Urban Project

Through its Community-based Rehabilitation CBR (Urban) program Arushi facilitates activities that involve extension of support to persons with disabilities (PWDs) in three slum areas of Bhopal, from within their own community. Efforts are made to include the family of the PWDs to participate actively in understanding their needs. We work to ensure that children with disabilities achieve maximum independence by giving them training in activities of daily living, education, and in using assistive devices. Arushi does the following:

Facilitates admissions of children with disabilities into regular schools. Counsels parents. Trains teachers. Provides home-based programs which include training of parents in speech and language, developmental therapy and activities of daily living. Provides training in zardosi, embroidery, stitching and crafts to women with disabilities. Assists PWDs with disability and railway concession certificates. Provides confidence-building activities. Provides computer education to PWDs.

Rural Project

Arushi works in 72 villages and 22 urban wards of the Sehore District of Madhya Pradesh since 2006 for inclusion of children with disabilities in regular schools. Its CBR project, Advocacy and Campaign for Inclusive Education, is supported by Leonard Cheshire Disability. The focus is on enrollment and retention support to children with disabilities and livelihood support to persons with disability. Of the CWDs we work with, 301 are in inclusive schools, 43 severely disabled get home-based education and remaining four are migrated from project area.

Project Achievements:

• The Government School Gudbela, with barrier free environment which includes good quality ramps, accessible toilets and other facilities for children with disabilities is a model being used by the district and state education department to create similar structure and facilities at other schools.
• The project also supports more than ten schools in creating and maintaining a barrier free environment.
• Around 200 teachers of government schools were trained for Inclusive Education.
• Twenty ‘Self Help & Advocacy Group’ were created in the Sehore Block with 168 disabled persons. We update them with new schemes and policies on a regular basis and also train them to exercise their rights.
• We have strong tie ups with about twenty organizations within the district, state and country in the area of medical and therapeutic interventions, skill trainings, educational material support and livelihood promotion. This enables the PWDs to be referred for surgeries and medical interventions.  More than 100 PWDs have been referred for orthopedic surgeries at the best hospital in Udaipur. Five to six PWDs have been able to overcome their disability and are leading a wonderful life.  
•  215 CWDs have received retention support from the project and 75 CWDs completed their primary education and continue their education.
• 173 PWDs got aids and appliances with support from this project.
• 22 PWDs got support for bank loans to start their businesses.
• More than 4000 persons with disabilities have benefitted from disability and railway concession certificates.
• Arushi also operates a District Disability Resource Centre in Sehore. Fifteen women with disability give training in stitching, cushion making, soft toys making, zardosi. They are also provided sewing machines to sustain their livelihood.