Project Details

Astha is an outreach project in the slum communities of Govindpuri, in South Delhi. It was initiated in Jan 1996 - providing rehabilitation services to children with disabilities such as Polio, Blindness, Speech and Hearing impairments, Epilepsy, Mental Retardation and Cerebral Palsy and support to their families. WAH 2011 intends to raise enough funds to support 25 students.

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This is an outreach project in the slum communities of Govindpuri, in South Delhi. It was initiated in Jan 1996 - providing rehabilitation services to children with disabilities such as Polio, Blindness, Speech and Hearing impairments, Epilepsy, Mental Retardation and Cerebral Palsy and support to their families.

They've already spent a few years on this center. They started from beginning in a garage with one child to working with fifteen children and providing remedial help and information to ten more children. They have a small teacher-student ratio and intensive one on one sessions with the children who have multiple disabilities and mental retardation.

Their Services:
* Special Education
* Speech Therapy
* Physiotherapy
* Parent Counseling
* Imparting info to Parents

Astha has met with many families with disabled children in Govindpuri. Most of the families tried to get the children treated (before) and the children were given aids like hearing aids, braces etc but were not trained on how to use them leaving the aids unused.

Other Service and Activities run the last three years by ASTHA

Center for children with special needs:

This center works with children with mental retardation and multiple disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy and Autism. This project has been partly funded by MISEREOR, a German funding company.

Information and Communication Unit:

This produces material - both audio visual and printed - in the field of disability. They produced Workbook for School children to sensitize them to the needs and abilities of their disabled peers - funded by UNICEF. Film on the Ministry of welfare's programs and assistance for people with disabilities. Commissioned by the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, Secunderabad. The Use of Economic and Development Programs of the Ministry of Rural Development by people with disabilities. Funded by CAPART (Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology).
A series of 13 radio programs on disability. Funded by CAPART.

Space constraint:

Difficulty in finding place, in the limited space where a few other projects of ASTHA also were functioning, to provide necessary infrastructure, free and independent wheel chair movements, to house other equipments .

Difficulty in getting and retaining professional who are well equipped to work with children severe difficulties. Parents motivational level

There were parents who were very motivated. But there were many parents especially of children with severe difficulties who were found difficult to motivate and partner with.

Story 1:

Astha works with urban poor mainly on education since 15 years. “I associated with Astha when Sonia’s mother committed suicide and I was not able to manage Sonia at home. Sonia is now 10 years old and she is a child with intellectual impairment. Sonia was 4 years old when her mother committed suicide because of her husband’s alcoholism and other family problems. Sonia has a younger sister who is now 6 years old and being their grandmother I am taking care of both these children. I did not know how to take care of Sonia and she was always kept inside the house. She used to pick up garbage from the streets and eat if she was left out. She was a child with high support needs”. “When I came to know about Astha, and their workers started coming to my home, I had a big relief. They helped Sonia by training her on daily routine including toilet training, feeding etc. Sonia started moving out of home initially to the child rights centre where she got opportunity to mix up with other children of her age. She learned to communicate with people and she was very happy. I never imagined that Sonia could go to school with her difficulties. I was also apprehensive about the importance of education for a child like Sonia. But when I began to attend the meetings and discussions organized in the community on right to education and rights of the disabled, I realized how important it is to send my child to school. Her involvement in the child rights centre gave me the confidence to send her to school”.

But to my disappointment the Government school authorities denied admission to Sonia in the school and suggested to send her to a special school. Under the purview of Right to Education Act I came to know that no child can be denied admission in school and then I had to fight with teachers to admit Sonia. Now she is studying in 1stgrade of MCDSchool, Kalkaji. She also participates in other activities organized by Astha like Deepotsav, large scale activities, exposure visits to Bhal Bhawan, sports day etc”.

Sonia is a regular student in school now. Efforts are on with teachers in training and helping them in teaching her so that she never drops out. Sonia’s Dadi ends her story with her apprehension on the future of Sonia. She says,”I am old now and I don’t know how long we can push the family forward with the minimum earnings which we make through vegetable vending. After my death I can’t find out a person in my family who will look after the children. With the help of Astha, now I am trying to get Sonia’s birth certificate so that she can avail ladli scheme. Her disability certificate is being made; we are into the process of applying for her disability stipend also.

Story 2:

Govind Puri slums, which is a cluster of four camps and with the population of more than 50,000 did not have any Aanganwadi centre for children. This is a violation of child right under Right to Food for children from below poverty line category. Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) is one of the largest programmes of the government for the welfare of mother and child. The Aanganwadis are run under ICDS. The aanganwadis aim to provide nutrition, immunization services, and to provide safe and stimulating learning environment for children from 0 to 6 years. As per the rule, there has to be one Aanganwadi for every 1000 families. Not having a single Aanganwadi in such a densely populated area will not only affect the development of child with disability but also other children as malnutrition is one of the major causes for disability.

Under the theme of Right to Food, AARTH ASTHA conducted several meetings with all parents of vulnerable children including parents of children with disabilities in the age group of 0 to 6, to sensitize and empower them with the knowledge on schemes under Right To Food.

With the increased level of awareness and information, there was a keener interest in the 0-6 year olds’ development and the need of proper ICDS Services. Written complaints were given by the community members on opening of Anganwadi’s which was not addressedto.

This was followed by AARTH ASTHA organizing a’Jan Sunvai’ on “Issues related to Health, Education, Nutrition, Safety and Care of Women and their Children in Delhi” in collaboration with Delhi Neenv Forces. Jan Sunwais (or ‘public hearings’) are a concept for laying information at the feet of public authorities. The idea is that rather than use the formal justice system to contest government decisions or government inaction, civil society can use Jan Sunwais to highlight issues that they face and demand a response from government. Though they do not have any legal authority, Jan Sunwais carry a moral power to influence the state and civil society towards tackling injustices. The empowered women in the communities presented the case with confidence.

As a result of which DCPCR (Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights) has issued an order to the Ministry of Social welfare to open ample number of Anganwadi centres in Govindpuri with proper facilities. We are glad to report that so far fifteen Aaganwadi centres have opened in Govindpuri camps. The teachers have been appointed in all these aanganwadi centres.

Initially the Centro for Children with Special Needs was started with one child in a garage, later moved to Mrs Radhika Alkazi’s who is also the Managing Trustee of ASTHA, residence with 6 children. As the number grew, we shifted to Tughlakabad village in to a temple complex and finally to Giri Nagar premises where we are currently. Over the period, from being a Centre that only provided rehabilitation facilities, it was felt that while these were important for any child to become independent, it was equally important to expose the children to the systems of general school, which in every child’s life, is a first point of entry in to the mainstream society.

Astha also believes in the ability of all children with special needs, and their right to learn and exposure to knowledge similar to that imparted in general school system. Therefore’ it was consciously decided to shift our focus from being a rehabilitation center to developing the center, into a model school for children with multiple disabilities based on the mainstream school system. From this time on children were consciously being prepared to get in to mainstream school.

With this in view the aim of the Centre for Children with Special Needs was changed to: Through a broad based curriculum that includes academic, physical and creative arts the children with disabilities, to access their right to education by Inclusion in the mainstream school system, Gaining a primary school certificate through the Open Basic Education Programme of National Institute of Open schooling (NIOS), Acquiring life skills to communicate effectively and become independent.

Goal 1:

For the next three years:
Individuals, and in particular children and persons with disabilities to become self-advocates, with a focus on the most marginalised
There to be an established accessible information and knowledge exchange network.
Children and persons with disabilities to be living independently and to be included in society.
By the end of 3 years AARTH-ASTHA will have worked in partnership to:# Develop the rights-consciousness of persons with disabilities in the communities: faciliating the development of life skills and critical thinking.
Create trainers and active participants in advocacy, events and decision making from the groups with which we are already working.
Build knowledge of rights and self-advocacy skills with a targeted group of at least 20 young persons with disabilities.
Run an ongoing programme for children with disabilities age 12+ that develops their life skills, knowledge of their rights and self-advocacy skills.
Have a fellowship scheme whereby a person with disability will be supported by AARTH-ASTHA to research rights and build their own capacities as an advocate.

Goal 2:

For there to be an established accessible information and knowledge exchange networkObjectivesBy the end of 3 years AARTH-ASTHA will have:# A system of collecting and disseminating information and knowledge, including guidelines on the handling of information
A core resource collection of materials in a range of accessible formats
Have a Delhi-based core network of Persons with Disability
Established and being linking to information network

Goal 3:

For children and persons with disability, and their families to be living independently and included in societ
Objectives:By the end of 3 years AARTH-ASTHA will have:# A team of consultants on habilitation and rehabilitation
A collection of and expertise on assistive devices
A programme for 200 children per annum (0-18) worked with systems to make then more inclusive towards children and persons with disabilities
A programme for sensitising and capacity building for the community on inclusion