Building an Inclusive Society

“She loves to paint and always been very good at it. We want to let her study and pursue her interests, and we needed support,” says Prasanna’s father who has the responsibility of running the family with his meager salary. A young mind with many hopes and big dreams. Since childhood Sai Prasanna has been excellent with her sketching skills and they have been improving with each day. “I want my own art studio one day,” says Prasanna with great desire. Born in Hyderabad, Telangana, it has not been easy for Prasanna and family due to her Orthopedic disability and constant economic crisis. But she never let the troubles stop her from smiling. After completing regular school at Hyderabad, Prasanna wanted to study further and focus on her art in a better way. Severe financial crisis got in her way, and she could not enroll into higher education. Sai Prasanna and her parents came to know about Samarthanam Trust’s Higher Education Support Programme and how the organization is breathing life into the careers of many young people. A visit to the Centre and after consulting the Coordinator at Samarthanam, Prasanna came to know in detail on the facilities and the support being offered to differently abled students and in specific about the “Higher Education Programme.” Sai Prasanna availed the scholarship support from Samarthanam for her higher studies. “I cannot express my gratitude in words. The organization has given me more than I expected and helped me support my education. Thank you,” says a grateful Prasanna. Prasanna is pursuing her second year Bachelor of Commerce programme at Hyderabad. She wants to continue her art and also aspires to work in a multinational company soon.

“Bhavani has always been a strong young lady with optimism and positive thinking,” says Bhavani’s parents, who initially weren’t very sure on how to help her. Her father, Meeraj Kumar, runs a furniture store in Hyderabad and, along with Bhavani’s mother, they always had been encouraging. Bhavani was born in the year 2002 with multiple disabilities. She could not hear and see. Though shock and sorrow consumed her parents for a few years, upon her doctor’s advice, they enrolled Bhavani into Early Intervention and training in living skills. Bhavani’s parents encouraged her in sports and cultural activities. She had to overcome many troubles and hurdles from her childhood but never did Bhavani feel depressed. Bhavani wanted to pursue higher education but the family’s financial crisis limited her options drastically. Bhavani approached Samarthanam Trust after hearing about the Higher Education Programme in her college. Bhavani availed the scholarship support from Samarthanam for her higher studies and is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts programme in the prestigious St. Ann’s College for Women, Hyderabad. Bhavani was very passionate about sports since her childhood, especially Tennis. She has participated in many International Tournaments and won many medals. Bhavani aspires to participate in the prestigious Wimbledon Tournament going further. “Samarthanam has stepped in at the right time and helped me continue my education. They have supported with my college, and other expenses and I will be eternally grateful,” says Bhavani.

“I had a lot of problems with my family in terms of adjustment and I wanted to make a life of my own,” says Latha, a 23 year old woman from Bangalore. Latha has been facing many domestic issues at home and wanting to find a solution, she went to an organization supported by Women and Child development, Bangalore. Samarthanam’s Swadhara and its services were explained to Latha. She was not a confident individual when she stepped into Samarthanam. She was nurtured, provided with food, safety and shelter, and was later counselled by experts. After staying at Swadhara for almost 2 years, there is a definite change in Latha’s demeanor. Identifying her interest in tailoring, she received training in the same. Latha has resolved her family issues with the help of the counselor and is now leading an independent life along with family.

“If you want to live a better life, no one but yourself should work towards it,” says the young girl with physical disability from Samarthanam Belagavi Skilling Centre, who is an employed and independent individual. Bharati is from Vijayapura, Chikkodi Taluka in Belagavi District. She is from a farming family in Belagavi whose parent’s financial status is not very stable. After completing her SSLC at Vijayanagar, Bharti wanted to contribute her family’s economic situation. She started working for daily wages but being a focused and well-informed individual, Bharti decided to do something more significant with her education. She came to know about Samarthanam via the mobilization programmes and believed that it was the only way to lead a decent life. Bharti Joined Samarthanam and completed the virtual training module with impressive results. She immediately received a job letter from a company in Dharwad. Bharti is now an earning member of the family, and being a hardworking, disciplined and focused individual, we trust that she is going to do better at her workplace. “Disability was never a hurdle for me. Samarthanam helped me improve my skills and find a job accordingly. I am thankful to the organization at all times,” says a beaming Bharti, who is now an independent woman.

Manoj came to Samarthanam after hearing about the Higher Education Programme and after speaking to the Co-ordinator about the facilities and support given to differently abled students, he knew that he could begin again. “It was a turning point in my life,” says Manoj. He became a part of Samarthanam Dharwad family and received tuition support for pursuing his study at the prestigious JSS PU College, Dharwad. Manoj also received free accommodation, food, library, educational needs, scribe and volunteers support, access to audio books, and everything that would immensely help him accomplish his goals. In the year 2020, Manoj completed his PUC II Year (Arts) from JSS PU College with an excellent academic score of 92%. “We are proud of his achievement. Manoj made entire Samarthanam and his peers very proud of him. We believe that people like him are an inspiration,” says Manoj’s Co-ordinator. Manoj is a true example to other differently abled students to believe that any disability can be beaten with a srong will to pursue your dreams. Manoj also gained proficiency in Computers at Samarthanam and has been a part of many programmes at School & College Level, receiving many awards. He is currently pursuing Bachelor of Arts in JSS College,Dharwad and aspires to be a KAS Officer. We wish him the best.

“Education is a passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Samarthanam is proud of its students who work hard to make a future. One of our best talent is Suhas, differently abled, who recently completed his college education at Christ College, and got a seat in Bangalore Medical College to pursue his dream career. Samarthanam has been supporting Suhas’s school education right from 4th Grade and we are extremely proud of his achievement today. We wish him the best in his journey to becoming the best doctor. A huge thank you to donors and volunteers who help us in nurturing the young minds of tomorrow.

Veerabhadra is immensely passionate towards classical music, dance and singing. He has a gift of composing songs in Kannada and has appeared on the regional talent show on television. He is grateful for his family’s support who treat him one among them. Veerabhadra joined Sunadha in 2012 that allowed him to develop and fine tune his skills. This also offered him an opportunity to identify himself as a disabled artist.Veerabhadra has gone across the seas to display his innate talent. He has also undergone a 3 month soft skill and basic computer training course to improve his chances of employability. He also wears the hat of a music teacher at Samarthanam where he helps out Primary School students learn music. For young people such as Veerabhadra trying to get into the art sector, there’s Sunadha. At Sunadha, we go beyond interesting identities of art and disability that focuses on the individual’s progression from the visual arts to performance.

Prema is an intellectually disabled student of Samarthanam ID School who was not able to concentrate for more than a few minutes. Her IQ was low and she had difficulties in being attentive to the trainer’s instructions. It wasn’t easy for Prema in the beginning but things took a turn when sports was seen as the solution. Upon expert’s guidance, Prema started regular physical activity and eventually rose to being a sports-star.Hailing from an economically poor family, Prema could not receive the special education support needed. Prema was brought to Samarthanam where many special children like her were schooled by experts. Along with regular classes, Prema was enrolled into sports as well. With not just creating an excellent sports record for herself, Prema’s concentration levels were greatly improved. One of Prema’s remarkable achievements is standing second in the National Level Floor Hockey. Prema’s parents are proud of her progress. “Learning new languages, traveling and meeting new people has become part of her routine,” says Prema’s mother. They are grateful to Samarthanam for bringing out the best in Prema and supporting her throughout.

Priyanka has always been a hardworking and intelligent student starting from her school. She is visually impaired by birth but her determination was stronger than her disability. Hailing from an agricultural family with two siblings and low economic background, Priyanka’s father did not have the financialsecurity to provide education to his daughter beyond high school. Being an enthusiastic learner Priyanka was positive that she would be able to find a way out. Priyanka’s family came to know about Samarthanam and agreed to move to Bengaluru. She came to Samarthanam seeking financial help for her higher studies and looking at her eagerness to pursue education, Samarthanam readily enrolled Priyanka into Bachelor of Arts course at Surana College in Bengaluru. Throughout her academic career, she consistently secured distinction and consequently Bangalore University offered her a chance to pursue her Masters in Political Science. Priyanka is looking forward to working as an Assistant Professor in Karnataka but her aim is to clear the Civil Services exam and be an Officer to lead the society. Priyanka and her family are grateful to Samarthanam for providing support and encouraging a potential student in accomplishing her study dreams. The Higher Education support Programme at Samarthanam offers services like monetary aid, residential facility, audio books, assistive aids and so on for students who wish to complete higher education and live independently.

Though orthopedically impaired since birth it never made Bhaskar feel disheartened. All that Bhaskar looked forward to was building a financially stable livelihood for himself and his family. “He made us all proud,” says Bhasker’s trainer from Hyderabad LRC who helped him all through his training period at Samarthanam. “He is a people’s person,” adds his peer at Samarthanam.Bhasker enrolled at Samarthanam after a brief demo on the training module. The technology at Samarthanam greatly impressed Bhasker. Owing to his profound interest in learning the same, he completed the three months training without a glitch. With the help of Hyderabad LRC skilling program he secured an internship in a photography associated company. Being an industrious and hard-working intern, Bhasker proved to be a great assistant and also helped two of his friends from Samarthanam enroll as interns. Bhasker is a self-made and independent individual who stands as a role model to the disabled fraternity. “Samarthanam helped me become who I am today. I need to give back to the society the same encouragement I received from Samarthanam,” says Bhasker with tons of gratitude and appreciation to Samarthanam.

Nikhita was born in normal condition yet at a tender age of one year, had to go through jaundice that left her with abnormalities in her backbone. She gradually learned to walk independently and attended mainstream schooling till primary. The soul was filled with hope and always ready to change challenges in her favor.After joining Samarthanam, she found a place where she could fit, and there was no stopping to her learning. She bagged numerous trophies and awards participating in the group dance, music, quiz, coloring competition and the series of achieving never ends. Nikitha prepares paper bags under vocational training and got computer training in AMBA. She presents herself as a leader for 20 other students in Samarthanam and inspires them unconditionally. She is a prime example for those who feel they can’t achieve anything due to their disability. Her handwork and determination are directed to greater heights, here, at Samarthanam.

Manu is an astounding boy from a village near Hassan, Karnataka. Deprived of a family, he was brought to Samarthanam in the year 2011. Being physically disabled by birth was another challenge. The need for a growth has hustled him to great height already at the age of 16. Physical training should have been a barrier for him yet it wasn’t. It is one of his hobbies and PT teacher Prakash Sir is one of his favorite people. His various hobbies include drawing. Artistic skills in him are growing and he aspires to be software engineer. For a student of class eighth, having done so much is very much laudable. His story has appeared in multiple regional newspapers due to his acting skills in the Kannada Movie Chalagara. Manu is an inspiration and he couldn’t have done it alone, but in support of family like Samarthanam. Every opportunity given to him was turned by him into achievement.

“Aiming to soar the heights of achievements…”Mala is a visually impaired student pursuing her junior college via Samarthanam’s Higher Education Program. She is a natural athlete and excels in wall climbing. In fact, she has won the National Level Climbing Championship held in Jammu Kashmir and will soon represent India in France at the International Climbing Championship with your support. She is an epitome of hard work who is good at sports and academics. She has sought Samarthanam to pursue her dreams and aspirations leaving behind a life of poverty and lack of opportunities for education. She is truly an inspiration to the girls with disabilities from the rural areas lacking education and career opportunities.