Shobha Ramswamy

Help, rather than handouts, is the idea powering Saath Saath, an innovative initiative that provides productive work to young adults with disabilities

She wields her paintbrush with assurance — firm lines, quick strokes and just a touch of colour. Sheeba is no ordinary artist. The 18-year-old has a frail body and a bald head, the consequences of a bout of rickets, and she resembles a child. Her condition has never been properly treated, since her slum-dwelling parents could not afford the medical bills. But Sheeba's face reflects no emotion other than delight, as her fingers work ceaselessly on her latest masterpiece. "I love painting," she says softly.

Close by, 10 other youngsters are dipping tiny mud diyas into cans of bright red paint, packing candles in decorative pink net wraps and painting colourful Diwali greeting cards. The spacious brick room they are in reverberates with high-pitched squeals and laughter, and the excitement is palpable. Who would believe that every child in the room suffers from varying degrees of cerebral palsy, a disorder in which a perfectly fine mind is trapped in a disobedient body?

The laughter and confidence hasn't always been there. Regardless of their mental and physical disabilities, most of these youngsters completed their school education by their mid-teens. But after that a dearth of options confined them within the four walls of their houses. Not many could handle the transition from a busy school schedule in the company of friends to the loneliness of a home. Secondary psychiatric problems and depression became common. "Often the child sat alone by the window, rocking and drooling," says Rukmini Krishnaswamy, director of the Bangalore-based Spastics Society of Karnataka (SSK). "All the effort and money spent in education and vocational training was being wasted. Something needed to be done, and fast."

The transformation came three years ago, in the shape of Saath Saath, an initiative to provide mainstream activities to young adults with disabilities. Saath Saath's workshop-cum-centre, set within the premises of SSK enabled these youngsters to handcraft an array of products in wax, paper, jute and other materials, and they did this in partnership with their parents. These were sold through special stalls in departmental stores and malls in Bangalore.

SSK paid the young people a stipend. The idea was to provide a long-term occupation and independence to individuals who cannot be placed in open employment. "Right from the start, we promoted the idea of purposeful occupations to provide stability of the mind and well-being of the body. Remuneration was important to build up some degree of dignity," says Ms Krishnaswamy, who had earlier started a similar project in Mumbai with great success.

The centre is managed by the parents of the children, with support from SSK. Ms Krishnaswamy firmly believes that parents play a vital role in the rehabilitation programme and the overall development of the child. Parents procure the raw materials, supervise production, conduct quality checks and market the finished products, as well as obtain new orders.

But this did not happen easily. Most youngsters belonged to the middle and lower strata of society, and lacked experience in these areas. They also had apprehensions about the initial investments required. Unsold stocks were aplenty. Ms Krishnaswamy and her team held several individual and group meetings before they finally won their unconditional support for the project.

The parents were trained by SSK in the finer aspects of planning, purchasing, production and marketing. "Initially, we led them by the hand at every stage, to build confidence and empower them for the long run," says Ms Krishnaswamy. Now some parents have become employees of the centre. A grant from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust pays for the raw materials, the stipends and token salaries for employee parents.

On an average, five or six parents volunteer every day. They supervise the activity, impart finishing touches to products and manage segments that are difficult for the children to handle independently. They also explore the marketplace constantly to keep abreast with the changing demands of consumers.

Saath Saath has emerged as an oasis of hope for young challenged individuals. "The change in the children is remarkable," says Ms Krishnaswamy proudly. "As the stipend depends on one's productivity and attendance, both are up at the centre. It is truly heart warming to see the children save money to buy gifts for their loved ones. Work has given them a purpose and a reason to get out of their homes. Finally, there is some sense of permanency in their lives."

The noisy chatter that fills the rooms in the centre endorses Ms Krishnaswamy's statement. The 38 adolescents here make 30 products from handmade paper, including scribble pads, telephone diaries, shopping bags, wine bags, greeting cards, gift tags, gift-wrapping paper and conference folders. They also make wax and jute products.

"Teaching these children is a wonderful and satisfying experience," says Kavitha Sharma, mother of two autistic children and a full-time employee of Saath Saath. "But it has to be adapted to their requirements. Even seemingly simple tasks like tying a knot at the end of a thread can be a difficult activity for them. So, at the centre, the making of every product is analysed and broken down into several individual steps. For example, making a paper bag requires about seven different skills. This means every youngster, irrespective of the severity of his or her disability, makes a contribution. It's almost like an assembly line."

The individual's skill assessment decides the job assignment. Twenty-something Nagveni suffers from a type of cerebral palsy in which her upper body, including the hands, are stiff and almost useless. So she meticulously folds paper to prepare bags using her comparatively strong legs. In order to facilitate speed and improve the quality of products, the centre has crafted tools which help the children craft articles with a single functional hand.

The initial days were tough, but small contracts from SSK kept them going. As word spread, corporate orders have started trickling in. Festivals are busy times. Last year, nearly Rs 60,000 worth of Diwali merchandise was retailed through the city's premier grocery superstore, Foodland. This year the figure is expected to increase. The parents are stepping up their marketing efforts. The target is to become a profit-making unit in the near future.

The ultimate objective of Saath Saath is to create self-help groups in different localities in the city. This way, instead of coming to the centre each day, parents could form groups that operate from an area closer to home.

Jyotsna Rao, mother of twin 28-year-old daughters who are mentally challenged, runs such a satellite centre from her house in nearby Koramangalam. The girls stitch sari petticoats, embroider simple patterns on napkins and do screen painting. Through her network of family and friends, Ms Rao manages to get some orders every month. "They loved it at the Saath Saath centre," she says. "Our new centre has just begun and we are hoping more people join in."

Saath Saath, which means together, is stretching every sinew to ensure that Sheeba and others like her never have to walk alone.

Uploaded on March 2005