THE series of blogs will be inconclusive and open-ended without an action plan or a strategy to deal with the issue of rehabilitation of IDs. The strength of a chain is only as good as the strength of its weakest link. Today, rehabilitation of IDs is the weakest link of our society. I am sure that if we, as a society, apply ourselves, we can think of a sustainable and scalable solution for this issue.
Rehabilitation of IDs cannot be treated as a project or a programme with a beginning and an end. Let’s keep in mind that we are creating a process or a system necessary for the society too. We are creating a system that will reassure the parents of an ID that the system will take care of their disabled child throughout its life. It has to be viewed along the lines of long-term, old-age homes that cover about four decades of the life of the inmates who come to live there. These are some of my thoughts and ideas. I am sure other thinking minds will be able to suggest better solutions. This is the beginning of a brainstorming session.
Some ground realities
- IDs form a large section of society, namely, 0.5% of the population, which translates to about 70 lakh to one crore in India. Some studies even suggest a figure of up to three crore.
- IDs cannot live by themselves; they need assisted living their entire life.
- A small percent of IDs can work either at a job or in a sheltered workshop for a short period of their lifespan.
- The productivity of IDs will never generate enough money to support the infrastructure needed to look after them.
- Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) is the best module for the rehabilitation of IDs. Most of the staff stays on the premises to form a community, ensuring safety, well-being, inclusivity and happiness for the IDs.
- The rehabilitation centre will never become self-sustaining.
- There are no short-term solutions or quick fixes.
Challenges and solutions that Navkshitij is working on
- Under CSR, corporates cannot support infrastructure. NGOs should start such homes in rented places that can be made ID-friendly with small modifications. Rent is considered an “operating expenditure”. We are already operating two centres in rented premises.
- Lack of leadership or the courage to start such a long-term venture is a challenge that we cannot turn away from. Social entrepreneurs, parents and parent bodies should be educated, motivated and guided to start such centres and ensure sustainability. We are creating a well-defined roadmap to start and run such centres.
- Lack of trained caregivers. We are starting certified and recognised courses for caregivers at our new centre in Asawali.
- Lack of awareness among parents is a reality that needs to be addressed urgently. We are getting the attention of parents through our outreach programmes, seminars, social media, blogs and training programmes.
- Funding, especially long-term funding, is an intimidating challenge for anyone who wants to start a rehabilitation centre for IDs. We are finding innovative ways to build a corpus fund.
- The government may not be able to start and run so many residential rehabilitation centres. We have to empower the middle class to take the lead. We run awareness generation programmes for parents, NGOs and social entrepreneurs.
A few suggestions
- Parents who can pay, those from the middle and upper-middle classes, should and will pay a reasonable amount for the upkeep of their ward for as long as they can.
- Most IDs outlive their parents. Siblings, if there are any, should continue to contribute.
- The NGO has to concentrate on increasing the individual donor base for both short and long terms.
- Individual donors can start an SIP for the social cause. Banks should make the process as simple as possible. Many individual donors are ready to contribute small amounts like Rs 500 to Rs 1000 per month.
- Individuals can adopt one ID for six months or a year. At today’s rate, it works out to Rs. 2 lakh per year.
- CSR laws do not allow corporates to contribute to the corpus fund of an NGO. Instead the corporates can sign an MoU with the NGO, promising support to 5–10 IDs for periods of five to ten years. The money will be drawn only when a new home is set up and in proportion to the number of inmates in the home. This money becomes our virtual corpus fund and remains with the organisation. We create new houses on their promise.
- SIPs and promissory notes from individuals and long-term MOUs with corporates will give social entrepreneurs the courage and assurance needed to start such rehabilitation centres.
- Foundations and multinational companies are not restricted by the CSR laws. They should seriously consider contributing to the corpus fund of reputed NGOs.
- Large corporate houses and foundations can take up rehabilitation of IDs as a mission. They can assure social entrepreneurs that they will fund an NGO that houses 15–20 IDs for five to ten years. NGOs should ensure that their accounting systems are transparent. The funding agencies may be allowed to lay down the rules. They can create a chain of such houses, depending on the density of IDs in particular cities.
- Corporates with a large workforce are likely to find many needy families within their employees (or their families).
- Communities like Jain, Maheshwari and Maratha Samaj can be encouraged to start homes that will give priority to IDs from their community.
- Some angel investors can explore rehabilitation of IDs as a venture.
Navkshitij is ready to work as knowledge partners with angel investors who are ready investors and other interested social entrepreneurs and communities. We will take the responsibility of training personnel, inducting them in the philosophy and handholding them for a couple of years. We can guide them right from the stage of ideation, strategy and implementation. Seva Tarang, a non-profit organisation that offers a range of services to NGOs, can help them create systems in accounting and HR, which will ensure transparency. As the number of such homes increases, there will emerge an iterative process of evolving best practices, which could be shared with all the homes.
Creating a system that can stand the test of time is a long-term project and is going to need inputs from great strategists who have their heart in the right place.
Read Previous Blogs:
- Our Zen Masters
- Abnormal
- Impact Analysis
- Understanding Inclusivity
- Self-advocacy
- Navkshitij: An end-to-end solution
- Why Navkshitij
- The Corporate Way
- New Horizons, new challenges
- The ID-Centric Home
- Deep diving into the world of IDs (continued)
- Deep dive into the world of the Intellectually Disabled
- Through the eyes of a parent
- Rehabilitation and Inclusivity: An Introduction
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