What We Do
What we do in India
Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled is a non-profit organization, established in Bangalore, India and is engaged in empowering persons with disabilities and distress in socio-economic-cultural fronts through its various initiatives on Education, Livelihood, Environment, Health & Nutrition, Sports, Culture and Rehabilitation.
In India, Samarthanam runs various projects in these arenas offering services to people with disabilities and the underserved, paving way to establishing an independent livelihood.
Higher Education
The Education program run by Samarthanam was initiated in 2004 to provide equal education opportunities to children with disabilities. The initiative spread its wings over the years and today, Samarthanam runs integrated residential schools for students with disabilities and poor economic background with well designed curriculum, qualified teachers and a plethora of co and extra- curricular activities. Samarthanam Barrier-free Residential School accommodates 700 children and the school was built to be completely accessible addressing all the needs of children with disabilities. It is an ultramodern infrastructure facilitated building with smart classrooms, accessible assistive technology, auditorium with meditation hall, yoga centre, gymnasium and therapy rooms.
For further details, contact higher_education@samarthanam.org
Skilling
Recognizing the need to facilitate the disabled with basic livelihood skills training and provide widened employment opportunities, ‘Livelihood Resource Centre’ (LRC) was conceptualized by Samarthanam in 1999. Samarthanam LRC provides technical and sector based skill training to youth with disabilities and from underserved backgrounds. The centre grooms their skills and makes them ready for their entry into the corporate world.
Samarthanam LRCs have been supporting youth from rural regions of India through its centres spread across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Delhi, Kerala States of India. The Resource Centres are equipped with accessible infrastructure to support persons with disabilities including ramps, wheelchairs, railings (for persons with physical disabilities), JAWS software, Braille and audio books (for persons with visual disabilities), signs and boards (for persons with hearing impairments).
For further details, contact lrchp@samarthanam.org
Sports
Samarthanam established Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) in 2010 as it believed that sports is a rightful pursuit for people with disabilities, making them confident at various levels. Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) is the cricketing arm of Samarthanam Trust governing cricket tournaments, and handhold aspiring blind cricketers in India. It is the apex body organizing cricket for the blind and is affiliated to World Blind Cricket Ltd (WBC).
CABI and Indian Blind Cricket Team’s success portfolio include winning trophies from first T-20 World Cup (2012), fourth ODI World Cup Championship (2014), T-20 Asia Cup (2016), second T-20 World Cup (2017) and fifth ODI World Cup Championship (2018). Samarthanam has churned out world class players like Shekhar Naik who has been honored with the fourth highest civilian award in India, the Padmashree Award, for his contributions to blind cricket. On the same road, CABI continues to encourage the aspirations of budding cricket enthusiasts and support their ambitions.
For further details, contact david@samarthanam.org
Environment (Parisara)
Samarthanam’s environment initiative, Parisara, started in 2003, is a dry and e-waste management programme collecting, segregating and recycling waste to significantly lessen the burden on landfills. It emerged as a reliable waste management programme partnering with various corporate houses, residential societies and schools. With its modern technology, transport facility, equipment and service, the programme is an efficient waste management model for sustainable development.
“Well-being Out of Waste (WOW)” is another recycling programme, initiated in 2007, by the Paperboards and Specialty Papers Business of ITC in association with Samarthanam. It is a corporate level programme ensuring proper segregation, recycling of waste and creates a sustainable livelihood for the participants involved in the waste management process.
For further details, contact girish@samarthanam.org
Arts & Culture (Sunadha)
Samarthanam Sunadha is a troupe of artists with disabilities who excel in Indian classical, folk dance and music presenting exceptional performances on various State, National and International platforms. Samarthanam Sunadha looks out for artistic talent among people with disabilities, imparts training to perfect their skills and provides a stage to showcase the talent. Since Sunadha inception in 1999, the troupe had delivered 3000 performances across various countries with growing acclaim.
Sunadha artists endeavor to bridge the cultural gap and build experiences gained through traveling the world and associating with people. They go a long way towards building confidence and creating opportunities for economic self sufficiency.
For further details, contact vasanti@samarthanam.org
Community Based Program (Swadhara)
Samarthanam Swadhara provides shelter for women in distress with support from Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development. Swadhara provides food, shelter, vocational training, counseling and moral support for destitute women and those with disabilities. Swadhara supports these women re-establish in the society by encouraging them to opt for suitable vocational training courses and subsequent employment.
For further details, contact swadhara@samarthanam.org
Health & Nutrition (Vidyaprasad)
Vidyaprasad is an initiative by Samarthanam, supported by Government of India and Government of Karnataka. The aim of the initiative is to provide healthy nutritious food to students from various Public schools in and around Bengaluru (Karnataka, India). The food is prepared in a hygienic centralized, automated kitchen and is supplied to all the public schools through customized vehicles.
Samarthanam has been efficiently providing healthy meals to students since 2003 and looks forward to scaling up the project and expanding the reach.
For further details, contact krishnaiahtm@samarthanam.org