved, numbers enrolled on computer training, and graduates from the training programme, extent of media coverage)
2) Indirect impact: change in perception, attitudes and behaviour (through qualitative interviews/questionnaires) and change in legislation
3) Indirect impact: how has economic empowerment changed the lives of those around the individual

The impact of the project will go far beyond the numbers of people with disabilities entering the workplace as changes in attitude and behaviours will lead to longer lasting change.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

1.Scale-Up: More people with disabilities will be reached by engaging employers to create inclusion policies, increasing the number of computer centers, and offering careers advice at schools. The potential is global as Standard Chartered Bank has committed to rolling out this project in other countries.

2.Advocacy: Advocating with companies and government is essential to ensure that disability rights are mainstreamed. It is planned the project will force a cultural shift in Ghana towards employing disabled people.

3.Training of partners: Sightsavers will provide the Ghana Federation of the Disabled with technical and advisory support to improve advocacy skills. In turn, this will impact upon disabled individuals with whom they are working.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Availability of job vacancies:
Despite employers willingness to engage with people with disabilities, there may not be vacancies available. To mitigate this, we plan to work closely with the Ghana Federation of the Disabled to build a database of potential employers to take advantage of future job opportunities. It is intended that this database will be integrated into records used by major recruitment agencies in Ghana.

Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD):
There is no guarantee that the government will ratify the UNCRPD within the next three years. To mitigate this, the strength of the project relies on the involvement of a consortium of private sector partners and disabled people’s organisations to carry out a continuous and well timed advocacy campaign.

Financial sustainability:
Financial support has been provided by Standard Chartered Bank in Ghana and this will continue for the next two years. Sightsavers is initiating a financing strategy to enable future sustainability:
1.Conference fee paid by multinationals attending;
2.Multinational sponsorship through marketing opportunities;
3.Market-based approach of feeding (incremental) fees paid by the successful candidates back into the programme, once they have been in full-time employment for six months.
4.Mainstreaming disability into existing recruitment agencies
5.Advisory centre run by the Ghana Federation of the Disabled, to offer guidance and support to disabled job-seekers as well as training and advice to recruiters and employers on how to effectively employ people with disabilities.

Tell us about your partnerships

Ghana Federation for the Disabled (GFD)
GFD is a national umbrella organisation established in 1987 whose mission is to raise awareness of the capability of people with disabilities and promote their rights. GFD has been at the forefront of disability issues in Ghana for the last 14 years. Their head office is in the Greater Accra Region, at the doorstep of politicians and decision makers helping to increase the visibility of disability issues highlighted in this project.

Standard Chartered Bank (SCB)
SCB is one of the world’s leading international banks and has been supporting Sightsavers through ‘Seeing is Believing’, a unique fundraising and community investment partnership between SCB, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), and other members of VISION 2020: The Right to Sight (the official World Health Organization initiative working to eliminate avoidable blindness).

Ghana Blind Union (GBU)
A memorandum of understanding was signed between GBU and Sightsavers in 2006 to facilitate the process of making ICT obtainable, affordable and sustainable for visually impaired persons in Ghana that will serve as a model to other countries in the region. GBU utilised their networks and resources to put forward people with to act as role models at the careers fair to inspire and motivate participants.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$50,001‐100,000

Explain your selections

The pilot carried out in 2010 was funded entirely by Sightsavers and Standard Chartered Bank. This funding was granted in order to test the environment in Accra for employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Such funding will not form the backbone of project post 2013, thus a sustainable funding model is being explored as detailed above. In order for the programme to be replicated in other countries, start-up costs will be sought from the private sector.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

Sightsavers is addressing the financial sustainability of the project to ensure the effects of our work will belong lasting. The long term intention is that our partners will develop their own capacity to fully manage this project independently. The next three years will focus on training local organisations, such as the Ghana Federation for the Disabled, and ensuring their long term commitment.

We will focus on the following:

1)Establishing a base line from which to measure quantitative and qualitative success
2)Encouraging support for sustainability over a three-year period
3)Establishing an alumni of people with disabilities who gain employment through the programme – they will continue to contribute to the improvement of the programme and to become ‘agents for change’ within their own work place
4)Building a contacts database consisting of potential employers and job seekers from a wide range of industries and backgrounds (and to get this mainstreamed into existing large recruitment databases and agencies)
5)Monitoring and evaluating the programme (e.g. how many candidates receive employment and within how long) and to continually re-shape and improve the programme.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of access to information and networks

SECONDARY

Need for regulatory/policy support

TERTIARY

Restrictive cultural norms

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

1. Assistive technologies enable disabled individuals to access the wealth of information on the internet, develop ICT skills and search for potential employers. The careers fair is bringing new networks of business contacts direct to disabled people, who otherwise would remain out of reach.
2. The ratification of the UNCRPD will mean the government is legally bound by the provisions in the treaty it is paving the way for equal rights for disabled people.
3.Prevailing attitudes towards disabled people in Ghana are often discriminatory, leaving many individuals no choice but to beg on the streets to survive. This project is empowering disabled people so that their employability is recognised and demonstrates their abilities rather than their disabilities.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Global

SECONDARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

TERTIARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

We expect to increase the numbers of participants two-fold within the first two years, and increasingly more as the programme progresses. In addition, we may encourage specialist careers fairs to target specific employers such as telecommunications, IT, media, banking etc. Given a successful outcome of the programme, Sightsavers also plans to replicate this in several other developing countries within the next five years and across Africa within ten years.
We are currently targeting 21-40 year olds, but when school leavers become the largest unemployed group we will shift to offering services to 16-30 year olds. As the programme develops, complementary services such as expertise on entrepreneurship will also be offered.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Government, Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

The strength of Sightsavers is only as strong as our local partners. We continually work to strengthen and support local non-governmental organisations in Ghana. Together we work with schools and universities across Ghana to support disabled people in education (when the take-up of advanced technology is at its highest).
Through our partner, the Ghana Blind Union, we work closely with technology providers such as Human Ware and Freedom Scientific, so we can source equipment at a reduced priced to sell to disabled people, ensuring equitable access to computers.

The cooperation of the private sector is essential if a real change is to be made on unemployment figures. We have benefited greatly from close collaboration, such as receiving start-up funding from Standard Chartered Bank.

Bridges to Business

Created on 05/18/2011 by NODAbility

Americans with disabilities have the highest unemployment and underemployment rate of any minority group in the United States. With one in five Americans having a disability, that’s a huge waste of potential talent.

The Bridges to Business program seeks to positively impact the unemployment rate of people with disabilities by connecting jobseekers with disabilities with employers who seek to diversify their workforces. The program thereby addresses both the needs of jobseekers to gain economic independence and America’s businesses looking to fill critical talent needs.

About You

Organization: National Organization on Disability Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Carol

Last Name

Glazer

Twitter

http://twitter.com/#!/NOD_ItsAbility

Facebook Profile

About Your Organization

Organization Name

National Organization on Disability

Organization Website

Organization Country

United States

Country where this project is creating social impact

United States

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

Bridges to Business

What change do you want to bring to the world?

Americans with disabilities have the highest unemployment and underemployment rate of any minority group in the United States. With one in five Americans having a disability, that’s a huge waste of potential talent.

The Bridges to Business program seeks to positively impact the unemployment rate of people with disabilities by connecting jobseekers with disabilities with employers who seek to diversify their workforces. The program thereby addresses both the needs of jobseekers to gain economic independence and America’s businesses looking to fill critical talent needs.

The program seeks to increase hiring and retention of jobseekers with disabilities, and ensure opportunities for advancement are awarded to employees with disabilities.

What are the primary activities of your project?

To increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, Bridges to Business works with three groups to capitalize on the talents of America’s 33 million working-age people with disabilities:

* We help job-seekers with disabilities by providing a comprehensive understanding of job expectations and performance metrics that are required by each employer – thus increasing a job-seekers ability to be successful on the job. The Bridges program also works to educate the employer on appropriate job accommodations to enable employees to be successful.

* Bridges helps employers to improve hiring policies, programs, procedures and practices to more effectively recruit and integrate people with disabilities into the workforce. We help companies set hiring goals for employees with disabilities (similar to hiring goals for other diverse groups), track progress, improve communication between employers and disability employment agencies, provide training on disability awareness and effective hiring practices, and assist with the development of workplace accommodations.

* Bridges screens and establishes relationships with local employment service providers, who assist companies in finding qualified talent, and individuals in finding employment. Bridges serves as a consultant to service providers, helping them understand common metrics used by employers (e.g. cost per hire, time to fill, performance standards, retention rates), and thus increase their ability to help people find successful employment.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

Unlike most workforce development programs, which approach employment solely from the perspective of the jobseeker, the Bridges to Business program aims to establish a common language that can help people with disabilities find employment by working directly with businesses to address gaps in diversity initiatives. The Bridges program works with employers to best understand their culture and identify opportunities, recruit, hire, onboard, and support people with disabilities as they enter the workforce. We work with managers and employees to educate them on disability employment best practices – enabling managers and co-workers to be better equipped to effectively integrate new hires with disabilities. In addition, Bridges works with employment service agencies to improve their effectiveness at placing candidates with disabilities.

Through Bridges to Business, the National Organization on Disability (NOD) is working with all of the engines of commerce to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The Bridges to Business model recognizes that for employment programs to succeed, they must meet the needs of business. Currently, we are piloting this approach with half a dozen national companies, including one of our nation’s largest retailers.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Founded in 1982, NOD is one of the oldest cross-disability organizations in the US, and remains one of the few organizations committed to representing all Americans with disabilities. In 1986, NOD pioneered a series of surveys to chart the status of people with disabilities, as compared to those without. A consistent finding has been that people with disabilities are unemployed and underemployed at vastly higher rates than their counterparts without disabilities, and that they are much more likely to be living in poverty.

In light of these gaps, NOD today focuses on overcoming the social and economic barriers that keep a large percentage of people with disabilities out of the workforce. In doing so, we are building on a record of accomplishment that includes key programmatic and legislative advances for Americans with disabilities. For example, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, NOD took the lead in ensuring that emergency planning of communities across the country includes people with disabilities. Today, emergency planning for people with disabilities is an established and growing field and supported by the Department of Homeland Security.

NOD’s goal is to help the nation and the businesses that fuel our economy see the tremendous contributions that can be made to our workplaces, communities and the nations’ economic wellbeing by including people with disabilities. America still has a long way to go to close the gaps between people with and without disabilities. But much has been accomplished over the last three decades: More than ever before, people with disabilities are present throughout our society—as workers, consumers, students, neighbors, and volunteers—and contributing to national and community life. NOD is proud to have been central to this progress and is committed to a better life for all people with disabilities.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

When Alan Reich graduated from Dartmouth College in 1952 as an all-American track and field athlete, he had no idea that, ten years later, he would lose the use of his legs. Following a diving accident that left him a paraplegic, Alan championed the emerging disability rights movement, dreaming of an organization that would increase the participation and inclusion of all Americans with disabilities. He persuaded the United Nations to declare 1981 the International Year of the Disabled, led the council that directed the year, then transformed it into the National Organization on Disability. The small organization was the first group in the United States concerned with all disabilities and age groups. Before his death in 2005, Alan recognized the need to focus on employment – one of the most significant and enduring barriers facing Americans with disabilities.

In building its employment initiative, NOD was influenced by parents who time and again lamented the fact that their sons and daughters with disabilities did not have access to jobs routinely available to non-disabled teenagers. They were clear: “If you do anything, introduce our children to the workplace.” Bridges to Business grew out of this focus, and today builds on Alan’s legacy.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

Launched in early 2010 with seed funding from Sam’s Club, The Coca-Cola Company and the Kessler and Milbank Foundations, Bridges to Business is now operating in five states with half a dozen corporate partners.

For example, NOD has helped retailer Lowe's to hire more than 100 individuals with disabilities in locations across the country. And we have trained over 325 Lowe's managers and staff members in best practices for hiring, retaining, and welcoming employees with disabilities.

An evaluation from Rutgers University reported: "NOD is meeting a need of businesses by acting as a recruitment coordinator and liaison between the business and the disability community [and] because it allows businesses to maintain performance levels and meet employment needs, the Bridges to Business program is likely to be sustained..."

NOD is collecting data on key aspects of program implementation in each site, including number of new hires, new employee performance as compared with business-established standards, and employee retention. Weekly reports from service providers, which include both narrative descriptions and raw data, assist NOD in tracking the success of each site, as well as highlighting key differences across multiple locations. In this way we are tracking both the outcomes and the story behind the numbers.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

1,001- 10,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

In 2010, NOD launched the Bridges to Business program with only one employer; as the program gained traction, 4 more companies joined within a 12 month period.

From 2011-2014, the Bridges program will continue to recruit national employers and implement disability employment programs. We anticipate recruiting another 5-10 companies each year to join the Bridges program.

This effort has the potential to affect millions of individuals – those with disabilities and those without – by changing the employment climate of the United States. Our goal is to enable people with disabilities to have a firm seat at the corporate diversity table, and demonstrate the positive impact expanding one’s diversity view will have on corporations America’s workforce.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Although are looking for company- specific support as it relates to their policies, practices, programs and procedures around disability hiring, employers still exhibit resistance to the idea of paying for these types of services. In some cases, employers are surprised that a nonprofit charges for services, while other employers are willing to pay. NOD will continue to capture data in this area as we complete a market study funded in part by the UPS Foundation.

In many locations, service providers do not have a collaborative relationship or even an awareness of one another. Multiple agencies are often competing for the same employer relationships and the same funding dollars from the state. Employers have no qualms about working with multiple agencies, but they do not want multiple job coaching agencies in their facilities. Because of the way that funding works in certain states, undue tension can arise between agencies who provide job coaching, and can create an unwillingness for agencies to refer qualified candidates for available positions due to concerns that they will not getting funding if the candidate needs on the job supports. This tension can cause service providers to become competitive to the point that it hurts both their ability to refer clients and their ability to engage in an organized way with businesses. NOD is working to strengthen partnerships among these service providers so that they can launch a coordinated effort toward providing referral and on-the-job coaching services.

Tell us about your partnerships

In addition to the employers with which we work, NOD has several local and national partnerships to help Bridges grow, evolve and be built for scale. Nationally, we work with the National Employment Team (The NET) to identify appropriate partners and resources in new states and locations. This provides NOD with a strong network to quickly execute on the ground with employers – and help them launch their disability hiring programs quickly.
The role of nonprofit service provider partners is to identify qualified candidates with disabilities for each open position. They also provide job coaching for new hires, as well as training for companies’ staff members as needed. Our current nonprofit partners include:
• Blanchard Valley Industries, serving as the lead agency for the Lowe’s project in Findlay, OH, established in April 2010. This agency provides daily onsite job coaching for 12 individuals with varying disabilities. The hiring projection for Q1 2011 is 30+ individuals with disabilities.
• Illinois Growth Enterprises, serving as the lead agency for the Lowe’s project in Rockford, IL, established in August 2010. This agency provides daily onsite job coaching for 25 individuals with varying disabilities. The hiring projection for Q1 2011 is 45 individuals with disabilities.
• Advocations in Statesville – job coaching for 8 individuals and hiring projections of 20

In each of these locations we also work the Department of Rehabilitative Services to ensure that we have a consistent and viable talent pipeline for positions that are open with the various employers.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$500,001‐1 million

Explain your selections

The Bridges to Business program is funding by a variety of sources, all with different interests in seeing this project succeed. A Medicaid Infrastructure Grant from the state of New Jersey (through Rutgers University) funds the majority of NOD’s work with Aetna, ADP, and Sodexo—although each of these businesses also pays for a portion of NOD’s services. Both the Coca-Cola Company and Sam’s Club have chipped in funding to allow other businesses to benefit from NOD’s innovative model. Finally, foundations like Kessler, Milbank, and UPS contribute to this program, in hopes that its success will engender better outcomes for people with disabilities—not only today, but in the years to come.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

The Bridges program has three distinct phases that enables us to meet employers where they are. In “Phase 1 – New initiatives,” NOD helps companies in the start-up stage of their disability program. In “Phase 2—Growth & Expansion ,“ NOD assists companies with consistency, growth and expansion , helping a company to create a systematic program that is part of the organization’s overall diversity programs. In “Phase 3 – Innovation,” NOD helps companies to evolve their disability employment programs to focus on inititiaves that will enhance the work experience for all employees.

These phases enable NOD to establish long term relationships with employers to help them advance their programs, so companies can expand their disability programs.

NOD will use this three-phase model to connect businesses in various stages of disability readiness, so that these businesses become resources to one another. In the next three years, we hope to see these networks—now in early stages—become fully formed. NOD will see that the best practices from these business consortia are disseminated through the mainstream media, HR publications, and our disability networks. NOD is currently building a business consortium in Bentonville, AR in order to transform the community there through job sculpting and disability hiring. Northern NJ is also blooming with possibility as Aetna, Sodexo, and ADP join with NOD to build more inclusive workforces.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Underemployment

SECONDARY

Lack of visibility and investment

TERTIARY

Lack of access to information and networks

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Bridges to Business jobs offer equal pay for people with and without disabilities, as well as health insurance and 401k plans. This initiative is getting people with disabilities out of sheltered workshop situations, into meaningful work where they are engaged in the community and getting off the social welfare system.

The Bridges program addresses businesses’ lack of investment by highlighting the unique benefits that employees with disabilities offer companies, thus challenging the beliefs of management and coworkers.

Finally, NOD provides networking. serving as the link among employers and service providers. Through Bridges, NOD connects new business partners to those who already have a disability employment program, facilitating meetings and site visits to orient new partners.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

SECONDARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

TERTIARY

Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

NOD is undertaking work with new employers eager to diversify by including people with disabilities in their workforces. Most recently, NOD and Sam’s Club convened a consortium of businesses in Bentonville, AR to increase awareness and opportunities for people with disabilities. NOD is positioned to expand its work with companies ready to commit to the employment of people with disabilities.

Additionally, NOD will effect change by disseminating preliminary results in conferences and webinars. NOD is currently working on articles for publication in HR related publications to spread the word about the need for increased focus around disability employment that includes businesses in the discussion of problems and solutions. This outreach will increase as we have more findings to report.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

In addition to the nonprofit partnerships and business partnerships described above, NOD also partners with universities as excellent sources of talent, as well as for feedback on our efforts. In New Jersey, NOD is currently partnering with several NJ colleges including Rutgers University’s Office of Disability Services and Career Services Department and Ramapo College’s Office of Special Services. The primary objective of these academic relationships is to help students explore career opportunities and obtain employment with New Jersey businesses and industries. NOD is also in discussion with the Association on Higher Education and Disability to explore opportunities for collaboration that will serve to improve employment opportunities for students with disabilities.

Indic News Project : Indic News Analysis & accessibility Platform

Created on 05/8/2011 by indicproject

The Indic News Project aims to provide an Analysis and Accessibility Platform for the news content generated inindic scripts based languages. These languages are the mother-tongue of most people from South Asia, encompassing around 1/6th of world population. Knowldege and Information, in Indic languages should be usable for any purpose in web and desktop just like English.

About You

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About You

First Name

Santhosh

Last Name

Thottingal

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About Your Organization

Organization Name

Indic Project

Organization Website

Organization Country

India, KA

Country where this project is creating social impact

India, KA

Is your organization a

Not registered

How long has your organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

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Innovation

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Indic News Project : Indic News Analysis & accessibility Platform

What change do you want to bring to the world?

The Indic News Project aims to provide an Analysis and Accessibility Platform for the news content generated inindic scripts based languages. These languages are the mother-tongue of most people from South Asia, encompassing around 1/6th of world population. Knowldege and Information, in Indic languages should be usable for any purpose in web and desktop just like English. All the technology barriers for the language should be solved and local content producers such as publishing houses, media, self publishing platforms, social networking, e-governance etc should use the fruits of this technology advancement.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Indic script news content is increasing rapidly on the web after operating systems started widely supporting Unicode and complex scripts rendering. Applications that enable advanced analysis on such data is yet to be developed. The project aims to fulfil this need, by developing AGPL licensed indic computing tools for the cloud age.

  • Develop Indic Language technologies based on Free Software, document, test, package and release.
  • Develop network services on top of the language technologies that can be leveraged by the Indic language news producers as well as consumers. Document, Train, Showcase, and Publicize them to public.
  • Research on the Indic language technologies and Computational linguistics by collaborating with academic experts.
  • Promote, Popularise and Educate the Indian language technology usage in various digital media.
  • Develop, Document, Train and Publicize applications to enable better news delivery using natural language technology tools.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

1) A Platform for text search over Indic news content

Searching and sorting algorithms for Indic languages are in development and are not bug free. Indic support is not yet available in most of the search solutions (including FOSS solutions like Lucene or Solr) because of the complex word formation characteristics.
2) Document Similarity

To enable features such as “Similar News Stories” on an analytics platform that works on Indic content, a robust similarity measure that realistically and accurately estimates similarity between stories would be necessary.

3) Accessible Documents in Automatically generated speech

Indic Accessibility Tools are scarce and are not mature. Populations that use Indic languages are largely natives of developing countries where public and shared machines are largely used to access news.

4) Rendering solutions for Indic content.

Complex script rendering is still a barrier for the content distribution. Operating systems with good rendering support are yet to reach people.

We will provide following set of technologies to solve this.
a) Service/application library to render the content in PDF,

b) Indic Webfonts service for news providers, to improve the news delivery without worrying whether user’s computer is capable of rendering Indic.

5) Indic Datacloud

Indic Document Cloud workspace, allows anyone to upload documents, share them with team, and conduct structured searches and analysis based on extracted entities — the people, places, and organizations mentioned in the text.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

Internet presence of Indic language content started growing from 2001 onwards , after the popularisation of Internet in South Asia. News papers were the major content generators at initial phase. Each news publisher used their own ASCII based font encoding to display complex script in their website properly. Users were forced to download and install respective fonts to read each news websites. This resulted in non-standard and not searchable news online. With the arrival of Indic support in Unicode technology & open type fonts , many publishers switched to Unicode based text encoding, which reduced the complexities. With the arrival of input tools and rendering engines supporting Unicode text input and rendering, user base is increased and news portals, citizen media such as blogs, wikipedia etc flourished. But still many news publishers were stuck with ASCII based encoding formats. Now many companies such as google, facebook etc were providing local language interfaces and all popular Operating systems supporting local language interfaces. This project aims to help news publishers to grow to next level . Both authors of this proposal were working with foss community for achieving standardization and development of Indic computing with special focus on Malayalam for the last 5 years. This project is a new phase to bring the technology to the news producers and consumers. The opportunities given by the advance of language technology were rarely exploited by Indian news domain, mainly because of non availability of technology & expertise around Indic Language Computing.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Santhosh Thottingal, is a Well respected free software activist and developer from India with 5+ years experience in various desktop computing applications with special interest in internationalization and language computing. Being the upstream developer for more than 10 packages in various GNU/Linux distros,

Anivar Aravind is a social entrepreneur & solutions consultant based on Bangalore. Currently he works as the Executive Director of Moving Republic, a non-profit works on developing a community oriented perspective on ICT4D. He also associated with various Government Policy Initiatives, Commons movements & Human rights groups apart from his active involvement in Free Software Movement. various digital activism projects such as Free Binayak Sen Campaign, Orissa Concerns etc. Some of his past and current associations are with Free Software Foundation He blogs at http://anivar.in

This absence of support foe indic languages increases digital divide, since they cant use computers in their mother tongue.. These kind of factors that preventing access to knowledge need to be corrected.

Social Impact

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Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

Our Previous efforts are widely used in India. you can check our contributions and users statistics in Swathanthra Malayalam computing & silpa Project

Specific to insic project you can follow the development roadmap. http://www.indicproject.in/wiki/Roadmap

How many people have been impacted by your project?

More than 10,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

More than 10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

See Roadmap http://www.indicproject.in/wiki/Roadmap
In addition we need to plan the strategy for Outreach by the end of first phase

we need 2 years to Implimemnt the basic technology stack, with a focus on 2 languages as pilot , after that we are planning to expand the project by including more stake holders on borad

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Even though we already started coding for some key areas in Indic Project based on the existing technology, there are many areas, that require good amount of research on technology and linguistic aspects. Recruiting technically qualified people for development is going to be difficult. Considering the multilingual aspect of the project, we need recruit people from various languages. At the same time they should be familiar with language computing too. This also raises capital risk , to get enough qualified people based on project estimate.

Since the training & networking is out of scope of this proposal, we need to find suitable partners, Donor agencies etc to provide training in various parts of South Asia to the news producers after the development project is completed.

We have pretty good network of Developers working on these areas in FOSS domain . and connections with Free software user groups in multiple cities. If we received some support , we can find staff through these contacts .

Tell us about your partnerships

This is a Joint Project by Myself & my partner Anivar Aravind, a social enterpriser, with deep convictions about Technology for social benefit . We worked together in establishing Swathanthra malayalam Computing, India's largest FOSS community project , in terms of developers and contributors. Most of the solutions we developed in SMc is widely used by Government of Kerala, Most of the media organisations, and public sector. Now we plans to expand the idea with more technology part to other parts of the country.
In addition , i am part of Wikimedia Language committee, the group that enables and supports new language wiki projects . Projects like Thisone stregthens the Technology stack of Indic language wikipedia projects as well.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

Less than $1,000

Explain your selections

As of now, we works on Personal Contributions by users of our services. Developers spend their free time on contributing to this project, with some support we can hire fulltimers and speedup this project

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

1. By Increasing Awareness & visibility about the project & showing benefits and features of project
2. Partnering with more stake holders to test the service
3, By Opening up the network services to wider usage
4. by bringing major stakeholders in board

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of access to information and networks

SECONDARY

Restricted access to new markets

TERTIARY

Lack of skills/training

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Indic script based languages are the mother-tongue of most people from South Asia, encompassing around 1/6th of world population. Now most of the people does not have access to Knowledge & information online in their mother-tongue, due to absence of knowledge/ technical glitches in accessing it . Indic project solves these 2 barriers by providing technical stack to news producers and by training users in overcoming that.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Leveraged technology

SECONDARY

Repurposed your model for other sectors/development needs

TERTIARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

The first challenge is Leveraging Technology Please see Technical Roadmap here http://www.indicproject.in/wiki/Roadmap
The development in this area can be reutilised for many sectors such as education fileds etc .
In addition, we want to bring major stakeholders in this area on board, and hear from them , when we expands our operation

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

Government, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

1. Govt of Kerala started promoting Our achivements in malayalam computing through Govt run project see http://malayalam.kerala.gov.in (in Malayalam)
2. Many Non Profits are using our technologies for their day today campaigns

3. For Profit companies uses our technologies for their clients , which helps to reduce cost and helps to keep technology stack free and open

4. Academia can study Computational Linguistics and language computing through our joint collaboration efforts

Expanding Job Opportunity for the Blind

Created: 04/29/11 by ashoka indonesia

Location

Jakarta
Indonesia

Mitra Netra Foundation creates a model of resource center to teaching materials, new technologies, and support for training and education for visually impaired. These resource centers also provide psychological support for visually impaired people, including peer counseling and academic support. Bambang has taken advantage of increasingly available new technologies such as screen reader, digital braille, etc. to develop and spread tools that greatly improve the quality of education and expand the job opportunities for the blind.

SELF – EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM FOR POOR DISABLED WOMEN

Created on 04/26/2011 by RPHCR

The Rural Physically Handicapped Center for Rehabilitation is currently working in the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh. The population are mostly dependant on agriculture and small businesses. Here, people with some form of physical disability are usually unemployed. The women with disabilities face more problems than the men, and the stigma within the society further hampers their progress. These women can’t lead normal lives and get married; even if some do get married, many are left on roads after few months or a year to fend for themselves.

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About You

First Name

G

Last Name

Kalavathi

Twitter

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About Your Organization

Organization Name

RURAL PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED CENTER FOR REHABILITATION

Organization Website

Organization Country

India, AP

Country where this project is creating social impact

India, AP

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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SELF – EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM FOR POOR DISABLED WOMEN

What change do you want to bring to the world?

The Rural Physically Handicapped Center for Rehabilitation is currently working in the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh. The population are mostly dependant on agriculture and small businesses. Here, people with some form of physical disability are usually unemployed. The women with disabilities face more problems than the men, and the stigma within the society further hampers their progress. These women can’t lead normal lives and get married; even if some do get married, many are left on roads after few months or a year to fend for themselves. We help these women set up small business like petty shops, tailoring & embroidering, etc. and also help them secure loans to help them lead a dignified life.

What are the primary activities of your project?

Every village we go to has at least 2 to 3 women with disabilities. We appoint 2 community coordinators who survey the rural areas and meet with the head of the village and the village people. We identify the disabled women in the area and explain our project, which helps these women set up small business. Along with these women, we contact the nearest bank and deposit Rs 5,000 in the woman's name. We then request the bank manager to grant a loan of Rs 10,000 to the women. Then we will contact the M.D.O. Officer and request him to sanction a Rs. 10,000 subsidy by DRDA. In addition, we contact the SC/ST, BC & Minority Corporations to sanction Rs 5,000 as well. This makes a total of Rs 30,000 for each woman for them to set up their business.
The amount sanctioned by the government is refunded with the low interest rates in easy instalments. The amount sanctioned by the SC, ST, BC & Minority Corporation is refunded without interest in easy instalments. The remaining amount does not need to be returned. By this process, the women benefit Rs 15,000.
So far 450 disabled women have received a total of Rs 15,00,000. Each woman makes a profit of approximately Rs300 to 500. They can make profits from Rs 7000 to 14,000 every month. This helps them lead an independent life, free from stigma.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

We don't just hand out money but also help the women set up their businesses and we do this in collaboration with the village people as well, because the development has to happen on a much broader level. Some of the types of bussiness we help set up are:
Cow rearing: One litre of milk costs RS 14 to 20 based on the quality. The women buy a cow for Rs 18,000 to 20,000 and insure it as well. Cows can give an average of 20 to 24 litres of milk per day. Dairy workers collect the milk from the woman's house at Rs 18 per litre, allowing her to earn Rs 360 per day. They also start repaying their loans. After six months, the production of milk decreases as the cow becomes pregnant. The women will then contact the bank manager and request for a loan to buy a new cow. Based on her repayment details of last loan, the bank manager will give her a loan without any security from others which will help her further her income.
Petty Shops: The women can also start a petty shop selling daily provisions, helped by our community coordinators . They can earn Rs 450 on average per day.
Tailoring & Embroidering: Some of these womenlearn tailoring & embroidering. We provide them sewing machines by which they can earn 350 rupees per day., so that they can earn 10,500 rupees per month. They can get 7,500 rupees per month excluding the expenditures.

What stage is your project in?

Operating for more than 5 years

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

POOR PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED WOMEN IN RURAL AND REMOTE AREAS in district level.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Our Organization’s President Mrs. G. KALAVATHI had developed this project idea. Because she gone through number of rural and remote areas; she came to know that the poor women disabilities were suffering lot. To help them she came to a decision to make a project to make employment for them to live on their own by helping them to make petty shops, tailoring centers, cows etc.,

Social Impact

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Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

We are surveyed every village with the help of community coordinator. And conducted meetings in villages in front of the village people and village heads; and identified the eligible handicapped women and our organization will help them to live their life on their own as their wish. By this way we make our project successful. The success is measured by maintaining the records for every week and month.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

101-1,000

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

101- 1,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

The disabled women will continue the process of getting loan from bank without others help and thus the project will go on even though the support has ended. Simply to say it is a cyclic rotation.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

With the help of our community coordinators, village heads, village people, nearest bank manager, mdo, drda, sc & st, bc corporations.

Tell us about your partnerships

No partners were included in this project.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$50,001‐100,000

Explain your selections

Our friends and family members support us in our project while identifying the eligible disabled women. Individuals means the village people where the project going on. They will help us for village meetings. Foundations and NGOs will help us to run the project more effectively by granting us some funds.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

This is just like a cyclic form. The project will never end. The benefited people will be benefited through out their life.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Underemployment

SECONDARY

Lack of skills/training

TERTIARY

Other (Specify Below)

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

Helping disabled women

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

SECONDARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

TERTIARY

Grown geographic reach: Within host country

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

Difference Makes us Attractive

Created: 04/19/11 by Anonymous

Bea Pellizzari was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

Bea Pellizzari has dedicated 18 years of her life to transforming the public image of people with disabilities. She founded La Usina in 2002 on the principle that diversity yields collective enrichment.

La Usina integrates people who have physical and mental disabilities into the labor force by using a model based on market principles and professional standards, without resorting to quotas or preferential treatment. Pellizzari recognizes that finding a job is not simply a matter of charity, but is the result of making a strong match between workers’ skills and employers’ needs.

Four years ago, she created a very successful social business called redACTIVOS that promotes and distributes several products and services created by people with disabilities. In addition to generating income for La Usina, this social business has been able to connect a network of very important Argentinean and international companies that buy the products and services made by a network of people with disabilities.

In this short video, Pellizzari briefly describes her journey along the path of social entrepreneurship, and how entrepreneurial activities, joy, and happiness go hand-in-hand.

Making Every Business an “Ability” Company

Created: 04/18/11 by Anonymous

Caroline Casey was honored as an Ashoka ChangemakeHER, Changemakers's inaugural celebration of the world's most influentual and inspiring women. Find her fellow honorees' voices here.

Sushmita Ghosh, member of Ashoka's Leadership Team and founder of Changemakers, sat down with Caroline Casey (pictured above), Ashoka Globalizer Fellow and founding CEO of Kanchi and the O2 Ability Awards.

Kanchi is a not-for-profit organization that works to change thinking about disability. Kanchi promotes the ability and value of every person with a disability and challenges traditional stereotypes through innovative initiatives aimed at a wide range of stakeholders. Kanchi works with leaders in business, government, and the media to accelerate change.

★★★

Ghosh: When was your "ah-ha" moment when you realized that your idea could be realized on a larger scale?

Casey: I actually had a few “ah-ha” moments throughout the history of Kanchi. The first time was in 2004 while creating the first Irish Ability Awards—I knew instinctually that this idea could be replicated in any country if we got the model right, like the ISO model.

The second was in 2007, when Telefónica came to Ireland to see the 02 Ability Awards. After hearing about our activities, they had sent very high-level people to witness the final stage of the Ability Awards Program - the gala ceremony. Within minutes of the ceremony ending, they asked me whether they could take the Ability Awards to Spain.

The third moment was January 17, during the first complete cycle of those Ability Awards in Spain, when the president of Telefónica announced his plan to take the Ability Awards to five countries in five years in front of an extremely influential audience, including the Queen of Spain.  It was at that moment that the dream I had back in 2004 began to become a reality.

GLOBALICEMOS LA ESPERANZA RENOVANDO LA FE EN LA EDUCACION

Created on 04/13/2011 by annakar

POR UN MUNDO DONDE LOS JOVENES NO SEAN ESTIGMATIZADOS COMO DELINCUENTES Y GENERADORES DE VIOLENCIA, Y TENGAN, EN CAMBIO SU OPORTUNIDAD, ACCEDIENDO A LOS CONOCIMIENTOS SOCIALMENTE CONSTRUIDOS DESDE CUALQUIER ESTRATO SOCIAL, Y APORTANDO A SU RECONSTRUCCION EN BENEFICIO DE SU COMUNIDAD. UN MUNDO DONDE EL CONTEXTO SOCIO-ECONÓMICO-CULTURAL NO DETERMINE EL FRACASO DE LOS JÓVENES, LA FALTA DE INSERCIÓN LABORAL, O SEA EL CAMINO SEGURO A LA CRIMINALIDAD Y LOS VICIOS SOCIALES.

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About You

First Name

ANNA KARINA

Last Name

ROMERO

Twitter

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About Your Organization

Organization Name

INSTITUTO RAICES AFRO

Organization Website

Organization Country

Uruguay, AR

Country where this project is creating social impact

Uruguay, AR

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

Less than a year

Is the project that you are entering related to this organization?

Yes

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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GLOBALICEMOS LA ESPERANZA RENOVANDO LA FE EN LA EDUCACION

What change do you want to bring to the world?

POR UN MUNDO DONDE LOS JOVENES NO SEAN ESTIGMATIZADOS COMO DELINCUENTES Y GENERADORES DE VIOLENCIA, Y TENGAN, EN CAMBIO SU OPORTUNIDAD, ACCEDIENDO A LOS CONOCIMIENTOS SOCIALMENTE CONSTRUIDOS DESDE CUALQUIER ESTRATO SOCIAL, Y APORTANDO A SU RECONSTRUCCION EN BENEFICIO DE SU COMUNIDAD. UN MUNDO DONDE EL CONTEXTO SOCIO-ECONÓMICO-CULTURAL NO DETERMINE EL FRACASO DE LOS JÓVENES, LA FALTA DE INSERCIÓN LABORAL, O SEA EL CAMINO SEGURO A LA CRIMINALIDAD Y LOS VICIOS SOCIALES. DONDE EL JOVEN RURAL ACCEDA A LA MISMA CALIDAD EDUCATIVA QUE EL URBANO Y DONDE EL URBANO PERIFÉRICO NO TENGA COMO ÚNICO FUTURO CONVERTIRSE EN EL BLANCO DE LOS MECANISMOS DE CONTROL SOCIAL COMO CONSECUENCIA DE LA ESTIGMATIZACIÓN DE QUE SUELE SER OBJETO, SOBRE TODO CUANDO ADEMÁS DE POBRE ES AFRODESCENDIENTE.

What are the primary activities of your project?

EDUCACION POPULAR A TRAVES DE UNA METODOLOGÍA HUMANISTA, RESPETUOSA DE LAS DIFERENCIAS EN LOS APRENDIZAJES, DE LAS CAPACIDADES DIFERENTES, DE LOS CONTEXTOS SOCIO ECONOMICOS Y FAMILIARES, POSIBILITANDO EL ACCESO A LOS BIENES CULTURALES Y A LAS NUEVAS TECNOLOGÍAS PARA UN EMPODERAMIENTO REAL DE LOS ESTRATOS MAS POBRES Y RELEGADOS DE LA SOCIEDAD, CON ESPECIAL ATENCIÓN EN LA PROBLEMÁTICA DEL JOVEN RURAL, PERIFÉRICO Y/O AFRODESCENDIENTE.

What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?

ES INNOVADOR EN EL ENFOQUE PRAGMÁTICO, YA QUE NO SE REDUCE A UN DISCURSO Y UNAS POCAS ACCIONES POLÍTICAS, SINO QUE APUNTA AL COMPROMISO SOCIAL DE LAS PERSONAS INVOLUCRADAS. MUCHAS ENTIDADES GUBERNAMENTALES DICEN TRABAJAR EN ESTE ASPECTO, PERO SUS ACCIONES SON DE ALCANCE LIMITADO. ES NECESARIO QUE ESTEMOS DISPUESTOS A DAR DE NOSOTROS HACIA LOS OTROS EN PROCESOS EDUCATIVOS NO FORMALES, CON MAYOR INTERACCIÓN ENTRE AGENTES Y POBLACION OBJETO (JOVENES POBRES DEL CAMPO Y LA CIUDAD), CONTRIBUYENDO A CONSTRUIR SUBJETIVIDADES DENTRO DEL MARCO DE LA PAZ Y LA BUENA CONVIVENCIA SOCIAL. INNOVAR PLANIFICANDO ACTIVIDADES EDUCATIVAS NO FORMALES QUE SE IMPLANTEN SIMULTÁNEAMENTE EN LOS BARRIOS URBANOS Y LAS ZONAS RURALES, SIN POSTERGAR LA EJECUCIÓN DEL PROYECTO EN LOS LUGARES ALEJADOS DE LAS CIUDADES Y CONVOCANDO CON ESPECIAL INTERÉS A LOS Y LAS JÓVENES NEGR@S CUYA AUTOESTIMA REQUIERE NUESTRA FRATERNA ATENCIÓN PARA EMPEZAR A SALDAR LA DEUDA QUE LA HUMANIDAD TIENE CON LOS NEGROS/AS.

What stage is your project in?

Idea phase

Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.

VENGO DE UNA COMUNIDAD RURAL Y VIVO ACTUALMENTE EN UN BARRIO PERIFÉRICO DE LA CIUDAD, EN QUE CONVIVE GENTE TRABAJADORA Y JÓVENES QUE HAN CAÍDO EN VICIOS COMO LA DROGADICCIÓN Y EL ALCOHOL, Y QUE SON LOS ACTORES DE LOS INFORMATIVOS DIARIOS POR SUS ACCIONES DELINCUENTES. NO ES POSIBLE DICTAR LEYES DESDE ARRIBA PARA APLICARSE EN UN ABAJO QUE SOLO SE VISITA POR UN RATO EN PERÍODOS ELECTORALES. SON FUNDAMENTALES LOS LÍDERES COMUNITARIOS. TAMBIÉN ESTOY EJERCIENDO LA DOCENCIA EN UN LICEO RURAL CERCANO Y ME PREOCUPA EL FUTURO DE AMBOS CONTEXTOS.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

MI HISTORIA ES LA DE UNA MUJER RURAL QUE A LOS CASI 40 AÑOS TUVO QUE DEJAR SU PUEBLO PARA REALIZAR ESTUDIOS TERCIARIOS Y PODER PENSAR EN BRINDARLE OPORTUNIDADES A SUS DOS HIJOS. SI ES POSIBLE RECOMENZAR PARA MÍ -ESTOY A PUNTO DE OBTENER EL TÍTULO DOCENTE- PIENSO QUE ES POSIBLE RECOMENZAR PARA ESOS JÓVENES A QUIENES HOY LOS AMENAZA UN PROYECTO DE LEY PARA BAJAR LA IMPUTABILIDAD PENAL Y CRIMINALIZAR SU FALTA DE OPORTUNIDADES, DE LA CUAL TODOS SOMOS RESPONSABLES. CONOZCO EL SABOR AMARGO DEL ALEJAMIENTO GEOGRÁFICO DE LAS CIUDADES Y OPORTUNIDADES DE FORMACIÓN E INSERCIÓN LABORAL, ASÍ COMO LA IMPOTENCIA DE SABER QUE SE CUENTA CON UN TALENTO, UNA VOCACIÓN, LA CAPACIDAD DE CREAR, Y DE QUE PASARÁS POR LA VIDA SIN PODER CONTAGIAR ESO A OTROS Y A LA VEZ NUTRIRTE DEL APORTE DE OTRAS PERSONAS PARA CRECER Y PERFECCIONAR TU ACTIVIDAD (EN MI CASO LA PRODUCCIÓN DE TEXTOS LITERARIOS "EN SOLEDAD", COMO TENGO DOS LIBROS QUE NUNCA PUBLIQUÉ, Y ASÍ OTRAS PERSONAS PUEDEN ESTAR PERDIENDO SU OPORTUNIDAD EN LA VIDA POR FALTA DE AYUDA).

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

ESTÁ EN FASE DE IDEA AÚN, PERO ESTOY SEGURA DE SU IMPACTO Y DE SU NECESIDAD. SE PUEDE MEDIR MEDIANTE INVESTIGACIÓN SOCIAL CUANTITATIVA Y CUALITATIVA, CONTROLANDO LA EVOLUCIÓN DE LA POBLACIÓN OBJETO.

How many people have been impacted by your project?

Fewer than 100

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

1,001-10,000

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

INVOLUCRANDO EDUCADORES NUEVOS Y CON UNA PERSPECTIVA AMPLIA Y HUMANITARIA, ASÍ COMO ASOCIACIONES CIVILES. CONSTRUYENDO LIDERAZGOS COMUNITARIOS, ALERTAS A LAS DEMANDAS Y CAMBIOS, Y CAPACITANDO CONTINUAMENTE A LAS PERSONAS COMPROMETIDAS EN EL PROYECTO. TAMBIÉN INVESTIGANDO LOS CAMBIOS PRODUCIDOS EN LOS JÓVENES BENEFICIARIOS Y HACIENDO UN ACOMPAÑAMIENTO DE SU DESARROLLO: INSERCIÓN LABORAL, FORMACIÓN DE UNA FAMILIA, CONDUCTA RESPONSABLE EN LA SOCIEDAD Y CAPTACIÓN DE TRABAJADORES QUE CONTINÚEN CON EL PROYECTO DESDE ESA POBLACIÓN OBJETIVO.

Sustainability

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What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

FALTA DE CONCIENCIA EN LA POBLACION, INVASIÓN MEDIÁTICA DESFAVORABLE, FALTA DE INVOLUCRAMIENTO DE ASOCIACIONES CIVILES, FALTA DE RECURSOS.

Tell us about your partnerships

ASOCIACIONES CIVILES, EDUCADORES.

Current annual budget of project, in US dollars

$10,001‐50,000

Explain your selections

CUANTO MAYOR SEA EL APOYO DE LA SOCIEDAD Y EL ESTADO, LAS PERSONAS EN FORMA INDIVIDUAL U ORGANIZADA, LOS VECINOS, Y OTROS, MAS SE FORTALECE EL PROYECTO. NO HAY PROYECTO SOCIAL VIABLE O PERMANENTE POR MUCHO TIEMPO SIN LA ADHESIÓN DE QUIENES PUEDEN AYUDAR: LAS IDEAS POR SÍ MISMAS NO PRODUCEN RESULTADOS, EL SER HUMANO Y SU ACCIÓN SOLIDARIA Y SISTEMÁTICA ES QUIEN CONSTRUYE Y RECONSTRUYE CON SUS PARES UNA IDEA INICIAL INNOVADORA, PRODUCIENDO LOS CAMBIOS NECESARIOS EN UNA COMUNIDAD.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

CON RECURSOS HUMANOS Y ECONOMICOS.CON APORTES DE OTRAS PERSONAS CON OTRAS IDEAS QUE FORTALEZCAN LA IDEA INICIAL Y LE AGREGUEN "SUSTANCIA" SEGÚN LA DINÁMICA SOCIAL QUE EXIGE REMODELAR, REPENSAR, REORGANIZAR.

Challenges

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Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.

PRIMARY

Lack of visibility and investment

SECONDARY

Need for regulatory/policy support

TERTIARY

Lack of skills/training

Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.

CON COMPROMISO SOCIAL Y CON ESPÍRITU DE DESAFÍO A LA DESESPERANZA: SALIENDO A BUSCAR, PRODUCIENDO IDEAS PERO TAMBIÉN PERFECCIONANDO IDEAS Y ACCIONES, MEJORANDO LA PRÁCTICA CONSTANTEMENTE.

Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.

PRIMARY

Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices

SECONDARY

Leveraged technology

TERTIARY

Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services

Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.

BUSCAR APOYO FINANCIERO Y DE ASOCIACIONES CIVILES.

Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)

NGOs/Nonprofits.

If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?

SI, POR LA EXPERIENCIA ACUMULADA.

From “Garbage Collectors” to Micro Entrepreneurs

Created: 03/28/11 by Anonymous

Interview by Lorena López, Ashoka Changemakers

Albina Ruiz, founder of Ciudadsaludable.org, created a system of micro businesses that are dedicated to collecting and processing urban waste, promoting cleaner and healthier cities in Peru. Perhaps their most important success has been dignifying the job of garbage collectors, who have been included in a formal and decent employment system with social and pension payments. Here, Albina shares her entrepreneurial experience and she has succeeded in improving the living standards for many people.

What are three strengths that make a change agent successful? Perseverance, ethics, and a certain dose of craziness. And above all, you must love what you do, because you need to be a little crazy and truly love what you do in order to achieve changes within the system.

Restoring A Forgotten Treasure To Bring Security to Low-Income Seniors

Created on 12/8/2010 by pkirby

Please support for an innovative elderly housing project in Attleboro, MA which will restore an historic mill that now lies vacant, and provide low-income seniors a residence to comfortably “age in place.” The Arc of Northern Bristol County, Inc. and The Arc of Blackstone Valley have entered a joint venture agreement to develop the historic Sadler Bros. Mill Building at 561 Newport Avenue, South Attleboro, MA into 29 units of elderly low-income housing through the HUD Section 202 Elderly Housing program, while restoring the Sadler Bros.

About You

Organization: The Arc of Northern Bristol County Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

About You

First Name

Patricia

Last Name

Kirby

About Your Organization

Organization Name

The Arc of Northern Bristol County

Organization Website

Organization Phone

(508) 226-1445

Organization Address

141 Park Street, Attleboro, MA

Organization Country

United States, MA, Bristol County

Country where this project is creating social impact

United States, MA, Bristol County

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

How long has your organization been operating?

More than 5 years

The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..

Innovation

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Entry Form title

Restoring A Forgotten Treasure To Bring Security to Low-Income Seniors

Describe your project

Please support for an innovative elderly housing project in Attleboro, MA which will restore an historic mill that now lies vacant, and provide low-income seniors a residence to comfortably “age in place.” The Arc of Northern Bristol County, Inc. and The Arc of Blackstone Valley have entered a joint venture agreement to develop the historic Sadler Bros. Mill Building at 561 Newport Avenue, South Attleboro, MA into 29 units of elderly low-income housing through the HUD Section 202 Elderly Housing program, while restoring the Sadler Bros. Mill to its original façade, being of historic interest to the greater Attleboro region.

What stage is your project in?

Idea phase

What makes your project unique as it relates to the theme of this competition?

Sadler Bros. Mill Project accomplishes:

Need: Fulfilling a lack of adequate housing for low-income elderly, our project provides 30 units of housing where low-income seniors will be able to “age in place.”

Historic restoration: Built in the1900’s, Sadler Bros. Mill was once a hub of work and living for the region. Closed over 20 years ago, the building stands unused and in disrepair. Architects have attained photos of the original Victorian structure with the intention of renewing the façade of the building to its original splendor.

Green: Our project is intended to be a safe, accessible, economic and environmentally responsible using green construction, ADA guidelines and security measures applicable to elderly housing.

HUD funding: Attaining HUD section 202 funding will provide capital and will also ensure residents will find living expenses affordable with the rental vouchers provided.

Developer’s experience: The Arc is uniquely qualified to be developer, provide services and create a home where seniors can “age in place.” Residents with disabilities will be helped by The Arc and also access elderly services in this community. The elderly may be helped as aging leads to physical or cognitive limitations; The Arc can provide expert assistance to maintain an active lifestyle.

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

Michael Andrade holds an MSW from Rhode Island College and is a licensed clinical social worker. Following 10 years experience in the rehabilitation field, Michael has been Executive Director and now President & CEO of The Arc since 2003. In his tenure at The Arc, he has enhanced services, increased staffing from 25 to over 200, opened offices in Taunton, Middleborough, MA and Cumberland, RI, along with successful mergers with Fall River and New Bedford Arc’s; while managing an operational budget of over $7 million. In addition to leading The Arc, Michael has provided exemplary leadership in the Rotary Club, provider trade organizations in RI and MA, The Arc of Massachusetts, and served as board member on NCE. He has built strong partnerships with United Way, Chambers of Commerce, local School districts, and several provider agencies. A strong collaborator, he has formed alliances, securing resources, and educating the community moving The Arc’s mission forward. Michael was awarded the 2008 Outstanding Professional Achievement Award by NCE (National Conference of Executives of The Arc). Consistent with his vision, our project provides the diversification of services and financing that Andrade seeks for growth and sustaining The Arc.

Social Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Who or what (i.e. youth, women, environment, etc.) benefits from your project, and why is your project critical?

According to the most recent census data, Attleboro has 867 elderly with incomes at or below 50% of median income. Of these 492 (56.7%) have “housing problems” and 380 of these persons have mobility and/or self care limitations. According to HUD this means there is a need for 492 units of housing for elderly persons at 50% or less of median income in Attleboro. Our proposed 29 units represent 6% of the HUD “unmet” need for this population. Clearly there is a large market demand for supportive housing for the elderly that this 202 development would provide.

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured.

Completion of the project within budget and having occupancy by low-income elders will be the ultimate measure of success. Our proposed schedule for the project:
Submission of Financing Applications: Spring/Summer 2011
Regulatory & Zoning Reviews & Approvals: Spring/Summer 2011
Receipt of All Financing Commitments: Spring 2011 (depending on HUD 202 awards).
Construction Start: Summer /Fall 2011
Construction Completion: Winter 2013
Full Occupancy: Spring 2013

How many people have been impacted by your project?

Fewer than 100

How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?

101‐1000

What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

Community reaction to the announcement of this project has been overwhelmingly positive. Local legislators, neighbors, senior advocates, health providers and residents have pledged full support of the Sadler Bros. Mill. Funding for the project is dependent on a successful HUD Section 202 grant, unless another powerful funding source is found. Competition for HUD funding is fierce, and The Arc has been drafting an application to arouse attention and a successful outcome when given the opportunity. With a successful HUD 202 application, the project will be built and sustained with a solid plan for the best of its residents and the greater community. Funding is a potential barrier to the success of this project.

How will your project evolve over the next three years?

Since the 1950’s, The Arc has been improving the lives of people with disabilities from the greater Attleboro area, being an integral part of the health of our community. The families we have served over the decades came to us with a need for housing and care for their aging family members. Based on the model of “aging in place,” The Arc will launch a housing project to provide needed elderly housing units, apply our services when needed for residents, while enhancing an Attleboro neighborhood with the rehabilitation of a historic building now lying unused.

Sustainability

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For each selection, please explain the financial and non-financial support from each

The Arc of Northern Bristol County received a HOME grant award of $200,000 to purchase the Sadler Bros. Mill, and begin process of applying for HUD 202 to complete the project. The Arc of Northern Bristol County is actively seeking other streams of funding to pursue a successful housing project and enhance the application to HUD, as HUD requires 20% of project costs to be leveraged. Charitable foundation funding would greatly help The Arc of Northern Bristol County to meet the leverage without impacting other services we provide to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

How do you plan to grow and/or diversify your base of support in the next three years?

The Arc began in the living rooms of families from the Attleboro area over 50 years ago. Since then, we have been improving the lives of people with disabilities and being an integral part of the health of the greater Attleboro community.
The families we have served over the decades came to us with a need for housing and care for their aging family members. Based on the model of “aging in place,” The Arc intends to launch this housing project which will provide needed elderly housing units, apply our services when needed for residents, while enhancing an Attleboro neighborhood with the rehabilitation of a historic building now lying unused.
The Arc of Northern Bristol County has partnered with The Arc of Blackstone Valley on this endeavor. The Arc of Blackstone Valley has created several housing projects in Rhode Island, and is eager to share their expertise in responsibly building needed housing for communities who will benefit from them.
The Arc is committed to collaboration and expansion to remain relevant and financially stable for generations to come, this project being a clear example of the diversification The Arc is actively pursuing to remain viable and innovative.

Collaboration

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Please select your areas of intervention in the home improvement market

Financing, Design, Energy conservation, Renewable energy, Green housing, Urban development, Citizen/community participation, Other (please specify).

Is your innovation addressing barriers in the home improvement/progressive housing market? If so, please describe in detail your mechanisms of intervention

Providing needed housing for low-income elderly while revitalizing a now vacant historic mill. The Sadler Bros. Mill will use green construction and design which maximizes low energy use while ensuring comfort and safety for the elderly residents. The project also opens the door for agencies like The Arc which has a history of serving people with disabilities, to diversify by developing housing and offering services to elderly so they may easily "age in place." Restoring the mill will revitalize the neighborhood while providing easy access to resources, transportation and employment.

Are you currently collaborating with private companies, or have you partnered with private companies in the past? With which companies?

We have previously collaborating with Gilbane Company from Providence, RI on a construction project at our headquarters in Attleboro. We have also worked with private regional companies on volunteer projects including Sensata Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, and Deutsche Bank Championship.

Please describe in detail the nature of the partnership(s)

Gilbane provided gratis consultation and drawings for an accessibility project including the installation of an elevator. The Arc of Northern Bristol County entered into a joint venture partnership with The Arc of Blackstone Valley to develop the Sadler Bros. Mill Project. The Arc of Blackstone Valley has completed several HUD 811 and 202 projects, and successful experience with low-income housing. The Arc of Northern Bristol County has 52 years of experience in the Attleboro region, providing services to people with disabilities and building collaborations to grow the organization to a $7million non-profit.

Select the unit(s) with which the partnership was formed

R&D department.

Promoting and Protecing Deaf Women's rights to Property and Land Inheritance

Created on 11/2/2010 by deafkenya

Nearly 93% of deaf women are denied human rights to access,own,control or inherit land and property due to gender and disability. The project seeks to work with 500 deaf women Eastern region aiming at educating and advocating on issues related to human rights and land inheritance with an aim of increasing household security, productivity, participation in development as well as decision making.

About You

Organization: Eastern Kenya Deaf Initiative and Network Group Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

Section 1: About You

First Name

Jacob

Last Name

Ireri

Website

Country

Kenya, EA

Section 2: About Your Organization

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

Organization Name

Eastern Kenya Deaf Initiative and Network Group

Organization Website

Organization Phone

+254721310719

Organization Address

Po box 1103

Organization Country

Kenya, EA

How long has this organization been operating?

1‐5 years

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

Your idea

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Name your project.

Promoting and Protecing Deaf Women's rights to Property and Land Inheritance

Describe Your Idea

Nearly 93% of deaf women are denied human rights to access,own,control or inherit land and property due to gender and disability. The project seeks to work with 500 deaf women Eastern region aiming at educating and advocating on issues related to human rights and land inheritance with an aim of increasing household security, productivity, participation in development as well as decision making.

Country your work focuses on

Kenya, EA

Innovation

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What makes your idea unique?

The Deaf Women Group,a unit of Eastern Kenya Deaf Initiative and Network Group has noticed with concern that due to a variety of economic, cultural, social, civic, linguistic factors; the majority of deaf and hard of hearing women in the region are often unaware of their human rights in society. This special group experience overlapped issues than men because of their gender(being women) and hearing loss(being disabled)This project therefore seeks to work with this special group of Deaf women and hard of hearing women which have been also neglected in aspects of social and economic development mainly due to communication barriers and the fact that the problem is not as shouting as other disabilities, this initiaitve will give a new approach to about over 500 deaf women challenges in the society. We will work with other existing Deaf bodies and government bodies within the region and develop a systematic program on training on issues to do with HIV/AIDS as well as property accusation ,transfer and inheritance and how the two are interlinked. We will also work with the advocacy bodies such Deaf Women Empowerment Kenya, National Association of the Deaf, Federation of Women Lawyers - Kenya (FIDA-KENYA), and Ministry of Gender in the region to push for the rights of Deaf women in the region. This system will also be shared with other Deaf organizations and groups in the whole country with an aim of mainstreaming the same in other society toward empowering the Deaf woman.

Do you have a patent for this idea?

Yes

Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

Tell us about the social impact of your innovation. Please include both numbers and stories as evidence of this impact

The Deaf Woment Group, a Unit of Eastern Kenya Deaf Initiative and Network had successfully delt with 34 deaf and hard of hearing women in Eastern region. Financially and technically, we helped them to organize resources to establish their own small businesses on their own families' property. The businesses ranges from tailoring, farming, and carpentry. We helped them to obtain the necessary documents such as title deeds from local Ministry of Land and Housing, and cerificates for their businesses to show legal ownership from the councils. Socially and economically, this approach has improved their living standards and self-worth-
The organization hosted first historic Deaf Women Beauty Pageant(with 40 contestants) in July, 2009 at Izaak Walton Hotel. The purpose of the pageant was to create awareness on gender and disability to the general public(about 1,000 people who attended the pageant) about the social and economic privileges experienced by deaf women in relation to property and land inheritance. At the end of the pageant, the women were promised immense advocacy, human, fianancial, and technical support by different NGOs and governmental bodies.
The organization throught this advocate had successfully won a case where a poor deaf woman who fought for a 4 year to receive her land back in Mau Forest where she grow Miraa as her basic source of income. Today, she is a very happy miraa businesswoman in Maua and she is a key donor to the Women Unit Group.
The organization established an enterprise through the grace of Peace Child International. Deaf Women are the owners of this joint enterprise because we aim at proving to the society that women with disabilites do have the rights to own, control and inherit propery and land

Problem

The project seeks to target the Deaf women and hard of hearing women in Eastern province ,apart from being a woman which culturally disqualify them from inheriting land they also face the problem of stigmatization and viewed as disabled and unable to manage any family resources .The challenges goes further because it becomes even more difficult for the deaf woman to push for her rights in the society sometimes due to lack of knowledge on their rights and also because of communication difficulties with the parties involved and also the law. As a result most of this Deaf women end up in planned /forced marriages ,at a very increasing the chances of HIV/AIDS infection among the group.

Actions

-Trainings/workshops for deaf women on issues to do with HIV/AIDS and as well on property accusation, transfer and inheritance and how the two are interlinked.
-The project pledges to work with the advocacy bodies for law and policy reform with a holistic approach linking marital property rights, inheritance, gender and disability.
-Training policeofficers,judges, land officals, local councilors,Members of Parliament on gender awareness, disability awareness, sign language awareness, and deaf women's land and property rights.
-Identifying join tenture types that improve deaf women's security of tenure and mechanisms to increase independent registration of land and housing in women's name.
-Pushing, in collaboration with women rights based bodies, for deaf women's inclusion in decision-making to ensure they well-represented in all decision-making processes in the regions with Kenya Sign Language model as a medium of communications.

Results

1.Empowered over 500 Deaf woman annually by means of trainings/workshops on their rights in the context of property ownership and processes that are of legal procedure. By 2015,1500 deaf women would legally own property/land with title deeds/certification.
2.Enhanced networking between deaf women groups and hearing women bodies that are of importance toward acquiring and inheriting property. We will also work with legal bodies in the country to ensure that Deaf voice is heard in court through adoption of interpreters in the legal structures.
3.Reduced HIV/Aids among deaf women.We will work on HIV/AID awareness among the deaf women with an aim of reducing the rate of infection among Deaf women at risk of infection
4.Developed a powerful body to facilitate communication between the families of the deaf persons and the Deaf themselves as well as representative of deaf person in legal issues
5.Designed at least 3 manuals twice per year on human right in regard to property inheritance and ownership and also on HIV/AID which will be used to train the deaf women and be circulated to other deaf network in the country as well as the government.

How many people will your project serve annually?

101‐1000

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

Less than $50

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?

Yes

If so, how?

The project seeks to enhance the capacity and influence of Deaf Women Unit to ensure there are national laws, policies, programmes, and strategies that uphold and promote special group such women with hearing disabilities and communication difficulties' rights in relation to property and inheritance rights through engaging in a variety of activities such as public education/awareness, non-violated campaigns, creative personal expressions, beauty contests, fashion shows, performing arts addressing certain issues affected the Deaf women in the region. We will also work with media to influence public policies for the same.
We do have websites, social media/social networking platform where we will post and share experiences of affected deaf women in relation to rights to property and land inheritance.
Members of Parliament, local councils, judges, policymakers, land officals, police-officers are key group of people that the project seeks to have an impact on through training on gender awareness, disability awareness, sign language awareness, and deaf women's land and property rights.

Sustainability

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What stage is your project in?

Operating for less than a year

Does your organization have a board of directors or an advisory board?

Yes

Does your organization have any non monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Yes

Does your organization have any non monetary partnerships with businesses?

Yes

Does your organization have any non monetary partnerships with government?

Yes

Please tell us more about how partnerships could be critical to the success of your innovation.

1. Non-monetary partnerships with NGOs – Our organization staff are fluent and use visual method of communication. So many organizations who want to work with deaf women such as courts, local councils, land offices have requested for assistance from our office of which we offer for free
b) Non-monetary partnerships with businesses – many business companies have partnered up with us; they are helping us in form of in-kind contributions; for example they are giving us material such as white board, pens,books, DVDs/CDS,textbooks, even their cars that help us in our work such as campaign, public awareness. These business have helped us develop and design our own website/blogs and social media
c) Non-monetary partnerships with government –We have been working with Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ministry of gender who have been lending us their government vehicle in our operation which help us reach out to many deaf women in the village who need our help related to property, land inheritance and conflicts.

We would like to learn more about how your initiative is financially supported. Please explain your business plan/revenue model

Financially, we are supported by about membership dues where over 300 members of the organization pay their their membership fees monthly. The dues have helped catered for our utitiies, training, and administration. Peace Child International is gracing by funding a project that is owned by deaf women in tailoring business. The project has improved their livelihood thus reduced social and health problem such as HIV/Aids,etc.
We plan to gear up and replicate this business to a large majority of women in the country to benefit many by years to come through capacity building/training, bring techology in our enterprise, and building up network with other businesses, our supplies, donor cultiviation, and training of our staff and as well as engage in monitoring and evaluation practices.

The Story

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What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

After receiving too many cases in my office related to property and land inheritance from local local chiefs and land offices, who were requesting for our assistance especially in areas of interpreting services, and situational analysis; I discovered that those offices would not deal with the problem/cases,and many of the official in charge ignored the cases because they could not communicate with the deaf women in their own medium of communication which include the sign language. Because the majority of these women would not write or read; they would not be able to communicate with the offices via written.
There was a deaf who went to seek justice in Embu Law court about a title deed issue-the judges sent this deaf person home because the two parties would not communicate; the judges would not sign and the deaf person would not write because of illiterate; therefore the case was closed. It's against dignity to close cases/or refuse to advocate around an issue of because of communication barriers; there are alternatives; so I did discover sign language is an catalyst to communication. This is at this point, that I saw the need to uphold policy, programmes, strategies that address/create awareness on gender, and disability towards empowering women with hearing loss and communication difficulties in the region of Eastern province thus leading to the formation of this initiative.

Tell us about the social innovator—the person—behind this idea.

Ms Judy Wanja began her journey into deaf women world to better understand their barriers to human rights. In 2008, she first interviewed a deaf victim of forced marriage during one of her visits in Mbeere district. Her interview with this deaf women made Judy Wanja to realize that the deaf woman who was forced into marriage in Mbeere district because her parents wanted to receive dowry of ten cows from the bride to sell to pay for their two sons' school fees who were in high schools. Imagine the deaf woman was seen as the family property instead of being seen to have the right to own the family property.Ms Judy noticed that this deaf lady was not allowed to go to high school after her primary education because the family felt she's not going to make any impact to the society at a whole because she was a woman and deaf. Instead, she was to be sold to cover the school fees for the sons. Ms. Judy Wanja realized that that deaf lady was not aware of her human rights-the deaf lady had no idea what part of her human rights was violated by her family member. Judy later realized that the deaf lady was not only the deaf woman in the region experiencing this kind of problem but there were several deaf women that Judy spoke with and interviewed; To make sure all deaf women in the right understand and enjoy human their rights in relation to, property and land inheritance, Ms Judy Wanja submitted her report and recommended to the board of directors on the need to establish a program at Eastern Kenya Deaf Initiative and Network Group to specifically focus on Deaf women ONLY in the region. It's at this point, the board weighed and adopted her recommendation. Hence, Deaf Women Unit was established in which Ms Judy Wanja was appointed Program coordinator.

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

Personal contact at Changemakers

If through another source, please provide the information.

Approximately 50 words left (400 characters).

Additional

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Which (if any) of the following strategies apply to your organization or company (check as many as apply)

Policy advocacy to strengthen property rights or increase security of tenure, Formalizing and documenting property rights (i.e. titling, leasing or certification), Legal education and awareness.

Please explain how your work furthers one or many of the above strategies (if you selected “other”, please explain your strategy)

Legal education and awareness-we engage in educating the deaf women on their legal rights through access to justice and legal aid activities.
We offer them human, financial and technical support to legally obtaining the the necessary documents such as title deeds, and as well as to train them on run businesses legally.
We advocate for change in policy/law to address deaf women overlapped issue

HOUSING PROJECT FOR FLOOD EFFECTED POOR PEOPLE IN INDIA

Created: 10/25/10 by Bathula Sanjeevarayudu

Location

KURNOOL
India
15° 49' 19.9992" N, 78° 2' 6" E

OCTOBER2nd 2009, CAME HEAVY FLOODS IN ANDHRA PRADESH KURNOOL DISTRICT, ALL HOUSES, OTHER PROPERTIES WASHED OUT IN FLOOD, THAT OUR ORGANIZATION PLANT THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSE PROJECT AND CLEAN AND GREEN ATMOSPHERE

LIVESTRONG Guidebook for people affected by cancer

Created on 09/29/2010 by Jparks81

The LIVESTRONG Guidebook addresses specific concerns that cancer survivors, loved ones and caregivers may have during each phase of the cancer journey. It helps patients navigate the health care system to find reliable resources and the best care for their situation. The Guidebook provides the information that is needed from the time of diagnosis, through cancer treatment and beyond.

About You

Organization: LIVESTRONG, The Lance Armstrong Foundation Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

Section 1: You

First Name

Jordan

Last Name

Parks

Website URL

Organization

Country

United States, TX, Travis County

Section 2: Your Organization

Organization Name

LIVESTRONG, The Lance Armstrong Foundation

Organization Website

Organization Phone

512-279-8387

Organization Address

2201 east 6th st. Austin, TX 78702

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

Organization Country

United States, TX, Travis County

Your idea

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Name Your Project

LIVESTRONG Guidebook for people affected by cancer

Country and state your work focuses on

United States

Describe Your Idea

The LIVESTRONG Guidebook addresses specific concerns that cancer survivors, loved ones and caregivers may have during each phase of the cancer journey. It helps patients navigate the health care system to find reliable resources and the best care for their situation. The Guidebook provides the information that is needed from the time of diagnosis, through cancer treatment and beyond.

Website URL

Innovation

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What makes your idea unique?

The general themes of the Guidebook content include understanding how cancer can affect the physical, emotional and day-to-day lives of survivors. The book's, a two part series, overall goal is to educated and empower patients, & their loved ones, to better advocate for themselves before, during, and after the treatment process. The Guidebook was created with the input of cancer survivors and the health care professionals who serve them. The books, through grants and donations, are offered 100% free of charge to anyone who may need one, in 2010 we plan to send out up to 60,000 Guidebooks to individuatls, cancer centers, hospitals, and community based organizations. Having this much information in a mobile, non-technological, spiral notebook that is written at a relatively easy reading level has proven to fill a large gap within the cancer community for patients. The book helps people understand what is happening during treatment by expaining procedures, telling patients what steps to take next, and guiding them with questions for their healthcare providers. The book is also unique in that it also has a component to journal and self reflect during and after the cancer treatment process. The LIVESTRONG Guidebook was selected as a Gold Award winner in the Total Health Information category of the 16th annual National Health Information Awards program. This program recognizes the nation’s best consumer health information programs and materials. The winning entry was chosen from more than 1,000 entries judged by a national panel of health information experts.

Do you have a patent for this idea?

No

Impact

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What impact have you had?

LIVESTRONG started as the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997, with its initial focus being on fundraising for cancer related programs for underserved populations. In a littlemore than a decade the organization has grown into a globally recognized public health orgnization with more than thirty million consituents. The Guidebook, the focus of this grant request, reflects back to our initial goals in 1997 to empower cancer survivors through information and education, and always keep our resources attainable for all people. The Guidebook has been put in the hands of thousands of patients across the US at the moment of diagnosis by their health care providers and is meant to be used as a tool to educate them on cancer, the treatment process, and what they should be doing. The Guidebook, a two part volume in the form of spiral notebooks, ensures that people are active participants in their treatment process.

Problem

At the moment of diagnosis people are often left with little information on what to do next. Patients were often left with searching the internet or relying on knowledge provided to them second hand from friends and relatives, which all too often left them feeling overwhelmed with information. Ultiumately what we were hearing from our constituents is that they needed something more consice that would educate them and help them make informed decisions during this process. Prior to the creation of the Guidebook patients did not have access to a free resource that combined resources, suggested questions, treatment plans, and connected them to people and organizations that could help them and answer their questions.

Actions

The LIVESTRONG Guidebook addresses specific concerns that cancer survivors, loved ones, and caregivers may have during each phase of the cancer journey. It helps survivors navigate the health care system to find reliable resources and the best care for their situation. The Guidebook provides the information that is needed from the time of diagnosis, through cancer treatment and beyond.

The general themes of the Guidebook content include understanding how cancer can affect the physical, emotional and day-to-day lives of survivors. The information will also be helpful for loved ones and those assisting as caregivers. It was created with the input of cancer survivors and the health care professionals who serve them.

The Guidebook can help cancer survivors and their loved ones:

• Learn about cancer and treatment
• Find the best health care
• Find good resources and support services
• Learn what questions to ask
• Make health and life planning decisions
• Understand insurance and financial issues
• Keep track of the cancer experience
• Find hope

Results

In 2009 the LIVESTRONG Guidebook was selected as a Gold Award winner in the Total Health Information category of the 16th annual National Health Information Awards program. This program recognizes the nation’s best consumer health information programs and materials. The winning entry was chosen from more than 1,000 entries judged by a national panel of health information experts. The awards program is coordinated by the Health Information Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for consumer health information programs and materials. To date more than 40,000 Guidebooks have been mailed out from LIVESTRONG to people affected by cancer to empower them during their cancer experience.

What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.

We would focus on three priorities.Increased distribution amongst underserved populations. Increased distribution amongst non profit organizations that serve the cancer community, and lastly increasing the amount of Guidebooks whose shipping costs could also be covered by LIVESTRONG. We will accomplish this by continuing our efforts over the next three years in builing relationships and collaborations with other organizations who serve the cancer community through our community program, advocacy and engagement team, fundraising, and outreach campaigns. If selected to receive this grant 100% of the funds would be utilized to cover the shipping costs of the Guidebooks to consitutents who cannot afford the postage. LIVESTRONG allots for all Guidebooks to be offered for free but unfortunately, due to the volume we send out, cannot always cover the shipping costs incurred. Our goal will be to garner support from grant makers & donors to ensure the shipping cost is never a barrier to someone receiveing the book.

What would prevent your project from being a success?

The only obstacle we've encountered with the Guibebook is the obstacle of reaching everyone that needs it. We live in a large country with numerous hospitals and cancer centers, and unfortunately a lot of people affected by cancer. That being said we are of course limited in the amount we can send out to people due to our budget constraints, as all non profits are. Through attempts to raise funds for shipping, such as applying for this grant, we'll hopefully be able to continue offering the Guidebook free of chanrge along with no shipping fees incurred to underserved people across the US to help empower them during their cancer treatment.

How many people will your project serve annually?

More than 10,000

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

Don't know

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?

Yes

Sustainability

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What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

In what country?

United States

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

Yes

If yes, provide organization name.

LIVESTRONG, The Lance Armstrong Foundation

How long has this organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?

No

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?

No

Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.

As a small public health foundation with a global reach its extremely important for us to form partnerships with other organizations both domestically and globally. Specific to this program, the LIVESTRONG Guidebook is often shared with someone affected by cancer by one of the organizations we work with. LIVESTRONG strives to be a convener and collaborator and never a competitor. Just as we offer our resources to cancer survivors we also offer them for use by other non profits within the cancer community. We recognize the sense of urgency in helping this population and encourage others not to reinvent the wheel if there is a resource of ours they would like to utilize, and the same is true for us of others resources. By working together we're better able to address the overall needs of the cancer community.

What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?

For us, as with any non profit, we'll need to continue with our fundraising and donor development in order to exist in the future. Along with that we'll need to maintain our staff, and continue to develop and offer out evaluated and sustainable programs to communities across the US. Given our successful track record over the last decade in accomplishing and maintaining all of these tasks I'm sure we'll continue on this path and develop our skillsets even more to ensure success.

The Story

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What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

The Guidebook was created out of LIVESTRONG's desire and ability to impact the lives of cancer survivors worldwide by empowering them with information and a sense of community. We realized a lack of substantial materials for survivors (a term we use for anyone affected by cancer from the moment of diagnosis) that were written ina way that anyone could easily read and comprehend the information, and also utilize the information without being online. Many of our constituents have praised the size and weight of the books and their inconspicuous nature. For us, creating the Guidebook was an easy decision, we saw a need in the community, & we had the means to meet that need; from that the Guidebook was born.

Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.

At age 25, Lance Armstrong was one of the world's best cyclists. He proved it by winning the World Championships, the Tour Du Pont and multiple Tour de France stages. Lance Armstrong seemed invincible and his future was bright.

Then they told him he had cancer.

Next to the challenge he now faced, bike racing seemed insignificant. The diagnosis was testicular cancer, the most common cancer in men aged 15–35. If detected early, its cure rate is a promising 90 percent. Like most young, healthy men, Lance ignored the warning signs, and he never imagined the seriousness of his condition. Going untreated, the cancer had spread to Lance's abdomen, lungs and brain. His chances dimmed.

Then a combination of physical conditioning, a strong support system and competitive spirit took over. He declared himself not a cancer victim but a cancer survivor. He took an active role in educating himself about his disease and the treatment. Armed with knowledge and confidence in medicine, he underwent aggressive treatment and beat the disease.

During his treatment, before his recovery, before he even knew his own fate, he created the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This marked the beginning of Lance's life as an advocate for people living with cancer and a world representative for the cancer community.

Lance Armstrong's victories in the 1999–2005 Tours de France are awe-inspiring, but the battle against cancer has just begun—not just for him, but for all cancer survivors and people just like him who think cancer could not affect them. He plans to lead this fight, and he hopes that you join him. This is a life he owes to cancer. This is his choice to LIVESTRONG

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

Friend or family member

If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company

50 words or fewer

THE SELF ADVOCACY TOOL KIT:For users of mental health care services

Created on 09/29/2010 by peshence

The self Advocacy tool kit for users of mental health care services pulls together the most useful materials and resources to enable users of mental health care services demand for needed changes in delivery of Mental Health and Development services and encourage patients to take a more active role in their own care.

About You

Organization: basicneeds uk in uganda Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

Section 1: You

First Name

patience

Last Name

koburunga

Website URL

Organization

basicneeds uk in uganda

Country

Uganda

Section 2: Your Organization

Organization Name

basicneeds uk in uganda

Organization Website

Organization Phone

256-0414 269558

Organization Address

P.O BOX 29582 kampala uganda

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

Organization Country

Uganda

Your idea

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Name Your Project

THE SELF ADVOCACY TOOL KIT:For users of mental health care services

Country and state your work focuses on

Uganda, KMP

Describe Your Idea

The self Advocacy tool kit for users of mental health care services pulls together the most useful materials and resources to enable users of mental health care services demand for needed changes in delivery of Mental Health and Development services and encourage patients to take a more active role in their own care.

Website URL

Innovation

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What makes your idea unique?

Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today, teach him to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime. This Chinese proverb adequately sums up the concept of self advocacy.
Historically, users of mental health care services have been excluded from mainstream society and they have become accustomed to an environment where decision making, advocacy and responsibility are all taken care of by others.

The self advocacy toolkit for users of mental health care services as developed by BasicNeeds Uganda is the first toolkit that defines a self advocacy process, incorporates the unique needs of Persons with mental disorders and empowers patients to demand for change.
Emphasis on self-advocacy or self-empowerment (patient empowerment) in the psychiatric field started in the 1970s. It refers to an individual’s ability to effectively communicate, convey, negotiate or assert his or her own interests, desires, needs, and rights. It involves making informed decisions and taking responsibility for those decisions (VanReusen et al., 1994).Unfortunately the strategy of self advocacy has previously not sufficiently been used to empower poor People with Mental Disorders and Epilepsy especially in Uganda. This is beginning to change by training self help groups of users of mental health services in self advocacy using the self advocacy tool kit.
The toolkit which draws on experiences of self advocacy processes in Uganda by women, children and people with disability, gives step by step guidelines and suggests activities using Participatory Rural Appraisal tools that can be used by Self Help Groups or individuals to demand for involvement in mental health service delivery and policy development

Do you have a patent for this idea?

No

Impact

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What impact have you had?

Training using the self advocacy toolkit equips members of self help groups of People with mental disorders/epilepsy and their carers with skills in self advocacy to enable them to negotiate for inclusion and spaces in the decision making processes within their districts. The impact so far includes:
1.Greater access to information for users of mental health services.
2.Increased access to treatment at government facilitates and involvement of patients in planning health service delivery.
3.Increased opportunities for People with mental disorders/epilepsy and their carers to earn an income for self sustenance.
4.Development, implementation and monitoring of advocacy plans and campaigns by patients and their carers.
5.Reduced stigma, discrimination and change in community perception about mental health.
6.Improved health outcomes as a result of advocacy efforts for example establishment of a maternity health unit at Kaseeta health center II .Less deaths due to epilepsy and mental illness related causes. While 18 known epilepsy related deaths were reported in the period immediately prior to the intervention, only 2 have been reported since onset of the advocacy campaign.
7.Demonstrated understanding of the concept of self advocacy as a tool for empowerment to demand for inclusion in mental health care service delivery. Grasping the concept of human rights concept especially the right to health and self determination has led to increased awareness of self and of others i.e. that members are human beings first then persons with mental disorders/epilepsy and most importantly rights come with responsibilities.

Problem

An estimated 3.6 million Ugandans are suffering from severe mental disorders. According to the Ministry of Health only 15% of these have been served. Lack of access to treatment, poverty, stigma, discrimination and human rights abuse are major obstacles to the rehabilitation of people with mental disorders. Laws and policies in Uganda especially deprive users of mental health care services the right to self determination and the right to health.

Self advocacy is not sufficiently utilized to empower People with Mental Disorders to demand for and monitor quality service delivery. The consumer movement does not have defined self advocacy processes, resource materials, training manuals to guide member groups on how to conduct evidence based local level advocacy. Yet this is essential to drive legislative reforms, policy formulation and consumer determined service delivery. The voice of users is lacking in policy development, legislative reforms and Programme development, implementation and evaluation.

Actions

1.The toolkit is hinged on human rights especially right to self determination.
2.The toolkit is packaged to be learner centered using practical learning methods such as group work, role plays and open debates.
3.The use of animation skills during training to encourage, motivate and challenge the users.
4.The toolkit is a coaching process where the users are charged with carrying out their advocacy campaigns themselves in order to learn through experience.
5.Collection of data and evidence from the communities by the users to back up their advocacy issues like human rights violations and lack of access to treatment.
6.Involvement of the district technical teams in the process.
7.There is a provision for interpretation of the self advocacy toolkit into local languages since the majority of SHG members are illiterate.
8.Risk management, ensuring we put resources (financial, human) to the best use.

Results

1.Growth of a consumer movement that actively advocates for inclusion in service delivery and influences changes in laws and polices.
2.Grasping the concept of human rights empowers patients to actively demand for needed changes in the service delivery.
3.The active participation of users of mental health care services builds their self esteem, combats stigma, discrimination and changes community perceptions. It also ensures the voice of users in policy development, legislative reforms and Programme development, implementation and evaluation.
4.Interface with district technical teams enables the users to interact with decision makers, familiarize themselves with government structures and gather information.
5.Interpretation in local languages ensures that the illiterate users who are the majority are involved in the advocacy process.
6.Learning centered approach and use of animation skills is meant to motivate and empower patients to be actively involved in their disease management.

What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.

2011-strengthening a movement from the grass roots to a consolidated national movement using the self advocacy through:
1. Training and equipping of trainers of trainers (TOT) in self advocacy using the self advocacy toolkit for users of mental health care services.
2. Conduct a nation wide training programme for self help groups of persons with mental disorders/epilepsy and an awareness raising campaign for communities.
3. Persistent sharing of information with users of mental health services on advances in the field of mental health care.
2012- Pressurize government using the power of voice and numbers to influence budgeting, resource allocation, monitoring and integration of community mental health services in district development plans. Lobby for better recognition of mental illness as a disability, recruitment of psychiatric nurses in every district and development of district mental health associations. Ensure better representation in planning and users of mental health care services benefit from agricultural initiatives.
2013- Find alternative ways to fund community mental health for example through community based insurance schemes, drug banks and provide seeds for income generating activities.

What would prevent your project from being a success?

1.Restraint in finances or otherwise that would obstruct the dissemination to the Self advocacy toolkit thus hindering the transformation of users of mental health services into self advocates.
2.Shortage of free or subsidized drugs for users while they undertake the self advocacy process to create sustainable change.
3.Inability of the self help groups to generate their own fund because our experience has shown that groups engaged in income generating activities yield better successes in advocacy.
4.Political instability

How many people will your project serve annually?

1001‐10,000

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

Less than $50

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?

Yes

Sustainability

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What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

In what country?

Uganda

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

Yes

If yes, provide organization name.

BasicNeeds

How long has this organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?

Yes

Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.

We are able to benefit from their resources for example the local expertise and experience, utilize infrastructure e.g sub county halls to conduct training. The partnerships ensure sustainability since district personnel and community development officers adopt coaching the groups to pursue advocacy campaigns. Partnerships are critical to ensure a holistic approach to mental health by ensuring its integration in other development and health initiatives. They are also critical in the dissemination of information and results, exchange of ideas, broadening of stakeholders, analysis of current issues and also in linking up users and members of user groups to opportunities in district development programs

What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?

1.Strengthening of user movement from grass roots to national level using the self advocacy toolkit by nation wide training of self help groups of users of mental health care services and their carers.
2.Constant, accessible, affordable and appropriate treatment.
3.Strengthening of income generating activities for users of mental health care services.

The Story

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What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

For a long time now, the poor in Uganda have looked to handouts for survival which meant that at first the Self Help Group approach which was introduced in Uganda in 2003 disappointed them. Persons with mental disorders/epilepsy are accustomed to an environment where decision making, advocacy and responsibility are all taken care of by others because they are excluded from mainstream society.

During presentations on mental health, Christian Ntulo the social innovator behind this idea was often asked if she is a user of mental health care services, why else would she be so passionate about the subject. With this came the realization that if users’ mental health care services could be empowered to advocate for their own issues, it would catalyze the realization of changes needed in legislative reforms, policy development and service delivery would. Furthermore it would change community perception and combat discrimination and stigma.

Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.

Christina Ntulo graduated from the United States International University, Africa with a Degree in Psychology in 1997. Her first job was as Head Teacher for St. Peter’s School an establishment for moderately and severely mentally handicapped children. She then joined the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-KENYA) where she set up the Counseling Department providing psychological and emotional support to survivors of gender based violence. Her department also ensured clients were psychologically ready for court.

Christina joined BasicNeeds in 2003 where she currently serves as the Director for New Initiatives and is responsible for the development and contribution of thinking behind diversifying the organizations resource base. In addition to this she continues to manage the Uganda programme. Christina is the vice chairperson of Trans cultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO), the treasurer of the Uganda National NGO Forum. She also serves as the representative to the board for the social inclusion thematic group which includes NGOs working in the field of gender, children, disability and minority ethnic groups.

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

Newsletter from Changemakers

If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company

50 words or fewer

New entry

Created on 09/29/2010 by akhila

Mental Illness strikes about 2 % of the population in Maharashtra. The state of those with acute mental illness is very bad both economically and socially due to stigma. Patient's denial and lack of skills in managing conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar, ADHD and similar disorders affects recovery, relapse management can be done through a patient empowerment program and training.

About You

Organization: NAMI INDIA Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

Section 1: You

First Name

Akila

Last Name

Maheshwari

Website URL

Organization

NAMI INDIA

Country

India

Section 2: Your Organization

Organization Name

NAMI INDIA

Organization Website

Organization Phone

9820340115

Organization Address

Row House 20, madhuban CHS, Deonar Farm Road, Deonar, Mumbai 400088

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

Organization Country

n/a

Your idea

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Name Your Project

New entry

Country and state your work focuses on

India, MM

Describe Your Idea

Mental Illness strikes about 2 % of the population in Maharashtra. The state of those with acute mental illness is very bad both economically and socially due to stigma. Patient's denial and lack of skills in managing conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar, ADHD and similar disorders affects recovery, relapse management can be done through a patient empowerment program and training.

Website URL

Innovation

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What makes your idea unique?

The idea is unique as we do away with the concept of carers for those with Mental Illness( MI). Perons with MI will be responsible for the management of their condition through medication, behavioral therapy and support groups. They will be financially and emotionally responsible to lead fulfiling lives. They would contribute and lead socially satisfying lives without stigma.
The idea is to implement this in 2 steps. First identify those patients and families ready for the change. Those discharged from medical facilities to their homes. Step 2 is to work on relapse management through intervention with both family and patients. The family contributes to dependence by doing all the work. Step 3 is going for empowerment through training anf assisting in placement and protected employment.
The thought of MI patients being empowered and independent to make choices is not a goal amongst families. The program changes and challenges the way we think about Mental Illnesses. I have piloted this in Mumbai city and have seen the changes that can happen with such interventions.

Do you have a patent for this idea?

Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

What impact have you had?

I have been a role model in assisting people first accepting that they have to be responsible for themselves. Acceptance of MI instead of denial. Managing symptoms and behavior related issues. Leading a stable. fulfilling life with schizophrenia. I have also seen a lot of patients getting empowered after going through exercises.
Some of the patients in Mumbai can be provided for reference.
The support group meetings with fixed training objectives and exercises looks at different aspects of MI relating to diet, social life, finance, conflict management etc. and assist in leading a stable life. The numbers of people who have been able to rebuild their lives has provided immense satisfaction. Specific numbers would be around 100 people in 5 years. The weekly support group programs, the phone helplines, weekend home counseling and telephone counseling have all had a combined impact. We also interact with the psychiatrists and healthcare professionals.

Problem

The problem of Mental Illness as a disability requiring long term care which is a high cost to the individual's family and to the State. Patient empowerment resolves the issues related to recovery and rehabilitation from disability.
The patient being actively taking charge and deciding the focus of their lives can assist in rebuilding a new life.
Such programs are not available in local languages nor are they conducted in small satellite towns on a sustained basis to have an impact. Thus the number of patients empowered is abysmally low as compared to what could have been. The families and patients do not have to capacity to assess the problem and take action to resolve the situation.

Actions

The first problem is funding for travel to smaller cities and conducting the program at various psychiatric care centres to assist in empowerment. To conduct this program every weekend we need to certify trainers in the program, do it in Marathi and cover ten key small satellite cities in Maharashtra.
Funding is a problem to scale this idea.
Action is to conduct this program in Nagpur, Nasik and Pune to cover a 100 patients in each location through the support group training program and have an impact by making them empowered.

Results

Persons with MI who are empowered contributors to society who will act as catalysts to expand and be associated with the program in their respective towns.
Lower costs to the public health expenditure and their families.
Stigma reduction.

What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.

Year 1- Identification of target cities in Maharashtra and patients survey to identify those who can be part of the program. Identification of trainers and conducting a train the trainer. Program to be reviwed by people in the field of Mental Health. Two interventions in Year 1- relapse management- behavior modification with specific follow up with monthly meetings- Year end impact assessment
Year 2- Follow up of Year 1 patients- reasons for drop out and inclusion of new patients. Inclusion of patients in Year 1 for implementing Year 2 program. Behavioral intervention for Year 1 patients with employment assistance , Repeat last years program with new patients. Year end impact assessment.
Year 3- Employment assistance and training program for all patients.

What would prevent your project from being a success?

Lack of funding
Lack of monitoring
Lack of proper process driven quality control
Important to have external audit of the program

How many people will your project serve annually?

101‐1000

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

Less than $50

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?

Yes

Sustainability

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What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

In what country?

India, MM

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

If yes, provide organization name.

How long has this organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?

No

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?

No

Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.

We connect with like minded groups and NGOs who are working in the field of Mental Health and have joint programs to contribute resources.
Connected hospitals, health care workers etc refer patients who they think can grow to the path of empowerment.

What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?

First Action- Have a concrete plan and proposal
Second Action- Have a monitoring mechanism
Third Action- Have proper Media coverage so that many poor people can benefit from the program at each location

The Story

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What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

When I was struck with schizophrenia and attended carers programs I was struck by the absence of patients and the helplessness of their relatives, parents, brothers and sisters.
I realised I need to everything on my own and my dependence and co dependency was at the root of the problem. The carers had no expectations of patients except to be non violent.
The more I decided that I had to work on my behavior, actions things got better and better. I was able to enjoy life to the fullest. The training programs I had assisted me in understanding my illness, emotions and helped me in dealing with these issues better. As I started sharing my experiences and redefining my behavior, I realized that others can do this too. Managing stress, exercise, diet and the triggers for MI led to great empowerment. A Dr.Jain from USA shared with me his Mental Aerobics program to achieve mental fitness and that was amazing. The more I conducted this program and indulged in creative activities, I realized it is possible, with patience, insight and a positive outlook. If empowerment was possible for me then it can be for many others who do not have the resources to build their capacity.

Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.

The person behind this idea is me.

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

Newsletter from Changemakers

If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company

50 words or fewer

The Parent Child Training Programme

Created on 09/29/2010 by MerryBarua

The Parent Child Training Programme was started on the philosophy that parents can be superlative teachers for their children. But it is important that they are given proper inputs, guidance and support. The Parent Child programme provides that guidance and support, as well as theoretical and practical knowledge about teaching and behaviour management techniques.

About You

Organization: Action for Autism Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

Section 1: You

First Name

Merry

Last Name

Barua

Website URL

Organization

Action for Autism

Country

India, DL

Section 2: Your Organization

Organization Name

Action for Autism

Organization Website

Organization Phone

011 91 11 40540991

Organization Address

Pocket 7&8 Jasola Vihar, New Delhi-110025

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

Organization Country

India, DL

Your idea

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Name Your Project

The Parent Child Training Programme

Country and state your work focuses on

India, DL

Describe Your Idea

The Parent Child Training Programme was started on the philosophy that parents can be superlative teachers for their children. But it is important that they are given proper inputs, guidance and support. The Parent Child programme provides that guidance and support, as well as theoretical and practical knowledge about teaching and behaviour management techniques.

Website URL

Innovation

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What makes your idea unique?

At times having a child with autism can seem overwhelming, particularly since autism can appear to be such a confusing condition. There seem to be areas in which children with autism seem to do well and others where they seem to be having a lot of difficulties. This is typical of autism, which is characterised by an uneven skill development, where the individual doesn’t necessarily completely lack a set of skills, but has a qualitative impairment in them. And this is probably the crux of the matter, understanding autism, understanding the unique ways in which our children think and learn, accepting their autism as a vital, vibrant part of their being and then approaching the intervention or the teaching of skills from that paradigm of understanding and acceptance.

And it is exactly this that the programme offers to parents a unique blend of the opportunity to understand autism and their individual child, and others like him/ her and develop and implement strategies under the guidance of trained and experienced professionals to teach their children essential skills such as cognitive,fine motor,gross motor,socio emotional, language and self help.

Being empowered thus enables parents to maintain and further the child’s progress in every environment and circumstance, even when there may be a paucity of professional services in their vicinity.

The synergy accruing from the group dynamics results in the formation of a support system that increases the general well being of the family. Additionally, the intensive training enables a parent to work as a resource person after going back to their own community, disseminate their learning to the larger community and also spread the awareness in community.

Do you have a patent for this idea?

No

Impact

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What impact have you had?

Project impact had happened at three levels
a) Individual level
b) Family Level
c) Community level

Individual Level

Through increased levels of understanding autism and using effective strategies, parents have consistently been able to help their children improve, often dramatically in various skill areas. Children with autism, like all of us are dynamic beings, and the experience of having interacted with different children, each having their individual strengths and areas of difficulties, equips parents to help their individual children as their behaviors and functioning levels change over a period of time.

Family Level

After participating in the Parent Child training Programme at AFA, parents play a more pivotal role in the whole learning process and interaction becomes more meaningful, motivating, productive, and enjoyable for both the parent and the child.
Further, the parent can share their knowledge with other family members, creating acceptance and understanding of autism. This results in lower stress levels and shared shared responsibilities which translates into better harmony and equilibrium within the entire family.

Community Level

A lot of the stigma that exists vis a vis the differently abled stems from a lack of awareness. Parents trained at the Parent Child Programme often take up the cudgels of creating awareness and sensitizing the community, enriching the community and helping it become more tolerant and accepting of human diversity.

In addition, a lot of parents, having undergone the training have set up services for individuals with autism, thereby catering to the needs of many more individuals and families with autism.

Problem

Autism is a very complex neurological condition. Most commonly appearing during the first three years of life autism impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. Autism may occur alone or with accompanying disorders such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, or seizures. Although the characteristics of autism are generally evident in the first few years of life, the condition can go undetected or misdiagnosed for many years especially in those who are more verbal and for whom the symptoms are more subtle. Autism is as common in India as it is elsewhere in the world, and makes no distinction between rich and poor. The incidence of autism is said to be 1 in 110 individuals, making the number of people with autism in India about 4-5 million. However, both awareness and services are at a nascent stage in India, currently.

Actions

The program begins w/ an intensive thrust on understanding autism & understanding the different strategies, techniques & procedures used to teach the various skills that individuals with autism may need to learn. This is followed by a therapist completing a Functional Assessment for each child. Additionally, therapists & special educators work closely with the mothers to plan & implement a tailor made w/ specific goals program for every child in the program. The program consists of group work, one on one teaching sessions as well as independent work sessions. The group work focuses on teaching social & communication skills in a group environment, like waiting for one’s turn, following instructions in a group, following instructions from different people, all skills which may be difficult for people with autism. The one on one work time, conducted by each individual parent for her/ his child focuses on teaching the child different skills which can be transferred on to the independent work time, leading to a vital skill in a person w autism, the ability to work independently. The work day is followed by the discussion time where mothers get a chance to interact w a therapist.

Results

With consistent and appropriate intervention, every child with autism can improve and be helped to lead a dignified and meaningful life.

A child tends to spend the maximum amount of time with his/ her parent. This training enables a parent maximize the benefits of the time spent with the child resulting in better progress of the child. In addition to teaching in a structured format, the parent can learns to transfer the same skills into the environment helping with generalization of the skills learned and making the learning more concrete and functional.
After the training many parents often develop the skill sets to extend help to children and families beyond their own, creating much needed services for children with autism. Advocacy and raising awareness in the community at large is also a oft seen fall out of the training programs.

What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.

These features will make the Parent Child Training Programme more successful in next three years.

Properly trained, well experienced and dedicated trainers will certainly play a major role in success of Parent Child Training Programme.

Retention of trained staff for a longer duration should be an integral part of the project. Various activities to can be devised and implemented to promote ways to retain trained staff. For example AFA conducts staff motivational workshops twice a year. Such activities should be encouraged and to be conducted at regular interval.

Refresher training of trainers would enhance the quality of training being imparted.

This programme must include application based approach. Parents will get an opportunity to work closely with their children as well as other children. Each trainee should get the opportunity to interact with the therapist on regular basis to clear their doubts.

AFA has a good resource centre where a number of books, journals, magazines, periodicals on autism are kept. There is a constant need to keep upgrading and increasing the available resources.

Regular and sufficient flow of funds is essential for the success of project.

What would prevent your project from being a success?

Following reasons could prevent the project from being a success:

Smooth flow of funds is backbone of any programme. Insufficient and untimely funds could prevent programme from being a success.

Trained and experienced resource people is key to the success of the programme. AFA’s Parent Child Training Programme is also largely depended on trained, dedicated and experienced resource persons. Thus attrition of trained persons will definitely affect the success of the programme.

Nobody can predict the nature. So if there is any natural calamity the programme will automatically be affected

Political stability is essential for growth and development. Political instability thus, could hamper the success of programme.

How many people will your project serve annually?

101‐1000

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

$100 ‐ 1000

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?

Yes

Sustainability

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What stage is your project in?

Operating for more than 5 years

In what country?

India, DL

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

Yes

If yes, provide organization name.

Action for Autism

How long has this organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?

Yes

Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.

AFA has partnerships with various organizations in abroad as well as in India. Such as AUTISM ACTION (Chicago,US), Heart Spring (Kansas US), Autism Society West Bengal (Kolkata), Umeed (Mumbai), Soch (Jullunder), Catch (Bhubaneswar).

AFA’s involvement in different forms of partnership with national and international entities are given below:

AFA invites experts from partner organizations like Autism Action of Chicago and receives training on advanced and specialized teaching and communication methods

Every year AFA sends its staff to Heart Spring Kansas, US to gather knowledge which helps the teacher to use those methods and techniques in their training programme.

Sharing information, successful strategies and any difficulties that may be arising with all members of partner organizations, both on formal as well as informal platforms, work as a wonderful learning experience as well as a validation for the programme.

What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?

The expansion of Parent Child Training Programme would help to meet the overwhelming demand for the programme to some extent

For expansion one would need :
a) More trained resource people
b) More space
c) Improved infrastructure

Resource People- More resource people will help provide training to a greater number of families, who in turn will be able to provide appropriate teaching and guidance to a larger number of children with autism. Larger number of trained people will also lead to spreading more awareness in the community.

Training of Resource Persons- Refresher training programmes of resource people is absolutely necessary for proper to growth of the programme.

Expansion of the programme needs to be buffered by adequate space, equipped with essential and desirable infra structure and facilities. In addition to this, improved and appropriate infrastructure are needed for maximum development of the children.

The Story

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What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

At the close of the 1990s there were hardly a handful of professionals available to guide families of children with autism. Following a nationwide awareness campaign with pediatricians, AFA saw an upsurge in the number of families seeking help and not enough people available to provide support. It was obvious then as it is even now, that there would not be enough professionals even in the next 50 years. On the other hand I knew that parents understood their children the best. If we could train parents to become effective teachers for their child, they could not only help their own child learn, but also become examples and resource persons for other parents in their community. In thinking about how to address this need in an effective manner I devised the program where I could address several families together in a manner that was both enabling and empowering. I started the Parent Child Training Program in 2000 as an experiment with four mothers, slowly increasing the number of children with autism and their mothers in each session.

Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.

Merry Barua, Director Action For Autism, is an activist, special educator, and a parent to a son with autism. Merry started the autism movement in India when lack of information and misconceptions about this condition abounded. With little support from society or authorities of the time, she set about changing the scenario in awareness, diagnostics, education and allied services, human resources development, and policy, among others. Merry writes, teaches, lobbies, trains, sensitizes, counsels, and advocates. Her focus on ‘spreading the word’ and enabling individuals with autism and their families to empower themselves, has led to a growth in services and the formation of empowered parent groups, and in particular of parent driven services. Action For Autism, the national autism society that she helped found is infused with Merry’s vision of an inclusive society that looks not merely at individuals with social and communication challenges, but at all those who do not fit into society’s judgmental ‘norms’. Merry is an Ashoka Fellow, and has received national and international recognition for her work.

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

Email from Changemakers

If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company

50 words or fewer

Linha Rara - Helpline for Rare Diseases

Created on 09/28/2010 by Rarissimas

Linha Rara is a helpline created to listen, inform and advise rare disease patients and their families concerning rare diseases and patients rights. It is a personalized service that looks into each case and provides specific answers to unique callers. Linha Rara spreads awareness about healthcare & rights giving patients a voice to claim better health and living conditions.

About You

Organization: Rarissimas Visit websitemore ↓↑ hide↑ hide

Section 1: You

First Name

Raquel

Last Name

Castro

Website URL

Organization

Country

Portugal, LI

Section 2: Your Organization

Organization Name

Rarissimas

Organization Website

Organization Phone

00351707100200

Organization Address

00351211572629

Is your organization a

Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization

Organization Country

Portugal, LI

Your idea

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Name Your Project

Linha Rara - Helpline for Rare Diseases

Country and state your work focuses on

Portugal

Describe Your Idea

Linha Rara is a helpline created to listen, inform and advise rare disease patients and their families concerning rare diseases and patients rights. It is a personalized service that looks into each case and provides specific answers to unique callers. Linha Rara spreads awareness about healthcare & rights giving patients a voice to claim better health and living conditions.

Website URL

Innovation

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What makes your idea unique?

Linha Rara is the first Portuguese helpline dedicated to rare diseases. Plus, it is a service that is somehow unique at European levels. Linha Rara not only listens, informs and advises patients, but provides them with additional support: we contact organizations, institutions, hospitals, social services, etc. in order to always provide the patient with clear information about where he can get support, what kind of support, who is the person responsible for receiving him, etc. At the Rare Diseases European Conference (Krakow, May 2010) our helpline was presented together with other European helplines. We realized that our service is of greater proximity to the patient than other services developed in Europe. Linha Rara is also a means for families to connect to other families, being that the service facilitates the exchange of contacts between families. Additionally, the information supplied by the helpline, health wise, is compliant with the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (HONCode Certification in May 2010) and the project’s webpage is developed according to accessibility online rules (World Web Consortium, WC3), in order to permit people with disabilities to access and read (or listen) to the page’s contents. Finally, Linha Rara’s service is registered at the National Data Protection Commission, and patients’ integrity and confidentiality is at all times protected.
Summarizing, Linha Rara is the first helpline for rare diseases in Portugal, providing certified medical information and personalized support, giving patients the information, therefore knowledge, therefore power, to raise their voice and claim their healthcare, their treatments, and their rights.

Do you have a patent for this idea?

Yes

Impact

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What impact have you had?

The project has been at a pilot phase (February 2009 to August 2010) working "under-cover" dealing with requests that are directed to the Association or to Partner Associations. The tools have not yet been announced to the population in general: the project will have its official communication campaign this next month. We expect that the number of requests will largely increase after this, considering that it is estimated that there can be up to 600.000 rare disease patients in Portugal who will soon get to know that there is a service specifically created to support them.The pilot phase had a total of 1364 requests, made by 1172 callers (78.08% women, 20% man, 1.92% not specified). The callers’ profile is divided so far in the following categories: mother of patient (25%), patient (23%), relative (13%), student (8%), father of patient (5%), friend (5%), healthcare professional (2%). Other callers include social workers, teachers, patient associations, partners and non specified contacts (19%).The type of requests is falling into the following categories: information on diseases (49%), social and juridical support (16%), information on diagnosis and referentiation (11%), information on Raríssimas (9%), contacts between patients/families (8%), request of association to Raríssimas (5%), psychological support (1%), information on equipments for disabled people and rehabilitation strategies (1%). So far the project has 600 diseases in its research database, plus a huge resource and contact database: over 200 contacts of other associations in Portugal, more than 1300 contacts of foreign associations, 90 disease information charts (in Portuguese), etc. These instruments, together with the webpage and our own helpline number (707 100 200) will allow us to soon reach more and more of the 600.000 rare disease patients living in Portugal.

Problem

Rare diseases are, by definition, diseases which affect maximum one in 2000 people, reaching all together to about 6% of the population. It is estimated that there can be up to 600.000 rare disease patients in Portugal. Additionally, there have been around 8000 rare diseases identified in the world so far. The result of this data is a community of patients having in common the sole fact that there are affected by uncommon, infrequent diseases, chronic and debilitating. Some of the patients are one among 50, while some are the only diagnosed case in the country. There is a huge need of a service that serves this heterogenic community, addressing its uniqueness: a service with which all these different people identify and to which they relate to. Linha Rara is the service created to meet this end, creating a bridge between patients and services (healthcare, social welfare, others) empowering the rare disease community and working closely with the national institutions in order to reach better solutions for these patients.

Actions

Raríssimas has gathered all the efforts to develop this project. The association has been making several partnerships in order to secure the projects’ funding and the development of all the tools needed for the project. The pilot phase has allowed the service to consolidate before being launched to the great public. Raríssimas had the resource and research databases as well as the project tools and practices implemented during the pilot phase. In this way, we can be sure that the project is ready to handle the high number of callers which will contact us after the service is officially launched, without putting at risk the quality of the service. Raríssimas has also joined the European Network of Helplines for Rare Diseases in order to follow what is being done at the best helpline services in Europe. The project has always attempted to follow best practices and to obtain the quality certifications which apply to this type of service. It is our believe that the project will be a success, as it was in the pilot period. Nonetheless, Raríssimas will not lay low on this project and will keep making all the steps needed to increase the success of the project.

Results

Raríssimas expects that Linha Rara can become the primary communication platform for Rare Disease in Portugal. Ultimately, the goal of the project is to reach all the rare diseases patients in Portugal and in the Portuguese speaking world, plus to be able to raise awareness for rare diseases among population in general. The project is also going to be a valuable source of information on health and living conditions of the population, allowing the Association to identify the most preeminent needs of the rare diseases community and take actions in order to create responses or to pressure other responsible authorities to develop/apply measures that provide answers to the needs of these patients. Not only this project will support the vulnerable person here and now, but it will allow the association to provide support in the future.

What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.

Year one: current year. The project is being launched next month. Therefore, this has been a year of hard work and heavy financial investment for the association. It’s been a year of consolidation and it will be a very busy season until the end of the year. Communication campaigns require some significant funding. This year’s challenge is to get the project out there: get people to know our phone number, visit our webpage, and present us with their doubts and questions. The success of this campaign depends on the funding and partnerships we were and are able to raise in order reach our goal.
Year two: next year. Next year the project will invest largely on raising awareness for rare diseases among general population. In order to reach this goal, Linha Rara plans on developing a wide number of actions at national secondary schools and universities. Youth today will become the future healthcare or social welfare professionals tomorrow. Plus, one can never know when a rare disease will affect any of our dear ones. The best is, indeed, to know what rare diseases are and which are the institutions which provide responses to the patient’s community. Plus, next year the service will be settling down, after the launching. We will then have an accurate estimate of the monthly amount of work and might very possibly need to hire more operators for our phone line. Ultimately, the success of next year also depends on guaranteeing the funding needed for these extra activities.
Year three: forth year. Some of Linha Rara’s financial partnerships will end its cycle in this year. Therefore, this year will brings us to the point in which we will hopefully find some more partners which will allow us to continue with the service. A helpline is not a project that lasts only until funding is available. By our third year, people will be aware of our service, will use our platform and will be expecting Linha Rara to provide them with the quality support we have gotten them used to. It is Raríssimas plan to keep the helpline running after this year and therefore the big challenge for the continuity of the project is, once again, funding.

What would prevent your project from being a success?

The project’s success depends largely on the communication campaign. Callers need to know the project and the services available in order to reach Raríssimas and make their requests. A mass communication campaign is the only way to disseminate information about Linha Rara. A failure in the campaign would, then, endanger the project’s success. A lack of the funding needed to secure the projects’ planned and extra activities would also largely endanger the project’s success.

How many people will your project serve annually?

1001‐10,000

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

$100 ‐ 1000

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?

Yes

Sustainability

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What stage is your project in?

Operating for 1‐5 years

In what country?

Portugal, LI

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

Yes

If yes, provide organization name.

Raríssimas

How long has this organization been operating?

More than 5 years

Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?

Yes

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?

Yes

Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.

Patients and families affected by rare diseases have diverse needs which demand for pluri-disciplinary responses. Therefore, Raríssimas, as an association that defends the patient’s needs, needs to establish a great amount of partnerships. Raríssimas has establish partnerships with public and private institutions which are of the utmost importance to guarantee projects’ funding, knowhow inflow, development of services for patients, etc.

What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?

Raríssimas main lines of action, which will allow the association to grow are:
1) Promotion of awareness on rare diseases;
2) Promotion of the integrated management of the patients needs;
3) Positive differentiation concerning diagnosis, referentiation, treatment and management of patients with rare diseases;
4) Alert for the importance of acquisition of competences in rare diseases field.

The Story

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What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

The Helpline for rare diseases has been a project initially planned by Raríssimas board, in 2008, presided by Paula Brito e Costa. At that moment, the National Rare Diseases Plan was approved and rare diseases finally received the attention they needed from the governmental authorities. This was a good conjuncture to present the project’s planning and budget and start getting some funding and partnerships in order to allow the implementation of the project. Linha Rara was a need for Raríssimas since day one. Informing, listening and advising have always been the main primary goals of creating the association in the first place and Linha Rara is the service which will meet those needs.

Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.

Paula Brito e Costa, President of Raríssimas, and other members of the board were the thinkers of Linha Rara. At 21 years old Paula Costa saw her life turn 180 degrees when little Marco was born carrying Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. Always searching for the best healthcare and quality of life for her son, Paula Costa had to knock a lot of doors in order to get the answers and the support that Marco needed. Paula Costa was one of the members of the group of mothers which created Raríssimas: mothers who know how despairing it can be to raise a child carrying a rare disease without having access to medical information, social support, etc. These mothers created then the association in order to provide this support to other mothers, families and patients. Paula had by this time became acquainted with several doctors and institutions that provided support to little Marco and these contacts were also very useful for the association. Unfortunately, Marco is no longer with us today. Yet, the strength he gave to his mother allowed her to launch such ideas as the one at the base of Linha Rara.

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

Through another organization or company

If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company

50 words or fewer

Salud para todos

Created on 09/23/2010 by inesgarcia_d

“ENTRETOD@S” es una empresa de provisión de servicios en Salud Mental, desde una perspectiva de Atención Primaria, teniendo como destinarios a los sectores sociales más desfavorecidos. Es un modelo de salud que contempla tres ejes de acción: 1) formación de promotores en salud; 2) líneas de atención, tanto individual como grupal; 3) talleres de prevención y promoción de salud.

About You

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Section 1: You

First Name

Last Name

Website URL

Organization

Country

n/a

Section 2: Your Organization

Organization Name

Organization Website

Organization Phone

Organization Address

Is your organization a

Organization Country

n/a

Your idea

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Name Your Project

Salud para todos

Country and state your work focuses on

n/a

Describe Your Idea

“ENTRETOD@S” es una empresa de provisión de servicios en Salud Mental, desde una perspectiva de Atención Primaria, teniendo como destinarios a los sectores sociales más desfavorecidos. Es un modelo de salud que contempla tres ejes de acción: 1) formación de promotores en salud; 2) líneas de atención, tanto individual como grupal; 3) talleres de prevención y promoción de salud.

Website URL

Innovation

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What makes your idea unique?

Do you have a patent for this idea?

No

Impact

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This Entry is about (Issues)

What impact have you had?

Problem

Actions

Results

What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.

What would prevent your project from being a success?

How many people will your project serve annually?

Fewer than 100

What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?

Don't know

Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?

No

Sustainability

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What stage is your project in?

In what country?

n/a

Is your initiative connected to an established organization?

No

If yes, provide organization name.

How long has this organization been operating?

Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?

No

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?

Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?

Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.

What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?

The Story

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What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?

Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.

How did you first hear about Changemakers?

If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company